Dini's Divine Homemade Pies at the Farm

A trip to Rocklands Farm was overdue for us although this time I wasn't there to try wines or local meats, or even pizza. It was Dini's Divine Homemade Pies that brought us out to my once-past-happy place. 

It was a hot July Saturday - admittedly I haven't been into wine tasting lately and without the need to adopt some ducklings this year,  I skipped visiting the farm this year until I saw this!

Dini, who used to have a Mexican food blog, now is baking up both handheld pies and traditional.

It was a SIGH of relief to have some pie to blog about.  While Dini was humble about it, sure enough, these pies are better than you can imagine.

Well, imagine rolling into your favorite local winery and sitting under a tree with a delicious, flaky homemade crust cherry pie, or creamy smooth key lime slice - what a luxury today!

Pizza-Pie Dough Warriors 2020: Part Two

Somehow it is August 2020 and we forged on to month 5 (in the USA at least) of the Covid-19 pandemic, thankfully staying safe and healthy at home.  Many pizza pies were made using the Caputo 00 flour that finally shipped in at some expense; the King Arthur flour, and other newly discovered things that arrived via supply chain to become our ingredients.  I can't say I improved much with my pizza-pie making skills (nor did Adult #2 who had to retire the competition upon being called back to the job) but learning to work with what you have, and appreciate whatever comes one's way is certainly good soul enrichment.  That said, here's my wrap up without the drama or competitive blow by blow of the last post: 

Tuscan Sausage 3 Pepper Pizza Pie

A Whole Foods-fresh-in-house-made pizza dough kept the kitchen from becoming a blizzard situation of flour; Rao's marinara tomato sauce kept the stovetop clean (it was already opened anyway); mozzarella and a touch of parmesan cheese, Tuscan style sausage, and colorful bell peppers from our garden and Costco; basil from our garden; and a few slices of leftover-too-salty Genoa Salami to make what I call an Italian sausage and 3 pepper pizza.  No messing around - just put it the on parchment paper to the pizza stone in a 475 degree oven on a particularly humid Friday night for 10 minutes and then tuned in to the SF Jazz concert online - to watch a fantastic latin jazz ensemble performance featuring John Santos and Rico Pabon.  

Folding my cards now and returning to Pie Pies, until next time!

Pizza-Pie Dough Warriors 2020: Part One

It was bound to happen... during our Covid-19 Shelter-In-Place Springtime, out of the kitchen deep, emerged the Great Pizza-Pie Dough Battle of 2020.  The adults going head-to-head, dough-to-dough, would make their pizzas, with only our pre-K son and each other to judge the outcome.

As the gold standard, we had agreed that the best pizza we have ever had in North America is just down the street at the amazing and always crowded Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana.  (Also up-there is a memorable Pizzeria Napoletana in Pescadero, Baja California Sur...maybe it was the romance, the tequila, or just extreme ex-pat hunger for a pizza done right.)

Adult A and Adult B both got the dough quite terribly wrong in the first round:
Mine was a recipe based on a New York Style from a once-trusted cookbook; the outcome was a dough that was sadly left in the fridge for too long as other dinners took preference; it emerged, far-too-sticky (and to the tune of some harsh trash-talking by the opposing team).

Cosmic retribution, perhaps, caused Adult #2's dough to subsequently blow up more than a zillion times the size it should have been, sitting overnight on the countertop, while the evening's thunderous downpour was the soundtrack to a dough mutating into an uncontrolled monster blimp, enough to feed or feed on a small metropolis - and too sticky to approach (ha!).  After calling in Ghostbusters, an exorcism-purification ritual for the kitchen, a planned search for flour (that seemed scarce when we needed it in our Covid-19 infested region) and several support-group zoom meetings, we were ready for another try - first, I reviewed everything that could possibly go wrong with my 6 Errori Dilittante.

Pizza was better on a pizza stone

My delivery of currently precious Caputo 00 flour did not arrive in time for pizza making; therefore, us pizza dough warriors were forced to use King Arthur All-Purpose Flour (the best brand we could find) for the Battle Part One.  Already, this would be an 'errori' but at least we had a level playing field for the competition.

