Lately I've found myself lost in dealing with matters of the heart, family, life directions, and the list goes on. Basically, I've been in need of solid comfort and nothing helps me more than spending some time in the kitchen. With Fall upon is it's been the perfect time to create some hearty comfort foods. Over the last few days I've been getting my therapy by cooking Fall Risotto (Zucchini, Mushroom, and Carrot), Broccoli Cheddar Ale Soup, and some comforting desserts. When it comes to Fall desserts I'm at my peak of sugar high happiness. To me, there is nothing better than warm, spicy and decadent desserts with a good sugar-spice balance to warm the soul.
There are so many recipes on my list to try, to make my own, and to devour. So many that I got a little overwhelmed but I picked a starting point!
Hand Pies…which I have decided to call…MiPies
To me the name Hand Pie is just…odd. So, I had a little brainstorming while I was cooking and MiPies it is! Why MiPies? Well, they're Mini Pies just for oneself not for sharing…This is MiPie, get your own!
I've seen these little guys on a few blogs, in magazine, and through email...I've drooled every time I saw one. It was time to make them myself. When it came to choosing the flavors to fill them with, Pumpkin was a no brainer. I didn't want to limit myself to one flavor though. I had a few bananas laying around so I started thinking about how I could use them. It dawned on me that I've never had or made Bananas Foster (I know right!). I looked to see if I had the ingredients and luckily I did. I have to say that I am officially addicted to Bananas Foster. I will be making it again and again. For the filling of these pies, I cut the bananas smaller so I guess technically it's not Bananas Foster. Regardless, these things are DELICIOUS!
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| Bananas Foster and Pumpkin MiPie Filling. |
Above all, my little adventure with the pie crust is what I need to discuss. For whatever reason I have never really been successful at pie crust. The recipe I have, via Vanilla Sugar, has broken that curse! I have made the recipe twice and the crust is to die for. Now, I had a little trouble getting these pies to work right at first. I tried to use one piece of dough, fill it and fold it over. Bad idea. So, I used two pieces of dough and made round pies. Perfect. In the midst of baking these pies I had to run to the store and buy more butter. I wasn't anticipating half of the first batch to be a major fail. After the fail of half of the batter, I needed to step out. Ha. When I came back and continued I was debating if these guys were worth the trouble. After tasting one, they were worth EVERY second of work and frustration. I highly recommend these pies.
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| Yay successful pie crust! |
I think the best part about these pies is they reheat great! I just popped them from fridge to toaster. They were still delicious. Now, I'm curious if you can do the same thing from the freezer...hmm...If you test that out let me know.
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| MiPie reheated. Yum! |
Recipe time. A few notes before I share recipes...
- Do NOT overfill the pies...trust me, it's less frustrating.
- Keep the butter VERY COLD before you use it.
- I used a cheese grater for the butter and then refroze it until I was ready to use it.
- Once you've prepared the Bananas Foster allow it to cool.
- Egg wash the tops of the pies. It gives them that tasty look above.
Ok. I'm done "talking"...Go bake these beauties!
Simple Pie Crust [Printable Recipe]
via vanillakitchen.blogspot.com/
Ingredients:
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons milk
1 large egg, beaten - for brushing the pies
Directions:
1. Grate butter and freeze until ready to use.
2. In a small bowl beat 1 egg and add milk.
3. In a medium bowl whisk the flour, sugar and salt. Pour into the food processor.
4. Add the cold butter and pulse until crumbles form.
5. Add the egg/milk mixture and pulse until just combined. DO NOT over mix!
6. On a floured surface knead the dough until it comes together.
7. Divide in two, wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
8. Once chilled, using one or the two pieces of dough, roll out on a floured surface until 1/8 thick. It will be thin, but bakes up just fine.
9. Cut desired size pieces. I used a wide mouth glass.
10. Assemble pies and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350º
Pumpkin MiPie Filling [Printable Recipe]
adapted from vanillakitchen.blogspot.com
Ingredients:
3/4 cup pumpkin
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 (heaping) teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside in fridge until ready to use.
Bananas Foster MiPie Filling [Printable Recipe]
adapted from chow.com
Ingredients:
4 Tbls unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 dashes nutmeg
1 pinch of salt
3 ripe bananas, quartered
1/2 cup spiced rum (I used Sailor Jerry's)
Directions:
1. In a medium skillet add first 5 ingredients and cook over medium-high heat until slightly thickened.
2. Add bananas and cook for about 4 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add rum. Light rum on fire…CAREFULLY!
4. Allow the flames to cook off.
5. Remove bananas and return skillet to heat. Cook until caramel consistency. About 5 minutes.
6. Add caramel to banana and cool.
1 comment:
LOVE this recipe! Totally trying it.
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