Blueberry Nectarine Pie (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia recipe was hosted by Hilary of Manchego's Kitchen and Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake: Blueberry Nectarine Pie.  This pie is about as summer as you can get.  I love taking advantage of fresh fruits that are in season. 

In this recipe, the blueberries and nectarines get cooked down in a little bit of lime zest and brown sugar and then they're tossed in some fresh lime juice with more fresh blueberries and nectarines.  The lime is what really brings out the flavors in the fruit.  This pie was delicious, and the only thing I'd probably change is to double the fruit next time, as my pie came out a bit thin.
Thanks to Hilary and Liz for hosting; you can find the recipe on their blogs here and here.  Make sure you check here, too, to see what everyone else thought of this fruit-filled summer treat.

* Recipe notes:

- You'll definitely want to use a pie crust shield or cover the edges of your pie with some foil about half way through the baking process to prevent the edges from getting burned.
- I had to bake my pie about an extra 10-15 minutes before the crust was golden and the fruit juices were bubbling.
- I did not bake my pie on a baking sheet; in my experience that only causes the bottom crust to be undercooked.  Instead, I simply laid a piece of foil at the bottom of the oven to catch any juices that might bubble over.

Sour Cream Pumpkin Tart and Normandy Apple Tart (TWD)

This week for Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) we had two recipes! (I actually had this post ready to go on Tuesday night and just realized I never posted it! oops!) The recipes were chosen by Tracey of Tracey’s Culinary Adventures and Judy of Judy’s Gross Eats. Tracey chose the Normandy Apple Tart and Judy chose the Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie/Tart.  I was ambitious this week and made both :)

The Normandy Apple Tart is a very rustic and homey dessert.  It's basically a tart shell filled with delicious homemade (or store bought) applesauce, then layered with apples on top.  It's amazing how something so simple can be so delicious.  I think using your own homemade applesauce really makes a difference in this dessert.  I am also a huge fan of Dorie's tart shell recipe and use it all the time.... I even used it for the Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie recipe because Dorie mentions that as an alternative to your traditional pie crust.


The sour cream pumpkin pie was one of my husband's favorite desserts this Thanksgiving.  He said he liked it better than traditional pumpkin pie because it wasn't so heavy.  I thought that was interesting, given the amount of heavy cream in it ;) It has a nice blend of spices to it and I think the addition of some rum to the filling really makes it stand out.


While the pumpkin pie can be served cold or at room temperature, I thought the flavors were a bit muted when it was chilled, so I would definitely recommend serving it at room temperature.

Thanks, Tracey and Judy, for hosting this week! I really enjoyed both recipes.  I don't normally eat pumpkin pie except around Thanksgiving, but I could definitely see myself making the Normandy Apple Tart a few times each fall :) If you'd like the recipes, please click here for the Normandy Apple Tart and here for the Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie.

* Recipe notes:

- Make sure to put a pie crust shield (or some foil) around the edge of your tart about 20-30 minutes into baking to avoid burning the edges.

Ginger Jazzed Brownies and Fall Butternut Squash Pie (TWD)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with lots of good eats and sweet treats! We had a pretty impressive spread at our house, and of course we're still enjoying leftovers today.

This week we're posting for Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) on Friday.  This was to allow everyone the time to get ready for Thanksgiving.  There was no specific recipe chosen for this week, we were simply given the liberty to do a "rewind," meaning we could go back and bake a recipe from the past that we may have missed.  I'll be posting about the Ginger Jazzed Brownies and the Depths-of-Fall Butternut Squash Pie.

The ginger jazzed brownies were actually chosen by Hindy of Bubie’s Little Baker as the recipe of the week for October 18 and I made them a few weeks ago.  I just never got around to posting about them! I didn't have any fresh ginger on hand, so I added extra ground ginger to the brownies, as Dorie suggested.  My brownies came out with very little ginger flavor to them, which was a big disappointment because I love ginger.  I had contemplated adding in chopped candied/crystallized ginger to the brownies, and should have... because I munched on some while eating these brownies and found that the ginger and chocolate flavors together were great.  So, next time I make these, I will definitely add in chopped crystallized ginger instead of fresh ginger.  Otherwise, these brownies were super moist and dense like you would expect brownies to be.


