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So my brother had a pie party last weekend. A brilliant, filling, and then sickening idea. Just kidding, it was plain great. The rule was you had to bring pie or a beverage. I made two contributions because I am an over achiever.

All the pies!
(My pecan pie is the 1/2 eaten one)

First I made this pecan pie recipe. I was curious what a pecan pie without corn syrup would be like. Fabulous. Way better than normal which is good news for me since I am technically allergic to corn. It was very much a typical pecan pie but without the syrupy sweetness. I made a clove crust and Amaretto whipped cream which really sealed the deal. The whipped cream was more popular than the pie actually. I forgot to take a pic of this pie until it was half eaten on the pie table.

Pi pies

Next I made these apple pie cookies. I mostly wanted to make these so I could bring in pi. I had the idea to carve the numbers into the tops of the crust instead of the usual little slits you make in pies (is there a technical term for those?). It was really had to get a good picture of these cookies but you get the idea. They were really yummy too, a perfect cross between pie and a cookie. I used a cinnamon crust for these. I can't wait to make these again.

I did not use the pie crust given in the apple pie recipe. I always use a recipe from America's Test Kitchen that I found in a magazine a few years ago. I never really thought too much about the crust of a pie until I made this one. It is so delicious. I now love the crust and feel like it should really have a presence in a pie. It isn't just there to hold the filling together, it can make or break a pie. I usually pump up the volume of the crust recipe by adding a few extra spices or some secret ingredient. Making the crust has become my favorite part of making pie.

All the pies were really tasty. I was not smart though and I took too big of pieces to begin with so I did not get to sample all the pies. Now I know for next time!

Mise En Place

For the first week (at least) of class the instructor kept referring to mise en place and I had no idea what he was talking about. I'm not sure if he explained it and I wasn't paying attention, or more likely he didn't explain it ever and hoped we would just figure it out. He does that. He is a very brief man.

Mise en place for cupcake fail

Mise en place means everything in its place. I have never been great at having everything ready before I start a recipe. I'm not even good at reading all the way through a recipe before I start. I was making cupcakes yesterday morning and I thought I might as well give it a try. Turns out, it is super nice and handy to have everything ready to go. I like it!

Actually I made cupcakes twice this week. The first time I used a new recipe. I'm not sure why. It all went fine and the cupcakes looked great but then they sank when I took them out of the oven. They tasted great but looked terrible. The recipe seemed suspect to begin with, it had tons of sugar and very little flour. And a lot of milk too.

After that fail I went with my go-to cupcake cookbook. It is a vegan cupcake book I got when I made 500 vegan cupcakes for a wedding last summer. I'm not vegan so when I use these recipes for me I use real butter and milk and they turn out fantastic. The hair salon we go to changed ownership, one of the awesome stylists bought it and gave it a make over so to celebrate I wanted to bring cupcakes. Hair-O-Smith is an 80's themed salon and dance studio (and everyone there is totally rad, you should go to there). They made the floor pink and black so I thought I would reflect that in the cupcakes. I made pink and chocolate marble cakes. I didn't taste them but they looked super cute!

 For the frosting I made a simple vanilla bean buttercream. I tried to make pink and black swirls but it was really hard to get a true black. They ended up looking more purple. Oh well. They were well received so I am happy about that.

In other news I cut myself yesterday but on a transformer toy at work. AND, I have my first practical exam next week. I will have a time limit and several knife cuts to perform. I should probably practice this weekend. Anyone have any veggies they need cut up rather small?

Blah

I actually did some baking this week and I managed to take zero pictures. Fail.

I am in two bookclubs, because I like people and I like books. One of the bookclubs (and I promise I love you both equally) does a potluck of sorts when we meet. Everyone brings a dish to share, the hostess makes a main dish. Usually the hostess will tell everyone what she is making and occasionally the rest of us will tell what we are bringing. More often it is a complete surprise. We never know if there will be repeats or if anything will really go together. Somehow it all works out, it is always a fantastic meal.

I hosted this month and we read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. I made a savory pumpkin pie and a chicken pot pie. There was also a variety of cheese and crackers, pickled green beans, beets and okra, tiny cupcakes, pumpkin cookies, tuna and veggie dip, and custard pie. All delicious. Wish bookclub happened more than once a month.

I got more skills in school today that I can't wait to bust out. I made mayonaise for the first time and learn how to tie up a chicken. I also learned how to cut that chicken all apart, with or without bones. I actually really want to buy a whole chicken now and cut it up. I really, really do.

Tomorrow I will again me battling my nemesis, the tourne. I have to tourne a turnip, carrot and potato for homework. And then maybe I'll make cupcakes.