Pi Day Blueberry Pie
March 14th is sometimes referred to as Pi day. It’s a math nerd kind of thing, 3.14 being the value of pi and March 14 is 3/14.
I was explaining it to a friend last night. My friend’s response was that ANY day was Pie Day!!
I had some blueberries in the freezer and decided maybe today was Pie Day after all.
You could certainly use fresh berries for this pie, but frozen was what I had. Also, since it is a quiet day today, baking a pie seemed like a nice way to spend the morning. My friend is home from work today. I think she will be happy when I invite her over to have some “Pi” Day blueberry pie. It is time to put on a pot of coffee, and make a call.
Blueberry Pie
Pastry for 2 crust pie- recipe- The crust recipe I used is at the bottom of the page
2 ½ T. cornstarch
1 c. sugar
3 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. butter
1 T. sugar, for sprinkling
Roll out half of the crust and place in 8 or 9-inch pie pan. You can roll out the top crust ahead of time, or even cut into strips for a lattice top. Cover remaining crust to keep it from drying out. In medium bowl mix cornstarch and sugar. Toss in berries and then sprinkle in the lemon juice. Allow to stand 15 minutes. If berries were frozen be sure they are not clumped together. Spoon mixture into prepared crust and dot with the butter. Top with the second crust or place strips on in a lattice design. If using a whole crust cut in decorative slits for ventilation. I used a tiny heart-shaped cutter for my pie. Moisten then crimp edges and shape decoratively or use a fork to seal. Place pie in lower half of hot oven. Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake an additional 40-50 minutes or until crust is brown and juices begin to bubble through the slits. Cool a little before serving.
Flaky Pie Crust
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
3/4 c. butter, chilled – you can use coconut oil, lard or shortening
1 T. cider vinegar
4-5 T. cold water
Combine flour and salt and cut in butter. Toss in vinegar and water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough holds together. Use a fork to toss the ingredients together and as soon as the mixture holds together stop adding water. Makes 2. Chill well before using. Posted in Cooking
Irish Soda Bread- Bread Pudding
This is a great dessert for St. Patrick’s Day. Simple and not too sweet, it is a perfect way to finish your holiday meal. It is made with a traditional Irish soda bread. I used a loaf of soda bread I had baked the day before. You could just buy a loaf of soda bread, if you prefer. I included the recipe for soda bread at the bottom of this post.
The bread was cubed up and allowed to sit around for a day, to dry out a little. You can also cube the bread and toast it in a low oven for 10-15 minutes. A slightly dried bread will stand up better to the custard.
For the custard I used milks, eggs, flavorings and a little whiskey. I would have added Bailey’s, if I had it. The addition of alcohol is optional.
Store cooled bread pudding in the fridge, but take out before serving- or warm a little before serving. It is great just as is, but you could dust with powdered sugar, or top with a scoop of ice cream or a spoonful of whipped cream.
Irish Soda Bread – Bread Pudding
6-8 c. cubed, day-old soda bread- recipe follows
2½ c. milk or half and half
5 eggs
½ c. sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on top
¼ c. whiskey, optional
1 T. vanilla
1 T. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9×9-inch baking pan. Place cubed soda bread in prepared pan. Set aside. Beat together remaining ingredients and pour over the soda bread. Sprinkle top with a little extra sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bread pudding is set and a little golden on top. I used a glass pan- it might take a little longer in a metal pan. Bread pudding should be golden around the edges, too. Cool a bit before serving. Serve as is, or with whipped cream or ice cream. Serves 6-8.
Soda Bread
2 c. flour
½ t. each baking powder and baking soda
¼ t. salt
2 T. butter
¾ c. raisins, currants or golden raisins
2 t. caraway seeds
1 egg, beaten
1 c. buttermilk
melted butter, optional
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dust a baking sheet with a little flour. Combine dry ingredients in bowl and cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Add raisins and caraway seeds. Combine egg and milk and set 2 tablespoons of this mixture aside. Add remaining milk mixture to flour mixture and combine just until dough forms into a ball. Place on baking sheet, brush with reserved egg mixture and cut a crisscross on top of loaf. Bake about 25 minutes or until bread sounds hollow. Place on rack to cool. You can brush the loaf with a little melted butter, if you like. Makes 1.
Shepherd’s Pie
If you are looking for a traditional dish for St. Patrick’s Day, you might want to make a Shepherd’s Pie. Shepherd’s pie is a mix of ground lamb and veggies, in a gravy, that are topped with mashed potatoes. Then it is baked until the mixture is heated through and potatoes brown a little.
