Simple Fudge Pie

Missy Tippens

First!! I'm celebrating a new release! I hope you'll check it out! Click here.

We had dinner with friends last night. I've shared one or two of Beth's recipes with y'all before. I think I've gotten a recipe from her every time we've eaten at their house! And boy, oh boy, do I have a good one for you today!

First, she had set such a nice table. Candles! Cloth napkins! (Yes, we use paper napkins around here.) 

Then a beautiful fruit salad to start. Blackberries, grapes mandarin/clementines, and walnuts.

A wonderful veggie pasta dish that had the perfect level of spiciness.

And...drum roll...FUDGE PIE! Oh my goodness, this was sooo rich and good!!

Fudge Pie
from the kitchen of Richard Brown (given to me by Beth Shugart)

1 stick margarine
3 Tbs cocoa
1 square semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 eggs
2tsp vanilla

Melt together first 3 ingredients.
Beat next ingredients with the chocolate mixture.

Bake in greased pan at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Enjoy!

Missy

www.missytippens.com

Cornish Pasties

Hi everyone! Jan here, with a recipe re-do. The first time this recipe appeared in the Cafe was almost FIVE years ago!

Here's what has happened in our lives since then: Connor (best dog EVER) passed away and a year later was replaced by Thatcher (cutest dog EVER!), and Wynter became an old lady - turning twelve last December.

Add to that two weddings, a college graduation, multiple trips into the Black Hills of South Dakota (pretty much out our front door) and a few trips to the Wyoming mountains, adult children moving in and out, and six books published. 

A lot has happened in those five years!

But I still love this recipe. :) So enjoy this post from the past!

Cornish Pasties

by Jan Drexler

Our discussion a couple weeks ago about Regional Favorites started me thinking about some regional favorites that span cultures. Some dishes are so simple, so basic, that it seems every culture has a version.

One I’m aware of is the Cornish Pasty (that’s pass-tee, not paste-tee). There are versions all over the country, brought by immigrants from various northern European countries.

There’s the Bierock, brought to America by the Volga Germans and Russians, and you find them in Kansas. The Runza – very similar to the Bierock – is also from Germany, and you find them in the eastern parts of the Dakotas, Nebraska and parts of Minnesota. These two are so similar you can almost say they’re the same, but don’t say it out loud when you’re in Kansas! They’re both made with a yeast dough shell and filled with a ground beef and cabbage mixture. The big difference between them is their shape. Bierocks are bun-shaped, while Runzas are rectangle shaped. Yes, I know, not much of a difference, but don’t tell the Kansans or Dakotans that…

The other common variation has a pastry shell. The Fleishkuckle, also from Germany, is common in North Dakota and parts of South Dakota. The filling is made of ground beef, ground pork and onion. The Cornish Pasty is the other version with a pastry shell, but has a diced beef, potato, turnip and onion filling.

You’ll find similar dishes in the Italian Calzone, the Russian Chebureki and various smaller versions like the Chinese Wonton, the Polish Pierogi and the Italian Tortellini.

All of these hand pies were developed for one purpose: a quick, portable, filling meal for the men to take to the fields or mines with them. One real advantage is that if your hands are dirty (which they are – just think about miners and farmers and no running water…), you can hold your meal by one corner and then discard the soiled end of the pie.

The one I’m most familiar with – because of my Michigan roots – is the Cornish Pasty. It was brought to America by the Cornish families who immigrated here to work in the copper mines in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The only other place I’ve found them is right here in the Black Hills of South Dakota, in Lead (pronounced Leed), where the Cornish miners came to work in the Homestake Gold Mine. You’ve heard of “Black Hills Gold”? This is where it comes from. Lead is just down the road from Deadwood, and I've heard you can still find gold in the area. I've also heard that there’s a grocery store in Lead where the locals still buy their pasties. What can I say? It’s tradition.

Here’s the recipe for your own Cornish Pasties! This recipe will make about six pasties, with enough leftover pie crust to make a couple pies or apple turnovers.

1.     Pastry or pie dough – use your favorite, or you can use mine:

Never-Fail Pie Crust

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 cup shortening

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 beaten egg

5 1/2 to 6 Tablespoons water

Blend the flour and salt in a medium bowl.

Cut in the shortening. I like to use butter, but it also makes a great pie crust with lard or vegetable shortening (i.e. Crisco). The butter gives you a better tasting crust that browns more easily, but the lard or shortening gives you a flakier crust.

