A Thing-A-Week Part XII: Mock Apple Pie

So, This is the experimental pie (see previous post). The book I am reading (also in a previous post) has the main character judging a baking contest. This pie was entered as a novelty Apple Pie. The book describes it as delicious with the only downer being the texture of the apples. And then you find out what it is....Saltine Crackers. Yup. The only fruit in this pie is lemon juice. I was skeptical so I decided I had to try this, and unveil it around others so that people wouldn't think I was making it up.

I brought it over to the Rockband group. The comments I heard were "this is really good" and "I like the cake but the pie is better." I was even floored that it tasted so good. One person guessed what it was but a lot of people couldn't believe it was saltines. The texture is indeed not quite right but it is yummy none the less and wasn't that difficult to make. Mine was rather soupy which is somewhat problematic. And, while I love the pie crust I use I don't think it is really meant to be used as a multi-purpose crust. I should give another friend's pie crust a try.

A Thing-A-Week Part XI: Apology Cake

So, I was going to take a pie over to the group playing Rockband for afternoon snackies. It was a new experimental pie and I wanted some opinions. A post will follow. However, because it was new and experimental I thought I should bring snacks that were less likely to suck. Since I had already made pie and popovers and was starting to get sleepy for some reason, I used a box mix and frosted it and made a Red Velvet Apology Cake. It was yummy.

A Thing-A-Week Part X: Popovers

Popovers!

So I, on a whim, purchased a book called "Key Lime Pie Murder" by Joanne Fluke. I like mysteries and I like books where food plays a part. I am often disappointed by both genres so I did not expect much in terms of quality of the work. And, thus far I have not been surprised--tepid writing that keeps me involved only because I want to find out what happens. This makes it an excellent book for bus-riding and I am always in search of those.

Anyway, the reason I eventually bought this book is because there were recipes inside. I am always won over by the opportunity to play. The main character of the story owns a cookie/coffee shop and generally shares some of the recipes she makes in her day-to-day life or in her cookie shop. Popovers happened to be one of them. I have never had a popover and I got the impression that they are extremely unforgiving so I have never tried them. But, this recipe seemed really simple (many of the recipes are) and so I gave it a try. And it was for the most part. I don't think I fully incorporated the flour which may have affected the results and I think that my oven didn't get hot enough so I may have to do some more experimentation. However, for a first go I was pleased that I got at least half of them to go boom! out of the sides of the pan. I put some one a plate with some jam and ate them on the floor picnic style with Aaron. It felt very decadent. They weren't too bad. They were sort of a biscuit-y french toast. I would be interested in trying different flavor varieties once I manage to make it work.

EDIT: So what are popovers supposed to taste like anyway?

Thing-A-Week Part IX: Tapioca Pudding

I suppose you can't possibly imagine who in the house is somewhat partial to tapioca pudding? I actually sort of enjoy making this (as long as it is in small batches) and knowing how much he loves it, I am periodically talked into doing so. I made this from scratch just using the box directions. I am not much of a pudding person but I do admit this does taste pretty good until I remember how much I hate the texture. I also really think the homemade vanilla really makes a difference with this. I might try using an actual bean next time and see how I like that.

I think one of my next period cooking projects is to adapt a rice pudding of some sort. I already have a guinea pig to test it and it might be a potential feast option whenever I do one of those again.

A Thing-A-Week Part VIII: Pepper Steak

I got this recipe from a cook my mom had by Paula Dean. It is a fantastic recipe and one that delights my boy. Sorry folks...I am not going to share the specifics on this one :)

EDIT: I almost forgot. This was a combined effort. Rice made by the boy.

A Thing-A-Week Part VII: Fine Cakes

Fine Cakes
"To make fine cakes; take a pottle of fine flour, and a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a little mace and a good store of water to mingle the flour into a stiff paste, and a good season of salt and so knead it, and roll out the cake thin and bake them on papers."

Sometimes the recipe redactions one finds on Gode Cookery are fantastic and sometimes they are really off the mark. This one wasn't too bad but I went a different direction with it.

A pottle equals about 2 quarts (8 cups) and that is an awful lot of cake to be stuck with if the recipe doesn't work out so well so I halved it and then halved the recipe again and ended up with this:

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)
4 oz of sugar
2 cups of flour
less then a tsp of mace (I am guessing I used about a half teaspoon)
pinch of salt
enough water to make it all come together.

I mixed all of the dry ingredients together and cut the butter into it with a fork or pastry blender. I then slowly added water to it (I am guessing about a cup but this will vary so go slow) so that it came together. I think I may have added too much water to it as it was rather sticky. I decided to press it into a stoneware pan I have for making shortbread. Bake at 350 F for about an hour. I had to watch it.

I think next time I am going to roll it out as directed. It didn't really bake evenly and didn't pick up the pretty design from the shortbread mold. It might be kind of nice cut into circles with a biscuit cutter and served with a fruit compote. And, the mace was certainly an interesting flavor. I am glad I didn't add any more (I thought I was being a little skimpy) because the flavor really enhances when it bakes and permeates the whole dish. This is something I need to play with a little more. I think I might try a little poudre douce next time. I have seen some similar cake style dishes in Markham that used cinnamon and ginger for flavor and that is something I might enjoy a little more.


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Markham, Gervase. Best, Michael R (ed). The English Housewife. McGill-Queen's University Press. London: 2003. (page 117)

Thing-A-Week Part VI: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I am counting these as a project just due to shear volume. See we got a new oven because our old oven always picked the temperature it wanted not the temperature I chose. Usually varying between 25-50 degrees. This played some serious havoc with my baking. So we finally convinced the complex that we needed an oven.

Only my brain is still geared towards the old oven. See with the old oven I had to make gigantic cookies or they would burn. The adorable little cinnamon chip cookies Ciara makes would have been heartily laughed at by the old oven and quickly turned to charcoal. So, with cookies I had to think big.

I was making these for someone at work who is having a birthday this week. And, because they are peanut butter chocolate chip I also wanted some for Aaron. And, because the enormous cookie rule means you only get a dozen or so cookies out of a batch I doubled the recipe. Bad idea. The stupid things wouldn't bake. It took forever and I ended up with about 70 some cookies. So, in the end it became a project and I have lots to share. They are tasty. They are Reeses' peanut butter chips and Ghiradelli cocoa powder (the only product of theirs that I love!). Recipe is on the back of the bag. Not complicated at all, just tiresome when you are making ridiculous quantities of them.