Grandma Pearl Bennett's Mountain Pie

This may not be the most photogenic dessert you've ever seen, but once you scoop a serving from the cast iron pan and taste it, you'll know why this pan of goodness was gone in a flash. The caramelized edges, mixed with the pudding-like center, will have you drooling, especially if you top it with vanilla ice cream.

It's a recipe from my friend Emily, who prepared this dessert as part of a multi-course meal that was the prize awarded at a silent auction benefit for Camp Mason, where Emily's husband Tom serves on the board. Camp Mason is a 460 acre camp and outdoor facility for young people near the Delaware Water Gap and was founded in 1900, making it the third oldest youth camp in the U.S. 

Lucky for my husband and me that our friend Alex was the highest bidder for this delectable prize and that he invited us to join him and his partner Jesse.

The dinner was a Lucullan feast prepared by Emily on their beautiful 50 acre Van Dyke farm in Hopewell, N.J., where they own not only a beautiful house and separate studio, but also a barn that they have transformed into a magical setting for special dinners and parties. 

Before the dinner began, Tom gave us a tour of his organic garden, where he's growing all sorts of vegetables and herbs.

I was flabbergasted to see he was growing agretti, a vegetable I adore and have seen only in Italy. They look similar to chives, but are thicker, and and to me taste similar to lemony Swiss chard.  

 On the property is a corn crib that's more than 100 years old and still in use, but not for corn,

It's where Tom stores the 13 varieties of garlic, 5 varieties of shallots, and another 4 or 5 varieties of onions that he harvests to enjoy all year long.

We kicked off the festivities in the barn with a glass of prosecco:

Then moved to the "dogwood room" -- a leafy canopy of trees where we enjoyed the hors d'ouevres:

Emily had prepared three:

-Spanakopita, made with spinach and mustard greens from the garden and served with a tzatziki sauce:

-Roasted garlic smeared on toasted pita wedges and served with pear jam.

-Caviar and creme fraîche with preserved lemon served in crispy wafer shells.

Back to the barn for the other courses, with a little diversion to hammer out a beat or two on the drums:

Emily appeared with a tray of cold soup, much appreciated on a day when the temperature was in the 90s -- and what a delicious soup it was -- a creamy and mild garlic scape soup, made creamy with potatoes, not cream. Edible nasturtium flowers (also from the garden) decorated the bowls, and piquant papadum crisps were served alongside the soup. Our taste buds were on overdrive.

Next came a gleaming copper pot filled with my favorite course of the night -- lemon fettuccine with agretti, feta cheese and a scattering of pistachios. It made me want to try growing agretti again, something I did years ago to mixed success.

The main course was a riff on salade niçoise - using both jarred (Tonino brand) and fresh tuna, but also boosted with shrimp skewers and cups filled with crab cocktail. The traditional eggs and tomato, along with asparagus and lettuces that also came from their garden, along with miniscule yellow and red pickled peppers, contributed a delicious and colorful touch to the platter.

At this point, we took a pause before dessert and headed up to the treehouse Tom and Emily had built overlooking the garden, the house and the countryside. It was a perfect place to enjoy the sunset, even if I felt a little skittish climbing up with prosecco in hand and wearing a long dress hiked up above my knees. Here's Emily in the corner of her little aerie (where she and Tom sometimes bravely camp out and sleep for the night).

The view as the sun was setting was transcendent from 15 feet off the ground:

But dessert awaited and we descended the treehouse with eager anticipation for the night's sweet ending -- a recipe from Emily's grandmother made with blueberries Tom had picked from the garden earlier in the day. We were all savoring every last morsel, and some of us (not naming names) even went back for seconds.

Nearly five hours later, it was time to say goodnight and head home. We left with full bellies and wonderful memories of a delicious evening spent with good friends and food grown with care and prepared with love. It's an evening we'll be reliving over and over.  

Could it have been any more perfect? Yes, it could have -- and was -- as we were regaled with a full "strawberry moon" on the longest day of the year, completing an already dreamy, delicious evening.

And now you too can also enjoy a little of the magic we felt and tasted with Emily's family recipe for Blueberry Mountain Pie:

Check out Ciao Chow Linda on Instagram here to find out what’s cooking in my kitchen each day (and more).

Grandma Pearl Bennett's Mountain Pie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 1/2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups fruit - Best fruits to use are strawberry, raspberry or fresh peaches (free-stone Georgia peaches if you can find them). Blueberries must be tempered with a dose of lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice. 