Anyway, cut in the butter or shortening, and then beat the egg in a separate bowl, and add the vinegar and water. The amount of water you add will depend on the humidity on the day you make the crust. It's a good idea to start with the lesser amount, and then add more later if you need it.

Pour the liquid into the flour mixture, and mix well. The dough should be able to stick together, but not be sticky. If you aren't able to form the dough into a ball, add a bit more water. If it's too sticky, sprinkle in a little more flour.

This recipe makes enough dough for three single crust pies, or one single crust and one double crust, so there is plenty to work with as you make your pasties. 

2.     Filling:

o   ½ cup onion, cut into small cubes

o   1 cup potato, cut into small cubes

o   1 cup swede, cut into small cubes (see below for an explanation of this ingredient!)

o   6 oz. beef – round steak or rump steak – cut into small cubes

o   Salt and pepper

One note - This basic recipe is pretty bland, so feel free to add more seasoning! One of my favorite seasoning blends is 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon marjoram, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon oregano and 1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes. Mix it in with the filling, or use your favorite seasoning blend.

Another note - Because I used lean beef, I added gravy to these when I served them. But you can add moisture to the pies before you bake them. You can add oil to the filling, or melted butter (both of those add the fat back in that isn't in the beef). Or you can use some gravy, or beef broth. Just be careful! You don't want the filling to be too wet. Just enough to make the everything hold together.

And a third note - When you cube the meat and vegetables, make sure the cubes are uniform in size, about ¼”. I bought thin cut round steak, and since it was already about ¼” thick, making the little cubes was easier. After I finished, I thought I should have tried using my food processor. The size of the pieces doesn’t matter, as long as they’re small and uniform so they cook evenly.

My dogs always want to share whatever I cut on the cutting board, and yes, I do give them the scraps. Wynter isn’t too sure about veggies, but doesn’t want to be left out.

Connor, on the other hand, inhaled his piece of parsnip so fast, the only picture I was able to get was him looking for more…. 

You will also need one egg beaten with about 1 Tablespoon water to make an egg wash.

And now you’re asking “What is Swede? Do I have to cook a Swedish person?” Ewww. No one would eat it! No, Swede is the British term for a yellow turnip, or Rutabaga. I didn’t have Swede, or Rutabaga, so I substituted a white turnip and a couple parsnips.

Roll out a small portion of your pie crust dough into a round about 1/8” thick, and larger than 6” in diameter.

Using a 6” plate or bowl, cut a circle out of the dough.

Place a spoonful of filling in the center of the dough (be generous, but not so much that you can’t seal the Pasty). Next, brush some egg wash on the edge of the circle with a pastry brush.

Bring the edges together and seal them, making a half-moon shape, then fold and crimp the edges with your fingers to make a secure seal.

Move your Pasty carefully to a greased baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper), and brush egg wash over the surface.

Bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes. (And don’t go to another room and get lost on the internet like I did when these were baking…they were in for an hour…).

You can serve these warm or cold, but believe me, they’re better warm. Gravy is a nice addition, too...

                  

Can you think of other dishes that span cultures like this one? Let’s hear about them!

Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.

Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com

Holiday Party Tray

with Guest Sandra Leesmith

How are your holiday preparations coming along?  Have you been invited to a holiday party or potluck? We have already been to a couple pickleball potlucks. Pickleball players love to party about as much as they love to play. Smile

Here is what I like to make. It is festive and healthy.

This is pretty obvious so I’m not really going to show photos nor write directions of how to do this.  You do need fresh veggies and a holiday tray. I use an aluminum tray if I don’t want to have to worry about taking it home.

Since there wasn’t much to photograph in preparation, I’m sharing some holiday decorations found here in the desert.

 Just because we don’t have snow and the traditional pine trees, we do make up for it with lights.

We also put up artificial trees which look lovely all lit up at night.

We went to my friend’s house the other night and she not only had an artificial tree in her entryway, but she had decorated her cacti in the front yard.  Notice the lights are chili peppers? 

Another favorite thing to do is wrap lights up the trunks of palm trees. Now don’t laugh. I’m sure there were palm trees in the desert where Jesus was born and surely they were alight from the glow of the angels flying around.

This one is for Ruthy.

Every year my hubby’s family all get together on the 26^th. It is so much fun to see all the cousins and their children and grandchildren. We have a potluck so I will be bringing the veggie tray above and also a Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie. My financial advisor, Jim Dew, sends out a newsletter every month and besides being a great financial advisor, he is a gourmet cook. He always includes a recipe in the newsletter. This Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie looked really delicious.  And it is.