The Fall Butternut Squash Pie was chosen by Valerie of Une Gamine dans la Cuisine. I am not a big butternut squash fan, but I still wanted to try this pie because that's what TWD is all about - trying recipes you wouldn't otherwise try. So, I made this one for Thanksgiving. Aside from the butternut squash, this pie is filled with pears, brown sugar, spices, walnuts, and raisins (or dried cranberries or diced apples).


This pie was met with mixed reviews. I really didn't care for it much. I think I would have liked it better if there had been more sugar in it because I think it was lacking in sweetness. My mom thought it was good, but attributed that to the fact that there was a lot of other filling ingredients besides squash. I think if it had a little bit less squash and lots of pears and apples, it would be very good. Just enough to have a hint of squash in it, but not overwhelmingly squashy ;)


If you're interested, head on over here for the Ginger Jazzed Brownies recipe and here for the Fall Butternut Squash Pie recipe.

Pear Cranberry Pie with Gingersnap Crumble (SMS)

This week's Sweet Melissa Sundays (SMS) recipe was chosen by Dawn of Growing Up and Getting Healthy After 40: Pear Cranberry Pie with Gingersnap Crumble.  I love baked pears, almost as much as I love baked apples... so this recipe was right up my alley! I even still had frozen cranberries leftover from last Thanksgiving so I was able to use them in this recipe.

I used d'Anjou pears instead of Bosc pears (not sure if it matters?) and limes instead of lemons, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly.  I found that putting the pie dish on the baking sheet resulted in an underbaked pie crust, so if you make this pie I would recommend putting it directly on the oven rack and then simply putting a piece of foil on the rack below it to catch any messy drippings should your pie bubble over.

The gingersnap crumble was delicious! I often prefer a good crisp or crumble over a traditional pie, so this pie has something to offer everyone - both a crust and a crumble! It's not the most visually appealing crumble (but what it lacks in looks it makes up in taste)... in fact, while I was photographing it, my 18 month old reached for the pie and tried to grab the crumble while shouting "beef! beef!"  She thought it was ground beef! :)

The filling was good, but admittedly very tart.  I used lime juice instead of lemon juice in the recipe, but I think what accounted for the majority of the tartness in this recipe was the cranberries.  We all enjoyed the sweet and tart combo, but those who don't like a tart dessert will probably want to shy away from this one.  I also found the filling to be very runny, though it was much better the next day after the crust had some time to soak up some of the juices.  I might use Dorie's trick next time and sprinkle a bread crumb/ground nut mix on the crust before adding the filling to help soak up some of the juices.

Thanks Dawn, for hosting this week. If you'd like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the Sweet Melissa Sundays Blog Roll to see how everyone else enjoyed this very tart treat! Also don't forget to enter my giveaway here before it ends on June 24th.

* Recipe notes:

- Don't bake your pie on a baking sheet.  Instead, simply place a large piece of foil on the rack below the pie to catch any drippings should the juices from the pie bubble over during baking.
- If the crumble starts to brown too quickly, you can cover the pie loosely with a foil tent while the rest of the pie finishes baking.

Cranberry Lime Galette (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Whitney, April, and Elizabeth of Celestial Confections: Cranberry Lime Galette.  What I love about a galette is how easy it is to make.  You don't need a pie pan, and since it's supposed to look rustic, no need to worry about making it look perfect!

This galette was filled with both fresh and dried cranberries, apples, lime zest, and fresh ginger, tossed together with some raspberry jam (I used orange marmalade), lime juice and brown sugar.  The layer of ground nuts and bread crumbs lining the bottom of the galette was subtle but perfect.  The combination of cranberries and lime is wonderful - I love a good cosmopolitan, but I've never seen the cranberry and lime combination in sweets before.


The cranberries were definitely more tart than I expected them to be in this galette, but it was still delicious.  Part of my crust opened up and my filling spread more on one side than the other and it seems to me that the thinner side ended up sweeter.  I'm guessing that may be due to the fact that the layer of cranberries was thinner and and therefore cooked down more while in the oven.

