The Big Book of Backyard Cooking (29 page)

This pie, with its cheesecake-like base and blueberry pie topping, could not be easier to make.

There’s no crust to fuss over. Instead, a lemon-scented cream cheese batter bakes in a pie plate
and puffs up, then deflates slightly to form a shallow shell, which is filled with glazed blueberries.

Dollops of sour cream and fresh mint garnish the tart.

SERVES 6

Butter for greasing pie plate

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

12
ounces regular or reduced-fat (not nonfat) cream cheese

½
cup sugar

1½
tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1¼
teaspoons grated lemon zest

½
cup sour cream

2
large eggs

BLUEBERRY TOPPING

3
cups fresh blueberries, divided

½
cup sugar

2¼
teaspoons fresh lemon juice

6
teaspoons sour cream for garnish

6
mint sprigs for garnish

Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch Pyrex pie plate.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary. Continue beating while gradually adding sugar in a thin stream. Beat in lemon juice and zest. Finally, add sour cream and eggs, and beat until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary.

Pour batter into the prepared pie plate and bake until filling is set and a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. As it bakes, the mixture will puff up. When done, remove pie from oven and cool to room temperature. The filling will deflate slightly as it cools, forming a shallow cavity.

TO MAKE THE TOPPING:
Combine half of the blueberries, the sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly. As the mixture cooks, the sugar will liquefy and the berries will cook down and release their juices. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining blueberries. Cool to room temperature.

When both filling and berries are cool, use a slotted spoon and spread berries evenly on top of pie. Reserve remaining sauce for serving with pie. Refrigerate pie until chilled, 2 hours or longer.

(The pie can be prepared 1 day ahead; refrigerate pie and sauce separately. Reheat sauce just to liquefy so that it is easy to pour.)

To garnish pie, spoon 6 dollops of sour cream, evenly spaced, around edge of the blueberry topping. Tuck a mint sprig into each dollop. Serve each slice with a drizzle of reserved blueberry sauce.

BLUE RIBBON APPLE PIE

This dessert is based on my memory of an apple pie that won first place in an Ohio baking contest
I judged many years ago. I remembered that the crust had been particularly flaky, and that the
filling was perfectly balanced with sweet and tart flavors. However, it was the crunchy, streusel-like topping covering the apples that made the pie so distinctive and helped it garner the blue
ribbon. After several attempts, my version came close to the original. The flaky crust is achieved
by using shortening along with butter, and the filling works best with Golden Delicious apples,
which hold their shape beautifully when baked. Both brown and white sugars blended with butter,
flour, and pecans produce the golden topping.

SERVES 6 TO 8

Butter-Rich Sweet Pie Dough
(page 19)

FILLING

2/3
cup granulated sugar

2
tablespoons all-purpose flour

½
teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼
teaspoon salt

4
to
5
large Golden Delicious apples

2
teaspoons fresh lemon juice

TOPPING

1
cup coarsely chopped pecans

½
cup all-purpose flour

¼
cup granulated sugar

2
tablespoons light brown sugar

8
tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and diced

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch round, then transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate. Fold in overhanging dough to form a high-rising border and flute the edges. Refrigerate dough while you prepare the filling and topping.

Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Mix together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Peel, core, and cut apples into ¼-inch-thick slices to measure 5 cups. Toss apples with lemon juice, then add them to the bowl of dry ingredients and toss well to coat. Fill prepared pie shell with apple mixture, scraping the bowl well.

TO MAKE THE TOPPING:
Combine nuts, flour, and sugars in a medium bowl. Sprinkle butter over them and rub into dry ingredients using your fingertips until mixture resembles pea-sized clumps.

Sprinkle mixture over the apple filling.

Bake pie for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Bake 20 minutes, then check and cover loosely with foil if the topping or crust is starting to brown too quickly. Continue baking until apples are tender and topping is golden and crisp, about 20 minutes more. Cool 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

UPSIDE-DOWN LEMON MERINGUE PIE WITH

RASPBERRIES

In this pie, meringue finds itself in a new role–on the bottom as the crust instead of as a topping.

The sweetened egg-white mixture is baked to form the pie shell, which is then filled with a tart
lemon cream. Each slice is garnished with fresh raspberries and drizzled with a sauce made of
sweetened, puréed berries. Both the pie and the sauce can be prepared several hours ahead.

SERVES 6 TO 8

Butter for greasing pie plate

1
tablespoon unflavored dried bread crumbs

MERINGUE SHELL

½
cup egg whites (about 4 large eggs; save yolks for the filling) at room temperature
1
cup sugar

FILLING

3
large thick-skinned lemons

4
egg yolks

8
tablespoons sugar, divided

1
cup heavy cream

3
cups (1½ pints) fresh raspberries, divided

Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch Pyrex pie plate and sprinkle the bottom with bread crumbs.

TO MAKE THE SHELL:
With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and continue to beat. Slowly add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until whites form very stiff peaks and are glossy, 7 to 9 minutes total.

With a rubber spatula, spread meringue evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate to form a shell. Using the back of a spoon, form a slight cavity. Remove any excess meringue from the top edges of the pie plate with a dampened paper towel. Place shell in oven and bake for 1½ to 2

hours, or until the top edges and the center of the meringue are very crisp. Remove and cool to room temperature.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
While shell is baking, grate enough lemons to yield 1 tablespoon zest and set aside. Juice lemons to yield ⅓ cup for the filling and an additional 1 tablespoon for the raspberry sauce.

