Balsamic Black Raspberry Pie

Serves 8

Recipe from http://www.makebetterfood.com

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This has been a grand summer for black raspberries.  We bought loads of them and I’ve had fun using them up.  My husband and I enjoy them on our morning oatmeal, however, I’ve also made the following with this summer’s batch:  Black Raspberry Shrub; BerrySauce; Skip-the-Stove Chia Fruit Jam and Fresh Berry Pie withToasted Nut Crust.  I’m always looking for great pie recipes because I think a good pie is the best type of dessert there is.  I was intrigued with this recipe using balsamic vinegar and black pepper in the filling. So, I gave it a shot.  My husband said it was the best fruit pie he’d ever had!

1 recipe Perfect Pie Dough (or double crust pie dough equivalent)

7 cups fresh black raspberries

¼ cup cornstarch***

***Because my berries were quite juicy, I added a one heaping Tablespoon of tapioca to be sure the filling thickened.

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup honey

2 Tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons real vanilla extract

½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 425F. 

Roll out one of the disks of Perfect Pie Dough.  Place it in a glass pie plate.  Crimp the edges as desired.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill while preparing the pie filling.

Rinse the raspberries and drain well.  Place 1 cup of the raspberries in a large bowl.  Mash the berries.  Add the cornstarch* and mix well.  Add the sugar, honey, balsamic vinegar, vanilla, sea salt, cinnamon and pepper to the mashed berry mixture.  Mix well.  Pour this over the rest of the raspberries.  Toss the raspberries very gently to coat with the sugar mixture. 

Pour the filling into the prepared pie plate. Dot with the butter pieces.  Cover the pie with the same plastic wrap and return the pie to the fridge to chill while you roll out the top of the pie dough.  Roll out the remaining pie dough disk.  Using a ruler as a straight edge, cut the dough into strips.  Remove the pie from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap.  Using the strips, make a lattice design over the top of the pie.  (If you decide to cover the pie with a solid sheet of pie dough, be sure to cut at least 4 slits into it so that it vents.)  Cover the pie again with the plastic wrap and place the prepared pie back in the fridge for at least 20 minutes to completely chill again.  (Flakey pie is the desired result and to achieve that, it’s important to chill the pie dough and then place it in a hot oven.)

Place the prepared (chilled pie) on a baking sheet that has been lined with foil or parchment paper because the pie will most likely bubble over a bit. 

Bake the pie at 425F for 20 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 375F.  Bake another 20 minutes.  Cover the edges of the pie loosely with foil to prevent burning.  Then continue baking for another 30 minutes.  (1 hour and 10 minutes total baking time.)

The pie is done when it is a toasty brown and the filling is bubbling.  Allow the pie to cool on a cooling rack for at least 3 hours before serving.  Serve alone or with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Before popping it in the oven.

Finished pie ready to eat!

Blueberry Pie

Makes one 9-month double-crust pie

Recipe from The Joy of Cooking

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Make this yummy pie for someone you love.  (For convenience, you can prepare the pie up to the point of baking. Wrap it up tightly and store in the freezer.  Thaw in the fridge a day before baking.)

1 cup sugar or less

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons quick-cooking tapioca

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 cups fresh blueberries

1 recipe of Perfect Pie Dough, chilled and rolled out into 2 rounds

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 small egg, beaten

1 Tablespoon milk or cream

2 Tablespoons sparkling sugar

(To ensure that your piecrust is flaky, be sure to keep the dough chilled.  Put the chilled pie into a hot oven.)  Preheat oven to 450F.  Whisk together the sugar, flour, tapioca and cinnamon.  Set aside.  Pick over blueberries and discard any stems.  Toss with the sugar/flour mixture.  Let stand for 15 minutes or so.  Place one chilled pie dough round into a 9-inch pie plate.  Pour the berry mixture into the pie plate.  Dot with the butter pieces.  Make an egg wash by mixing together in a small bowl the egg and milk. Set aside. Top with the other pie dough round in whatever fashion you like.  (If topping as a solid round, be sure to cut some slits in the dough.  You can also top the pie with a lattice or stars or small circles of dough.)  Working quickly, crimp the edges of the pie dough. Brush the egg wash over the edges and top of the pie dough.  Sprinkle with sparkling sugar, if desired. (You can chill the pie for 20-30 minutes at this point.  Then pop it in the hot oven.)  Bake the pie at 450F for 10 minutes.  Lower the heat to 350F and continue baking for another 35-45 minutes or so until the pie is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.  Allow the pie to cool to room temperature before cutting and serving.

Slow-Cooker Beer-Braised Short Ribs

Recipe from Cooks Illustrated

Husband-Tested in Ellen’s Kitchen (Alice’s Friend)

Serves 4-6

Recently, my good buddy, Ellen, invited me to spend a weekend with her.  She’s a terrific cook and always serves up wonderful meals when I visit.  Her husband is a meat and potatoes man.  Since he was in attendance for this particular meal, Ellen made this fabulous rib dinner.  She began this rib dish on the first morning, browning the ribs and prepping them in the slow cooker.  When they were finished cooking, she put the ribs in the fridge overnight so that she could scoop off the unwanted fat from the cooking liquid before serving.  She served the ribs with the succulent sauce with mashed potatoes and steamed carrots along with Beet and Apple Salad.  Next time you have special guests, do make these make-ahead ribs.

5 pounds English-style beef short ribs (6-8 ribs), trimmed of excess fat

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

3 pounds onions, halved and thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 (12 ounce) bottles dark beer (The dark beer creates a sauce with a lot of personality.)

2 Tablespoons Minute Tapioca (The tapioca will thicken the sauce as it cooks.)

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme, divided

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

12 pitted prunes (The prunes will melt away over the long simmering time, adding color and deep, complex flavor to the sauce.)

3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Season the rubs with salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Add half the ribs, meaty side down, and cook until they are well browned, about 5 minutes.  Turn each rib on one side and cook until well browned, about 1 minute.  Repeat with the remaining sides.  Transfer the ribs to a slow cooker insert, arranging them meaty side down.  Repeat with the remaining ribs. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of fat from the skillet.  Add the butter and reduce the heat to medium.  When the butter has melted, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 25 to 30 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste and cook, coating the onions with the tomato paste, until the paste begins to brown, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the beer; bring it to a simmer, and cook, scraping the browned bits from the pan, until the foaming subsides, about 5 minutes.  Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the tapioca, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon thyme, soy sauce, and prunes.  Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker insert with the ribs. Set the slow cooker on low, cover, and cook until the ribs are fork-tender, 10 to 11 hours.  (Alternately, cook on high for 4-5 hours.) Transfer the ribs to a baking dish and strain the liquid into a bowl.  Cover and chill for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, use a spoon to skim off the hardened fat from the liquid.  Place the short ribs, meaty side down, and liquid in a Dutch oven and reheat over medium heat until warmed through, about 20 minutes.  Transfer the ribs to a serving platter.  Whisk the mustard and the remaining teaspoon of thyme into the sauce and season with salt and pepper.  Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the ribs.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve, passing the remaining sauce separately.