Or, let's not sing and just head into The Kitchen. It is hot as an oven on Thanksgiving day, there is no sign of an afternoon thunderstorm to cool off the city and I have air-conditioning. Today is a great afternoon to blast the A/C and bake.
Plus, I haven't been around for a while and need to wear my apron again. Summer flies by with travels, pool days, getting things done because you can't do them during the school year and sleeping in. But, I miss drinking. Err, I miss baking and adding drinks to the recipes.
Which summer cocktails would you want to taste on your plate, too?
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| still oozing hot blueberries after an hour in the oven |
My wonderfully brilliant friend Kathleen is having a Pasta Party with her brand new pasta maker! Immediately I started to brainstorm. Pie? Summer cake? Cupcakes? To me, a berry pie is the essence of summer desserts. Plus, Colorado peaches are juicy, sweet, and in my budget. Peaches are delicious and all, but I wanted to add the tangy and sweet taste of blueberries to the mix. Blueberries also do a great job in pies - and pies with alcohol.
Which brings me to my next ingredient: Peach Schnapps. I thought about Rum but I am averse to it after a few too many rum and cokes in college. That's a story for another day.
Let me tell you, the mixture of berries and Peach Schnapps smells like a summer sangria served while sitting on an outdoor patio overlooking a Caribbean ocean. Peach-a-licious!
Oh! I even made a batch of whipped cream. I can't wait to throw that on top of the vanilla- brown sugar crumble.
First order of business - STOP buying pie crust. If you do that, I will not eat when you invite me to your house. I can tell a pie crust from a factory-made pie shell. There is no reason to buy a pie shell. It takes 10 minutes, or less, to make one. Then, it hardens for 30 minutes in your fridge. Clean the dishes, take the pup for a walk and your pie crust is ready.
Pie Crust. for one pie crust
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick of unsalted butter, cut into slices, then quarter the slices
5-6 tablespoons ice water**
**I added vodka to my water. We are going to see what happens when my friends and I eat the pie…tonight.
1 - mix flour, sugar, and salt. Pinch the butter into the mixture with your fingers (or be cool and use a pastry blender). Pinch together until it looks like course meal. Stir in the 5 tablespoons of vodka water, just until moistened. If it is dry, add another tablespoon. If you live in Colorado - you will probably use a total of 6-7 tablespoons.
2- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead 3 times. That means fold. Pat into a 6-inch disk. About the size of salad plate. Wrap your disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Dough can be kept for 1 day in the fridge or 1 week frozen.
Thank you to Food & Wine for this fabulous crust, even though I modified.
3 - Remove the plastic wrap (duh) and grab a rolling pin. Put some flour on that surface (again). Roll out the dough to fit into your pie dish. Make sure you have some overhang on your pie dish - that is the best part!
