Egg Hunt

Brother-In-Law Pie

"Did you bring your cranberry pie?" Ed asked me last Thursday.

"No, sorry, I haven't been near an oven all week. I brought champers". 

"Aw. That's killer pie".

"I know you like it. I'll make you one for Christmas".

"Alright!"

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Cranberry Walnut Pie adapted from California Home Cooking by Michele Anna Jordan

Rich and tart, sweet and bright, this deeply flavored pie is a knock-out.

9" unbaked pie shell, chilled

3 eggs, room temp.

1/2 light brown sugar, packed

1 c light corn syrup

1/2 c unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbl brandy

1 tbl fresh orange juice

2 tsp orange zest, minced

1 tsp cinnamon

small pinch of ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 c fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped

1 c walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Beat the eggs until frothy.

Whisk in brown sugar and corn syrup.

Whisk in the butter, vanilla, brandy, orange juice and zest, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.

Fold in the cranberries and walnuts, then pour into the chilled pie shell.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until set.

Let pie rest for at least two hours before serving with vanilla ice cream...if you can wait!

Season's Greetings

In the next few days I'll be moving into a new home, attending a friend's wedding in San Francisco, then traveling to Santa Cruz for Thanksgiving with my husband's family. I'm pretty tired and have nothing much to say, but I'd like to give everyone an early holiday gift: an original recipe for pear upside-down spice cake (the one I won't be making next week). It's d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s and great for holiday parties or cozy afternoons.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I'll see you in late November!

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Cornmeal Pear Upside-Down Cake

Although this cake keeps fairly well, the pears lose much of their gloss by the second day. 

10 tbl unsalted butter, divided, room temp.

3/4 c packed light-brown sugar, divided

2 ripe and fragrant pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/8ths

1 c flour

1/2 c coarse-ground cornmeal

1 1/2 tsp bpowder

1/2 tsp bsoda

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 ground allspice

1/4 tsp salt

zest of 1/3 lemon, minced

1/2 c sugar

2 large eggs, room temp

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c milk, room temp

Preheat oven to 350°.

Put 4 tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup brown sugar in a 9-inch cast iron skillet or a 9" round cake pan. Cook over low heat, until mixture is smooth and sugar begins to darken. Let some sugar splash up onto the sides of the pan. Arrange pear slices tho cover the bottom of the pan.

In a bowl, sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger,allspice, and salt. Stir in lemon zest.

In another bowl, beat remaining 6 tablespoons butter until creamy. Add granulated sugar and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar; beat until well combined. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to butter mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

Pour batter over fruit in pan. Bake 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool briefly, then turn out onto serving plate.

Nolstalgia

For years I've been threatening to write a book celebrating (and perhaps mythologizing) the flavors of New England from the kitchen of a reluctant ex-pat.

For me, yankee eatin' includes whoopie pies, maple custard, lobster boils, plank-baked shad, birch beer, gingerbread, grape jelly, clam fritters, clam chowder, native corn, blueberry buckle, Portuguese bread and fishermen's stews, grapenut and indian pudding, blue crabs.

Blue fish, doughboys, kielbasa, sauerkraut, chicken and dumplings, chicken pot pie, squaw bread,  cheddar and chutney, pierogies, roast beef and horseradish cream, arroz con gandules from that place in Holyoke, cranberry tea loaves, American Chop Suey(just kidding!).

New Haven apizza, corned beef and red flannel hash, shortbread, pumpkin bisque, Humel hot dogs and Fenway Franks, soda bread, shepherd's pie, succotash, apple cider doughnuts, apple crisp, salt cod cakes, biscuits and honey butter, baked beans, boston cream pie. And.. dare I admit it?... Dunkin Donuts coffee.

If I were to record my interpretation of New England soul food, the inaugural dessert would be Toll House Pie, the first pie I ever made.

Have you had it? Run out and buy premade crust if you must, but please try this pie! The chocolate chips sink to the bottom and become a gooey chocolate layer while the top caramelizes and forms a walnut-y, cookie-like, butter-rich top. Heaven!

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Toll House Pie

I've had this recipe for so long that I can't cite its original source, although it more than likely came from the back of a bag of chocolate chips.

one unbaked 9" pie shell

2 lg eggs, room temp

1/2 cup AP flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup butter, room temp.

1 cup semi or bittersweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

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Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Beat eggs on high speed until fluffy (3 minutes or so). Add flour, both sugars, and salt. Beat in the butter and vanilla, then stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Scoop into unbaked pie shell and smooth with spatula.

Bake 50-60 minutes, or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Serve warm and ala mode!