Pumpkin Pie - Post Thanksgiving {expat pro con list}

I’m not like other bloggers.

Other bloggers were going on about Thanksgiving since the first of November, I’m mentioning it today the last day of November - a time when other bloggers are shouting about Christmas.

I live in the now, not in the future. Which means that when I get around to blogging it’s the past. I suppose next year I will have this post to share early….just thinking out loud.

Celebrating Thanksgiving as an expat is an experience in itself. I’ve made a Pro/Con list to try to explain.

Pro and Cons of Thanksgiving as an ExPat: 

Pros: 

• You can buy a turkey on the day, because no one else needs one. 
• Pumpkin Pie 
• If you get tonsillitis and need to cancel Thanksgiving no one really misses out but you.
• Having those friends try Pumpkin Pie!
• No pressure
• Inviting friends to celebrate with you.

Cons: 

• Having to give history lessons to friends and family about what Thanksgiving is. 
• Having to have it on the following Saturday because the Thursday isn’t a day off. 
• Having to source a pumpkin or pumpkin puree (Waitrose stocks Libby’s Pumpkin Puree) 
• Not having my family around. 
• The lack of Thanksgiving decorations.

I went from not celebrating it at all because as a 22 year old I didn’t cook. Then I tried having it Thursday after my husband got in from work, but that was a stress and way too much to eat at 6 or 7 o’clock in the evening. Then I moved it to Saturday, which worked until one year I got tonsillitis and had to cancel because no one else was around to take up the cooking it was all me or nothing. It seems more hassle then not these last few years, but it’s something I want my girls to see as a holiday even if the rest of the country doesn’t.

One day I hope they love Pumpkin Pie as much as I do. I remember my first taste of pumpkin pie was after we moved to Terre Haute, Indiana and had Thanksgiving with one of my dad’s co-workers who invited us to his house. It was a big affair with loads of people. My fifth grade teacher was there and it was super weird seeing him there.

Food has always been used to celebrate and I hope to pass this recipe down to my girls one day. It’s not an original or anything I got it from Joanne Chang of Flour bakery in Boston, Massachusetts, but it’s super good and all recipes come from somewhere!

Pumpkin Pie 

Short Crust Pastry Pie Crust

140g plain flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
128g unsalted butter, cut into 8/9 cubes
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons cold milk

Mix the flour, sugar, and salt together. In a freestanding mixer or with a handheld mixer mix in the 8-9 cubes of butter. You want the cubes fairly big because you don’t want them completely incorporated into the flour mixture. You want lumps of butter in the dough.
Gently beat the egg yolk and milk together and add it to the flour mixture. Beat on low until the dough just comes together, it will not be a smooth dough … yet.
Dump out onto a lightly floured surface and bring the dough together as best you can into a ball. Then smear the lumps of butter into the dough by using the palm of your hand and pushing the ball down and away from you. Turn the dough ball and repeat for 4 turns or so or until the butter is stretched through out. Bring it back together into a round disk, wrap with clingfilm and place in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours. I always make this the night before I want my pie.

Pie Filling

454g (1 can) pumpkin puree
150g light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
200g condensed milk
170g evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
180g double cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Remove the shortcrust pastry from the fridge and roll it out between to sheets of cling film or on a lightly dusted work top, to about 1/8 inch (.32 cm) thick and about 12 inches (30 cm). Line a pie tin/pan/plate trim or crimp the over hang. Don’t trim it too much as there will be shrinkage in the oven. Leave to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
While you wait heat the oven to 180C or 350F.
Line the pastry with greaseproof baking paper and fill with baking beads or your choice of dried grains and blind bake for 35-45 minutes.

While it’s baking make the filling by mixing the pumpkin puree and brown sugar in a meduim sauce pan over a medium heat, stirring until it’s a thick paste 35-40 minutes or so. It will have reduced almost by half and be a lot darker. 
Whisk in the spices: ginger, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Then whisk in the condensed and evaporated milk.
Beat the eggs and egg yolk with the cream until combined before gradually whisking it into the pumpkin mixture.

