Tortiere

My mother, being French-Canadian, made something she called "Tut-kay" (phonetically spelled) every New Year's Eve. Apparently, I didn't like it growing up. It is a traditional meat pie. Being vegan, I won't eat it now. However, in the interim, the husband and I started making it. For whatever reason, Mom wouldn't give me her recipe. But we found this one on the internet.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 lbs ground pork
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp sage
1 tsp pepper
1 cup water
medium onion, chopped
6 potatoes
2 9-inch pie crusts, with top

Directions:

1. Cook the potatoes and mash them until smooth.
2. Combine ground beef, ground pork, onion and garlic in a large pan or skillet. 
3. Cook on high, stirring often, until the meat is cooked through (no pink).
4. Add the spices and seasonings, and water. 
5. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and simmer another 10 minutes
7. Remove the cooked meat from heat and mix in the mashed potatoes. Set aside to cool.
8. Preheat oven to 425F.
9. Once the mixture is cool, spoon mixture into your pie shells and cover each with their top crusts. 
10. Slash each top crust, making a small hole.
11. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 and back for 25 minutes more.

Notes:

• Recipe make 2 pies.
• Time to make is approximately 2.5 hours, including prep and baking.
• Pies may be prepared and frozen, but freeze before baking. Thaw before baking or increase baking time to accommodate being frozen.

Tomale Pie

If you know me and my family, you might be as surprised as I am for something called "Tomale Pie" to make it onto the Codex. It was one of the meals from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. I changed some of the measurements to be less spicy.

Ingredients:
oil
6 tbsp fine cornmeal
1/2 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup corn
1 tbsp diced green chilies
7-oz diced tomatoes

Directions:

1. Make polenta: Bring 3/4-cup water to a boil. Reduce to low. Slowly whisk in cornmeal, stirring to break down clumps. Add more hot water (about 1/4-cup) to thin out. Salt to taste.
2. Preheat oven to 375F and set aside a square 8 or 9-inch glass casserole dish.
3. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add oil and saute onion and garlic until translucent.
4. Add spices, stirring to coat well, and cook another minute.
5. Add beans, corn, green chilies, and tomatoes.
6. Mix well and cook for a minute or so, then transfer to the casserole dish. 
7. Spread polenta mixture on top and bake 30 minutes, or until polenta is firm.
8. Allow to cool for 15 minutes while the polenta firms. 

Notes:

• Serves 2.
• Per serving: 387 calories, 3.8g fat, 70.1g carbs, 15.6g fiber, 6.7g sugar, 19.5g protein.
• If you like spice, double the chili powder to 1/2 tsp, and add as much as 2-oz of diced green chilies. You can pour hot sauce on top, too.
• Top with guacamole or sliced olives for more flavor.

Pumpkin Pie

The last of pumpkin season for me (runs September thru December.) I made this on the last day of 2012. Both kids enjoyed it. I liked it too and it was quite easy to make. For a reasonably easy dessert in the fall, I'll return to this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups raw soaked cashews
1 cup maple syrup
1 can organic pumpkin puree (16 ounces) 
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
8 ounces Better Than Cream Cheese

optional: 1/2 tsp salt to taste (depends how much salt you soaked your cashews in)

One standard vegan graham cracker pie crust (homemade or purchased from store)

Directions:

1. Soak about one cup of raw cashews in about 2 1/2 cups of water in a large bowl. Add about 1/2 – 1 tsp of salt to the bowl – mix to dissolve.
2. Soak this cashew bowl overnight in the fridge. Soak time should be 8 hours - 48 hours. Do not exceed these times in either direction.
3. Preheat your oven to 400º.
4. Drain the water from your cashews.  Add 1 1/4 cups of cashews to Vitamix, or other blender or food processor.
5. Add in the maple syrup, vegan cream cheese, pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice. Blend on low -> high for about 3-5 minutes until the mixture is completely creamy. If your mixture is a bit thick for some reason – you can add in a few teaspoons of either water, maple syrup or even non-dairy milk. After blending, do a taste test and add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt if needed. 
6. Pour your mix into a graham cracker pie shell.
7. Bake pie at 400º for 10 minutes. Then reduce to 350º and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes. Your pie will firm up significantly upon cooling and chilling in the fridge.
8. Remove pie from oven. Cool on counter for at least 30 minutes. Then place in fridge until ready to serve, at least 2 hours. 

