Sunday, December 26, 2010

#113 :: Blueberry Pie

I'm not sure where I found this recipe several years ago, but it's been a favorite of mine since the first time I made it. It's now a staple at all my holiday meals! My granny made great chocolate pies, my mom makes great apple pies, and now I'm continuing the tradition with blueberry!



Ingredients:
  • 3 pints of blueberries
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1/4 c all purpose flour (for thickening)
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • Pats of butter to dot the top

Egg wash:
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp. milk

Pie Crust:
  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks), cubed and chilled
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 8 to 10 tablespoons ice water

Pie Crust Directions:

Put the butter, flour, and salt in the food processor, and pulse lightly just until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each spoonful of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to gather into larger clumps. Transfer equal amounts of the dough into 2 resealable plastic bags and pat each into a disk. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Remove 1 of the disks from the bag to a flour coated surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan, and refrigerate while you prepare the torte ingredients. Yield: 2 (9-inch) pie crusts

Blueberry Filling Directions:

Combine blueberries, lemon juice, flour, sugar and cinnamon and stir gently until blueberries are coated. Place in the bottom crust of the pie pan. Dot the top with the butter pieces. Place the top crust on and cut small slits around the middle, then crimp the edges. Transfer pie to the refrigerator to chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 425.

Baking Directions:

Brush egg wash over the top crust. Place the pie on a cookie or baking sheet (some juices may bubble over, and this keeps your oven clean). Bake for 20 minutes at 425, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 30-40 minutes or until juices are bubbling. Let cool before serving.


Makes 8 servings.

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#112 :: Cornbread Stuffed Crown Roast of Pork

Hello again! The end of the year got awfully busy for me, so I got out of the habit of coooking at home. However, the holidays are all about cooking a nice big dinner so I finally have new recipes to share! :) One of my New Year's resolutions is to get back to cooking at home more, so this blog will become active again soon!



Ingredients

Pork Roast:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 (5-pound) crown of pork, rib ends frenched

Stuffing:

  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
  • 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1 medium white onion, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 6 cups crumbled cornbread
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Paula Deen's Hot Sauce)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

For the pork roast: In a blender, puree the oil, garlic, and sage until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Rub the mixture over the pork roast, making sure to cover the areas between the chops. Transfer the pork to a roasting pan and cover it with foil. Refrigerate it for at least 2 hours and up to 48 hours. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before roasting.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Turn the roast upside down (rib bones down) in the roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and roast until an instant-read thermometer reads 155 degrees F when inserted 2 inches into the center of the meat, about 1 1/2 hours more.

For the stuffing: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green pepper, onion, celery, and garlic and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the vegetable mixture with the crumbled cornbread. Add the eggs, broth, rosemary, cilantro, hot sauce, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Slowly stir in more broth, if needed, until the stuffing is moistened. Press the stuffing into a 2-quart casserole.

Thirty minutes before removing the roast, place the stuffing in the oven. Bake until golden, about 45 minutes.

When the roast is done, remove it from the oven, tent with foil, and let stand for at least 15 minutes. When the stuffing is done, mound half of it on a serving platter. Flip the roast upright on top of the stuffing. Fill the center of the roast with the remaining stuffing. Slice at the table.


Makes 6-8 Servings

Recipe from Paula's Best Dishes on Food Network

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars