Strawberry Pie and News

Back in the day, one of my favorite treats was a strawberry pie from Haussner's. A relatively simple-seeming affair of pastry cream, glazed berries, and whipped cream on a flaky crust, the pie was the perfect combination of fruity and creamy. Especially to this ten-year-old.

We ordered slices for dessert on the occasions we dined at the restaurant, but there were also special times that my Dad would bring a whole pie home. There was never any particular occasion (although he may well have been in the doghouse) but I know it was definitely a surprise that was welcome by all.

I normally opened the box and surreptitiously picked off the slices of toasted almond before anyone else had a chance to portion the pie. This resulted in a scolding from my Mother, who also liked the buttery crunch that the nuts provided. 

Haussner's closed in 1999, but I can still taste that pie. Literally, because I made one recently. And that's where the "news" portion of the title of this post comes in.

Mr Minx and I are working on a second book. This one will be called Baltimore Chef's Table, and will feature recipes from restaurants all over the Baltimore Metro area. Since there's a recipe for Haussner's strawberry pie floating around the Internet, I thought it would be fun to include it in the book - only after I made it at home and adjusted it to fit my memories.

The photo above is my result. It's not as tall as the pie from Haussner's, where they used very large berries, and the glaze isn't red and oozy (which didn't seem as appealing to me as an adult). The flavor, however, was spot on. 

If you want my variation on the recipe, you'll just have to hold on until Baltimore Chef's Table comes out in 2014. I promise there will be dozens of great recipes worth trying, and it will be worth the wait.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Quiche and Tell

We had refrigerated pie crusts. We had eggs. We had mushrooms. We had half a gallon of half & half (Mr Minx and I each put one in the shopping cart and didn't notice until we were unpacking the groceries at home). It seemed like a good time to make quiche.

I haven't made quiche in a long, long time, and I can't even remember if my last attempt was successful or a big disaster. This attempt was somewhere in between.

My first mistake was to forget to line the pie shell with foil before pouring in the rice I use as a pie weight. I discovered my glaring omission when I attempted to pour the rice out of the crust and found a goodly portion of it embedded in the bottom. As I was rubbing the (hot) rice out of the (hot) crust while attempting not to burn myself on the (even hotter) pie pan, a couple of pieces of side crust decided to break off and fall onto the counter.

At least the actual blind baking portion of the program went well. The crust was browned and didn't shrink much at all.

I replaced the crust as best as I could, then filled it and baked it. It looked lovely when it came out of the oven (as evidenced by the photo above) but it was impossible to slice neatly. The beaten egg and half & half mixture had seeped through the crust and glued it to the pan.

No worries. I just scooped it out with a big spoon. It still tasted pretty great.

Mushroom Quiche

Pie shell of your choosing
1/2 cup sauteed onions
1 1/2 cups sauteed vegetables (I used mushrooms, asparagus, and jalapenos)
3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar jack, with some leftover bits of mozzarella and feta)
5 eggs
3/4 cup half and half
pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper
pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Prebake pie crust, with pie weights (and foil!), for about 20 minutes at 375°F. Remove weights and allow shell to come to room temperature.

Put the onions and vegetables in the shell, top with the cheese. Beat the eggs and half and half in another bowl until well-combined. Season with salt and pepper and nutmeg. Pour egg mixture over vegetables.

Bake at 375°F for about 45 minutes, until custard is set.



Posted on Minxeats.com.