After my disappointment with the New York style recipe I had tried previously from my Pizza Cookbook, I used the recipe offered on the King Arthur website, used my not-so-Dilittante stand-up mixer and just added a bit more flour to counteract our humid climate, you can read it here: King Arthur Flour Pizza Dough

I made two thin crust pizzas:
#1 was not 'pre-cooked' as the recipe instructed, because I was distracted by my son and husband coming in just at the moment that I was preparing the dough to go in ("Mommy, can we have a snack?"..."NO!!! I'm-making-THE PIZZA !!!"
I absent-mindedly put the toppings on without pre-baking, and just slid it and the parchment paper onto a hot pizza stone.  Actually, this turned out quite well. The crust slid off the stone hot and golden, crispy and got even my opponent to give it a '7' (perhaps to ward off any bad juju or witchcraft I might bestow in return towards his dough - after all the trash-talk!)
I liked this crust a lot and so did our son.

#2 was in on a flat pan, pre-cooked and then toppings put on before going back into the oven. after 8 minutes it came out clearly not as nice on the bottom.
In desperation I ditched the pan, slid it on the pizza stone for 5 minutes more and then it was almost perfect!

My opponent quite stubbornly remained loyal to his new-found YouTube Maestro's Neopolitan Recipe (but using the all-purpose flour!) that had produced the scary monster dough; he opted to reduce all ingredients by half and hand-knead the dough.  (Certainly a fun video, but be warned if you try this in your own town-home kitchen): Vito Iacopelli Pizza Dough
The judge then came to a decision. "Daddy's was more better-er."  (*sigh*)
And it's now in the books, or at least this blog.

My opponent's pizza smelled amazing, but by then the kitchen was about 500 degrees,
 everyone had to take a cool bath before the taste test

All-Strawberry (Shelter-In-Place) Pie

Greetings, Pie Blog Family! 

It's Passover-Easter time in 2020 and we are experiencing it like never before, during the Covid-19 pandemic.  The Egg hunt is inside, Seders are by Zoom, and a seriously limited supply of ingredients is part of life today.  We got to get what we get and not get upset! So grateful to have our health and families and friends getting in touch more than ever.

The offering for this season's pie is an ALL-STRAWBERRY pie. Strict Pie Guidelines...no other berries allowed on this one due to social berry distancing guidelines.  (Which is just fine, because I could only get fresh strawberries affordably today and they would hold up to our strict clean handling standards of the hour.)

Those who follow know I normally would go for a strawberry-rhubarb at this time of year but there's no rhubarb for sale in these parts, (not yet, anyway.) Therefore, this is my first All-Strawberry Pie.  I added the sugar crumble crust half-way through the cooking and forgot to use brown sugar, which could have elevated it, or maybe it doesn't really matter. This could be made into a double crust pie, but I prefer the lighter crumble as it turns out.

The Littlest One's review is : "I like it." 

The Grandfather's review is: "Especially good."

The Pie Bar: featuring Special Guest Pie Blogger KPV

Welcome back to The Pie Blog!
As we get into the High Holidays of Pie, the WannabePieChef wants to wish you all a happy and tasty Thanksgiving week, I am so grateful to you the readers for all these years of sharing stories and photos of Pie!
For a special treat with this edition, I'm posting photography from longtime friend and Pie Chef KPV who has experienced the pie making class and bottomless mimosas at The Pie Bar in Long Beach, California.  The Pie Bar started out as a pop-up shop, and with such amazing success now offers classes and treats both sweet and savory that are as beautiful as they are delicious!
KPV and her crew joined in on a class for some team building and made this delicious creation! Enjoy this feast for the eyes and let it be inspiration for the biggest Pie Week of the year!

You can learn more about KPV and her many projects by clicking here.

Check out The Pie Bar when you're visiting Long Beach, CA! 

Hunters' Pie, Colonial Style

Hunters' Pie at the Colonial Williamsburg, VA; The King's Arms Restaurant

Just as summer 2019 came to a close, the WannaBePieChef traveled to Colonial Williamsburg Virginia, time traveling back to the late 1700s to sample the authentic fare of the moment!  I ordered up a real Hunters' Pie, and true to the name, the ingredients were a savory stew of duck, rabbit and wild venison, with onions, carrots, and spices.  The black currant jam on the side was traditionally spread all about the top crust of the pie adding that sweet-savory yumminess, so of course I followed that instruction.
This is probably the most serious pie I've ever reported on - the meats were smoked ahead of time, which gave it a less 'gamey' flavor.  Founding father of America and the 3rd President of the United States, native Virginian Thomas Jefferson is said to have eaten this very recipe (possibly after playing his violin!) and all the while enjoying his favorite beverage: Champagne, mixed with anything!

