At the Market:: Concord Grapes & Concord Grape Pie

As you might have noticed I took a little baking break, which was partially due what I mentioned in  yesterday's post. Sometimes I am just too tired.  But I am back today with my series At the Market where I am giddy with excitement because table grapes, in particularly concord grapes have arrived.  They actually came to the farmer's market that I frequent in the end of August, earlier than I expected so every Saturday since I have been buying them by the pound wondering just what to bake with them.  I settled on a Concord Grape Pie, a lip smackingly good pie that captures the essence of fall in just one bite. 

At The Market:: Cherry Skillet Crumble

Last year on a very hot summer day we headed to Upstate New York to go cherry picking. It was one of my favorite memories from last summer.  This year we will not be picking our own, but luckily the farmer's market is bursting with pints of this ruby fruit.  For a recent dinner, I wanted to get off my pie kick (something that is hard to do since I find baking a pie like therapy) and stick within the same family and make a crumble and bake it in a cast iron pan.  If you are like me and you love crumb topping you will love this recipe since there is a nice layer of crumbly goodness sitting atop juicy cherries.  

At the Market:: Gooseberries & Blackberries (Gooseberry & Blackberry Pie)

It is officially berry season! Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries  and my new favorite berry, the gooseberry.  While you can purchase berries all year long (frozen or fresh), there is something extra special about eating them while they are in season and local.  They just taste much better being ripened by the warmth of the sun.  I have been picking up as many cartons as I can carry at the farmers market, since not only are they great to eat raw but they have a great way of making your complexion look better.  When it comes to berries I am not partial to one kind, although I have been eating crates of raspberries and blueberries and as I mentioned a new favorite, the gooseberry.   They look like grapes and have the same juiciness but they have the floral sweetness of a raspberry.  They are great eaten as is or a wonderful addition to a pie or crumble.  Also, blackberries, when in season taste completely different then their over-sized grocery store counterpart that are heavily seeded.  In season, blackberries are incredibly tender and sweet, with not nearly as many seeds.  In order to celebrate the season, I made a Gooseberry & Blackberry Pie, perfect after a summer dinner.  This pie is the perfect ratio of tartness to sweetness!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Rose Scented Whipped Cream

This is definitely my favorite time of the year at the market - ruby red strawberries are available by the carton next to the long stalks of rhubarb, snap peas are piled high and fragrant green garlic pave the way for the soon to arrive fava beans, blueberries and peaches.  I love pairing these fresh market finds together to create seasonal dishes, whether for dinner or dessert.  One of my favorite combinations is strawberry and rhubarb where the former lends a sweetness while the latter adds a tart bite.  On a recent Sunday dinner with the family, I decided to make Strawberry Rhubarb Pie and topped it off  with Rose Scented Whipped Cream.  This pie is truly summer in a bite!

Classic Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie is a classic recipe that should be in every devoted bakers/non-bakers recipe arsenal.  It is a fairly easy recipe that can be made in three parts. On a warm summer day or a cool summer night, it is the perfect light dessert that will not weigh you down.  This pie is deliciously tart, but in all of the right ways. The tangy lemon curd sits atop a flaky pastry crust while whipped meringue floats like a cloud on top of the curd.  

Salty Honey Pie {From The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book}

I have already sung the praises of my favorite pie shop in Brooklyn, Four & Twenty Blackbirds, a gem in the up-and-coming section of Gowanus.  But now I am singing even louder due to the fact that they have just released a cookbook that allows me to whip up their unique pies in my own tiny kitchen. I received a copy of their book and let me tell you it has heart and soul. The bakery was started by two sisters, Emily and Melissa Elson who were seeking a way to share their love of pie, soon word got out just how amazing they were and thus their shop was soon born.   It was hard to pick a recipe from this book, but luckily it is categorized by season so it was a bit easier to narrow down. For the first recipe (a second one is coming your way next week) I decided on the Salty Honey Pie, and boy, it is even better than it sounds.  This pie has the texture of molten pudding and has a distinct and addicting taste thanks to the honey which lends a floral hint and the sea salt flakes round out this amazing flavor.  Continue for more...

Cinnamon Custard Pie

That time of the year has arrived where all I can think about is Thanksgiving - it is my favorite holiday.  We will be heading up to Boston this year to celebrate with my family but that will not hinder me from baking and cooking away in my sister's kitchen.   I love all of the courses, especially the turkey and whipped mashed potatoes (I don't know what could be more comforting) and then of course dessert.  This year I want to expand my pie repertoire beyond pumpkin pie, so I decided to whip up a Cinnamon Custard Pie to start celebrating early.   This recipe is a wonderful treat, because it still combines the essence of fall (cinnamon) but it is creamy and laced with vanilla giving it an almost ice-cream like flavor and texture. What pie will you eat or bake this holiday?  And stay tuned for some other tasty pie recipes next week! Continue for more...

Guest Post:: A Rustic Plum Tart

I love a rustic tart because it looks slightly imperfect yet tastes fantastic.  Hop on over to see my full post for MadeByGirl where I share a recipe for a Rustic Plum Tart. Continue for more...

Salted Caramel Peach Pie & A Spoonable Caramel {Giveaway}

Spoonable Caramel first had me at Salty Caramel, then there was Brooklyn Butterscotch followed by Flowery Lavender Caramel. I was first introduced by this brand by strolling through my local Whole Foods - I needed a sauce to drizzle atop a dessert I was making and I was short on time.  I choose the Salted Caramel and it was a fantastic combination of buttery goodness with a salty-sweet finish.  The fresh market right now is brimming with local ripe peaches and besides eating them by the fistful I wanted to make them into some sort of dessert.  I was inspired by a slice of pie (Salted Caramel Apple) that I had eaten at my favorite pie shop in Brooklyn, Four & Twenty Blackbirds.  It combined sweet apples and caramel, it was just perfection.  I decided to make Salted Caramel Mini Peach pies using Spoonable Caramels Salty Caramel Sauce and it was a slice of heaven. The sweet peaches practically become molten when mixed with the salted caramel sauce, a slice of heaven!

I am also excited to announce that I have partnered with Spoonable to give away a jar of Salty Caramel and Brooklyn Butterscotch to three lucky winners! You have until next week to enter, so please feel free to do some more than once and then next week I will have another delicious recipe using the Brooklyn Butterscotch, so get your spoons ready!  

Rustic Apple Tart

 Is anyone else out there in disbelief that Thanksgiving is next Thursday like me? Boy, time sure is flying around here! While I will not be cooking the dinner this year, I will be bringing along a trail of desserts and possibly some appetizers.  One of my favorite fall desserts is apple pie -  to me nothing says the season like the combination of apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and a dash of ginger.  I recently made this rustic apple tart and quickly fell into pie love. It was so easy to just arrange the apples in a rosette pattern, fold up the crust, sprinkle on sanding sugar and place in the oven. I have considered completely forgoing using a pie pan going forward, it is that easy.