Here is the recipe copied with permission from JimDew’s  November newsletter.

Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie

·       ·  30 small gingersnap cookies, (about 7 1/2 ounces)

·       ·  2 tablespoons raisins

·       ·  1 tablespoon canola oil

Filling

·       ·  1 cup canned pumpkin puree

·       ·  1/3 cup packed brown sugar

·       ·  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·       ·  1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

·       ·  1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

·       ·  2 pints (4 cups) frozen low-fat vanilla ice cream, softened

1 Preparation

1.     Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan with cooking spray.

2.     To prepare crust: Combine gingersnaps and raisins in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add oil and pulse

until blended. Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan.

3.     Bake the crust until set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare filling: Combine pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a large bowl and mix well. Add ice cream and stir until blended. Spoon the mixture into the cooled pie crust. Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Let the pie soften slightly in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Happy Holidays everyone. 

Sandra

Welcome Winter with Apple Crumble Pie

Last week I told you how we caught the last days of autumn.

We had chosen the right afternoon to head out to Custer State Park, because by Monday morning, winter had hit. We've had a week of high winds, below zero temperatures, and even some snow.

We're glad we took steps to protect our one little tree from the neighborhood deer herd. Almost every evening they're haunting the streets and yards like ghosts - quiet, elusive, and nearly invisible. They'll just stand and watch you drive by....

Later in the winter, they'll start showing up during the day, too. This is a picture from a couple Januaries ago - 

They're beautiful to watch, but I really don't want them eating our new cherry tree!

Of course, the dogs love the winter weather....

But even though the weather looks a lot like Christmas, we're getting ready for Thanksgiving. One of my three favorite holidays of the year!

We're hosting dinner at our house this year. We're expecting six to eight friends to be here for the afternoon and it's going to be great :)

BUT, the problem is that I'm not making the pie! So instead, I'm making all kinds of pies leading up to the big day.

This weekend I made one of our favorites - Apple Crumble Pie

You make this pie in three phases.

First is the crust. You can use whatever pie crust you want. Here's a link to my Never Fail Pie Crust, or you can make Ruthy's. You can even buy one at your market. But don't tell us if you do. :)

I prepared two pie crusts, since I'm making a double batch.

Oh, don't forget to preheat your oven! Set your rack low in the oven, and preheat to 450°.

Next, get your apples ready. I like Granny Smith for this pie, but you can use your favorite firm, tart apple. You'll want 3-4 for a single pie, 7 for two pies. (Mine were pretty big apples, so if yours are smaller, add another one.)

And if you don't have one of these gadgets, you need to get one. Watch how quickly it peels, cores and slices an apple!

And then all you're left with is this. Easy-peasy!!!

Put all of your apple slices in a bowl, and then douse with a couple Tablespoons of lemon juice. Mix it all up, and then add

1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

(Double all of those amounts for two pies!)

Stir all that yummy goodness together, and then spoon the apples into your pie shell(s). They should make a big mound in the center, because they'll cook down while your pie is baking.

*Interesting fact I recently learned - not only does the lemon juice help keep the apples from turning brown, but the acid also breaks down the apples while they're cooking, giving you that soft texture we always want from cooked apples.

Third step: The crumb topping.

Mix together in a smallish bowl (I use a 1 1/2 quart):

1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cut in 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter until it's crumbly.

By the way, when I make two pies, I make each batch of crumble topping separately. It's just easier that way :)

Pat the crumble topping on the apples to form a top crust. If you wish, protect the edges of the pie from browning too much with strips of foil.

Put in your preheated 450° oven. After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350° and bake for an additional 45 minutes (for a total of 1 hour).

Cool before serving.

Now those are pies worthy of any Thanksgiving table!

I'd like to close with a paragraph I wrote on another blog six years ago -

As time has gone on, our children have outgrown our Harvest Parties, but not the enjoyment of November as the season of thanks. We look forward to good fall meals of homemade soups, breads, and apple crisps. Cosy evenings sitting around the table talking together long after the meal is over with the curtains closed against the dark night outside. The gathering up and storing of our own family harvest...the memories that will last long after these children have moved into homes of their own and the table is filled completely only on occasion....and looking forward to the final harvest home, our final Sabbath rest. This is our season of Thanksgiving.

Blessings to you and yours as you prepare for the coming holiday!