Other Details:

• Original Recipe

Dessert: Mini Pies!

Ryan made these mini pies with both a pumpkin and an apple filling. Kids and Ryan both loved them. The original recipe is from Heather Christo Cooks.

Ingredients:

Best Crust

2 1/4 cups flour

2 Tbs sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, very cold and cut into pieces

1/2 cup shortening

1/3 cup ice water

Pumpkin Vanilla Bean Filling

15 oz can pumpkin puree

1 cup brown sugar

1 Tbs vanilla bean paste

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 nutmeg

1/2 ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cream

2 eggs

1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

Best Crust

1. In a food processor, add flour, sugar and salt. Pulse to combine. 
2. Add butter and shortening. Pulse until the dough resembles coarse crumbles.
3. Add water a little at a time and pulse until the dough comes together. Stop adding water once the dough has come together.
4. Transfer dough to a sheet of wax paper.
5. Gently press dough into a disc, wrap it in the paper and chill for about 30 minutes.
6. Take half of the recipe for pie dough, and using a small amount of flour, roll out the pie dough into a circle in between two sheets of wax paper.
7. Gently peel back one side of the wax paper and law over a pie dish.

Mini-Pies

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. In a 9x9 baking dish, add all the filling ingredients.
3. Combine until smooth.
4. Bake the pumpkin filling for 45 minutes. Take the filling out and leave until cooled.
5. Using a 4-inch cookie cutter, cut circles out of the chilled pie dough.
6. Spoon the chilled filling into the center of the circles.
7. Fold the pie dough over and pinch and fork tine the edges. Chill in the refrigerator while you heat the oil.
8. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.
9. Gently fry the pumpkin mini pies until the dough is golden brown.
10. Drain for a moment on paper towels and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Other details:

• Preparation time: 20 minutes
• Cooking time: 1 hours
• Makes 12 pies

Dessert: Ultimate Peanut Butter Bars

I made these last summer when going through recipes I'd been holding onto waiting to make. They were a predictable hit at our house. The original recipe came from the side of a cereal box. 

Ingredients:
Crust:
1/3 cup margarine or butter
¾ cup milk chocolate baking chips
2 ½ cups crushed Cocoa & Peanut Butter Fusion cereal (or Reese's) (approx 6 cups)

Filling:
½ cup creamy peanut butter
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoon sugar
12 oz frozen whipped topping, divided

Topping:

1 jar hot fudge flavored ice cream topping, divided
frozen whipped topping
¼ to ½ cup cocoa & peanut butter fusion cereal (optional)
¼ to ½ cup peanut butter (optional)

Directions:

1. To Prepare Pizza Crust: Preheat oven to 325ºF. Lightly spray bottom of a 11 x 13” pan with sides (alternately, if making as a “pizza”, use a round 12 to 14” pizza pan – deep dish with sides) with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium saucepan, combine butter and milk chocolate baking chips; warm over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and stir in crushed cereal. Using a flat surface, such as a measuring cup bottom, press the cereal mixture firmly over bottom and up sides of pan. Bake for 10 minutes; cool completely on wire rack.
2. To Prepare Filling: In a medium bowl, combine peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and well blended. Mix in 2 cups thawed frozen whipped topping with spoon or spatula. Spread filling evenly over peanut butter crust and chill.
3. Topping: Heat ¾ cup to 1 cup of the hot fudge flavored topping in microwave 45 seconds; spread topping evenly over the chilled peanut butter filling layer. Refrigerate or freeze 2 hours. Just before serving, spread remaining thawed frozen whipped topping over chilled hot fudge flavored layer.
4. For decorative top, *heat an additional ¼ to ½ cup peanut butter in microwave for 40-45 seconds and drizzle over top layer of frozen whipped topping. Dip cereal pieces in additional heated hot fudge flavored topping and place randomly across top.
5. Chill and serve.