Remove the baking paper and baking beads from the baked crust and add the pie filling. Place in the already heated oven for 45-50 minutes until the pumpkin filling is set, it will puff up a little, but the middle should still have a little wobble. Leave to cool for 2 hours before serving.
When it’s ready to be served top with whipped cream or make it al a mode with a scoop of ice cream. I used a cinnamon biscuit ice cream that suited the pumpkin pie perfectly!

notes: as mentioned above this recipe is adapted from Flour by Joanne Chang, another version of this recipe can be found here. I reviewed both flour and flour too here on the blog. My cousin reviewed it as well and went for a book signing back in the day she wrote about her experience here!
I am entering this into my own blogging challenge The Pastry Challenge! with my friend and fellow blogger Jen!

Two Ways with a Gypsy Tart

I just realised that my title could be taken the wrong way … if you are inclined to think that way. Something that I’ve learned is that it’s actually how a lot of people think. Being one of the small percentage of people who don’t always get innuendo I say a lot of things that get laughed at. I would relay some of the these instances, but we don’t have all day. Just take my word for it.

It’s not the first time I shared a Gypsy Tart on United Cakedom, but I thought I would try something different this time. Then it didn’t turn out so well and I hadn’t accounted for a couple of things. With a little improvising and adjusting I sorted it out and ended up with two different way to make a gypsy tart!

The filling is the same, it’s the base that changes. First I made mini tarts with a sweet shortcrust pastry. Then when I was stuck with a lot of extra filling because I didn’t think to half the recipe or something I made a quick cookie/biscuit base to bake the rest of the filling over with successful results!

Just like the title of this post could be taken two ways this gypsy tart can be made two ways...here's how:

Gypsy Tart

filling  

(makes enough for 24 mini tarts or 12 mini tarts and 7inch Gypsy Tart)

451ml (1 can) of evaporated milk
300g muscovado sugar

Whip them together for 15 minutes until light, fluffy, and tripled in size.

Mini Gypsy Tarts:

sweet shortcrust pastry

300g plain flour
4 tablespoons of golden caster sugar
200g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cold water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk the flour and sugar together before rubbing the cubed butter into the flour/sugar until it resembles bread crumbs. Add all the other ingredients and bring together with a spatula or your hands until it makes a smooth dough. Make into a ball and squish a little to make a fat disk like shape, wrap in cling film and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough and cut out 12 circles to line each muffin hole. Gently press down into the corners, use a fork to put holes in the base of each pastry case before leaving in the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes. The follow the instructions below for blind baking.

blind-bake

Pre-heat the oven 200C - Line each pastry case with a square of baking paper and fill with ceramic beans. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove ceramic beans and bake for a further 10 minutes until pastry turns a light brown.

to finish 

Fill each pastry case with the gypsy filling and bake for 5-10 minutes. Do not bake for 15 minutes as I did and had them collapse on me. Which I then whipped up some whipped cream and drizzled raspberry sauce on top!

Cookie Base Gypsy Tart 

cookies base 

213g chocolate chip hobnobs
50g melted butter

Blitz the cookies in a food processor, then add the butter and pulse a couple of times. Line a 7inch circle cake tin with the cookie mixture.

to finish

Pour the remaining gypsy filling into the tin and bake for 15 minutes. Leave to cool in the fridge for 2 hours before slicing and enjoying!

notes: Gypsy Tart is a pretty basic recipe, but this one was adapted from Eric Lanlard's Tart it Up! I wrote about it here the first time I made it. This is my #thepastrychallenge entry which I host with Jen at Jen's Food. There is still time to link up here!

Pie, Pecan Pie

Originally this pie was intended to be made the same weekend that the Rum & Sultana fudge was. It was suppose to be the dessert for my Thanksgiving dinner that weekend. 

Anyway if you read my post on the fudge you’ll already know I didn't because I had tonsillitis. I had to cancel Thanksgiving. I had plans to host my American friend, who moved here early last year, and my friends who are half American.

I was feeling very sorry for myself that weekend. Not that anyone really wants to know, but my throat was so swollen I looked like I had no neck. It was awful!

Then I thought I would make it for Christmas dinner dessert, but because Christmas Eve was chaotic (long story) I didn't make it the day before and couldn't be bothered to make it the day of. A problem I had most of the holiday season. 

I had 200g of pecans sitting in my cupboard waiting to be used. There are numerous ways I could have used them up. However I thought I’d stick with the original plan.

So, as I finally get to the point, here is the Salted Pecan Fudge Pie I made for absolutely no other reason then because I could.

