The Egg and Bacon Pie, and I

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plated egg and bacon pir Do you know about Egg and Bacon Pie? I didn’t until one of my favorite authors included it in some of her work and I became curious about it.

Kerry Greenwood is a terrific writer! I first discovered her book “Cocaine Blues” on a library shelf  several years ago; it introduced me to her strong, smart, smart and stylish detective, the fabulous Miss Phryne Fisher. (Phryne rhymes with briny.) Since that time I have read all twenty published Phryne novels, which are set in Australia in the end of the 1920s, plus a collection of short stories (and a few bonus cocktail recipes) involving Miss Fisher called:

resized_9781741753639_224_297_FitSquare “A Question of Death: An Illustrated Phryne Fisher Treasury” and enjoyed them all exceedingly. I await the next with great anticipation.  Phryne is the heroine I always dreamed of- smart, clever, kind, generous, but self preserving. She is tough when needs be and soft when she wants. She is Queen. She decides, period. It also doesn’t hurt that she is beautiful, wealthy, stylish and brave.

The Australian broadcasting company ABC  has produced two seasons of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries based on Kerry’s books. I am thrilled to say that they announced in June that they have optioned a third season after a fan campaign was raised asking for more of Miss Fisher. These fabulously produced shows are available in the USA on DVD and on Acorn Television at present. Watch them, you won’t be sorry. Essie Davis as Phryne and Nathan Page as Detective Jack Robinson smolder together, SMOLDER, I tell you! Even though the episodes are an adaptation, and a few things have been changed from the books, they are as delightfully close as you will ever be to 1929 Melbourne and its surroundings. Led by executive producers Deborah Cox and Fiona Eagger, with acting by such a talented and stellar cast and guest actors (wish I could name them all), and sublime art direction with the divine production design by Robbie Perkins- each episode is a treasure. If you like vintage fashion at all you must not miss the wardrobe/costume design created by Marion Boyce- it is exquisite. We in the USA may not be familiar with these actors and the crew, but we are very fortunate to be able to import their work. OK, enough hyperbole!, but well- it’s true! 🙂

Kerry has also written so many other great books. Her other detective series which is set in modern day Melbourne and concerns the baker Corinna Chapman is a naturally a favorite as well. I have just started her book Medea and will be interested to see yet another side of her writing. baked egg and bacon   SO, well back to the Egg and Bacon Pie. The dish is described as being something comforting and homely, something to be tucked into a picnic basket or maybe a lunch pail. I wanted to make one and I didn’t find anything in the recipes Kerry had posted online on the publishers Allen and Unwin’s website.

And have I mentioned that Kerry is very generous with her time and attention and she invites her readers to correspond with her? I didn’t?,- well she is and she does. So I wrote to her and asked her about it and she very kindly replied and this pie is the result. Well, I first made one for a breakfast dinner party last year and that is when she helped me.  🙂
I’m just getting around to making another to share. egg and bacon inside It is somewhat like an enclosed quiche except that the eggs are left on their own to mingle with the bacon and firm up in the crust. It does firm up quite a bit and it will make your crust slump- just be prepared is all I am saying here. I found a recipe for a Bacon and Egg pie on Saveur here,  but it’s not what Kerry told me. Here is what she wrote:

Hello Gabi,

Simplicity itself. It is indeed an enclosed quiche, sort of. Line a pie dish with puff or shortcrust pastry, I use shortcrust for the lining and puff for the lid, but as you like. Cut up five rashers of bacon and sprinkle them around the pastry. Break over this four to five eggs, add pepper and parsley, pour over about a tablespoon of milk. You can stir it around if you would like a more blended filling or leave the yolks intact. Cap the pie dish with pastry and cook in a hot oven until the pastry is risen and golden. Grandma made egg and bacon pie like this, and so do I. It’s excellent hot and really tasty cold. Bon appétit! Kerry

I made it as directed, used my best pie crust recipe this time as I didn’t have puff on hand, but the first time I did use the puff pastry as suggested. I scrambled the eggs with a fork because Rick is not fond of yolks, but had I just pleased myself, I would have left them unscrambled. I cooked it at 375F for about 40 minutes and it is indeed excellent hot and really tasty cold!

Kerry is generosity herself, and I feel myself really lucky to have found her work.  Her writing has greatly increased my enjoyment of life- and I think that is really the purpose of fiction. Thanks Kerry!enjoyed egg and bacon pie Cheers! xox

Peachy Almond Zucchini Cake

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time for tea It’s been a bit of a rainy August around here but that hasn’t stopped our zucchini plant from offering up a new zucchini (or several) every day. I’ve made raw zucchini salads and we’ve had lots of it sautéed with onions and feta, but today I felt like making something to have with a cup of tea in the afternoon. Did I mention that it was raining?