Directions:

Melt the butter in a 10" cast iron pan (cast iron pan is essential in this recipe). The butter should brown slightly around the edges. Set aside.

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Mix in two cups of milk and stir until it looks like semi-smooth pancake batter. Carefully pour batter directly into the center of the butter pan. DO NOT STIR.

Add 1 1/2 cups of fruit into the center of the batter. DO NOT MIX.

Bake in 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes. The edges should be caramelized and the center set to pudding texture.

To serve - Use a spoon to scoop a serving from the outside toward the middle and place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Lemon Meringue Pie

I don't know why I hadn't made lemon meringue pie in decades, because it's such a delicious and light dessert -- a perfect counterpoint to all the rich, creamy holiday foods we ate (rich scalloped potatoes, filet mignon, semifreddo, etc.) I was inspired to make it during the Christmas holidays while pondering how to  use some of the lemons ripening on my indoor lemon tree. This year, it was laden with ten beautiful lemons.

 Although I picked three, they were so juicy, I needed only two of them,

For the pastry, I followed a recipe from Lillipies, a shop in town that makes fabulous mini pies of all kinds. I had recently been to a lecture by its owner, Jennifer Colello Carson, where she explained how she makes her pie crusts. Her cookbook, "Lillipies" is chockfull of recipes from pies to panzanella.

 She also has a recipe for lemon meringue pie, but it calls for more lemons than I was willing to part with, so I used a recipe from Betty Crocker for the filling, one that calls for only 1/2 cup of lemon juice. It was plenty tart enough.

I did add one more egg white than called for in the recipe, since I wanted the meringue to be piled high above the lemon filling.

Another reason I liked the Betty Crocker recipe is that the meringue was baked in the oven for about 20 minutes, as opposed to just torching or broiling the meringue, as called for in many other recipes.

The pie was a smashing hit with my daughter and her husband, who loves tangy citrus desserts, like this pie. I may have to make it again this week to take to my dad, whose favorite dessert is lemon meringue pie. I've still got plenty of lemons left on my little lemon tree and will be posting more lemon-centric recipes in coming posts.

Check out Ciao Chow Linda on Instagram here to find out what’s cooking in my kitchen each day (and more).

Lemon Meringue Pie

printable recipe here

Pastry

recipe from Jen Colello Carson of Princeton, N.J.'s "Lillipies"

For a two-crust pie (cut in half for this lemon meringue pie)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed and cold

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

4-6 Tablespoons ice cold water

Filling

(from Betty Crocker website)

• 3egg yolks
• 1 1/2cups sugar
• 1/3cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 1/2cups water
• 3tablespoons butter
• 2teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1/2cup lemon juice

Meringue

• 4egg whites, room temperature
• 1/4teaspoon cream of tartar
• 6tablespoons sugar
• 1/2teaspoon vanilla

For pastry:

In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, salt and butter, or use a pastry cutter.

When the butter pieces are the size of small peas, add 4 tablespoons ice cold water. Pulse until combined. Add only enough water need to hold the dough together. Add more water only if the dough needs it. The amount of water needed can depend on the weather, the time of year you are baking, how your flour was stored, etc. Adding too much water will yield a sticky dough (and a tough crust later). Adding too little water will cause the dough to fall apart as you are rolling.

Shape the dough into 2 disks for a 9" double-crusted pie. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out one pie dough to 1/8 thickness. Place into pie tin. Crimp edges. Chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fully "blind-bake" the crust, lining the chilled pie shell with parchment or aluminum foil, and filling with pie weights or uncooked rice and/or beans. Bake for 15 minutes in lower third of oven. Then remove the parchment and pie weights and return to bake another 15 minutes.

Pour the prepared lemon filling into the pie shell.

For the filling:

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees

In small bowl, beat egg yolks with fork. In 2-quart saucepan, mix 1 1/2 cups sugar and the cornstarch; gradually stir in 1 1/2 cups water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.

Immediately stir with whisk at least half of hot mixture into egg yolks; stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Return to boiling; boil and stir constantly 2 minutes; remove from heat. Stir in butter, lemon zest and lemon juice with whisk. Cover and keep warm.