I’m not very good with pastry. I’m not terrible, but there is definite room for improvement. Needless to say I get a little anxious every time I make my own pastry. However I needn't have worried as it turned out well, as did the filling!

I do like pecans, they are probably my favorite nut. It's a wonder why I have never even tried a pecan pie nor made one before now. This particular version is super sweet and I don’t think I could manage more than a small slice. Overall though I was very pleased with my efforts! Enjoy!

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

50g golden icing sugar

a pinch of salt

135g butter, straight from the fridge, cubed (small)

1 medium egg, beaten

2-3 tbsp milk

Sift the flour, sugar, and salt into a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add the egg and milk (start with 2 tbsp and only add a third if needed) and pulse until the dough comes together. Lightly dust your worktop with flour and very quickly knead the dough into a ball. Handle as little as possible as not to melt the butter. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes before using.

Lightly dust your worktop with flour and roll out the pastry to about 3mm thick and line your tart tin with it. Make sure the edge of the pastry stands just a little bit above the rim. Trim the edges and prick the base with a fork. Chill in the fridge for another 30 minutes to help prevent shrinkage.

Preheat the oven to 200C/fan180C/gas6 and place a baking sheet in the oven to heat up. Take the tin from the fridge and line with baking paper and baking beans. Place on top of preheated baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Once the time has passed remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the pastry is dry. Set aside.

Salted Pecan Fudge Pie

100g pecans, chopped plus 80-100g pecan halves

100g soft light brown sugar

125g butter

200ml double cream

1 tsp salt, flakes

2 medium eggs, beaten

3 tbsp apricot jam, warmed

Spread the chopped pecans evenly over a baking sheet and lightly toast, in the already heated oven, for 8-10 minutes. Watch them closely they can burn easily. Set aside.

Reduce the oven to 180C/160Cfan/gas4. Place the sugar, butter, and cream in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cool slightly before adding in the toasted pecans, salt, and eggs.

Pour into the pastry case and arrange the pecan halves on top in a circular pattern. Bake in the oven on the hot baking sheet for 25-30 minutes.

When the pie comes out of the oven gently heat the jam in a small saucepan and brush the top of the pie with the jam to give it a shiny glaze.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream or eat on its own!

notes: Thanksgiving is always the last Thursday of November, however since being in the UK I tend to celebrate the following Saturday: mainly because I like a relaxed atmosphere and after work and school is never relaxing. This recipe is from The Higgidy Cookbook by Camilla Stephens. I bought it for myself from The Book People, right before Christmas they had a deal a day and I got it with some other cookbooks and books for the girls. 

Gypsy Tart!!

I love my girl’s nights in with my girls! Every time we get together I usually always volunteer for the dessert as it gives me an excuse to experiment with things my husband usually wouldn't like. My friends are basically open to anything! But, if it doesn't have chocolate my husband usually has a polite piece and that’s it.

My friend, Kim, had expressed to me once in passing how much she loved Gypsy Tart. I had never heard of it before. It was a real light bulb moment when I saw a recipe for it nestled in the pages of Eric Lanlard’s Tart it Up!. I had it booked marked for our next night in.

We finally managed to arrange a night in last week, where I finally got to make and try Gypsy Tart! It was lovely!! A very simple dessert with lots of depth! All the gypsy tart recipes I found online were very similar to this one. All it is is 1 can of evaporated milk whisked together with 300g dark muscovado sugar then poured into a sweet shortcrust pastry case.If you aren't making the pastry case yourself it’s a matter of minutes to get the pie sorted then a couple hours to chill. Channel 4 website has a recipe for a similar Gypsy Tarts recipe by Eric Lanlard (currently unavailable).

I'm showing this to you as it was the first time my crust has
turned out so well. Pastry hasn't been my friend really. 

Gypsy Tart was created in Kent: the story being a lady wanted to feed gypsy children that played in the fields near her home and all she had was a pie crust, evaporated milk and sugar. Who really knows? I do love the quote from Brave: “Legends are lessons; they rhyme with truth.” ~ Queen Elinor. I think it’s true for the stories of how certain food recipes have come about. Since I didn't grow up here, in England, I missed Gypsy Tart being on my school lunch menu. I read it was a regular on school dinner menus!!