Zucchini2

There are more zucchini lurking in there… I swear I heard it say “feed me”! 😉
Rather than make the same old zucchini bread, I thought I’d add a seasonal touch with some peach jam and complement that flavor with some almond flour. Peaches and almond go together like rainy days and tea.

long shot tea time

prebake
I made a glaze for the top out of some peach juice that I collected while preparing some of glazedour own tree’s donut peaches for a pie. It was a lovely pale pink color and very cheering.

baby's peaches

moist slice

 

Peachy Almond Zucchini Cake

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup mild flavored olive oil
  • 1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract ( I used the bourbon that I keep my plumped vanilla beans soaking in for several months at a time)
  • 1/2 cup chunky peach preserves ( I used my mom’s homemade jam made with peaches and Amaretto)
  • 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine grind salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cassia cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 -1/4 cups finely grated zucchini squeezed to eliminate most of the liquid (about 1 medium to largish zucchini)
  • 1 cup blanched almond meal (I used Honeyville Farms brand)

Glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered, confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or Amaretto liqueur
  • enough fresh peach juice to make a glaze consistency – use orange juice if you don’t have fresh peaches

Butter and flour a Bundt or tube pan, tap out the excess flour and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 350F.

Wash and dry the zucchini, trim one end and grate in the fine holes of a grater or use the fine disk of a food processor. Place the grated zucchini into a sieve and let it drain, squeezing it well with your hands until you can’t get any immediate liquid out of it. Set aside.

Cream the butter and add the olive oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and jam. Beat well at medium speed of a stand mixer or vigorously by hand until all is light and fluffy.

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl. Use a whisk or a fork to mix them together well. Add to the creamed ingredients and mix lightly but well so that there are no dry bits left.

Add the zucchini and the almond flour and mix well. Place into the Bundt pan evenly and smooth the top with a spatula. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes then rotate the pan front to back and bake for 25-30 minutes more until a toothpick comes out dry and it is firm to the touch. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then remove to a rack to cool. You may glaze it while hot or wait until it cools further. If you glaze it hot the glaze soaks into the cake. If you glaze it cool it tends to stay on top. Or you can not glaze it at all and sprinkle with a bit of powdered sugar or leave plain. Your choice. 🙂

Enjoy!

xxoo

 

 

Apple and Cherry Pie Oh my!

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pie-rosy.jpg

 

Why have I never thought to combine these two before? Completely silly because- oh yeah it’s that good. Use this crust recipe:

Gabi’s Best Pie Crust

  • 2-1/2 cups unbleached All Purpose wheat flour
  • 1 cup cold, cold butter, salted or unsalted as you have on hand and cut into small bits
  • large pinch of salt if using unsalted butter, smaller if using salted
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, can omit if making a savoury pie
  • 1/2 cup of iced water  (a bit more or less as humidity requires)

That’s it. If using a food processor, place the flour, salt and sugar into the work bowl fitted with the metal blade. Pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse until only a few pea sized bits of butter coated with the flour mixture remain. It should look like coarse sand or cornmeal. Place a few ice cubes into a 1 cup liquid measuring cup and add cold water, let sit for a minute then remove the ice cubes and pour off all but 1/2 cup of the water. Add to the processor whilst pulsing, add just enough for the dough to become a bit moist and start to clump together. Remove the top of the processor bowl and dump the bowl onto a square of cling film (plastic wrap)  on your counter or work surface. Use the cling film to gather the crumbly, shaggy dough together into a uniform shape so you can divide it in half. Cut in half with a bench knife or something not too sharp, taking care to not cut through the cling film. Put half of the dough onto another square of cling film and gently shape each half  into a disk on its own piece of cling film. Wrap securely and chill until ready to use- or at least a half hour. Can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated or frozen for up to a month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling out, if frozen. Roll while chilled out, let it sit for no more than 5 minutes out of the fridge before rolling, to about an 1/8″ inch  (3mm) thickness. Makes enough for 1 double crust or two single crust pies. This recipe can be doubled easily. Make the filling:

  • 10 cups sliced peeled apples – use a mix of apples for best result- granny smith, gala, Fuji etc.
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 cups pitted tart pie cherries, thaw if frozen- I get mine from Woodyatt Cherry Farms in Willard, UT
  • 2 Tablespoons instant tapioca flour
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp cold butter cut into bits

Topping:

  • Egg wash made of a yolk and 2T milk  or 2 T heavy cream
  • Sanding or raw sugar, optional

Mix the filling ingredients together except for the butter bits and set aside. Line a 9″ pie plate with half of the above recipe of pie dough, chill for 20 minutes in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 400F. Pour the filling into the chilled crust. Top with bits of butter. Make a lattice out of the other crust or just top any way you wish. Crimp the crusts together. Brush with a bit of cream or an egg wash. Sprinkle with a bit of raw sugar if desired. Make vent holes if you didn’t make a lattice. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet and put in middle of preheated oven. Bake 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350F and bake for 50 minutes or so more until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly with tender apples. Cool before serving or you’ll have a soupy pie.   applecheerypie.jpg

 

Here’s a youtube of Woodyatt Farms for your viewing pleasure:

Woodyatt Cherry Farm You Tube

Enjoy! xoxo

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