Violinist at the King's Arms Dining Room

Friendsgiving Pies of 2018

A special edition! My 3 year old son made his first pie, Pumpkin, and it was yummy. I am ever grateful for my family, and I do not take for granted that I have a wonderful new life as a mommy, and my son's dad is a great role-model chef!  Above and beyond all, I work at SGF Science Center HQ where we help people fulfill their own vision of family in all of its diverse forms; it's not always easy to have the baby you want, and it can be difficult to become a mother or father.  Anyway, I am an acupuncturist there and grateful for that work.  In my spare time I am still making pies!!!   This year is special indeed, due to our California family escaping the fires.  We are all together East and West and sharing our stories and journey.

Pies of Chihuahua

On our recent journey to Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, we were looking for a place to sit and eat after touring around for the day, and visiting the awesome 'La Rodadora' Interactive Museum, we were so happy to walk into a diner style restaurant called "Cafe La Nueva Central", established in 1958 - in the historic district, for some tasty comfort food.  An enormous menu caters to an array of tastes, including 50's style diner food, mexican plates, and even some classic chinese favorites.

They still had that 1950's feel, and bullet-proof cashier window.  Sitting next to an old jukebox that played the Mexican oldies, the pie cases were full of delicious pies and puddings.

We chose a booth next to the pie cases, and as we ordered lunch, it became clear that most of the customers were to ultimately take home a coconut, apple, chocolate, or banana cream pie!
This was THE place for pie in downtown historic Juarez.  We sampled their enchiladas, club sandwiches, fries, and strawberry milkshake, and even their arrachera beef flank steak and salad...and everything was incredible.  The banana cream pie was exceptionally good so we took some extra to go!

Arriba Juarez!!!

Dutch Market Apple Walnut Pie

This Apple Walnut Pie came from the Dutch market in Germantown, Maryland, where on Thursday - Saturday you can hit that bakery and choose from an enormous selection of yummy pies and other things too: cakes, pretzels, BBQ, candies, chocolates and more!  We chose a 1/2 pie and it was a fantastic choice.  The apples were cooked to perfection and somehow even with the crunch of the walnuts, there was a wonderful melt-in-your-mouth quality.  Such very good luck to kick off this autumnal pie season with a delicious apple walnut pie !!!

The Irish-Maryland Shephards' Pie for NYE

Welcome 2016!!!
New Years Eve was a 'night-in' for us with family, a Party-At-Home situation...and a perfect time to have a winter dish, with a Maryland Twist! Many folks wanted the recipe from me on this one, and I'll include the simple version: Make mashed potato your favorite way and then add a bunch of cream cheese and Irish shredded cheese (like Dublin Cheese) and garlic if you want.  Let that be the topping of your meat pie, or veggie pie and put a nice layer of Old Bay on it when you spread it over the top of the 'Pie Inside' : Carrots and Peas, and ground lamb (or chopped, or shredded turkey, bison, beef, or whatever your choice.  We did bite size cuts of lamb with rosemary, cinnamon, garlic and mint mixed with little frozen peas, carrots and corn for this one.  Add the Old Bay Seasoning.  Bake it for 45 min or whenever it all gets yummy together!

Caramel Apple Pie for Christmas

This Pie is a Caramel Apple Pie with a lattice crust...I got this recipe from my sister and recruited my family to do the apple slicing and dough rolling.  Making an easy simple dough for a double layer pie and then drizzling fresh squeezed lemon on the apples as we sliced, I quickly made a caramel sauce on the stove.  The pie turned out to be one of the best EVER, not overly sweet either.  We will be making it again and will report back to the Pie Blog - next time with a thicker caramel sauce and perhaps the addition of cranberries!!!

New Mommy continues to Bake Pies despite all obstacles...