I love sour candy, so I didn't mind how tart this was but I know it was too tart for some of the other bakers this week! So, if you're wanting a sweeter galette, I'd make a slightly larger crust so you get a thinner layer of filling; alternatively, you could halve the filling in the recipe or make two crusts and the same amount of filling.  I think this would really help with the tartness factor. I considered adding in bits of crystallized/candied ginger, but in the end decided not to.  I definitely want to try it with some next time, though. I think it would add an extra bit of sweetness to the galette, too, to counter the tartness of the cranberries.  Of course you could just add more brown sugar to the recipe, but I think the crystallized ginger would be more fun :)


Thanks Whitney, April, and Elizabeth, for hosting this week.  I will definitely be making this again - loved the cranberry and lime combination! (I loved it so much I ate 3/4 of the galette between the time it came out of the oven last night and when I went to bed!) If you would like the recipe, you can find it here.

Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed this sweet and oh so tart treat!

* Recipe notes:
- If you prefer a dessert that isn't tart, you'll have to add more sugar to this recipe.  Or, consider adding chopped crystallized ginger.  Halving the filling might also create a sweeter result as well.
- I had to add a rim of foil around my galette for the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent it from over-browning.
- For more recipe tips, click here. 

Apple Crumb Pie

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Emily of Sandmuffin: All-American, All-Delicious Apple Pie.  I'm sorry to report that I did not bake along this week.  We just got back from a week long trip out of state and I've spent the last two days trying to get settled back in before going back to work today.  I've done one very big thing since returning, however... I went to a cooking class and got to meet Dorie on Sunday! I hope to be able to write up a blog post about that soon.  For now, I'm pulling something from my archives to share with you that would only seem appropriate given this week's recipe.  So, instead of sharing Dorie's All-American Apple Pie with you, I'll be sharing my all time favorite apple pie recipe with you instead.


I always find it curious when I hear people say that they do not like baked fruit because I love baked apple anything. Now, there are some things that I like more than others, but I universally like anything with baked apple in it.

One of my favorite classics is apple pie. I've never been a very big fan of the double crusted apple pie.  Now a dutch apple pie or apple crumb pie, I could not live without. Growing up, we’d always spend Thanksgiving weekend at a family church retreat. The location of the camp varied, but often times it would be in the same general area and sometimes we’d go to the same place from time to time. One year, we went to a camp that was near Julian, in southern California.  They are known for their apple pies and let me tell you, for the longest time, I would say that they had THE best apple pies hands down. I would look forward to Thanksgiving and ask my parents if the yearly retreat was going to be anywhere near Julian because I wanted to get my apple pie fix. We’d pick up a few pies for immediate consumption and then a few more to freeze for later. Only thing that kept us from getting more pies was our limited freezer space :)


Well, fast forward to about seven years ago when I met my husband. I can’t remember exactly when I first had it, but his mother made me an apple crumb pie that took me straight back to my youth. It was just like the pies I had tasted from Juliann, except (dare I say) better. His mom would tell me stories about how she would make a pie for the family and how my husband would eat the entire pie himself before anyone else had been able to have some… so if he is ever around, she always makes two pies, one for him and one for the rest of the family! Well, we are like two peas in a pod because I could just as easily eat an entire pie on my own within 24 hours as well. In fact, when we went to visit them this last week, there were two freshly baked pies sitting on the counter for us as soon as we walked in the door! :)


Of course after tasting her pie, I promptly asked his mom for the recipe and started making these pies at home shortly thereafter. It took a few times for me to get the recipe down (figuring out my oven temperature and how to long to bake it to avoid mushy apples), but I am proud to say that my husband now thinks that I am better at making this pie than his own mother :) Now that’s the ultimate compliment!

So, if you love apple pie, then you must try this recipe. In my humble opinion, it is hands down better than any other apple pie or apple crisp recipe you’ll ever try.

Apple Crumb Pie
from my mother-in-law, Joan P.

9-inch unbaked pie crust
6 cups pared, sliced apples (5-7 tart apples - Granny Smith work best)
1 cup sugar, divided
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup butter

Thaw your pie crust as directed on the package and place it in your favorite pie pan.  Place the sliced apples in the unbaked pastry shell. Combine ½ cup of sugar with the cinnamon; sprinkle over the apples.