It’s a lovely dish anytime, not just for a holiday. There are a lot of variations for shepherd’s pie, but is most often made with ground lamb. You can use other ground meat. It will still be tasty, just less traditional.
The potatoes are mashed, then spread over the meat mixture. You can pipe the potatoes on top, for a pretty presentation. I used a small ice cream scoop to place my potatoes on top. It looked pretty good.
I brushed the potatoes with some beaten egg, to give them a nice shine. You can sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese, if you like. For even more color on the potatoes, you can place under the broiler for a few minutes.
I used sherry in my gravy. Red wine would also be nice. I also added some parsley to my mashed potatoes.
Shepherd’s Pie
2 T. oil
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 lbs. ground lamb
2 c. peas
5 T. flour
1 c. chicken stock- or a bit more
½ c. sherry
2 t. thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 lbs. potatoes
1 c. sour cream
3 T. butter
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ c. chopped parsley
1 egg
Heat oil in large skillet. Sauté onions until tender. Add carrots and cook until carrots are tender. Add lamb and cook until lamb is no longer pink. Add peas and flour, then stir until flour is mixed in. Add stock, sherry and thyme. Cook until thickened and bubbly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. While cooking the meat mixture, peel, dice and boil potatoes until tender. Drain potatoes and mash until smooth. Add sour cream, butter and seasonings. Place meat mixture in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes. You can spread them, pipe them on or, as I did, use an ice cream scoop. Beat the egg and brush the potatoes with the egg. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes start to brown and mixture is heated through. You can place under the broiler, if you like, for more color. Serves 6-8.
Reuben Calzones
There is more than one way to enjoy corned beef. This time of year, because of the St Patrick’s Day specials, corned beef is on sale at lots of stores. These calzones are a fun way to serve corned beef.
While more often made with Italian ingredients, you can make calzones with other fillings, too. I made these for a friend a while back and we were talking about them the other day. I decided to make them again.
These are a fun way to make a Reuben, but with a twist. You can leave the sauerkraut out, if you like. I add some thousand island dressing to the calzones, but serve extra on the side. They also freeze well, so you can make a batch, enjoy some fresh, and freeze some for later. I thought I would share the recipe with you.
Corned Beef Calzones
3 ¼ c. flour
1 c. rye flour
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 package quick-rising yeast
1⅓ c. hot water
1 T. oil
1 c. Thousand Island dressing, recipe follows
1 lb. thin sliced corned beef
8 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
1 c. sauerkraut, squeezed dry
1 egg , beaten
Caraway seeds, optional
Set aside 1 cup of the all-purpose flour. Combine remaining flour with the other dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in water and oil and gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover dough and let rest 20 minutes. Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll one piece into a 6-8 -inch circle. In the middle of the dough, add a spoonful of Thousand Island dressing, place 1 ounce of the Swiss cheese and 2 ounces of the corned beef. Add a tablespoon or two of the sauerkraut, if using. Brush the edge of the dough with water. Fold over the dough in half and press the edges to seal. Brush the edge again with water and roll the edge over again. It will give you a prettier look and seal the calzone better. Repeat with remaining dough and fillings. Place calzones on greased baking sheets- or on a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper liner. You will end up with 8 calzones in all. Only put 4 on one baking sheet. Cover and let rest 15 minutes while preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Before placing calzones in the oven brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with the caraway seeds, if you like. Also poke a few holes in the tops with a fork to help steam to escape while baking. I put both baking sheets in the oven at the same time and switch them halfway through baking. Bake in a preheated 400-degree for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If baking both at once switch them after 10 minutes or so. Cool slightly before eating. Serve warm and refrigerate leftovers.
If you want to use regular yeast use warm, rather than hot water. Also, allow a little more time for the dough to rise the first time, about 40 minutes. Everything else will work the same.
If you want to make your own dressing, here is the recipe
Thousand Island Dressing
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. mayo
1/2 c. sweet pickle relish
Mix ingredients together and serve, or chill until needed.
Basque Soup
I taught a class last night on vegetarian cooking. This one was one of the dishes we made. It is a favorite of mine. It was enjoyed by the class, too. The soup is hearty and rich flavored. We used oil and oat milk, so the soup was vegan. You could use milk and butter, if you prefer. It tastes great, either way. It also comes together quickly, with ingredients you can keep on hand, so it is a great homemade soup when you don’t have a lot of time. The combination of milk, tomatoes and corn also makes it a pretty dish to serve. We used a jar of my home canned tomatoes and corn I had frozen last summer.
