12 best of 2012

While the first day of the year is a fantastic time to prepare, make plans, set goals (I will use that passport!!!) and take a turn on the ole' elliptical, it's also really fun to look back at the previous year and make note of some highlights. So without further ado, here are my favorite pie moments of 2012!

*A slice of my Lemon and Lavender Icebox Pie

 *The day that my roommate and I made a pie pilgrimage to Four & Twenty Blackbirds ended with four eaten devoured slices of pie. It warranted two pictures.

 *I made a basic strawberry rhubarb pie, but what stole the scene was the uncut strawberries from the grocery store.

 *My Cheddar Apple Hand Pies were one of my favorite treats all year...but then again, I really like savory food ;)

 *Making my own extracts not only generated my most popular post of 2012, but also 5 different flavors that I still incorporate into my daily baking.

*I stopped at a street fair near my apartment and picked up a favorite local snack - spanakopita - otherwise known as Greek cheese pie.

*I recently made walnut tartlets for a friend's tea party and was so pleased with how this picture turned out!

*Friends and I celebrated this past year's presidential election with what I dubbed Rock-the-Vote Whoopie Pies - patriotically colored red and blue, of course.

*I got up close and personal with the ingredients in a basic pie crust. Pictured here are a handful of salt crystals.

*One simply cannot have too much apple, sage and goat cheese in one's life.

*Finally, I was invited by the awesome people of Pie Face to experience mini pies and major views from the top of the Mondrian SoHo Hotel during a launch party to celebrate the opening of their first American location. Love this city.


Here's to happiness, health, and a wealth of pies in 2013 ;)

Walnut Tartlets

Over the Christmas holiday, I was lucky enough to a.) go back to Chicago for some quality family dinner time and b.) attend a mini 10-year reunion with some of the girls I was close with in high school.  Being one of the few of us who still live in the area, my friend Liz graciously invited everyone over to her apartment for a tea party (we're a bunch of classy ladies), and I decided that no proper tea was complete without mini walnut tartlets. I found the recipe in my mother's enviable stash of random recipes, so I don't know who originally created it - but I do know that the crunchy walnut filling provided exactly the wintery spice I had been craving and that the dough turned out so sweet and flakey that I will definitely be incorporating it into my usual repertoire of pies. Happy New Year!

For the dough
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/3 cup flour
pinch of salt

*In a large bowl, combine butter, cream cheese and sugar; stir until combined. Add flour and salt, stir until well mixed. Roll dough into small (about 1") balls and press into the bottom and sides of mini tartlet pans. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

For the filling
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light or dark corn syrup (I used dark because that was what was in my mother's cupboard)
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
spices to taste - I a combination of vanilla, almond extract, cinnamon and ground cloves

*Beat eggs slightly in a medium bowl, then stir in sugar, corn syrup, butter, walnuts and spices. Spoon about a tablespoon of mixture into each tartlet pan. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in tins for 5 minutes, then gently remove tartlets and cool completely on a wire rack. I found that running a very thin skewer along the edges of the pan helped to ease them out without breaking (they're pretty fragile). Dust with powdered sugar and serve with a steaming cup of tea ;)

Holiday bark

 I decided to jump on this season's bark train and make my own version of this holiday treat (is it only at the holidays one can eat bark? Note to self: make bark in July, be a rebel, enjoy.) I made two kinds: Pumpkin Pie Bark (pie blog...) and Cranberry Bliss Bark (because it sounded good). One thing about the Pumpkin Pie Bark - pumpkin puree doesn't freeze well, so resist the urge to add a lot into your chocolate mix. Compensate for the lack of puree with a healthy shake of the spice jars. Happy barking!