Pie Club Week 21: Watermelon

Week 21 was watermelon pie. Yep, watermelon pie! I had heard of watermelon pie before, and it peaked my interest, but when I researched it, all of the recipes I read used watermelon jello, watermelon cubes suspended in creamy concoctions or were made with watermelon rind. None of this interested me, and I wanted to use fresh watermelon, with true flavor instead of a sugary, candy flavor version or extract.

I decided to use fresh watermelon juice, with gelatin to create a cool, simple, creamy pie and decorated it to look like a watermelon with green whipped cream and chocolate chips. 

I thought it turned out really cute, was obvious what flavor it was. Also, I was happy with the flavor I was able to achieve with the use of simple ingredients. I used a graham cracker crust, and simply added sugar, gelatin, lemon juice and cream. Watermelon has a delicate flavor, so the flavor in this pie was not very strong, but i thought it was refreshing and perfect with just the right amount of sweetness. The cream added to the flavor and gave a silky mouth feel. The little bit of chocolate from the chips was also a great combination. 

I always try to use the smallest amount of gelatin that I can, while still achieving the set I want, and it turned out perfect. I do not think this pie would be for everyone, but I will make it again! I think it would be fun and perfect for a BBQ or picnic!

Pie Club Week 20: Three Berry

Week 20 was Three Berry Pie, and this is another of my favorites! I have made this pie many times, and knew that I wanted to include it in the pie club.

This pie includes, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries along with cornstarch, salt and sugar. I prefer to use a whole wheat crust when I make this pie because I like the texture of it better with the berries. It is such a simple and delicious pie!

Unfortunately, I again do not have any pictures of this pie, but it is a lattice top and bakes up beautifully with the berry juices bubbling up within the lattice. This pie is the perfect way to highlight and enjoy the flavor of these berries in the season when they are their best. This pie is delicious warm with ice cream, whipped cream or cold. I will make it over and over again!

Pie Club Week 19: Strawberry Rhubarb

Week 19 was Strawberry Rhubarb, definitely a classic.

I am so lucky to have friends who grow fresh rhubarb in their yards! Rhubarb is so easy to grow, and it can be harvested once in early summer and again in the fall. This is a pie that I have made many times over the last few years, and I love my recipe! I always look forward to making this pie while the ingredients are in season. I use a double pate brisee, lattice top crust, strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, salt, cornstarch and orange zest. The orange zest adds a lovely bright note to the flavors.

For some reason, I do not seem to have any pictures of this pie. Most people are familiar with strawberry rhubarb. It is a perfect combination of sweet and sour, and one of the best flavors of summer. I filled quite a few orders for this pie, and everyone gave me excellent feed back. I also love to make rhubarb jam, a rhubarb sauce for meat and rhubarb butter.

Pie Club Week 18: Peach/Raspberry Pie

Week 18 was peach raspberry pie, which I made in a slab version. I do not know if slab pies are something that have been around for a long time, or if this is a new idea. I first saw this idea from Martha Stewart, and thought it was interesting and wanted to give it a try. The basics are still the same, I just rolled the pate brisee out into large rectangles and baked it off in a sheet pan instead of a pie tin. Also, the filling is more spread out, so the flat slices are easy to pick up and eat with your hand. This pie also serves 16, instead of 8, so there are more servings with this version. It would be really nice to take to a party or BBQ.

This peach/raspberry filling is very simple and delicious. It is peaches, raspberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and salt. I cut holes in the top dough as the vents, and it looked really nice. I would definitely make this pie again with a variety of fillings. It was really fun and well received!

Pie Club Week 16: Plum

Week 16 was plum pie, and it was pretty interesting. I really like plums, but had not thought of using them in a pie until now. When I went to purchase the plums, the grocery store had 3 varieties, so I decided to use all 3. When I make apple pie I use a variety of apples, so I thought the variety would be nice in this pie also, and it was. However, this pie did not turn out quite like I wanted it to.

I had in my notes the idea to roll out a bottom crust into a larger circle than needed, and to fold the edges over the filling like with a galette, so I decided to try that with this pie. I liked the double crust effect as far as the texture, but did not love the look, and definitely prefer a lattice top for a fruit pie. Some things are tradition for a reason. :)

The recipes that I based my plum pie off of called for flour as the thickener. I prefer to use cornstarch, but having never made a plum pie before, I thought I would trust the flour. I definitely should have used cornstarch. The flour did not thicken enough, and also the whiteness of the flour mixed with the plums to make an unappetizing, milky, pinkish color in the filling. The plums themselves were beautiful and delicious, but one of the varieties I used baked down a lot more than the other two, and had a mushy mouth feel. I think I would stick to one plum variety the next time I attempt this pie.

Overall, this was a good experiment, and I learned a lot. I always knew to trust my instincts more than a recipe, but it was reiterated for me even more with this pie.I will attempt this pie again, with some changes, because I think it has the potential to be really delicious, unique and interesting!

Pie Club Week 15: Balsamic Strawberry

Week 15 was balsamic strawberry pie, and I LOVE this pie. I am always so happy when strawberries are in season, because their taste is so much more amazing, sweet and perfect than when they are used out of season. I have made this pie many times, because it is one of my favorites, and so I had to include it in my pie club. I also entered this pie in the Ralston pie competition that was held over 4th of July.

This is a lattice, fruit pie that comes out looking so beautiful. Another reason it is one of my favorites is because it is just 5 simple ingredients, which really allow the flavors to shine! This pie is made from strawberries, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, cornstarch, sugar and a pinch of salt. The crust is my flaky pate brisee recipe. And, that is it- simple and perfect. The flavor of this pie is very "jammy". The balsamic vinegar really highlights the strawberry flavor and brings out the sweetness with a perfect sour note. This pie reminds me of strawberry rhubarb, but better.

I will always make this pie, as often as I can, during the summer when strawberries are at their best!

Pie Club Week 14: Blueberry Banana

Week 14 was blueberry banana pie, and it was a cream pie. I am not a huge fan of bananas, but I do like banana cream pie, so this option interested me. I thought that the tartness of blueberries would be a nice compliment to the cream and bananas, and it was. This pie turned out to be delicious!

For this pie, I made a blueberry sauce/topping, and then also mixed in some raw, fresh blueberries so that there would be another texture with all the creaminess of the filling and bananas. I tossed the banana slices in some fresh lemon juice, so that they would keep their color. The crust is a graham cracker crust, which I lined with some of the banana slices. The filling is a lightened pastry cream that I poured over the banana slices into the pie shell. Once chilled, I topped the filling with the blueberry sauce, and layered the rest of my banana slices around the edge. I also added a few slices and fresh blueberries to the center of the pie, and then garnished with mint leaves. I the colors and textures of this pie look really nice.

The flavor was excellent, cool, creamy and satisfying. I liked this spin on banana cream a lot, and will make it again!