Elle's Kichen: Orange Raisin Scones

On Sunday nights we are watching the final

season of Downton Abbey.  Last Sunday we 

had a late dinner and made it a tea.  Of course,

when you have tea, you should have scones.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar, divided

2 tabl. orange zest

1 tabl. baking powder

1/2 teas. salt

1/2 cup butter, chilled

1/2 cup raisins

1/3 cup sour cream

1 egg

cinnamon 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Spray a baking

pan with Pam.

Whisk flour, 1/3 cup of the sugar, orange zest,

baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

Add butter and cut into the flour mixture

with a pastry blender or 2 knives until

mixture looks like coarse meal.

Add the raisins.

Whisk the sour cream and egg together in 

a small bowl.

Add sour cream/egg mixture to the flour

mixture and toss until mist clumps form.

Pour flour mixture onto a lightly floured

surface and gently knead just until dough

comes together.  Divide in half and form each

half into a 4'' round.  Sprinkle with cinnamon

and the remaining sugar.  Gently press this 

into the dough so it stays in place.  Cut each 

round into 4 parts and transfer to the baking

sheet.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until

golden brown.  Cool and serve.

They were delicious!

Early Bird Baking

In a few days our Thanksgiving week company

will start arriving and that means we will be having

a few Dutch Breakfasts.  And with those breakfasts

I always like to serve some baked goods.  When we

are in Europe and can run down the block and buy

beautiful pastries, that little jaunt is a pleasure but

when we are home on the prairie, we don't have as

many options for breakfast baked goods.  So, I make

my own.  Now I could get up really early and bake 

and mess up the kitchen and wait for the tea breads

to cool but that's too much stress and work when 

what you really want to do is have fun! Last night,

before, during and after dinner I baked a few tea

breads, I made Irish Tea Bread and Pumpkin Bread.

Remember to ALWAYS grate your nutmeg, it 

is so beautifully fragrant.  It makes the ground

nutmeg you purchase look like dust...

When mixing together your dry ingredients,

use a whisk, your ingredients will be perfectly

mixed.

In a few hours I had my baking done.  Now since

I will be using them next week and they don't 

have preservatives, they wouldn't last if I left

them as is.

I cut each loaf in half and wrap in paper.

Then into freezer bags and into the freezer.

I pull a few halves the night before I need 

them and by morning they are perfectly

thawed and ready to slice and eat.

Enjoy!

Elle's Kitchen: The Summer of Pie²

Peach Crumble Pie

 

 

It is a beautiful summer day here in

the American Midwest.  A gorgeous

blue sky, temps in the 70's and pie

in our future.

 

 

Everytime I leave or enter my little

village, I pass the farm stand and this

week they have had peaches ~ I knew

they would have to be the pie this week!

 

 

The easiest way to remove the skin

from peaches is to submerge a few

in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds.

Then plunge them into a bowl of ice water.

 

 

The skins will peel right off ~ no waste!

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 unbaked 9'' deep dish pie shell

 

Filling:

5 cups peeled and sliced ripe peaches

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 tabl. cornstarch

1 tabl. lemon juice

grated zest of 1 lemon

 

Topping:

2/3 cup flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 teas. cinnamon

1/4 teas. salt

6 tabl. cold butter, cut in 1/4 '' pieces

 

 

Preheat oven to 375º F.

 

Place peaches in a large bowl, add sugar,

corn starch, lemon juice and lemon zest.

Set aside.

 

In a medium bowl, combine flour,

brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt.

 

Scatter the butter over this mixture and

use a pastry blender to combine.  You can

finish crumbling it with your hands if

necessary, you want it to be crumbly.

 

 

Place peaches in the pie shell and

press down to make it even.

 

 

Sprinkle crumb mixture over the top

and gently press to cover the peaches.

 

Bake on the center rack for 50 - 55

minutes until the top is golden brown

and the filling is bubbling.  If the top

starts to get too brown you can place a

piece of foil over it.  Cool on a wire rack.

 

We are having a pie party tonight and I'm

thinking this will be perfect a la mode.



Elle's Kitchen: The Summer of Pie²

Pina Colada Pie

 

It is hotter than Hades in this part of

the world right now.  I wish I could be

 on a beach in Mexico but that won't

happen for another few months.  So, I

thought we would have a cool and

fruity pie today.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

2 cups Pecan Sandies, crushed (about 16 cookies)

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups cream of coconut, divided

2 large eggs

1 cup whipping cream

 

Preheat oven to 350º F.

 

  Stir together the cookie crumbs,

shredded coconut and melted butter.

 

 Press firmly onto the bottom and up the sides

of a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Bake 9 to 12

minutes, or until lightly brown. Remove to

 a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

 

Meanwhile, stir together your sugar and

cornstarch in a small saucepan; add in

crushed pineapple (and juice). Stir constantly,

and allow mixture to come to a boil. 

Cook for 1 minute or until thickened.

 

Remove from heat and allow to cool,

 approximately 20 minutes.

 

With an electric mixer, beat cream

cheese until smooth. Add in 1 cup

of cream of coconut and beat at low

 speed until just blended. (Chill the

 remaining 1/2 cup of cream of coconut

 until ready to use.) Add eggs,

1 at a time, until just blended.

 

 

Spread your cooled pineapple mixture

over the bottom of your crust.

 

Next, spoon cream cheese mixture over

the pineapple mixture.

Bake at 350º F for approximately 40 minutes,

or until set. Cool completely on a wire rack. 

Cover and chill 4 hours.

 

Beat your whipping cream until foamy. Add

 remaining 1/2 cup cream of coconut and

continuing beating, until soft peaks form. 

Spread over your pie, and garnish with 

 toasted coconut.

 

 

1. .

Elle's Kitchen: The Summer of Pie²

Cherry Pie

 

 

I have a confession...  I only made this

pie to test the decorative top crust.  I don't

like cooked fruit, I love to eat fresh fruit.

Except, in buckles, crumbles, cobblers, grunts

or, as I have learned from my friends in The

Social Table, sonkers (that was a new one to me).

Oh yeah, combine cooked fruits with some butter,

oats and brown sugar and I love it!

 

 

Back when I was known in my hometown as

The Girl Who Liked Old Stuff, I would scour

garage sales, rummage sales, church jumble

sales, often competing with my friend Melissa

to discover great finds.  This was one of those

finds, in a nondescript little tin were these

adorable cutters.  I used a few of these to make

the pattern in the top crust.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

2 pie crusts

1 beaten egg white

2 cans cherry pie filling

(I used one of dark cherries and

one of no sugar cherries)

Sugar

 

 

Preheat oven to 425º F.

 

Press one of the pie crusts in a 9'' glass

pie plate.  Brush bottom and sides with

egg white.

 

 

Combine the 2 cherry fillings if using

different types.

 

 

Fill the bottom crust with the 2 cans

of filling.

 

 

Cut the top crust with small decorative cutters

in the center of the crust.  Center cut crust over

pie plate and carefully place over cherries.  Fold

bottom crust over top and flute the edges with

your fingers.  I used my finger to add egg white

around the openings in the crust, you can't use

the brush or the cherry syrup will get on the crust.

You can use the brush to coat the edges with egg

white, sprinkle lightly with sugar.

 

 

Package the small pieces that you cut out and

place in the freezer, you can use them for another

pie.

 

 

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until crust

is golden brown.  I added a crust shield

after 20 minutes so the crust would not

burn.

 

 

As you can see the crust does not look as

great as it does in a magazine...  Some of

the filling bubbled up through the holes in

the top crust.  Let's hope it tastes good!

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Elle's Kitchen: The Summer of Pie²

Lemon Meringue

 

 

We are at week 3 of the Summer of Pie².

This week we will be enjoying a lovely

Lemon Meringue.

 

 

Ingredients:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

4 eggs, separated

2 (14 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

zest of 2 lemons

1/4 teas. cream of tartar

1/2 cup sugar, preferably bakers sugar if you have it

 

 

Preheat oven to 375º F.

In a medium bowl combine crumbs,

melted butter and walnuts and mix well.

 

 

Press into bottom and sides of a 10''

deep dish pie plate and bake for

8 to 12 minutes or until set.  Remove

from oven and cool completely.

(Keep oven on.)

 

 

In a medium bowl combine egg yolks,

sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice

and zest; mix well.  Pour into cooled crust

and place in refrigerator.

 

 

Note: Before this step I wipe a large

bowl, spatula and mixer blades with

vinegar and then wash in hot, soapy

water.  You do not want any grease

on your utensils.

 

In large bowl combine egg whites

and cream of tartar, beat until soft

peaks form.  Gradually add sugar,

beating until stiff peaks form.

 

 

Spoon meringue onto top of lemon

filling, spread over pie being sure to

seal the meringue to the edge of the

crust.  Swirl and peak meringue with

a spoon.

 

 

Bake the pie for 10 to 15 minutes or

until meringue is golden brown. Place

pie in refrigerator and chill for 4 to 6

hours before serving.

 

Enjoy!