In medium bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; scrape side of bowl occasionally. Continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form and sugar is completely dissolved. Beat in vanilla. Pour hot lemon filling into baked pie shell. Immediately drop spoonfuls of meringue onto hot lemon filling, and carefully spread meringue to cover top completely, spreading to edge of crust to prevent shrinkage or weeping.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until meringue is browned and temperature reaches 160°F. Cool on cooling rack 1 hour. Refrigerate about 4 hours or until filling is set. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

• 
  

 

Blueberry Crumb Pie

It’s blueberry season in New Jersey, but if you don’t live here in the Garden State, maybe you can find your own source for blueberries to make this All-American blueberry pie. It’s packed with blueberries, but it’s also got a lemony tang that cuts through the richness of the berries. I love double-crusted fruit pies, but I’m especially partial to those with a crumb topping, for that extra crunchy texture you get with each bite. Making a crumb topping, instead of a second crust on top, also means there’s not going to be a gap between the fruit and the top crust, something that frequently happens with fruit pies, as the fruit sinks during the time in the oven.

Another way to avoid the “sinking fruit” syndrome is to partially cook the fruit before placing in the crust, which is what I did with these blueberries. Even so, don’t try to cut into the pie until it’s completely cooled, or you’ll have a runny mess. Here’s a shot from the second day of the pie, when it’s had a chance to cool in the refrigerator overnight. It holds its shape really well, as you can see.

All the better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Just in time to enjoy for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Click here to connect with me on Instagram and find out what’s cooking in Ciao Chow Linda’s kitchen each day (and more)

Blueberry Crumb Pie

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

printable recipe here

Ingredients

• FOR THE CRUST:
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• a pinch of fine salt
• 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into dice
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten with a fork
• FOR THE PIE FILLING:
• 8 cups blueberries (about 3 pints)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch or flour
• 1/4 cup water
• zest of one lemon
• juice from half a lemon
• FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING:
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons butter

Instructions

1. Mix all the ingredients for the crumb topping, using your fingers to mix everything together until butter is absorbed into the dry ingredients.
2. Set topping aside.
3. FOR THE PASTRY:
4. Mix the ingredients for the pastry, adding the butter to the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mixing with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly.
5. Add the egg with a fork, then use your fingers just until the dough comes together.
6. Shape into a ball, then flatten and roll out on a floured surface to a diameter slightly larger than the pie plate.
7. Carefully lift the pastry (using a rolling pin to help) and place over the pie tin.
8. Crimp the edges and prick the inside of the pie shell.
9. Place the pie shell in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
10. Remove it from the refrigerator and line it with tin foil, coated with butter or sprayed with baking spray, then fill with pie weights, dry beans or rice (I’ve got a mixture of beans and rice that I have been using over and over again for at least 12 years.)
11. Bake the crust in a preheated 475 degree (F) oven for 10 minutes.
12. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 350 degrees F. while you make the filling.
13. FOR THE FILLING:
14. Take about six cups (2 pints) of the washed blueberries and place in a saucepan with the sugar.
15. Cook on high heat for about ten minutes for the blueberries to release some of their juices.
16. Using a spoon to mix, make a slurry with the cornstarch (or flour) with the water.
17. Add the slurry to the blueberries in the pan, cooking until the blueberries thicken.
18. If it looks like there is too much liquid, drain some of it using a colander.
19. Add the remaining two cups of fresh blueberries to the cooked blueberries.
20. Add the lemon juice and grated lemon peel to the blueberries.
21. Place the mixture into the partially baked pie crust.
22. Spread the crumb topping over the blueberries.
23. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes, covering the top with aluminum foil for the last ten minutes if it starts to get too brown.
24. Carefully remove from oven and let it cool completely.
25. If it’s not completely cool, the filling will run a lot.
26. Enjoy with a topping of vanilla ice cream.

3.5.3251

 

Spinach Ricotta Pie

I wish I had thought to post this before Easter, because it would have made the perfect meal to serve on Fridays during Lent. But it still is a good one to keep in your back pocket for those nights when you want a meatless meal.

I made this using a store bought pie crust, making it easy to get on the table in a snap, but use your favorite homemade crust recipe if you have time.

The recipe comes from "Blue Plate Special," a memoir by Kate Christensen, read by my book group nearly a year ago. It's a passionately written account of her unorthodox childhood and relationships as she navigates her way through adulthood. Through the sometimes painful, sometimes joyous, and frequently tumultuous events, food is the sustaining thread throughout. It's well worth a read.

And if you have a food, travel or family story you've been wanting to write down for posterity, now is the time to start. We've got only a couple of spots left for our memoir writing retreat on Lake Como, Italy. Join us for an unforgettable week in this enchanting location in late September. Get more information by going to www.italyinotherwords.com

 



Want more Ciao Chow Linda? Check out my Instagram page here to see more of what I'm cooking up each day. 

