Italian Ricotta Pie

This is a recipe from Foodblogga that I've been wanting to try for a long time but never had the audience. I followed her recipe fairly closely, which is a bit unusual for me but I'm glad I did. It turned out fluffy, sweet and delicious.

You will need for the crust:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 stick salted butter
2 eggs

For the filling:

1 lb whole ricotta cheese, drained
1 cup light cream
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 eggs
10 oz crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Using a pastry cutter or food processor with a metal blade, combine the dry ingredients for the crust. Cut in the butter, then add the eggs, being careful not to overmix. Form a ball with the dough once combined and wrap in plastic; refrigerate while you mix the filling or for up to 2 days.

For the filling, combine the ricotta, cream, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla. Add the eggs and finish by adding the pineapple. Set aside and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Roll the dough out until the radius is about 10 inches. Grease a 9 inch pie pan and press the dough into it. Pour in the filling and top with a dusting of cinnamon. Bake for 20 minutes at 425, then 30-60 more at 350. Check every ten minutes and once the center is firm, not jiggly, it's ready to come out. Allow to cool and chill before serving.

Gibanica - Serbian Feta Cabbage Pie

This was a recipe I'd been wanting to try for awhile but it makes so much there was no way I could eat it myself -- I needed some help. Hence how it wound up on the smorgasbord menu.

As something of a disclaimer, this recipe is not for the calorie conscious or vegans. It's full of dairy and is fairly high in fat; however, by cooking this dish using authentic ingredients, one is less likely to go overboard. I found that one piece the size of a playing card was all I needed. Besides, the recipe also makes so much of it that the ingredients called for look a lot worse than they actually are. Anywho, I figured this was a dish that deserved a disclaimer, lest I start getting snarky comments about promoting obesity or heart disease. Besides, that's what gyms are for.

I did lighten the original recipe though; cost was the main reason, although the added nutrients and fiber definitely make a difference. The original recipe called for 2 lbs of feta -- instead, I used 1 lb and one medium-large shredded cabbage.

You will need:

1/2 lb phyllo dough, thawed
1 cup sour cream
6-10 tbsp butter, melted
6 eggs
1 lb feta cheese
1/2 cup flour
1 cabbage, shredded and boiled for about 10-15 minutes
large baking or roasting pan -- the biggest one you have

Preheat the oven to 325. Beat the eggs together and add the flour and salt. Add the crumbled feta, sour cream and cabbage. Put about a tablespoon of butter or two in the pan, enough to grease it. Place 2-3 phyllo sheets in. Follow with about 1/6 of the cheese and cabbage mixture. Top with another 2-3 sheets and add another tablespoon of butter, brushing it over the phyllo as evenly as possible. Again, layer the cabbage and cheese. Do this until you're left with 2-3 phyllo sheets. Use up the remaining cabbage mixture and top with the phyllo and any leftover butter. Bake for around an hour to an hour and a half, or until the center seems set. Allow to cool and cut into squares. This went especially well with vodka sauce but is also delicious on its own.

Buttermilk Pie

This is a classic Southern recipe for buttermilk pie. Most people who haven't tasted it before will give you strange looks when you combine the words "buttermilk" and "pie". It's actually quite delicious and goes over well especially on holidays.

This recipe comes from Natalie Moore at NPR. Growing up, one of my neighborhood friends' mothers made this and Natalie's recipe comes the closest to hers (although that South Carolina touch can't be replicated). There are many variations of this recipe; it's similar to chess pie, creme brulee and a South African dish called "melktert".

I used a chocolate graham cracker crust since I couldn't find regular pie crust. After my adventure with the apple pie, I wasn't quite ready to dive back into those waters. While the graham crust made it really interesting, it was a bit sweet. I'm posting the reduced-sugar version of the filling for that reason. Also remember to let this pie cool for at least twenty or thirty minutes before serving, it gets VERY HOT!

Buttermilk Pie:

1 graham pie crust

4 eggs

1c sugar

2 tbsp flour

1/2c melted butter

1 1/2c buttermilk

1tsp vanilla extract (I tend to go heavy on this, so you can use up to 1 tbsp)

Beat the eggs with sugar. Add flour and beat well. Add buttermilk and vanilla. The filling will be liquidy, so carefully pour it into the crust and load it into the oven. Bake at 400 for the first 10 minutes and reduce to 325 for 50 more minutes.

Allow to cool, serve either slightly warm or at room temperature.

Ugly Apple Pie

No pain, no gain, right? This pie was definitely one of the worst aesthetic disasters to come out of my kitchen in a long time ;] However, I think you have to know just as much about what doesn't work as you know what does to be a successful cook. Besides, the thing TASTED great! I present, for your viewing pleasure, how to make a very ugly but very tasty apple pie.

Crust:

2c flour (I used cake flour)

1tsp salt

1tbsp sugar

6tbsp butter

6tbsp shortening

6-8tbsp very cold water

Filling:

5 tart apples, peeled and chopped

1c sugar

2tbsp flour

1tbsp cinnamon

1/2tsp clove powder

1/4tsp salt

2tbsp vinegar

1tbsp lemon juice

Combine the dry ingredients for the crust in a large bowl. You're supposed to use a pastry cutter to combine the butter and shortening, which I didn't do. I used the whisk on my countertop mixer -- instead of the crumbly, dry mixture you want for a pie crust, I wound up with a creamy schmaltzy yellow mixture. Either way, let it chill in the fridge for 10-45 minutes.

As you're working on the crust, if your apples are pre-sliced and peeled, let them rest in water combined with the lemon juice so they don't discolor. Drain them when the time comes to make filling. Most people don't cook theirs beforehand; I didn't think it was necessary, and I was right. Anywho. Mix the filling ingredients and set aside.

I brought my crust mixture out of the fridge and it was nowhere near wanting to roll out. So I scooped some in my hand and smeared it all around the bottom of the pan and up the sides, about an inch thick. Put the apple filling into the crust. I still had some left over for the top though, so I decided to attempt a streusel. To do a streusel, you pinch sugar and flour into butter until it turns into crumbs. Instead, after about 1/2c of sugar and 1c flour, I wound up with a mixture that was roll-able. I flattened it and draped it over the apple mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

My primary issue was the crust -- while it tasted heavenly and turned out quite nicely when cooked, the bottom layer was way too soft to work with. Definitely combine your crust using a pastry cutter, you want something crumbly that will stick together when rolled out.

The top was a bit too sweet. Since it was basically a sheet of streusel, this is to be expected. Again, this problem can be avoided by making the crust right ;]

Although this pie was delicious, it's incredibly rich. When I come by a recipe that works and has that magic to it I'll make sure to post it. Otherwise, I'll need to find someone who doesn't mind ugly pies to eat the test batch!