Miniature Pies or How to Eat a Pie in One Bite

So I had a thought lodge itself into my head... and it's Bill Allred's fault.


I was listening to Radio From Hell one morning, you know, like you do, and they were talking about pie once again. Bill said, "You know, if they could make bite-size pie, something you could easily pick up and pop into your mouth, that would be perfect." 


Genius...


There are times you want just a little taste of pie, and sometimes you don't have plates, knives, forks, pie servers, etc..  So why not create a finger freindly version, bite size so you can have as much or as little as you want... You could make a number of different flavors in one sitting and let your guests sample all types of pies.


So my savantish mind started wracking itself to come up with the best medium for mini-piedom.  And after the smoke cleared, I had two ideas.


First, what about a mini pie, or a pie-bite?  My wife made a batch of mini-cupcakes for a party.  They were no more than two inches wide and slathered in frosting.  Just little bits of sugary goodness.  Well, what if we created miniature pie shells, then filled them with our cream pie recipe and whipping cream?  The resulting treat would be tiny enough to pick up and pop in your mouth, yet have all of the pie deliciousness?  That may work.


Second, Pie Lollipops. I saw the imfamous cake ball (a recipe I will be posting about soon). Very simple. Take cooked cake, crumble it up, mix in either frosting or cream cheese and squish it into a ball. Then stab a large sucker stick into it, dip it into chocolate and let it harden. So, what if we did a little pie, stuck a stick into it and then cook it so the crust seals itself to the stick? Definitely possible... and another post coming soon

So I decided to attempt the mini-pies first and I am proud to report that they were a rousing success.   I brought them to a family event and they were devoured quickly. 


So here are step-by-step instructions on how to create them on your own...


Miniature Pies or Pie Bites
Creates 24 miniature pies


Two pie crusts, uncooked (get my recipe here)
One half-batch of my cream pie recipe

    1 1/4 cups whole milk
    3/8 cup heavy whipping cream
    3/8 cup sugar
    2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1 1/2 egg yolks
    1 tablespoons butter
    3/4 teaspoon vanilla


 
Roll out each batch of pie crust a little larger and thinner than normal, about a 9"x11" rectangle.  Using a 2 1/2 to 3 inch round cookie cutter, or biscuit cutter, or a dinner glass, or a kid's tumbler, whatever's close to that size, cut out small pie crust rounds.  Place each crust into the molds of an ungreased minature cupcake sheet (should have 24 sections on a standard cookie-sheet size tray) and press the crusts securely against all sides. trim off any excess so each crust is almost level with the top of each cup.  Using a small fork or knife, poke a few shallow holes (not all the way through) in each of the crusts.  These perforations will prevent the crust from bubbling up.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 14-18 minutes or until the tops of the crusts are just starting to turn a very light brown.


As they cool, begin to make the cream pie filling.  Place the egg yolks into a small container, mix them up and set aside for the time being.  In a medium saucepan, thoroughly combine sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Add the milk and cream and whisk until the sugar and cornstarch lumps are gone.  Cook over medium heat and stir constantly to prevent scorching. Once the mixture starts thickening (about 8-10 minutes), scoop a small amount of the mixture into the egg yolks and immediately start stirring the yolks. (Tricky part, continue to stir the other mixture too so it does not burn). Do this a few times so the yolks slowly warm up.  This will prevent them from curdling when they are added to the main mixture.  Now add the yolks into the saucepan very slowly, stirring the entire time.  Once added, pour in the butter and cook for two more minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Now comes the flavoring...  If you decide to make them all the same flavor, then just add the flavoring into the pan and mix it into the creamy goodness.  You can also divide the batch into 1/2 or 1/4 as you finish cooking.  If you decide to go this route, which I recommend so you can offer up more flavors, place an equal amount of the filling into two or four bowls and add either 1/2 or 1/4 of the flavorings listed below respectively.   (By the way, you will most likely have some filling left over... think of the snack as a reward for your hard work)

Chocolate Cream Pie – Place the mixture back into the pan and add 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips or 3 oz of your favorite high-end chocolate and stir the mixture until completely melted.  Scoop the blended mix into the shells.

Coconut Cream Pie – Add 1/2 cup of coconut and mix well. Scoop into the shells.

Banana Cream Pie – Add nothing to the batter, but cut some of a banana into small slivers and lay them into the bottoms of the pie shells.  Scoop the filling on top of it to fill the shells.

Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackberry or Blueberry Cream Pie – 1/4 cup of crushed fruit and mix thoroughly.  Scoop the blended filling into the shells.

German Chocolate Pie – Add 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of coconut and 1/8 cup finely chopped pecans.  Also, cut a caramel into the very small pieces and place into the bottom of the shells.  Scoop the hot filling into the crusts and the heat should melt the caramel.

Peanut Butter Pie – Add 1/2 cup of creamy or chucky peanut butter.  MAKE SURE so stir in the peanut butter as soon as possible so it blends well.

Chocolate Raspberry - Slice a raspberry in half and place it in the bottom of the shell.  Pour the Chocolate Cream Pie filling on top of it.

Chocolate Peanut Butter -  Using a knife, chop up some chocolate chips and cover the bottoms of the shells with the shavings.  Use as much as you like.  Pour the Peanut Better Pie filling into the shells while it is still hot so the chocolate will melt.

You can also use any fruit cooked over the stovetop with some sugar to create a glaze.  Be it raspberries, strawberries, apples, blackberries, blueberries, etc., it'll be great.  Use whatever you want. 

Once they are all assembled, cover the tray in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least two hours.

Now you can garnish them any way you'd like, but I always recommend a little whipped cream.  Also, placing some small marker on the top of the whipping cream will indenity which pie is which.  I did this on the fly in 15 seconds with a can of whipped cream and chocolate chips, peanut butter chocolate chips and some leftover coconut.  If you have the time, decorate them any way you'd like.

And if you REALLY want to get fancy, you can get one of the mini-cupcake racks that you see in the picture above to display them.  My wife bought one for a bridal shower, but it works great with these mini-pies. 

So try making a batch of these pie bites for any social gathering.  Not only will you be offering a great dessert, but they are a conversation piece.   You'll score a few culinary brownie points with those who partake.

As for the pies-on-a-stick, that's for another day...

Mmmmm... flaky pie crust.... the foundation of all things Pie

So what's the name of the blog?  Something pie, right?  It's been a while since I posted some pie recipes, so it's about time I get back to my roots.   I'm thinking about creating some miniature bite-size pies, and maybe some pies-on-a-stick.  But to do this properly, we have to have a good pie crust to cradle the pie filling inside some buttery flaky goodness. 

And to be completely honest, until a few years ago, this was the bane of my existence.  Yes, the Pie Guy had problems with crust.

When I was younger, I could never make a good pie crust.  The majority of my crusts came out flat, cracker-like and the polar opposite of flaky.   Finally, I figured out why...  I'm too warm blooded.

Now to have a great pie crust, you need the shortning or butter to be solid and remain that way as you mix it in.  The last thing you want it to do is melt, bind with the flour, and turn into something akin to cardboard.  And I, my friends, am a natural space heater.  I run a few degrees warmer than most people.  My hands are about 5-10 degrees warmer than normal and they NEVER get cold, even in the coldest temperatures.  No lie... when I sit in a car in winter, the windows around me fog up, and I'm not even breathing on them!   So as I was making my crusts by mixing them with my Human Torch hands, my natural residual heat has been melting the fat in the recipe. So by staying cool and keeping my shortning and butter chilly, it creates the separations between the layers of flour, so you get that nice flaky texture.  To prevent any mishap, I have established a few rules when I make pie crust.

1)  I literally chill my hands with cold water before I start cooking, just in case I touch the dough. Either I'll wash them in really cold water for a long time. Also, every time I wash my hands, I use the coldest water possible.

2) I chill the shortning and butter for the crust in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before I make it.  That way the fat doesn't get warm enough to melt and blend in with the flour. 

3)  I use my food processor to mix the dough, so I don't have to touch it myself.  The less I touch it, the better.

4)  I DO NOT OVERMIX THE DOUGH!  Over mixing will squish the shortning and butter into the flour and create a cardboard-like paste, not a crumbly flaky pastry.

5) I always let the dough rest in the fridge for at least a half hour before I roll out.  This will re-chill the fats in the crust and give you time to clean up your mess.

This recipe will work with both cooked and cream pies.  If you're making a cream pie, cook the pie crust ahead of time.  If you're working with an apple, pumpkin, or any other cooked pie, do not cook it early.  Just fill the uncooked pie crust and then place it in the oven.