Other details:

• Makes 16 servings.
• *Due to differences in microwave ovens, heating time may need adjustment.
• Gotten from the back of cereal box.

Dessert: Chocolate Pudding Pie

This pie is a chocolate pudding with a meringue top. It's very rich and very yummy. This is actually two recipes: the chocolate pie and the meringue topping. If you need meringue for another recipe, this is a good one to try. It was my first time making a meringue and it came out great, if I do say so myself.

Chocolate Pudding Pie

Ingredients:

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 oz. Bittersweet chocolate
1 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. Cornstarch
3 Tbsp. Baking cocoa
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1/2 c milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
1tsp. Vanilla extract
1 baked (9”) pie shell

Foolproof Meringue* (see recipe)

Directions:

1. Melt butter and chocolate in a heavy saucepan. 
2. Mix sugar, cornstarch and cocoa in a small bowl. Add to the melted butter and blend well. Measure the 2 cups total of milk (evaporated+homogenized) and stir into chocolate mixture. Stir a small amount of the mixture into the beaten egg yolks; stir egg yolks into mixture. Add vanilla. 
3. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Pour into the pie shell. 
4. Spread Foolproof Meringue over the filling, sealing to the edge. 
5. Bake at 450º for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. 
6. Chill, covered in the refrigerator.

Foolproof Meringue

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/2 Tbsp. Vanilla extract
3 egg whites
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Combine sugar, cornstarch and water in a small saucepan. 
2. Cook for 5 minutes or until clear and thickened, stirring constantly. Cool slightly. 
3. Add vanilla. Beat egg whites and salt in a mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Add syrup gradually, beating constantly until stiff peaks form.

Other details:

• Serves 8 (but rich enough that could serve 16 no problem) 
• Nutrition is for 8 servings

Dessert: Longaberger Apple Pie and Pie Crust

I'm downright un-American - I don't like apple pie. I want to like it, but I just do not. However, members of my family like apple pie. So, a few weeks ago, I made my first apple pie. I got it right first try. What did I make? I made a recipe from Longaberger. Full disclosure: I was a Longaberger Consultant for a couple years in 2003-05 or so. This is not a difficult pie to make, even with the crust from scratch. It was baked in a Longaberger Pottery Pie Plate.

 The recipe is given in 2 parts. The pie crust can be used for anything that you need a pie crust for.
Longaberger Pie Crust

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 T. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup lard
1 small egg, beaten
1/2 T. vinegar
1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix together egg, vinegar and water, then add to flour mixture. Mix until dough is moist enough to form a ball. 
2. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
3. Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll one half into a 12-inch circle. Press dough into pie plate. Crimp to form decorative border, then prick bottom with fork. 
4. Place in freezer while preparing pie filling. Makes one double crust pie.

Longaberger Apple Pie

Ingredients:

3 cups pared, cored and sliced apples (about 3 apples, really good with granny smiths)
3 T. flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. butter
3 T. milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. 
2. Mix apples, flour, sugar and cinnamon. Stir gently. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Dab with butter and pour milk over filling. 
3. Roll top crust same as bottom and lift onto filled pie or decorate with woven lattice top. Bake 40-45 minutes. Filling for one pie.

Other Details:

• Makes 1 pie. 
• Cut to 6-8 slices. 
• Nutrition given for 1/6 of pie.
• Hint: I cut it open warm. All the innards spill out when you do this. Letting it cool to room temperature will allow the insides to stick together better. (I know there are words for that, but they all sound gross when speaking of food.)
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