Combine the remaining ½ cup of sugar with the flour; cut in the butter until crumbly (you can do this with a pastry blender or with two knives). Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the apples.

Bake at 400F for 40 minutes or until apples are tender. Cool completely before serving.

Note: baking time is for a metal pie tin, if using a pyrex pie pan the time may vary... just bake until the crumble mixture is a nice golden brown and the apples are tender (you may need to either use a pie crust shield or cover the edges of the pie crust in foil to prevent them from burning)

This recipe has been submitted to the Monthly Mingle for the "Fruit in Baking" theme.

Caramel Pumpkin Pie & A Giveaway

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Janell of Mortensen Family Memoirs: Caramel Pumpkin Pie. I was about to say that I made this one last year, but when I looked back, it was actually two years ago! Where does the time go?

This is my favorite pumpkin pie recipe.  I love the caramel undertone.  If you're looking for a pumpkin pie recipe for this Thanksgiving, then look no further.

Now on to the giveaway... if you've recently had a baby or know someone who is expecting, you'll be interested in this one.  Just click here to find out more and to enter to win.

Fold-Over Pear Torte (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Cakelaw of Laws of the Kitchen: Fold-Over Pear Torte.  It is basically a pie crust filled with diced pears and chopped dried apricots, surrounded by a creamy custard filling.  (There's supposed to be some chopped nuts in there, too, but I omitted those.)  Dorie says this is the perfect "fall-into-winter dessert" because of the pears.
I have to admit that time got away from me and I cheated by using a premade pie crust.  Otherwise, this recipe was simple and straightforward.  I only used about 2/3 of the custard I made, because I used a 9-inch springform pan and Dorie warns you not to overfill the torte.  The custard does puff up in the oven, so make sure you leave at least one-half inch between the cream and the pie crust when you are filling it!


The end result is definitely a very rustic (and not so photogenic) torte! I found this torte to be good, but not great.  There wasn't anything that I disliked about it, there just wasn't any "wow" factor that makes me want to make this one again.... which is fine because there are so many other things I still want to try :)

Thanks cakelaw, for hosting this week.  If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed this fall-into-winter treat! As a reminder, if you'd like to meet Dorie during her current book tour, see if she will be visiting your city here.  If you'd like to join us at her cooking class here in Dallas on October 24th, sign up here.

* Recipe notes:
- I covered my torte loosely with a foil tent after 40 minutes to prevent it from over browning.
- For more recipe tips, click here. 

Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pie (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Spike of Spike Bakes: Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pie.

When I was a kid, I loved going to Disneyland. We only lived 30 minutes from "the happiest place on earth," so I was lucky enough to get to go there at least once a year. Sure, I loved meeting the Disney characters, seeing the castle, and going on all the rides... but what did I really look forward to the most? The food :) I'm sure that if you're regular visitor to my blog, that can't really surprise you.

I'd love grabbing a churro and eating it while waiting in line for Splash Mountain. Or drinking one of those slushy lemonade drinks while waiting to board Star Tours. But my absolute favorite thing to get at Disneyland? Their frozen bananas! A banana dipped in chocolate, then rolled in peanuts and frozen to perfection! Yum!




Imagine my delight, then, when Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory came about and started offering frozen bananas in their stores! I was thrilled that I no longer had to be at an amusement park to enjoy one of my favorite frozen treats.  I've even gone and made my own frozen bananas at home a few times, but I always feel so wasteful dipping anything in chocolate because you always end up with some excess in the bowl.

So, when Spike chose the Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pie, I was eager to make it. Just reading the recipe immediately took me back to my childhood memories of frozen bananas! It's a layer of chocolate banana ice cream atop a coconut crust, sandwiched between two layers of sliced bananas (although I layered lots of banana slices on top of my pie, for the blog photos I only added a single banana to the slice I photographed).

