Pie Club Week 6: Zucchini

Week 6 was zucchini pies!
For this week and the ingredient, I made two pies, 1 savory zucchini and 1 sweet zucchini. They were both really good, and the sweet version was really surprising! I love zucchini and look forward to it every season because it has a delicate flavor that is sweet, creamy and versatile. It goes so well with other ingredients and can be used with breakfast, lunch, dinner and now even dessert!

Many people have had savory zucchini pie, and are familiar with the flavors. They are typically similar to a quiche, in texture and ingredients. This one that I made had the standard zucchini (I used green and yellow), eggs and Monterey Jack cheese. For spices, I used oregano, parsley, salt and fresh pepper and a surprise-I spread a thin layer of dijon mustard on the crust before baking. I used my lard crust for this pie, which I always do with a savory pie.

This pie turned out so delicious! The oregano balanced the flavors and the parsley brought a freshness. The dijon was very subtle, but added a delicious tang that was more noticeable the day after I baked the pie. As always, the lard crust was perfection! I liked this best warmed up for breakfast, however, it can also be eaten cold any time of the day. One comment I received about this pie really made my day. A couple hours after it was delivered, the pie club member sent me a note that said "I'm on my third piece of zucchini pie. I'm digging it, clearly!" I think this one is a keeper!

6.2 Week Sweet Zucchini:
I had never tried a sweet zucchini pie before this week, but was looking forward to it. I treated this like a fruit pie since zucchini is basically a fruit, but is treated as a vegetable; and also because it has such a mild flavor that I wanted to spice it like an apple pie. I used a double crust, diced the zucchini, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, all spice, ginger, lemon juice and an egg to thicken the filling. For this pie, I sprinkled the top with cinnamon sugar just before baking.

The pie turned out delicious! It tastes like apple pie, but without the tartness of the apples. The zucchini did not get mushy, and had the texture of apples. The filling thickened perfectly into a carmely consistency, and the crust got perfectly sweet and crunchy with the cinnamon sugar on top! My family said they actually like this better than apple pie! I couldn't believe it. I disagree, I still love apple pie more, but this is a really nice alternative in the spring when apples are not in season yet. I will make this pie again.

Pie Club Week 5: Almond

One month in already, only 47 pies left to make this year!
Well, pie 5 was almond, and it was super delicious! To make this almond pie, I used my famous pecan pie recipe, and just subbed in almonds. I used slivered almonds in the filling, and sliced, natural almonds on the top. A total of about 2.5 cups of almonds!

I prefer almonds to pecans, so I was really excited about this pie. Almonds are already harder than pecans, but I toasted both kinds of almonds before baking to make sure they kept a nice texture, and to bring out their flavor.

The flavor profile of this pie was less buttery than the pecan version, and as my sister said "had a cleaner taste". One person said they would have liked more filling and a little less nuts, but still loved it.  The other 8 people who ordered it thought the amount of almonds were perfect. My friend Mandy was sweet enough to share her almond pie with all our co-workers, and it was a huge hit! Many people asked me if they could place an order for one right then! :) A couple people said that it was perfect in the morning with coffee.

This pie was delicious at room temperature, cold or heated up a la mode! After a day or so, a honey like syrup leaks from the filling and when combined with the flaky crust, happily reminded people of baklava! I did not receive any bad feedback about this pie, and will definitely keep making it!

Pie Club Week 4: Nectarine Galette

Week 4 was supposed to be Apricot Galette, however, I could not find any apricots. I was a little disappointed because they are supposed to be in season right now. However, I settled for nectarines, which turned out to be a nice substitute.

I really love galettes, and they can be made with almost any fruit. If you are not familiar, a galette is defined as: a term used in French cuisine to designate various types of flat, round or free form crusty cakes. So, basically a simple pie (crust and sweetened fruit) which is not baked in a pie pan, but the crust is folded over the top of the filling and it is baked on a cookie sheet. Often, there are preserves spread between the crust and fruit (apricot is most traditional), and nuts may also be added to the filling.

Galettes are so easy to produce and really highlight the ingredients you use. My sister and I especially love to eat a slice of this pie for breakfast with some hot tea or coffee!

I was not very familiar with nectarines, but being a stone fruit, thought it would be a good substitute for apricots. They turned out to be very pleasantly mild, and reminded us all of an apple more than an apricot or peach. After cleaning, pitting and slicing, I combined the nectarines with some sugar, cornstarch and I love to add some lemon zest for brightness. Placed the fruit in the center of a large disk of pate brisee, folded the edges of the crust over the filling, brushed with mild and sprinkled some demura sugar on the pastry. Baked until golden, and served with some freshly whipped cream. It turned out delicious, and my brother said "anything made with your pie crust will always turn out amazing". That was the best compliment!

The nectarines reminded us of apples, and were very simple and sweet tasting. I expected them to be a littel sour, but they were not at all. I left the skins on, and they were very tender. Overall, the apple version I make is still my favorite, but I would use nectarines agian!

P.S. I forgot to take a picture of it before it cut into it! But, it was beautiful. Fail.