Basque Soup
1 c. chopped onions
1 1/2 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. oil or butter – we used oil in class
1/4 c. flour
3 c. milk*
1 (16 oz.) jar stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can whole kernel corn, undrained- we used frozen corn
3-4 cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
3-4 cups water and 1T. paste-type vegetable soup base
or 3-4 cups vegetable broth
pepper to taste
hot pepper sauce to taste
shredded mild cheese, optional
Sauté onions and celery in oil until tender. Stir in flour until smooth and add milk, stirring to keep lumps from forming. Stir over medium heat until milk has thickened and begins to boil. Stir constantly as mixture simmers for an additional minute or two. Add remaining ingredients, except cheese and bring up to a simmer. Adjust seasonings. Ladle into bowls and top with cheese, if desired. Serves 8-10.
Note: You can use almond, rice, oat or soy milk in place of the dairy milk, if you like.
Crab and Avocado Salad
I don’t think you can go wrong combining crab and avocado. The sweetness of the crab pairs so well with the buttery flavor and texture of the avocado. I used crab legs, but canned would be fine, too. For this salad I wanted big chunks of crab, so I used crab legs. I made a simple dressing with mayo, capers, paprika, hot sauce, garlic and cumin. For some crunch, I served the salad over a bed of shredded romaine lettuce.
Crab and Avocado Salad
2 c. crab meat
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped
2 small tomatoes, seeded and diced
juice of 1 lime
Dressing
1/2 c. mayo
1 T. capers
1 t. cumin
1 t. paprika
1/2 t. garlic powder
dash of hot sauce, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Shredded lettuce- I used romaine
Green onions, chopped, optional
Combine crab with avocado and tomato in a medium bowl. Drizzle the lime juice over the crab mixture and toss. Combine dressing ingredients and stir into crab mixture. Adjust seasonings and chill until ready to use. Serve over shredded lettuce. Garnish with green onions, if desired. Serves 2.
Dessert Focaccia
Focaccia is a wonderful Italian flat bread. Baked in a jellyroll pan, it is about an inch thick, and is often used in savory dishes with cheese and other toppings. It is also sometimes split to make sandwiches. When I make focaccia, I often add sauteed shallots, garlic and fresh rosemary.
This time I made a lightly sweetened version. It only has 1/2 cup of brown sugar in it total- but gets a lot of natural sweetness from the dried fruit and orange juice.
Loaded with dry fruits it is a great dessert, but could also be served for breakfast or brunch. If you have some dried fruit you were looking to use in something- this is a great recipe for that.
It is moist, and has a wonderful flavor and texture. You can leave it plain once baked, or add a powdered sugar glaze.
Dessert Focaccia
3 cups assorted dried fruits (cherries, raisins, currants, cranberries, prunes or blueberries)
2 c. orange juice
1 packet yeast
1 t. sugar
3 ½ c. flour
2 t. salt
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
½ t. cinnamon
¼ t. nutmeg
6 T. cold butter, cut into bits
In a bowl combine the fruit and orange juice and let stand 20 minutes. Drain fruit, reserving 1 cup of the liquid. Heat liquid until it is lukewarm. In the bowl of an electric mixture combine yeast with warm juice and sugar and let stand 5 minutes. Add flour, half the brown sugar, seasonings and butter and mix until dough is well-mixed. Knead dough with dough hook for 5 minutes, dough will be sticky. Add fruit and mix until evenly blended. Transfer dough to floured work surface and just roll around to coat with the flour. Place in oiled bowl, turning to oil top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to double, about 11/2 hours.
Note: At this point, if you would rather, you can punch the dough down and wrap it, then chill it overnight. Bring to room temperature before continuing.
Press the dough into an oiled 15×10 inch jellyroll pan and let it rise, loosely covered, for about 1 hour. Dimple the dough using your fingertips and sprinkle with the remaining brown sugar. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Can be served warm or at room temperature.
Note: The focaccia is just fine the way it is, but you can drizzle it with a powdered sugar glaze, or dust with powdered sugar. It makes a great breakfast dish, or the base for fruit shortcake,. If you wish to use large pieces of fruit like apricots, pineapple or mangoes, dip scissors in oil and use them to snip the fruit into smaller pieces. I sometimes also add 1/2 c. chopped nuts to the dough when I add the fruit.
Note: Any focaccia made with fruit, vegetables, meats or cheese should be refrigerated. Also, baked focaccia can be wrapped well and frozen for a couple of months. Just defrost in the wrapping and then warm a little, if desired.