Yes, the WannabePieChef continues...despite the obvious life change of becoming a Mommy.  I have made it through almost 10 months of mommy-hood, and not many pies were made, but indeed a new pie was discovered.  The store-bought Pie! No--just kidding.  My creation of the past season was a chilaquiles pie, and it's basically a taco pie.  Layer in the totopos and ground beef or whatever your flavor, chicken or steak; a layer of refried beans and jalepeños and onions (fresh or sauteéd) and of course the queso. A layer of salsa goes in between. Bake for as long as it takes to make it all melty and yummy.  Put some fresh chopped tomatoes on top.  Pour on some hot sauce as you like.  You could sub in eggs and make it a brunch thing, or chorizo, or mushrooms and more cheese.  I made this pie for my mexican relatives and they agreed that I can finally cook. (Andalé!) Stay tuned for the Christmas 2015 pie coming soon!

Giving Thanks at Pie Time!

This 2014 there's a lot to be thankful for, pies are on the list, as always! ...Practicing gratitude on a regular basis has been a theme I've taken up this year in particular.  Finding time each day to be grateful for something is the idea.  Each year presents new challenges and rewards; It's good practice to recognize the time for harvest, however big or small and whatever metaphorically that harvest may be.  Thanksgiving is really a great holiday for just that, maybe obviously so, and although I'm not cooking a ton of dishes, the guest list is short, and the bounty is small, I recognize my harvest this year simply as a couple of accomplishments I can be proud of, some challenges that were overcome, and a deeper appreciation for some very caring friends and family members who have stood tall in very nasty weather (literally and figuratively!)  Most of all I am thankful for health and some amazing special events coming soon in the next season!

This year my sister and I took on some Paleo, Whole Foods nutrition programs, and with that in mind comes this recipe for an amazing traditional Pecan Pie that ditches the corn syrup in favor of organic maple syrup, and utilizes an almond flour crust to get away from gluten.  The recipe can be found at the 'Deliciously Organic' website.  (In my opinion, Thanksgiving also needs a pumpkin candidate, so I'm making an organic pumpkin cake this year with cream cheese frosting.  This one is new!)

A recent yummy find at Mission Pie, Potato & Onion...had to order two slices!

The Littlest Pie Shop in Baja; A Big Tart goes Patriotic

Hello Pie Eaters, Makers, and Fans!  It's been some time since the last WannaBePieChef posted, so here's a Double Issue for your delight.
This 2014 I visited what is indeed the littlest and perhaps only of its kind in Baja California, Ette's Pies in the town of Loreto, B.C.S., Mexico.  Ette's Pies makes handmade pies daily, and supplements the menu with Muffins, Cakes, and cookies.  This is perhaps the cutest pie shop in all of Mexico, and certainly unique to Baja.  The owner is Paulette Gochie, and we can raise a coffee cup to her pies which are as pleasing and delicious as they come.

Ette's Cherry Pie

A Big Tart from Porto's Bakery and Café was a special for the 4th of July holiday in Glendale, California and we were lucky to pick up the last one.  Made from strawberries, blueberries and pears, and a vanilla creme, it was devoured in under a minute by a party of world cup fanatics before you could say 'Goooooooooooooool' !!! 

Porto's Patriot Pie

Phat Beets! Pot Pie

Happy Spring! 

It's officially time to tiptoe through the tulips, and a light rain is falling.  Well, for most of us it's still pretty cold outside, and tip-toe-ing may cause a little chill.  

What's the remedy? Phat Beet Pot Pies, of course!  With a puff pastry and fresh veggies, and leftover organic roast chicken, making Chicken Pot Pie Nouveau is easy enough to make, for yourself or for a crowd.  My version is special because I've made this pie from the leftover veggies that came in my share this week from the Phat Beets! Box*.  

Even though early spring is the least diverse time of year for veggies, this is still quite a wonderful pot pie using local carrots, rosemary, onions, and a hint of ginger.  Phat Beets is bringing the food justice to the people! ...And good food to the pie blogger's kitchen.  

"Phat Beets Produce aims 'to create a healthier, more equitable food system in North Oakland through providing affordable access to fresh produce, facilitating youth leadership in health and nutrition education, and connecting small farmers to urban communities via the creation of farm stands, farmers’ markets, and urban youth market gardens."

*You can find them online and sign up for a Beet Box if you are in the East San Francisco Bay Area.