Pie Crust
Makes one 9 inch pie shell

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons butter, right out of the fridge, don't allow it to warm up
1/4 cup shortning, cold or chilled
1/4 +/- cup ice water

Pour the flour, sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse it 8 times.  Cube the butter into small 1/2 inch or less pieces, drop it around the flour so they have a little space between the pieces and then pulse it another 8 times.  Add the shortning in small bits around the flour and pulse 8 more times.  Add about 1/3 of the water and pulse three times.  Repeat until all the water is incorporated.  Pulse two more times and STOP.  No more pulsing.  Dump the crust dough into a large ziploc bag and squeeze the dough together into a ball.  Place back in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.   Then use it as you need for any recipe.  If you're pre-cooking the crust for a cream pie, roll the crust out so it will fit in a 9" pie plate, place it in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, but check often after the 13 minute mark to make sure it doesn't go beyond a slight golden brown

----

Now my mom used to make a LOT of pies around Thanksgiving and she always had a lot of leftover crust.  She would take the scraps, roll them out into a pastry sheet, slather them in sugar, cinnamon and sugar, and cook up an awesome snack.  You can do the same with the leftover bits or just make an extra crust just to make this snack.

Cinnamon Crispies
Makes a big old cookiesheet of goodness

1 pie crust from above
4 tablespoons softened butter
1/4 cup sugar
Shaker of cinnamon

Roll out the dough until it's about 1/8 thick and will fit on a cookie sheet.  Slather the butter all over the crust.  Sprinkle the sugar evenly, and use more if you wish.  Shake as much cinnamon as you'd like.  Place in an 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until it's golden brown.

So don't fear the pie crust.  You can make great pies with perfect crust.  Just keep it cold and don't mix it too much.  Make one today and revel in the pastry goodness.

Food Origami: Cream Cheese Wontons, Crab Rangoons and an Asian dipping sauce

So we've done a few courses for a Chinese meal so far.  There's the Orange Chicken and the Ham Fried Rice, so now we need an appetizer.  And what better to make than some cream cheese wontons.  These little bundles of goodness are absolutely delicious and extremely easy to make.  And wontons are fun to work with!   You can cut them into small strips and use them to dip into sweet and sour sauce, kind of the 'chips and salsa' of the Chinese world.  You can also drop those fried strips on top of an egg drop or hot and sour soup or a salad for a little extra crunch.  You can make little appetizers by putting almost any filling inside and performing a quick fry.  You can make a large appetizer or little meal by putting a larger portion inside two of them sealed together and then either frying or baking them.  What do you think those pizza bites in the frozen aisle of the store are?   Basically, using wontons is like making food origami with a surprise inside. 

Finding the wonton wrappers in your local supermarket can be a little tricky.  They are cut into small 3"x3" sheets, stacked on top of each other and in a package similar to american cheese slices.  And they need to be refrigerated, so they won't be in the normal Asian area of the grocery store.  At Harmons and Smiths, they are located where you find the loose mushrooms and the bagged salads.  If you can't find them, ask the nice folks up front and they'll guide you.  But... if you really want an adventure... find an Asian grocery store and buy them there.  They are usually cheaper, and the entertainment value of walking through the aisles is definitely worth the time.  You'll find all sorts of great food items you've never seen or heard of.  Also, you'll get the genuine article when it comes to curry, exotic seafood, and all the ingredients you'd need for homemade sushi.  And find the soup aisle so you can see 157 different type of ramen meals.

Now there are a multitude of different snacks you can make with wontons, and I'll share a few more when tailgaiting season comes along.  But to start, let's make the basic, and probably most well known variations, Cream Cheese Wontons and Crab Rangoons.   The filling is very basic.  It's softened cream cheese.  We soften it so it is much easier to work with.  Hard cream cheese can be cut into pieces and placed in the middle of a wonton, but I've found that it leaves bigger air pockets on the inside and it makes it messier to eat.  And softening it allows you to add a few more flavors if you wish.  You can punch them up by adding a little green onion, a half-teaspoon of garlic, garlic powder or ginger, depending on your taste, but it's not necessary.

Now comes the fun part, the folding of the wonton.  These are all about presentation, so you want them to look nice and inviting.  And doing something out of the ordinary always scores you style points with your dinner guests.  Every folding method starts with the same step.  Place about a teaspoon and a half of the filling into the center of the wonton wrapper, then moisten the edges by applying a small amount of water using either your finger or a pastry brush.  The moisture and the starch on the wonton will create a glue that will stick together completely as long as pressure is applies to both sides.  The easiest way to seal it is to fold it over from the opposite corner, creating a small triangle. Make sure to press down all of the edges to create a nice, tight seal so when they are frying, none of the cream cheese escapes.