While I adore the flavors of chocolate and bananas together, I have to agree with my husband in saying that the crust is the star of this recipe! Unfortunately, I couldn't find the LU shortbread cookies that Dorie recommends so I used graham cracker crumbs instead. Still, butter + browned coconut + cookie crumbs = one amazing crust! I didn't have a deep dish pie plate, so I used a springform pan instead and didn't have any problems.




For the ice cream, instead of using store bought chocolate ice cream I decided to make Dorie's Chocolate Ganache ice cream. After I added in the bananas and rum to the ice cream, it almost didn't make it into the pie! I may have to make a batch of Chocolate Banana ice cream in the near future (a much better use of over ripe bananas than banana bread!)

I loved this pie and since making it this weekend I have eaten half of it all by myself! :) It totally reminds me of my childhood frozen banana favorite, only it's kicked up a notch with an amazing buttery coconut crust.

Thanks Spike, for hosting this week. The recipe for the Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream is below; if you would like the recipe for the pie, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed this cool, summery treat! Also, you've got one more day to enter my $100 gift card giveaway while you're here :)

* Recipes notes:
- If you do not have shortbread cookies, you can substitute graham cracker crumbs.
- For tips from other TWD bakers, click here.


Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream
from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar

Put the chocolate in a 2-quart liquid measuring cup or a large heatproof bowl. Bring ¾ cup of the cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute, then, using a rubber spatula and starting in the center of the mixture, slowly stir the cream in to the chocolate in ever-widening concentric circles. When the ganache is smooth, set it aside.

Bring the milk and the remaining ¾ cup cream to a boil in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the yolks and sugar together until well blended and just slightly thickened. Still whisking, drizzle in about one third of the hot liquid- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won’t curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining liquid. Pour the custard back into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring without stopping, until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon; of you run your finger down the bowl of the spoon, the custard should not run into the track. The custard should reach at least 170 degrees F, but no more than 180 degrees F, on an instant-read thermometer. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and slowly and gently stir the custard into the ganache.

Refrigerate the custard until chilled before churning it into ice cream.

Scrape the chilled custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Pack the ice cream into a container and freeze it for at least 2 hours, until it is firm enough to scoop.

Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Linda of Tender Crumb: Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie. I'm not a big lemon meringue pie person, but I really liked Dorie's Florida Pie so I thought this recipe would also be worth a try.


It's like your traditional lemon meringue pie, except with lime cream instead. But this isn't just any lime cream - it's a super tart, absolutely creamy, spiked with ginger - lime cream. I almost ate it all by the spoonful instead of putting it into my pie crust! It is definitely rich, but so good. I actually only added 2 sticks of butter (yes, 2 sticks!!!) into this cream instead of the 2 1/2 you are supposed to use. I know others omitted a whole stick and still ended up with great results.


The only problem I had with this recipe was getting the cream up to 180F. This did not take 10 minutes, but rather 30-35 minutes. I had to increase the heat on the double boiler to bring the water to a boil instead of just a simmer, because it seemed that it would never reach 180F at just a simmer. Despite whisking constantly, I did end up with bits of scrambled egg in my cream. No worries, though, because though were removed when I passed the cream through the strainer to remove the lime zest. Otherwise, this recipe was really easy. It requires a lot of planning, as the cream requires 4 hours of refrigeration and the assembled pie needs to be refrigerated for at least 3 hours, but otherwise it doesn't take much time at all.


I used a graham cracker crust, so this really tasted like a key lime pie with a meringue top. I loved it! My husband and I actually ate half of it all by ourselves! Thanks Linda, for picking this recipe - I will definitely be making it again. If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed this wonderful, tart treat.

* Recipes notes:
- You can cut back on the butter by 1/2 - 1 stick, but to get the full creamy effect, use all 2 1/2 sticks! :)
- Watch your pie very very carefully once you stick it under the broiler - it will go from beautifully browned to completely burnt in no time!
- For tips, click here.

Banana Cream Pie (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Amy of Sing For Your Supper: Banana Cream Pie. I can honestly say that I had never had a banana cream pie before. Growing up, my mom hated any kind of cream pie - banana cream pie, coconut cream pie, etc. so I never had the opportunity to try one.