Mission Pie is Pie in the Mission, SF

Following the city of San Francisco's love affair with baseball and the World Series Parade during the October of 2012, I needed something really grounding...it was time to get back to The Pie Blog.  I did something long overdue...I visited Mission Pie San Francisco, and to make up for the sabbatical from Pie and all things Pie, I went two (2) times in one (1) day !

Plum Pie at Mission Pie

Thus ends the Pie hiatus.  It ended up being one of the most happy and wonderful Pie days of all time, a weekday, (not even a holiday,) and since both visits were memorable, for pie and friendship, this counts as a special Pie day 'forever-more'.  It is the Return of Pie.

The first visit occured at 10:15 in the morning, the second, at closing, 9:45 pm, with my four Pie tasting comrades --experts. We agree. Piez waz exzellnt.  San Francisco Mission Pie rules the Pie universe unquestionably, and is located at Mission and 25th.

A Year of Great Pies ...A Grand Finale

A Year of Great Pies comes to a Grand Finale at Grandma's house...

There you have it...what I'd call an EPIC year of Pie has come to a close.  What that means is, that new pies are coming.  Fresh, fruity, yummy, homemade, perhaps you have a Pie that brought you together with friends, family, that was the centerpiece to a heart story.  The Pie Blog memorializes those special pies.  (That's what Pie Bloggin' is all about!)  THANKS to the Pie contributors this year!

Grandma has the Classy Touch. Homemade Pies in Maryland presented with love.

Grammy's Holiday Home Dessert Table.

A gorgeous southern Pecan Classic. Do not attempt a calorie count.

Starry Apple.  Home Comfort Cooking.  My gratitude to the chef and photographer who contributed these beautiful pies!

Here Come Mini Pies

Here come the Mini Pies from "Baltimore Bob".  A beautiful vegetable pot pie, and 3 mini pies, and a pumpkin pie that has a whimsical touch...these were all photographed by the cook.  Very nice! Thanks for the contribution!

3 Veggie Minis

 Pumpkin Jack Mini Pie

4 Fresh Apple Pies for the Special Person who passed the Maryland Bar Exam. Congrats!

Tiny Pies and Cake Pops

Dad's Tiny Pie, Raspberry 2011

That's a truly tiny Pie!  Dad doesn't bake much...but when he does, he is using an Emeril Pie and Cake Maker.  'I found it in the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog," he said, proving you could have your cake and eat pie too.  (Eat Pie!)  Tiny bites and personal sizes are in favor right now.  Check out these customized cake pops - designed especially for a fiesta with musical alumni and my dogs, who are the inspiration for these cake pops pictured...once getting past the sculpted sugar, there's delicious flavors of cake under there like s'mores and red velvet and german chocolate cake!

Mini Aussie and Musical Notes 'Cake Pops' October 2011

π San Francisco lives up to the Reputation: A Review

...π San Francisco.  A Place for Pizza Pies...if you aren't familiar with this Pie Blog, you may not have realized that, included, are pizza pies ... most welcome and fabulous topics for pie discussion.   

This is a Rare Pie Blog Restaurant Review.

A gentleman friend and I went to sample the Pie, of the now locally famous π Bar on Valencia Street, San Francisco.  The joint opens at 3:14 pm daily and is a few blocks from my office.  Perfect!

I was excited to see right away there was a White Pizza on the menu for $13;  I'll have to get that another time (when I can have it to myself.) The π Bar features a sophisticated array of delicious beers on tap, and the friendly wait staff gave us lots of tastings.  The Gentleman had a Beligian White (refreshing and delicious!) and the Lady had the Pinot Noir from Sonoma (another story later on my journey through Pinot Noirs of Sonoma...) 

Then came the pie:  a perfect flaky thin crispy crust, just the right amount of sauce, and just how we liked it!  We tried the Italian sausage, portabella mushrooms, green pepper and onions, and all the ingredients were as perfectly cooked, as they were when my mom took me as a kid to get a slice up in NYC, except here I got to order a nice California wine and hear some excellent live jazz (and accordion guest appearance!) ...for a casual after-work meal on a budget, I was impressed.  Certainly this is the best NYC style pizza in the Mission.

These folks even have a Manifesto, check it out.  The π Bar SF can be found on Valencia Street and Pi Bar SF.  They get a tip of the hat and some love from ...The Pie Blog!