Another way to wrap the wontons is into a little log, kind of like a tootsie rool.  You place the filling the center and the roll it up like a burrito.  Then you pinch thends together and tuck them under.  make sure to mositen the exterior of the wonton where the ends tuck under to.  This will ensure that the ends will stay in place and not open up in the oil.

The next way to wrap is to fold them into these little packages.  It's just one more step beyond the triangle.  You bring one opposite corner over to make the triangle shape and press together the outer edges.   Then take the corners on the left and right side and fold them across.  Moisten the wonton where the two sides come together so they will stick together

The final one I'll show you is the flower shape.  These are a little more difficult than the others because you're working with all four sides at the same time.  After you moisten the edges, bring the centers of all four sides of the square up to the top and pinch them together.  Next, pinch the wonton together to seal it down by the cream cheese, not along the wonton edge.  This allows the 'petals' to flare out when you cook them.

Now you can fold them any way you want.  You could envelope fold them.  You can fold all the corners up and crimp them closed so they look like old-time money bags.  You could also roll them like above, but twist close the ends so they look like pieces of salt water taffy.  They all taste the same.

One last tip.  After you assemble them, put them in the fridge for 30 minutes if you have the time.  They'll cook fine without the wait, but chilling them allows the wonton skins to bond a little tighter and the cream cheese won't be molten and scalding hot if you bite into them right out of the fryer.

Cream Cheese Wontons

Makes 20-25 wontons

8 oz. cream cheese
Package of wonton wrappers
Oil for frying
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon garlic, garlic powder or ginger or 3 green onions finely chopped

Soften the cream cheese by either leaving it on the counter or 15-20 seconds in the microwave to make it pliable. Mix in any other flavors you choose.  Scoop about a teaspoon and a half of the cheese into the center of a wonton wrapper. Using a pastry brush or your finger, paint the outside edge of the wonton wrapper with a little bit of water. Next, fold up the edges of the wonton wrappers and press them together to seal them any way you like. Place them on a plate and let them chill in the fridge for at least 30 miuntes.

Heat 2 inches of oil in a large saucepan or turn on your deep fryer. Once the oil has reached 325 degrees, start cooking the wontons in batches, making sure not to crowd or they'll stick together. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until they are golden brown.


Now making the Crab and Cream Cheese Wontons or Crab Rangoons is almost identical except you add some crab meat to it.  I'd recommend fresh lump meat if you don't want to pull it out of a shell.  There is crab mean in a can available at the grocery store, but it's not the best tasting meat in the world. You can get some fresh crab meat at some of the higher end grocery stores...  Or run over to Market Street Grill and Market if you live in Salt Lake.  It'll put you back all of $3.50 and it tastes great!

Crab Rangoons
Makes 30-35 wontons

8 oz. cream cheese
4 ounces crabmeat, either fresh or canned, whatever you have access to
3 green onions
1 package wonton wrappers
1 egg
Oil for frying
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon garlic, garlic powder or ginger


Soften the cream cheese by either leaving it on the counter or 15-20 seconds in the microwave to make it pliable.  Slice the onions into very small circles.  Combine the cream cheese, crabmeat, onions and any other flavors in a bowl.  Scoop about a teaspoon and a half of the mixture into the center of a wonton wrapper.  Using a pastry brush or your finger, paint the outside edge of the wonton wrapper with waters. Next, fold up the edges of the wonton wrappers and press them together to seal them and way you like.  Place them on a plate and let them chill in the fridge for at least 30 miuntes. 

Heat 2 inches of oil in a large saucepan or turn on your deep fryer.  Once the oil has reached 325 degrees, start cooking the wontons in batches, making sure not to crowd the fryer or they'll stick together.  Leave them in the oil for 2-3 minutes or until they are golden brown.

You can serve them with sweet and sour sauce, orange chicken sauce, cocktail sauce or hot mustard.  I prefer to make a little spicy sauce for dipping...

Asian Spicy Sauce
4 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon sambal oolek pepper sauce
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons hot chinese mustard

Combine all items in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.

So make a batch of wontons and nibble on them as an appetizer, a main course, or just snack on them all night long.