Honey Bunny Rolls
If you are looking for a fun dish to serve for Easter, you might want to bake a batch of bunnies. They can be served with Easter dinner, or with breakfast or brunch. We made them in a Spring Baking class the other night.
The honey-sweetened yeast dough is rolled into ropes, and then the ropes are formed into these bunny shapes. Once the rolls are baked, they are brushed with a mixture of warm honey and melted butter. This is a fun recipe to make with kids.
I make them every Easter. Sweet and so cute, they are sure to be a hit when you make them.
The dough is chilled before rolling, so you can mix up a batch in the evening- put in the fridge- then roll them out the next day. They are actually pretty easy to make.
You can add raisin “eyes”, if you like. It is an option.
Honey Bunnies
4-5 c. flour
2 packages yeast
1 t. salt
2/3 c. evaporated milk
½ c. each water, honey and butter
2 eggs
Raisins, optional
Honey glaze
1/2 c. honey and 1/4 c. butter heated together until warm.
In bowl combine 1 c. flour, yeast and salt. Heat together milk, water, honey and butter until very warm and beat into the flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes on high speed. Beat in 1 cup flour and eggs. Beat 2 more minutes, until batter thickens. Stir in enough flour to make a stiff batter and chill, covered with plastic wrap for 2-24 hours.
Place dough on lightly floured surface and divide into 15 equal pieces. Roll one piece of dough into a 20- inch rope. Cut rope into a 12- inch piece, a 5-inch piece and 3 one-inch pieces. Coil 12- inch piece to form body, five inch piece to form head and one inch pieces to form ears and tail. Place the body on greased cookie sheet and then place the head next to the body, making sure they are touching. Place ears and tail on the bunny, making sure they make good contact with the rest of the “bunny”. I tuck them under a little. Repeat with the remaining dough. Let rise, covered until doubled, about 25 minutes. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Remove to cooling rack and brush with honey glaze. Place raisins on each to make eyes, if you like. Brush with additional glaze before serving, if desired. Makes 15 bunnies.
Irish Soda Bread Scones
If you are in the mood for Irish Soda Bread- you can get the same wonderful flavor in a scone.
Scones don’t take a lot of time or effort to make. These would be a wonderful addition to your St. Patrick’s Day meal.
While traditionally served for breakfast or tea time, scones are really good any time of the day. They certainly can be served with dinner.
I used golden raisins, but you could use regular raisins, currants or cranberries, for a less traditional scone.
Irish Soda Bread Scones
2 c. flour
3 T. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
1/3 c. butter
½ c. golden raisins
1 t. caraway seeds
2/3 c. buttermilk
1 egg
Milk
Extra sugar for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl and cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Stir in raisins and caraway seeds. Beat together buttermilk and egg and add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until mixture just coming together. Turn onto floured surface and knead 5-6 strokes or until ball of dough holds together. Dust an 8-inch round cake with flour. Press dough into cake pan. Invert pan over onto prepared baking sheet. I find if I do this quickly the dough comes out more easily. Remove cake pan. This will give you a perfect 8-inch circle of dough. With a sharp, floured knife cut dough into 8 wedges. Brush top with milk and sprinkle with extra sugar. Bake 14-16 minutes. Makes 8.
Irish Soda Bread
It’s that time of year. Irish food in on the mind. This soda bread is a classic. Simple and fast to make, it can be served with breakfast, lunch or dinner.
The soda bread is like a big scone or biscuit. It has a crisp, outer crust, with a crumbly, soft center. I like to serve soda bread with butter and jam. We made this bread in class the other night and everyone enjoyed it.
I used raisins, but you can substitute currants, golden raisins, or just leave them out, if you prefer.
I make soda bread all through the year, not just for St. Patrick’s Day. Right from the oven with some butter and jam. Yum.
Irish Soda Bread
2 c. flour
½ t. each baking powder and baking soda
¼ t. salt
2 T. butter
¾ c. raisins, currants or golden raisins
2 t. caraway seeds
1 egg. Beaten
1 c. buttermilk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dust a baking sheet with a little flour. Combine dry ingredients in bowl and cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Add raisins and caraway seeds. Combine egg and milk and set 2 tablespoons of this mixture aside. Add remaining milk mixture to flour mixture and combine just until dough forms into a ball. Place on baking sheet, brush with reserved egg mixture and cut a crisscross on top of loaf. Bake about 25 minutes or until bread sounds hollow. Makes 1.