Honestly, I wasn't sure if I would really like it, either. But being a part of TWD means trying new things, whether that entails learning a new baking skill, or trying a new ingredient or recipe. So I forged ahead with this week's pick.



The recipe was actually quite simple. It's a basic pastry cream, made with brown sugar instead of white sugar, with just a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg in it. All you do is prepare the pie crust, then layer it with pastry cream and bananas, and then top with whipped cream. Dorie adds a touch of sour cream to the whipped cream to give it a little something extra, but I honestly couldn't really tell it was there. Unfortunately, I accidentally over whipped my cream and ruined it, but thankfully it didn't affect the taste - I just have some sad looking pie pictures this week :(

The pie was just so so for me. I was glad I made it and tried it, but I probably won't be making it again. I guess I'm just not a banana cream pie person. I brought the pie to work and everyone loved it so I guess it's great as far as banana cream pies go :)


Thanks Amy, for choosing this pie - I enjoyed trying something new. If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you visit the TWD Blogroll to see what everyone else thought about this creamy pie!

* Recipes notes:
- I didn't pass my brown sugar through a sieve - I just made sure there was no big clumps in it and the pastry cream turned out just fine.
- The pastry cream doesn't really come to a noticeable boil - just keep stirring constantly until it begins to thicken, then continue heating/stirring for another minute.
- I thought the pie would taste better with more bananas - so I would recommend using 4 bananas instead of just 3.
- For more tips, click here.

TWD: Blackberry Nectarine Galette

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Amy of Michelle in Colorado Springs: Summer Fruit Galette. Having successfully made my very first homemade pie crust for the Double Crusted Blueberry Pie a few weeks ago, I went into this week's recipe with a little less trepidation.

A Galette is basically a single crust pie without the pie dish. You roll out your pie dough, add the fruit filling, then fold the edges of the crust towards the center to hold the filling in. It's a very simple, rustic dessert.


The beauty of this particular dessert is that you can fill this Galette with your favorite summer fruit, or whatever you have on hand. I decided to use blackberries and nectarines. Dorie suggests simply cutting the nectarines in half and placing them cut side down, but I didn't have enough nectarines to do this, so I simply used one half in the middle and then spread nectarine slices around it. I then filled in the gaps between the nectarine slices with blackberries. This ended up creating a sort of sunburst effect.


Dorie recommends two different elements to help soak up the fruit juices in this recipe: graham cracker crumbs and a custard drizzle. Instead of bread crumbs (what we used in the Blueberry Pie), graham cracker crumbs are spread along the bottom of this Galette to help absorb the fruit juices. Now I was a bit confused about the drizzle of custard that Dorie recommends for this Galette. At first, I had visions in my mind of a thick custard that was dolloped on top of the tart. Then I realized that I had misread the recipe instructions. It's basically an egg whisked together with some butter and sugar. Towards the end of baking, you drizzle it in between the nooks and crannies of the fruit - then stick it back in the oven to bake. I was initially worried that it would make the Galette terribly ugly, but while it did not enhance the appearance of the Galette, it did not make it look worse, in my opinion.


My absolute most favorite part of this Galette was the layer of ginger preserves at the bottom! I had never tried ginger preserves before, but they were fantastic with the fresh fruit! I used some Dundee Ginger Preserves I found at Central Market. I cringed a bit at the price ($8.00 for 16 ounces), but I'm so glad I did not opt for another type of preserve just to save money! I actually used 4 tablespoons of preserves instead of the 2-3 that Dorie recommends. It was the perfect complement to the fruit. What you will first notice when you bite into this Galette are the sweet and sour flavors from the fruit... then the sweet and spicy ginger hits your tongue, followed by the buttery and flaky pie crust. Mmmmm. Perfection.


I am not a huge fan of pies in general (except for apple crumb pie), but this has to be the best "pie" I have ever had. I will definitely be making this every summer. This recipe is really great for entertaining because you can make the pie dough ahead of time and freeze it. The actual assembly comes together in just minutes.


Thanks again to Michelle for choosing the Summer Fruit Galette. You challenged me to make my first Galette - and it was a success! Not only that, but I found another Dorie recipe that I am absolutely head over heels for! If you would like the recipe, you can find it here (with recipe tips here). Make sure you visit the TWD Blog Roll to see how everyone else enjoyed this rustic, summer treat.

