Boston Cream Pie
Boston Cream Pie is certainly not a pie but instead is a tender two-layered cake, with a luscious pastry cream filling topped with a dreamy chocolate glaze.
with Greg Patent, Award Winning Cookbook Author
Pies and Tarts
Open Sesame Pie
I first baked “Open Sesame Pie” in 1954 soon after the recipe won the Grand Prize of $25,000 at Pillsbury’s 6th Grand National Bake-Off. As a 15-year-old, I just had to bake this pie because of two ingredients: sesame seeds and dates. I grew up […]
Kulebyaka: King of Russian Salmon Pies
I am completely smitten with a smashing new cookbook on Russian cooking, “T-Bone Whacks and Caviar Snacks” (2018, University of North Texas Press), written by Sharon Hudgins, a Russian scholar and former University of Maryland professor. Sharon and I have known each other for many […]
Christmas Apple Loaf
This terrific mildly spiced loaf cake, loaded with dried fruits and toasted nuts, gets its special taste and texture from a very thick homemade apple purée. Because it keeps really well at room temperature, this loaf is something you’ll want to have on hand for […]
Making Sense of Pie Pan Sizes
What you see in the photo is all the 9 pie plates I own, accumulated over decades of baking. They range in size from 8 inches to 10 inches in diameter–that’s the measurement across the opening at the top of the pie plate.
Chocolate Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving (or Anytime!)
Prebaking a pastry shell is insurance against a soggy crust in the finished pie. Just follow the recipe and you’ll get a great result.
Huckleberry Tart
The food processor makes great pastry. The speed of processing insures ice water and butter maintain their chill. The fat stays solid and the dough rolls out like a dream. For the filling, beaten egg whites coat the huckleberries with a protein film to keep them from oozing during baking.
Best Rhubarb Pie
We have two huge rhubarb plants in our garden, and in mid-late May when the bright red stalks are at their tenderest, I make this pie. Rhubarb pie fillings are often soft and runny. The rhubarb contains so much water, you either have to add […]
Passion Fruit (Lilikoi) Chiffon Pie
I think I fell in love with passion fruit before I even tasted it. I say this because when I did finally eat some, mingled with papaya, I felt as if I were reliving a forgotten moment from the past: the tang, the seeds, the […]