Combine egg yolks, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, ⅓ cup lemon juice, and all of the lemon zest in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until mixture coats the back of a spoon and is very thick, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium nonreactive bowl and cool to room temperature.

Using an electric mixer, whip cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. Remove ⅓ cup of the cream and fold into the lemon filling to lighten it. Fold remaining cream into the mixture. Spread filling in shell and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 2 to 3 hours until set and firm. (This can be made 1

day ahead, but is best when made and served the same day.)

Process 1 cup of the raspberries, the remaining sugar, and remaining lemon juice in a food processor until mixture is completely puréed, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer to make a smooth sauce.

Garnish each slice of pie with a sprinkle of some of the remaining raspberries and a drizzle of some raspberry sauce.

PEACH TART WITH ALMOND CRUST

A butter-rich nut crust, baked with a filling of fresh sliced peaches sprinkled with sugar and a
little lemon zest, makes a tempting dessert to end an outdoor meal. The tart can be served warm
soon after it comes from the oven or at room temperature. For an extra indulgence, serve each
slice with a scoop of ice cream.

SERVES 6 TO 8

CRUST

6
tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, chilled and diced, plus extra for greasing tart pan
¾
cup sliced almonds

¾
cup all-purpose flour

6
tablespoons sugar

1
egg yolk, beaten

¼
teaspoon vanilla extract

FILLING

2
tablespoons peach preserves

6
tablespoons sliced almonds, divided

1½
pounds ripe peaches, peeled, cut into ½-inch-thick slices

3
tablespoons sugar

1½
teaspoons grated lemon zest

2
tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

1
pint Crème Fraîche Ice Cream
(page 292)
or best-quality vanilla ice cream (optional)
TO MAKE THE CRUST:
Butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Coarsely grind almonds in a food processor. Add flour and sugar and continue processing until nuts are finely ground. Add 6

tablespoons butter and pulse machine until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour egg yolk and vanilla over flour mixture, and pulse again until mixture forms large moist clumps. Remove dough from food processor. Press dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of tart pan to form a crust. Cover and freeze 30 minutes.

When ready to bake pie, arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake crust until golden brown, piercing the bottom with a fork if crust bubbles, 20 minutes or longer. Remove, but maintain oven temperature. Cool crust 5 to 10 minutes.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Spread preserves evenly over bottom of crust. Coarsely chop 4

tablespoons of the almonds and sprinkle over bottom of tart shell. Arrange peaches in an overlapping spiral pattern in shell, and sprinkle them with sugar, then with lemon zest. Dot with butter and sprinkle with remaining almonds. Bake until peaches are tender, about 35 minutes. Cool slightly.

Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream, if desired.

CHERRY ALMOND TART WITH A STREUSEL

TOPPING

It took several tries one summer before I balanced the cherry and almond flavors in this pie. For
the winning version, a precooked pastry shell is filled with a mixture of almond paste, eggs, lemon,
and cherries, then baked with a streusel topping. Served with scoops of vanilla ice cream, this tart
would make a fine ending to a grill or barbecue menu. Although the tart can be prepared early in
the day and reheated, it is best when baked, cooled slightly, and served still warm.

SERVES 6 TO 8

Butter-Rich Sweet Pie Dough
(page 19)

FILLING

4
ounces (½ cup) almond paste, crumbled (see note)

2
large eggs, lightly beaten Pinch of salt

1½
tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2
teaspoons grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)

3½
cups (about 1¼ pounds) sweet cherries, pitted

STREUSEL

¼
cup all-purpose flour

2½
tablespoons light brown sugar

2½
tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and diced

1
pint best-quality vanilla ice cream or Burnt-Sugar Vanilla Ice Cream
(page 291; optional)

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim overhanging dough to 1 inch. Fold overhanging dough in and press to form double-thick sides. Prick bottom of crust all over with the tines of a fork. Cover and freeze 30

minutes. Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake crust until golden brown, piercing the bottom with a fork if crust bubbles, about 20

minutes. Transfer crust to a cooling rack and reduce temperature to 375 degrees F.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Combine almond paste and eggs in a food processor. Process until mixture is smooth, 15 to 20 seconds. Add salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and process 10 seconds more. Pour mixture into tart shell. Arrange cherries on top and press into filling.

TO MAKE THE STREUSEL:
Mix together flour and sugar in a small bowl. Add butter and rub into dry ingredients using your fingertips, until mixture resembles pea-sized clumps. Pat over top of cherries. Bake tart until filling is set, 20 minutes or longer. Remove tart from oven and cool 20

minutes.

To serve, remove sides of tart pan. Cut into 6 to 8 servings and garnish each portion with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.

NOTE:
Almond paste, which is usually sold in 7-or 8-ounce packages, is available in the baking section of the grocery. Unused almond paste can be

wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil, and frozen for another use.

The state fruit of Utah is the cherry.

LEMON TART—PLAIN OR FANCY

This indulgent tart with its golden buttery crust and extra-tart lemon filling can be served plain
and unadorned, or with any number of complementary toppings. I love to garnish it with a border
of toasted walnuts or almonds. In season, you can encircle the tart with raspberries, blueberries,
or strawberries, or a combination of all three.