When It Rains, It Floods

The title says it all.  Last weekend, Columbia experienced severe flooding after 72 hours of rain.  And while I was spared from any damage downtown, many neighborhoods were washed out and experienced severe flooding.  When I first attempted this pie, I lost all water pressure and decided to take a week off from this journey.  I reattempted the pie tonight with disposable cook/bakeware {We're still under a boil water advisory which makes cleaning any type of dishes a pain}.  Lets just say, if you've ever seen these pinterest fails, my pie could come close to qualifying.  I'm not one to not complete something in full, but after I slowly watched the pie crust sink while baking and then burnt the lemon curd, I concluded that even a pretty layer of whipped cream couldn't save this disaster.  Lets hope for better luck next week.

The Pie Started Pretty

Yep, those dark spots are burnt lemon curd

bon appétit,

Kelsey

French Silk

While chocolate is not my favorite flavor, many requests were made from my pie tasting team {aka co-workers} for a chocolate pie, and this recipe did not disappoint.  While I've perfected the pie crust, I haven't quite mastered the crust when it needs to pre-bake {not pictured below: watching the sides of the pie crust sink in the oven}.  I think this gadget and these techniques may help.

  bon appétit,

Kelsey

Buttermilk Pie

When I was searching for a recipe for this week's pie, I saw multiple posts for Buttermilk Pie.  And while buttermilk makes for a great pancake at breakfast or brunch, I was a little skeptical how the ingredient would be in a pie.  Much like last week's pie (minus having all the ingredients in my fridge or pantry), this pie was easy peasy and absolutely delicious.  My doubts were definitely put to rest and I will never question using buttermilk in a pie again.

P.S.  The search for the perfect pie crust may have come to an end after finding this one.

(recipe c/o Martha Stewart)

bon appétit,

Kelsey

Southern Brown Sugar Pie

Because of travels, a short work week, and a Saturday spend catching up, last Sunday snuck up on me.  And when the clock hit 2:00PM, I knew I needed to get started on my Sunday Pie.  I did a quick recipe search, and came upon this recipe, which was perfect because I already had everything I needed in my fridge and pantry.  This recipe could not have been any easier, and after seeing a new dough rolling technique, clean-up was a breeze too.  

Roll the dough between two pieces of wax paper

bon appétit,

Kelsey

A Boston Favorite

This past week, I headed north for a visit home to Boston and a quick weekend trip to NYC.  And what better pie to make in Boston than a Boston Cream Pie.  I saved this recipe, and after a weekend in NYC, we headed back to Boston and on a VERY HOT Monday night, whipped this pie cake up!  And while this was by far the most intensive recipe I've used in this pie baking journey, the end result was well worth the hours in the kitchen.

Fun Fact:  Boston Cream Pie was probably called a pie because in the mid-nineteenth century, pie tins were more common than cake pans. The first versions of Boston Cream Pie were likely baked in these pie tins.  

bon appétit,

Kelsey

Summertime Key Lime

In keeping with the "oven-free" spirit, this week's pie choice was an easy one.  And while the oven was on for a total of seventeen minutes, my apartment stayed remarkably cool {though I don't know if it was the lack of oven use or the 75 degree weather that lingered around all weekend}.  This pie was made of just a few ingredients and took a total of 30 minutes {my kind of baking!}.

I'm off to Boston and NYC this week to celebrate the end of summer at the U.S. Open with my Mom and Grandma.  Stay tuned next week for a scrumptious recipe of a Boston favorite {Hint: It's the official Massachusetts State Dessert}!

Recipe

bon appétit,

Kelsey

If you can't take the heat . . .

With temperatures soaring into the mid-90's every day, I often come to a dilemma in the kitchen: How can I create something delicious without the overbearing heat of the oven?  I don't know about you, but I would rather not sweat while cooking/baking. And though I probably didn't start this pie baking journey at the right time of the year, I had to come up with an alternative to using the oven {most pies start cooking at over 400 degrees and take up to an hour}.  I thought if I could come up with a batch of no-bake pie recipes, I could kick the dilemma to the curb, give my oven a break, and stop suffering from this unbearable heat {at least until the temps start to drop}.

As I said a couple of posts ago, when I stumbled upon this blog,  I felt that I hit the jackpot.  In searching for a pie that required little-to-no oven time, I stumbled upon this recipe for a chocolate dusted peanut butter pie.  I knew the timing for making this pie was just right for two reasons: the crust only required a 5-7 minute baking time and the filling was quick and easy.  And the best part: IT WAS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!

So if you can't take the heat, you don't have to get out of the kitchen--giving your oven a break can be just as delicious.

bon appétit,

Kelsey