November 20, 2015

WHISK & WHITTLE'S TRIO OF THANKSGIVING PIES

November 20, 2015/ Laurén

It's no secret that we are kind of obsessed with Whisk & Whittle and her stunning desserts. So I am really excited to share THREE of her Thanksgiving pie recipes with you today! This year, I'm all about ordering my holiday desserts from Emily but if you feel like making your own, here are her recipes for Apple, Pecan & Pumpkin Pies (the beautiful Fig Galette on the right is by The Naked Fig).

Apple Pie

1 Recipe Pie Crust, divided into two
6-7 apples, I like to use gala, cored, peeled, sliced into 1/2" pieces
about 1/2 a cup brown sugar (more or less depending on the sweetness of your apples)
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
2 Tbs. Tapioca flour or cornstarch
about 2 Tbs. Unsalted butter
1 egg
extra sugar for dusting

Generously flour your workspace. Pull chilled dough out of the refrigerator and roll to about 1/4" which. Dust off the flour, drape the dough into the pie pan. Press it into the corners and sides, letting it hang over about an inch all around. Set it back into the refrigerator while you mix the filling.

Mix apple slices, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and tapioca flour in a bowl.

Pour the filling into the crust. Cut up the 2 Tbs. of butter into pieces and disperse the pieces evenly on top of the filling.

Roll out the dough for the top of the pie and place it on top of the filling. Roll the edges and crimp as desired.

Let chill in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 375 F

Bake for 45 min-1 hour until juices are bubbly and crust is golden brown.

Pecan Pie

1 Recipe Pie Crust
2 Cups Pecan Halves
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Tbs. Molasses
1/2 tsp Orange Zest
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Tbs. Bourbon (optional and recommended)
3 Eggs

Generously flour your workspace. Pull chilled dough out of the refrigerator and roll to about 1/4" which. Dust off the flour, drape the dough into the pie pan. Press it into the corners and sides, letting it hang over about an inch all around. Roll the edges under and crimp as desired. Set it back into the refrigerator while you mix the filling.

In a smal saucepan, melt butter with sugars and molasses. Remove from heat. Add zest, vanilla, bourbon and salt. Whisk in eggs one at a time.

Put the pecans in the pie shell. Pour the filling over the pecans and chill the pie while you preheat the oven to 350 F.

Bake for 45 min-an hour until crust is golden and center is set.

Pumpkin Pie

1 Recipe Pie Crust
16 oz. Roasted pureed pumpkin (or, let's be honest, 1 can pumpkin puree)
2 Eggs
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Clove
1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 Cup Half and Half

preheat oven to 375 F

Generously flour your workspace. Pull chilled dough out of the refrigerator and roll to about 1/4" which. Dust off the flour, drape the dough into the pie pan. Press it into the corners and sides, letting it hang over about an inch all around. Roll the edges under and crimp as desired. Set it back into the refrigerator while you mix the filling.

Whisk together pumpkin, eggs and sugar. Add salt and spices. Slowly add half and half.

Pour filling into the prepared pie shell.

Bake for 50-70 minutes until the crust is golden, the edges are set and the center just barely jiggles like jello.

---

Happy baking!!! xx LL

August 14, 2015

GLUTEN-FREE PEACH + BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE

August 14, 2015/ Laurén

I am continuing the #NationalPeachMonth party today with this gluten-free and refined sugar-free peach + blueberry crumble. I have been making this a lot lately and it has been quite the crowd pleaser! I like that the crumble is "real food," packed with organic fruit and sweetened with maple sugar, instead of refined or cane sugar. And it's got lots of good healthy butter! Say what?! "HEALTHY BUTTER?!" See my post from last week about the health benefits of high quality, grass-fed butter. So here we go! Let's make a summer fruit crumble for the whole family to enjoy!

Filling Ingredients:

5 - Medium Sized Peaches, cut in 1/3" slices

3 Cups (1-1/2 Pints) - Blueberries

1/2 Cup - Maple Sugar

1/4 Cup - Pamela's All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour

Juice of One Lemon

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

1 Dash of Salt

6 Tablespoons - (Good Organic!) Cold Butter, Cubed

---

Preheat overn to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine peach slices, blueberries, maple sugar, gluten-free flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt. Gently toss until fruit is completely covered by the other ingredients. Add butter cubes and toss until better pieces are thoroughly scattered around the fruit. Pour fruit filling into a pie dish and bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the blueberries start breaking. You want to make sure that you see blueberry "goo" before you proceed to the next step.

While the fruit filling is cooking, make the crumble topping.

Crumble Ingredients:

1-1/2 Cups - Finely Ground Almond Flour

3/4 Cup - Almond Meal

1/2 Cup - Maple Sugar

1/4 Teaspoon - Salt

1/4 Teaspoon - Cinnamon

6 Tablespoons - Butter (left at room temp for 5-10 minutes. If butter is soft, it won't make crumble as well), cubed

**I like the combination of two almond flours for the topping. I prefer the taste of the finely ground flour but I think adding a little course meal adds better texture. If you only want to bother with one type, use finely ground flour and make it total 2-1/4 cups.

---

In a clean bowl, combine the almond flour, almond meal, maple sugar, salt and cinnamon. Stir until combined.

Add butter cubes and with your hands, mix into the dry mixture, until the crumble looks like damp corn meal.

Place the crumble back into the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the crumble topping is golden brown.

Allow to cool for 30 min. before serving. Serve with homemade or Straus Organic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream for the ultimate summer treat.

July 01, 2015

4TH OF JULY FOOD AND DRINK IDEAS

July 01, 2015/ Laurén

Time to get your patriotism on! Here are some fun and festive food and drink ideas for your Independence Day bash!

Photo courtesy of Little Peanut Magazine

Let's just go ahead and have dessert first. How gorgeous is this cherry and blueberry pie from Little Peanut Magazine?

Now we need an icy cold beverage. This beautiful Cherry Margarita from Rip And Tan looks perfectly refreshing.

Looking for a non-alcoholic beverage option? This Watermelon Punch and Bowl, from Martha Stewart, is genius and simple. And sugar free!

Photo by Sierra Prescott - Courtesy of Petty Cash

Guacamole and chips are my quintessential summer foods. Let's try this recipe from one of the best Mexican restaurants in town. Here's the recipe from Petty Cash Taqueria, via Los Angeles Magazine.