What do you think of Gypsy Tart? Have you had it before? Made it your self? What’s the difference? I can’t compare, as the first time I've had it was when I made it! 

notes: you still don’t own a copy of Tart it Up! The BookPeople still have it at an amazing price. Or check it out on Amazon UK & USA; my review of Tart it Up! Wikipedia 

Austrian Coffee Tart with raspberries!!

Looking for something different to make I spent a few hours scouring my books for something that looked tasty. Instead I found something that sounded tasty. Even though this book is full of great pictures, the pictures that accompany the pastry are very helpful, I of course chose a recipe without a picture.

This recipe filled some criteria that I was looking for. 1. Having spent my Christmas gift money on a tart tin it’s probably about time I used it. 2. I was desperate to use my coffee extract I recently made 3. It was different then my normal bakes found on here. 4. I have yet to bake from Home Bake by Eric Lanlard (first thoughts on the book)

I had a few hiccups (see * below) I am more confident today about it then I was yesterday. Still not 100% sure it’s right; this time a picture would have been helpful! (see: Coffee Extract update for my insanity) But after reading the top of the recipe “This light-as-air tart is based on an Austrian classic. It is like across between a tart, a meringue and a macaroon.” That’s exactly what I thought when eating it. The raspberries really compliment the tart. If you have or will attempt this recipe and your results were/are different I would love for you to share with me!! Also Eric Lanlard if you happen to read this please let me know if this is what it’s suppose to look like! lol thanks!  ;0)

Sweet shortcrust pastry 

• 115g (4oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 50g (2oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus extra for greasing
• 25g (1oz) icing sugar (confectioner sugar) sifted
• 1 egg yolk (save the white for the rest of the tart)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the measured butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs (mine never look like fine breadcrumbs but it does look like breadcrumbs (I wonder how often I can type breadcrumbs in one sentence!!))

Stir in the sugar and make a well in the center.

Lightly beat the egg yolk with 1 tbsp cold water and the vanilla. Add to the well in the flour mixture and mix in with your fingertips. Gather together to make soft dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for an hour before rolling it out.

Once chilled, knead he dough minimally, then roll out on a lightly floured surface until a little larger then a 23cm (9in) loose-bottomed flan tin. Use some extra butter to grease the flan tins base and sides.

Lift the pastry over the rolling pin, drape in the buttered tin and press over the base and up the side. Trim the excess pastry by rolling a rolling pin across the top.

Prick the base of the pastry with a fork.

To blind-bake which you will need to do for this tart recipe:

Pre-heat the oven 200C/400F/gas mark 6.

Line the raw pastry with baking paper (grease proof) and fill with ceramic baking beans. *Eric says that they conduct more heat then the dried beans often recommended. I would agree that this pastry turned out better then the one I made for a coconut cream pie (Before Blog) where I used lentils. It got puffy and the cream filling didn’t fill it right. Still tasted good though.

Bake for 6-10 minutes until pastry is golden brown.

Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes to dry out the base.

If you wanted to use this for a liquid base (which we aren’t here) brush the inside of the pastry with an egg beaten with 1 tbsp of milk after taking out the baking beans and cook for the full 10 minutes. It helps keep the crunchiness longer.

Austrian Coffee Tart with Raspberries

• 22cm (8 ½ in) blind-baked sweet shortcrust pastry tart case
• 3 punnets of raspberries
• icing sugar for dusting

• 250g (9oz) icing sugar (confectioners)
• 1 tbsp coffee extract
• 4 egg whites

Pre-heat the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark 3. I just turned my oven down after baking the tart case.

Put the icing sugar, coffee extract and one of the egg whites in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon at first, and then an electric hand whisk, mix and beat them together until really fluffy.

In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining egg whites to soft peaks.

Fold these gently into the coffee mixture, using a large metal spoon.

Pour this into the pastry case, and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

 *I ran into a time problem here. I had it baking for 15 minutes when I realised I needed to get my daughter from preschool. Time just got away from me, so I turned the oven off and went to get her. We did make it back at about the time it should have been done, but I turned the oven back up to 170C and baked for a further 10 minutes before taking it out and letting it cool. Needless to say I am not 100% sure this has turned out right. It is one of the few recipes that does not have a picture accompanying it.

To serve cover it in raspberries and dust with icing sugar.