My Very First Pie

Well, I have been promising an entry on baking for awhile, but the lack of inspiration mentioned in the last blog has been holding me back. Yesterday I decided to kick boredom to the curb by trying something that I had never tried before... I decided to make a pie entirely from scratch. I got the LO involved (eggless dough is fun for LOs), and let her taste test most of the ingredients (except the whiskey). We had a great time, and made some really great mini-pies (I remembered last minute that I was without a pie tin, so I made wee little pies in a muffin tin)... so good, in fact, that they are already living in the past tense. My MR REALLY liked them.

They were sort of an improvisation. I knew I wanted pie, but the cupboards were close to bear, and grocery run was not an option yesterday, so I took stock of what I did have, and created something special and new. This is often my favorite way to cook.

Cherry Hibiscus Jubilee Pies
EST PREP TIME: 1 hr (pitting cherries is the pits. These take time, but are worth it.)
EST COOK TIME: 25 min
COST: $7.00 (basing this on a stocked kitchen. I only bought cherries and hibiscus)

1 3/4 cups ranier cherries (the yellow and reddish ones)pitted and halved
1/4 cup dried hibiscus flower (pieced, or chopped)
2 tbsp flax meal (sounds strange, but it is a delicious nutty addition, and SO good for you)
1/2 cup raw sugar (I infused mine with a Tahitian vanilla bean. Thank you Aunt Catherine!!)
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water
one shot (roughly) Whiskey (I used Jameson's)(optional)
2 tsp vanilla

Simmer cherries, hibiscus, water, whiskey, and vanilla for about 10 minutes.
MIX sugar and cornstarch (if you do not mix the cornstarch will clump. I KNOW this from experience) and add the mixture to the cherry mixture. Remove from heat and stir until thickened. Allow to cool before adding to crust.

I used this recipe from simply recipes for the crust. But I substituted ice cold almond milk for water.

Roll the crust about 1/8 inch thick. (If you have a LO with her own little metal pots and pans, the pot lids work perfectly to cut the dough to muffin cup size!!) Cut into circles and fit to bottom and sides of six greased muffin tins. Fill cups to full with cherry mixture, and cover each little pie with a doughy top. Cut two or three 1/4 inch slots in the top of each pie.
Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.


(and make sure that you make my favorite, pie crust cookies with the leftovers. Sprinkle rolled dough with cinnamon and sugar. Bake alongside the pies.)

Yesterday was a good day. Definitely not an everyday, but Michael Pollan in In Defense of Food says that we should be able to eat as many high fat foods as we are willing to make at home (thanks for reminding me C.), so I am never going to apologize for sometimes pies.