Balsamic Steak Kabobs

This week we're going to do a simple and underrated meal; kabobs.  Kabobs can be almost anything that you want them to be.  Place a bunch of meat and veggies on a stick and throw it over an open flame.  Few minutes later, voila, dinner.  But you know, there are a few things you can do to make your kabobing easier and simpler.

First, use good skewers.  You want to make sure that your spearing equipment will hold up and not leave parts of itself in your food.   I've had splinters of wood stab the top of my mouth before... not the best of days.  So if you're going to use wood or bamboo, make sure you you higher quality skewers.  And if you use wood or bamboo, make sure you soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before you use them.  Why?  Well, they'll soak up the water so they have less of a tendency to burn up.  Soaking preseves the ends of the skewers so you'll have something to grab.  And after soaking the skewers, you may be able to see any splinters sticking out of the side and you can remove them.  Personally, I've moved onto metal skewers if I'm cooking on the grill, just because they're stronger, they take the heat and they can be used over and over again.  Just keep them out of reach for little kids or they'll become lightsabers that can really take out an eye.

Second, don't limit yourself.  You can shish kabob almost any meat.  Steak, chicken, pork, turkey, shrimp, scallops, sausage, even ground meats.  As long as it will stay on the stick, it'll be great. And try something a little out of the ordinary on the veggies.  Sure, bell peppers, onions and little tomatoes are customary, but I'll throw some zucchini and squash in there for the look and the taste.  Mushrooms are great on the grill, and if you're marinading, the mushrooms will soak up the sauce and taste wonderful.  I've even seen some people make a sweet kabob with some fruit.  Pineapple is awesome when it heats up, because the outside will carmelize.  Apples can take the heat and will stay on the skewers.  And even melons can be used, but they can be a little touchy laying on the grates.

And I have one other secret weapon when it comes to doing the kabobs.  I have a kabob rack that I can slap on the grill.  It's a rectangular piece of metal that has a few slits cut into it.  It does a few things.  First, it keeps the food stationary.  Sometimes if something pops in the meat, it can roll over and you wont get an even grill.  This invention keeps it in the place you want.  Second, it keeps it off the grill.  This helps if you want to experiment with a few softer or more burnable items from scorching against the grill plates.  Third, it makes it extremely easy to turn the kabob, especially if you're using metal skewers.  Just grab the tip of the kabob with a pair of tongs and twist, it's that easy.  I got the rack as a wedding present, so I don't know the exact price of it, but it's a pretty nice little gadget.

Finally, uniformity is key.  Make sure all of your meats are approximately the same size so they'll cook at the same rate.  The veggie pieces should be as close to the same size as you can do.  Because no two peppers are the same, there's no way your little chunks will be the same, just get them as close as you can get.

This recipe is something I threw together because I love the sweet and acidic taste of Balsamic vinegar.  Yes, the mixture is almost like an italian dressing, but most good marinades can double as a salad dressing.  They all have the a fat component, an acid of some type, like vinegar, lemon juice, etc, and then herbs and spices to add lots of flavor.  So please feel free to tweak and change this up any way you want.

Balsamic Steak Kabobs
Serves 4

Marinade
2 cloves of garlic, either minced or pulverized
1/4 cup balsamic vingar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano

Kabobs
1 1/2 lbs steak, cut into cubes
3 bell peppers, in a variety of colors if you'd like
1 large onion
1 zucchini
4 oz. whole mushrooms
A few grape tomatoes

Combine the garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, basil, and oregano in a large ziploc bag and mix well.  Cut the meat into 1 to 1 1/2 inch squares.  Add the cubes of steak to the marinade and either roll or shake until the steak has been coated.  Place the ziploc bag into another ziploc and place in the refrigerator for 1-24 hours.  If using wood or bamboo skewers, soak them in water (lay them in the bottom of a 9x13 cake pan filled with about an inch of water) for about 30 minutes.  When ready to prepare, clean and prepare all vegetables.  Cut the peppers and onions into quarters, then slice each piece so they are roughly an inch and a half long.  Slice the zucchini into small medallions about 1/4 inch thick.  Remove the meat from the fridge and assemble the skewers.  Start with a piece of meat and then alternamte, with one or two pieces of vegetable, then a piece of meat, then a piece of vegetable, etc. until only an inch or so fo the skewer is visible.  And make sure to end with a piece of meat as well, to keep other items from falling off.

Cook over a medium-high barbecue until the meat has sufficiently cooked.  Remove from heat and serve on or off skewers.  Pair with a salad or some rice dish.