You can also connect with Ciao Chow Linda here on Facebook, here for Pinterest or  here for Twitter.

Spinach Ricotta Pie

from Kate Christensen's "Blue Plate Special"

printable recipe here

1 onion minced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 10-ounce frozen box of spinach, thawed

a dash of cayenne pepper, basil,

salt and pepper

1 pound ricotta cheese

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

4 eggs

Sauté the onion in the olive oil.  Add the spinach, the herbs and spices. Beat the eggs, then blend in the ricotta cheese and the cheddar cheese, plus the sauteed onion and spices. Stir. Turn everything into a store bought or homemade pie shell. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes until golden brown on top.

Crostata di Marmellata alla Sorrentina

Are you ready for Pi Day? It's coming up next week and you need to be ready with a real pie - or in this case a crostata (close enough). Of course, you all know that Pi, represented by the Greek letter π, is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, and is commonly approximated as 3.14159.

Pi Day is celebrated around the world on March 14 (March=3rd month, and the 14th day, hence 3.14), which also happens to be the birthday of Albert Einstein, whose legacy is omnipresent here in Princeton, where the Nobel laureate gave lectures at Princeton University, but mainly served as a faculty member at the Institute for Advanced Studies from 1933 until his death in 1955.

Princeton honors Pi Day with all kinds of events, from an Einstein look-alike contest, to a pie-baking contest. (The first year of the contest, I actually won second place, with "Alessandra's crostata.")

I made a couple of goofs while making this crostata, but in the end, it all worked out.

It calls for a mixture of amaretti cookie crumbs to be mixed with egg, then spread on top of the jam.

But I misread the recipe and put the amaretti cookie crumbs in first, before the jam. Whoops!

Fortunately, I was able to scoop them up before I went any farther.

So after scraping out the amaretti crumbs, I put in a mixture of jams - orange and plum. You can use only one kind if you like, or mix any others - apricot and plum are delicious too.

Now is the time to spread the amaretti mixture. I didn't have quite enough, but it was just fine. Kind of looks like peanut butter and jelly at this point, but it tastes much better.

Spread the lattice strips on top, then brush with egg.

While baking, the amaretti crumbs and eggs puff up slightly and peek through the lattice strips.

The flavor is delicious and it slices so easily you may want to eat more than just one slice. After all, you are doing research on the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, right?

Happy Pi π Day.

Want more Ciao Chow Linda? Check out my Instagram page here to see more of what I'm cooking up each day. 

You can also connect with Ciao Chow Linda here on Facebook, here for Pinterest or  here for Twitter. 

Crostata di Marmellata alla Sorrentina

from "The Southern Italian Table" by Arthur Schwartz

printable recipe here



your favorite pasta frolla recipe (pastry crust - I cheated this time and used one from Trader Joe's)

1 12 ounce jar marmalade (I used a combination of plum and orange)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup finely ground amaretti cookies (about 3 ounces, depending on the brand)



Place a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the dough between sheets of waxed paper or parchment. Line a 9-inch tart or cake pan with two-thirds of the pasta frolla, bringing the pastry up the sides of the pan just to the top. Save the other third of the pastry to make a lattice top.

Mix the jams (if using two different ones) and spread evenly on the pastry.

Beat one of the eggs in a small bowl until well blended, then add the amaretti crumbs and mix well. Spread this mixture evenly over the jam filling.

Roll out the remaining pastry. With a sharp knife or rolling pastry cutter, cut it into 1/2 inch wide strips. Arrange the strips on top of the tart in a diamond-shaped lattice. Turn the edge of the bottom pastry over the edge of the lattice top.

Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl, then brush the pastry with it.

Bake the tart for 30 to 35 minutes until nicely browned. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the tart from the pan and finish cooling it on a rack.



Variation:

Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of finely chopped nuts - toasted almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts - on the bottom pastry before pouring in the marmalade or jam.

At Masseria Astapiana, Villa Giusso in Vico Equense, near Sorrento, a fifteenth century former monastery now operating as a bed and breakfast and party venue, they make a rather complex, but not difficult to accomplish, version of this tart. Instead of using 12 ounces of marmalade, use only 6 ounces. Then dip about 28 whole amaretti quickly into dry white vermouth. Arrange a layer of the cookies over the marmalade, packing them in closely and pushing them slightly into the marmalade. Now combine 2 beaten eggs with 3/4 cup toasted and finely ground almonds. Pour this over the amaretti. There should be just enough to barely cover the cookies. Arrange a lattice pastry top. Bake as above.