The Great Strawberry Pie-Off!

Hi everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back and I have a great strawberry pie recipe to share.

 But first, a funny picture. My five year old passed out, and the doggy passed out with him. I thought their matching positions were pretty hilarious.

And then there was this. A birthday! The first of the summer crew. I made this Very Hungry Caterpillar I saw on Pinterest. It wasn't quite a fail because the new 4 year old loved it! (See how I wrote his name there, Ruthy? I was tempted to write BABY in big letters just for you, but using curved letters with red licorice is a lot harder than it looks.)

 But it was pretty hot in our house that afternoon and the caterpillar's face was sort of losing its shape.... slowly.

 And then came time to blow out the candle. See how helpful older brother is??
                           
Local cherries are ripe! We got these for $2/ pound at roadside stand. YAY!
                                        
The Rainier are also ripe, but they need a day in the fridge to bring out the sugars. So, I let the kids eat a few then into the cold storage they went.

 SO! Clari Dees posted a GORGEOUS strawberry pie picture and then the recipe. Ruthy also shared her recipe of the same pie. So I thought I should have a pie-off and see how the two compared!

 Essentially, it's the same pie with just a few changes. So, start with strawberries.

 Cut off their heads!

 Little hands grabbing strawberries. Shoo, shoo!

 Ok, two BAKED pie shells. (See, I'm learning!)

Here is Clari's pie. I'm almost ashamed to post this beautiful photo because there is going to be a COMPARISON. *sobs quietly into fist* But in the interest of science... errr, the blog... I'll be brutally honest in the pursuit of the perfect strawberry pie.

 In Clari's recipe:
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbs corn starch
1 cup water
1 package strawberry Jello
 Get the sugar, water, cornstarch to a boil, and then stir in the strawberry Jello. Set it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

 Layer the cooked pie crusts with strawberries.

 Mmmmmm, I want to eat them all right now.

 Ok, I can hear Ruthy screaming from here. I swear I followed the directions just as she wrote them on Clari's facebook thread.
This is what she said (proving that once it's on the internet, it's FOREVER):

MVM it's really easy.... You crush about 3 cups of berries, add about 1/3 cup water, mix 1/4 cup corn starch with a cup of sugar, then mix with the crushed berries. Heat over medium heat until "glace" is thick and looks like pie filling.... I add a tablespoon of butter, too, to help keep it smooth.... Cool. Then twist the stems off of fresh berries, nestle them into a baked pie crust, and when you have it full, you ladle the cool sauce over it and chill. 

I did everything like she said! I swear! It looks... a little lumpy and weird. 

So, then I take Clari's sauce from the fridge and pour it over the berries. Something is wrong. This looks nothing like the picture. I don't think the Jello set.

 Definitely not set.

 Pooling at the bottom.

 At this point I bring everyone in the taste the pie. My older daughter says, "I don't know what happened but those pies smell like fish. I don't think I'm going to taste it." HA! That was the salmon cooking on the stove. She was relieved to know the pies did not actually smell like cooked salmon.

 Contender Numero Uno: Ruthy's Mash Up.

 Contender Numero Dos: Clari's Mom's Pie

 Gratuitous pie shot.

 First taste goes to Edward and he says, "BOTH". Not helpful.

 Ana said she needed a piece to realllly tell, but finally said she preferred Clari's Mom's recipe.

 Isabel is obviously in cahoots with Ruthy and said she liked the Mash Up.

 Cruz did not appreciate being photographed while tasting pie. But he sacrificed. And said they both tasted the same. VERY UNHELPFUL.
In the end, there were three votes for Clari's Mom's Pie and three votes for Ruthy's Monster Mash! (Cruz liked them both and one child preferred an Oreo, thank you very much.)

 I liked the flavor of Clari's pie better, but something went wrong and it certainly wasn't as pretty as it could be.

Ruthy's Masheroonie Pie was super tasty but I think I should have mashed the berries a bit more before adding them as topping. It definitely thickened up nicely, though.
UPDATE: As of three hours post pie-off, Clari's pie has decided to solidify, and NOW the glacee has has turned to a lovely thick glaze... at the bottom of the pan.

As for a winner, I'm going to need another piece to decide for sure. In fact, I think I'll do that right now... Pie at midnight! Is there anything better?

Until next time, my friends! Oh, and check out my article on Huffington Post Books, if you need some light reading about Jane Austen and the American South. There's no pie in the article, but there are recipes for pie in the second book!