TWD: The Best (Key Lime) Florida Pie

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Dianne of Dianne's Dishes: Florida Pie. This is basically Dorie's version of a fancy Key Lime Pie. It's Key Lime Pie filling sandwiched between a layer of coconut cream and coconut meringue - genius!

This recipe was extra special because my mom made the shredded sweetened coconut. Yep, she cracked the coconut open, used some special coconut shredding device she found in my grandmother's garage, and then she cooked/sweetened the coconut just for me. So perhaps it was the fresh, shredded sweetened coconut I used, or perhaps it was Dorie's brilliant recipe (or a bit of both?), but I absolutely loved this Florida Pie! I thought I already had my favorite key lime pie recipe, but Dorie totally blew it out of the water. If you're not a fan of coconut, I do recommend you try the other recipe (because it really is a good one), but if you do enjoy coconut, then you must give this recipe a try!


I have to admit that I almost didn't post any finished pictures of this pie. You see, I somehow managed to over whip my egg whites and instead of a beautiful, soft, foamy meringue, I ended up with a curdled white, lumpy mess (and not enough eggs to give it a second try). Then on top of that, I happened to turn my back on the broiler just a few seconds too long and almost burnt my meringue. To add insult to injury, I was taking pictures at my mom's house, with totally different lighting from what I am used to, and couldn't really get any good shots.

I know that everyone else is going to have the prettiest meringue - from smooth and swirly to spiky and fun. Mine was flat and boring. But in the spirit of showing you that we all have those moments in the kitchen when things don't turn out quite right, I'm posting my pictures. Regardless of how my pie looks, I promise that it still tasted great.


As with last week's recipe, I'm not sure who Dorie is serving, but the recipe states that you can get 6 servings out of this pie. Those would be six HUGE slices. I suppose with how popular this pie was at our Mother's Day family gathering, some would prefer to eat 1/6th of the pie, but you could easily get 8-10 servings out of this (we had a lot of people, and probably got about 12 slices out of it).


Thanks Dianne, for picking this week's recipe. This is my new go-to Key Lime Pie recipe! Make sure you check out the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll to see everyone else's citrusy sweets.

Florida Pie
from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

For the Pie:
1 9-inch graham cracker crust (recipe below), fully baked and cooled, or a store-bought crust
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut (1 cup for the coconut cream layer, 1/2 cup for the meringue)
4 large eggs, separated
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh Key (or regular) lime juice (from about 5 regular limes) (I used about 25 Key limes - about 3/4 lb)
1/4 cup of sugar

For the Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (I used cinnamon grahams)
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

To Make the Crust:
Butter a 9-inch pan. Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. (I do this with my fingers.) Turn the ingredients into the pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs over the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven. (The crust can be covered and frozen for up to 2 months.)

Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the pie filling.

Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment of a silicone mat.

Put the cream and 1 cup of the coconut in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue to cook and stir until the cream is reduced by half and the mixture is slightly thickened. Scrape the coconut cream into a bowl and set it aside while you prepare the lime filling.


Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl beat the egg yolks at high speed until thick and pale.



Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the condensed milk.


Still on low, add half of the lime juice. When it is incorporated, add the remaining juice, again mixing until it is blended. Spread the coconut cream in the bottom of the graham cracker crust,


and pour over the lime filling.


Bake the pie for 12 minutes. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes, then freeze the pie for at least 1 hour.

To Finish the Pie with Meringue:
Put the 4 egg whites and the sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, whisking all the while, until the whites are hot to the touch. Transfer the whites to a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer in a large bowl, and beat the whites at high speed until they reach room temperature and hold firm peaks. (Be careful not to over whip them!)


Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining 1/2 cup coconut into the meringue.

Spread the meringue over the top of the pie, and run the pie under the broiler until the top of the meringue is golden brown. (Or, if you've got a blowtorch, you can use it to brown the meringue.)


Return the pie to the freezer for another 30 minutes or for up to 3 hours before serving.

Yield: 6 Servings.