Posts Categorized: Pie

3.14 and Peach Pie

Peach Pie :: The Scandinavian Baker

It’s March the 14th – International Pi-e day 3.14.15 (at least it is in countries that read the date in that format). But hey, I love a food themed day so I’m marking the occasion with the best the last days of a sub-tropical summer have to offer – Peaches, and lots of em!

This delightful recipe is adapted from one of my favourite American cooks – Joy the Baker. When it comes to pie, hers are tried and true and a slice of little ole American heaven.

You may have missed Pi day – but at The Scandinavian Baker HQ every day is pie day, so get baking!

Summer Peaches :: The Scandinavian Baker

Peach Pie

The Pastry

2 1/2 cups of plain flour

2 tablespoons of golden caster sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

225 grams of cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

5 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ice cold water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (this adds an amazing tang to the pastry)

Summer Peaches Peach Pie :: The Scandinavian Baker

The Filling

1.5 kg of ripe yellow (kissed-by-the-sun) peaches (6-7 large)

1/2 cup of golden caster sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander (what the? – yep, coriander, it’s super tasty)

3 tablespoons of plain flour

1 tablespoons of corn flour

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 egg, beaten and 1 teaspoon of water, for egg wash

2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, combined.

Makes one 23 cm pie

Peach Pie :: The Scandinavian Baker

Throw the flour, butter and sugar and salt in to your food processor and blitz to combine. Add the cold butter and blitz again until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Combine the water and vinegar and gradually add until the pastry begins to come together and forms a ball.

Turn the pastry out onto the bench and gently kneed into a ball. It will be quite soft and smooth. Cut in half and shape each half into a flat disk. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for an hour.

Slice those sun-kissed peaches and place into a large bowl. Sprinkle over the lemon juice. Whisk together the sugar, spices and  two flours and pour the mixture over the peaches. Gently toss with a wooden spoon to cover. Place bowl of fruit in the fridge to rest while you roll the pastry out. The flour mixture will absorb the peach juices as they bake and transform your pie into one any classic small-town American diner would be proud of.

Peach Pie :: The Scandinavian Baker

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

On a floured surface roll out the first pastry disk to slightly larger than your pie dish. It may crack a little around the edge; gently persevere until you have your round pastry.

Gently lift the pastry into your pie dish and press into place leaving the overhang – you’ll need this to join the top o the bottom. Pop this one into the fridge to rest.

Repeat this process with the second disk. Once ready, place the fruit filling into the waiting pie dish and gently place the top disk of pastry on top. Using your thumb or a fork, crimp the edges together to form a seal.

Using a sharp knife, make five slits in the top of the pie to allow any steam to escape. Trim the remaining pasty from around the edge.

Brush the top of the pastry with the egg wash and then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes at 200c and then reduce the oven temp to 185c for 55 more minutes. The pie will be ready when the crust is a dark golden brown

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 hours before serving with far too much double cream. How delicious is Maths!?

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Witches, pumpkins and pie…oh my

Pumpkin Pie

Paths converged this week and the result was pumpkin pie.

Firstly it was Halloween and without warning our street has embraced the tradition and launched into full-scale trick or treat territory. Secondly, I had a super-tasty lunch at a new USA styled diner with a finger-licking good selection of pies on the menu; and thirdly some lovely Canadian friends have been on our minds recently and one of them carved a seriously impressive jack-o-lantern in the shape of an anatomically correct heart (that deserves pie in itself) – anyway, I got the message… all signs point to pumpkin. Tenuous link? I don’t think so…

Pumpkin :: The Scandinavian Baker

Not traditionally Scandinavian I know, but delicious nonetheless. And while Halloween trick or treating isn’t a Finnish tradition they do a pretty good job with it at Easter.

Our first Easter in Helsinki we were roused in the morning by a collection of neighbourhood girls dressed as witches, brandishing twigs decorated with ribbon and demanding treats – or a pox be on all our houses or some such. I discovered a couple of things that Easter; always save a few chocolate eggs for the witches, and all witches seem to resemble Pippi Longstocking… unexpected.

Back to the pumpkin. This recipe uses fresh pumpkin as opposed to canned which is near impossible find in regular stores – at least in this country. The pastry is spiced and gives the hint of gingerbread to the pie.

Pumpkin Pie :: The Scandinavian Baker

The Pastry

200g plain flour (wheat or spelt)

1/2 teaspoon of salt flakes

1 tablespoon of icing sugar

100g of cold unsalted butter, diced

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons of cold water

Spices :: The Scandinavian Baker

The Filling

700g pumpkin (uncooked)

1 (375ml) can evaporated milk

2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk beaten (reserve the extra egg white for use later)

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup golden caster sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon all spice

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dark brown sugar :: The Scandinavian Baker

Begin with the spicy pastry.

Into a food processor place the flour, spices, sugar and butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Mix the eggs, yolk and water together and gradually add to the flour mixture with the motor running. Mix until the dough forms into a ball. Take the pastry ball and wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for an hour to rest.

Chop the pumpkin in to large pieces and place into the microwave for 5-8 minutes on high. This really is the easiest way to cook the pumpkin without introducing excess water. You can boil the pumpkin until soft, but make sure it is well drained after cooking.

After five minutes check the pumpkin with a knife. It should be very soft. When cooked through allow to cool and remove the skin. You should end up with approximately 500grams of cooked pumpkin.

Pumpkin Pie :: The Scandinavian Baker

To create the filling couldn’t be easier. Place the pumpkin into the food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the spices, sugar and eggs and mix again. While running gradually incorporate the evaporated milk and blitz until smooth and combined. The mix will be very runny.

Put this aside and get back to the pastry.

Preheat the oven to 200c and roll out your pastry. Place into the pie tin and return to the fridge for 15 minutes.  Bake blind for 15 minutes until the base in golden.

Now this is a handy trick. To prevent your mix from leaking and making the pastry soggy, brush the base with the reserved beaten egg white and return to the oven for a few minutes. This will form a barrier while the filling sets.

Pour your filling into the prepared base and bake for 40 minutes until the custard mixture is set and the pastry is golden. You can certainly eat the pie warm, but it is wonderful once it has cooled and set a little further.

Serve with coffee, whipped cream and chapter or two of Pippi Longstocking. It’d also be a good idea to reserve a piece or two… in case of witches.

Pumpkin Pie :: The Scandinavian Baker