This is an amazing recipe that has me so re-excited, I am going to try it several different ways. Just the tomato with the goat cheese with the honey is enough of a flavor busting combination to make me want to give it a paleo twist. Never would I think that honey should touch tomatoes.

Never would I think that a grainy mustard belongs in this combination. But it does and when you taste all three together with a backdrop of tart crust, you will smile. Smile big. I promise. It will take you by surprise the way the boy you didn’t like all that much kisses really well and you go wow! It’s the nice surprise of the day.

I used my end of season tomatoes, some honey cultivated via blueberries, and a good goat cheese log. Surpassing the recipe for tart crust, I simply added an egg to my own basic pie crust, but changed the quantities and added in a egg yolk.

This summery, french tomato tart is not really about me, even if tarts are my favorite food. This tart is about a combination of many hands, hard at work, and a love story high on a hill with a dairy goat or two.

Nobel Springs Dairy Goat Farm – Tennessee

Just ten minutes from my house, Nobel Springs Dairy sits on a 230 acres in Franklin, Tennessee. It’s the result of a romantic love story that began in the childhoods of Justyne McCoy and Dustin Nobel who fell in love with goats in childhood. They met when Justyne was in high school at a goat show. Together they fulfilled their individual dreams of raising goats on a dairy farm.

Yes, it’s romantic. And, yes, it’s hard work. They often work 14 or more hours a day, milking, cleaning, processing, and selling cheese at 8 different farmer’s markets and to local grocers. But, they love it because they are following their passion. Dustin and Justyne are getting married in July.

This picture of the goat was 15 years ago. Wow, how time goes fast.

The Process for French Tomato Tart

This tart from David Lebovitz. When I found it on his site, I felt as if I could taste the freshness of tomatoes, the buttery crust, and the golden browned, honey dripped goat cheese through the screen. It immediately went on my mental “to make” list. And, it synched perfectly with my visit to Nobel Springs Dairy.

• Tomatoes should be cut on the thick side and very ripe. Be generous with tomatoes, as they shrink up.
• Be generous with the honey. I went back in and drizzled more. I used a blackberry honey just as recipe called for.
• I increased my oven to 400 degrees and still had to cook much longer than 30 minutes, closer to 50 minutes, until my cheese browned enough. Next time, I may blind bake the pastry shell for a few minutes.
• I used fresh thyme, basil, and a little rosemary but you can use any fresh herbs you like

Honey is a secret ingredient here, drizzled over the cheese prior to baking.

It seems that as recipes get adapted, we find our own short cuts and tips. This is yet another exciting way many hands work to create a dish.

A special thanks to Nobel Springs, and if you are in the Nashville area, or shopping at one of our many farmer’s markets or Whole Foods, be sure to pick up some Nobel Springs goat cheese.

Special Diet Tart Crust Recipes

• Gluten Free Tart Crust
• Low Carb Tart Crust

Print

Goat Cheese, Honey, Tomato Tart

Goat cheese, honey, tomatoes comes together to make a delicious end of summer or anytime tart with fresh herbs adapted from David Lebovitz.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Tart Crust (makes 1 large tart)

• 1 1/2 flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter placed in freezer for 15 minutes
• 1 tablespoons iced cold water
• 1 egg yolk

Goat Cheese Honey Tart

• 1 tart shell or pie crust
• 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
• herbs such as thyme tarragon, basil
• 3 large meaty tomatoes not too juicy sliced thickly
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 ounces of goat cheese in a log easy to slice
• 2 tablespoons of honey may use more

Instructions

Tart Crust with Food Processor

• Using a food processor, mix together flour, sugar, salt.
• Blend in butter and on medium speed, count to 10 seconds.
• Blend in water and blend for a few seconds.
• Blend in egg.
• Bring together to form a dough ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes at least.

Using Hands for Dough

• Mix together the dry ingredients. Blend in the butter until you have a mealy flour mixture. Add in water and egg and knead gently until the dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Roll out to three inches more than size of tart pan.
• Gently place in tart pan, and using rolling pin, roll off the edges.

Goat Cheese Honey Tart

• Fork the bottom of the tart shell. Spread on mustard until the base is covered.
• Cover with a scattering of fresh chopped herbs.
• Arrange slices of tomato, keeping in mind that tomatoes do shrink.
• Drizzle olive oil over tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange 6 to 8 round discs of goat cheese cut about 1/2 inch thick on top of the tomatoes.
• Drizzle honey over the entire tart, saving some honey for drizzling once tart is out of the oven.
• Bake at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes. If making smaller tarts, reduce baking time.
• Goat cheese will bubble and turn a golden brown. Serve hot or at room temperature.
• Add more fresh herbs.

Notes

I found it best using lots of honey.

The post French Tomato Tart with Goat Cheese and Honey appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I had the best steak and ale pie in London which made me think of my chicken pies and so I thought I’d share these which are great examples of comfort food. In the meantime, I’m working on making that meat pie I had in the London pub, so stay tuned.

Traditional Chicken Pot Pie with Flaky Crust

This is the favorite of all time, so good, we made it for Christmas dinner, thus the star. The pastry crust recipe is perfection.

RECIPE HERE

Keto Chicken Pot Pie with Grain Free Biscuits

Low carb comfort food is possible and this recipe proves that. Made with grain free biscuits, you will not believe how good this is.

RECIPE HERE

Creamy Chicken Pot Pie with Grain Free Crust

This is another version of a keto friendly chicken pot pie with an almond flour grain free crust.

RECIPE HERE

Chicken Pot Pie with Gluten Free Biscuits

People looking for a good low-carb biscuit that tastes exactly like traditional biscuits absolutely love these.

RECIPE HERE

RECIPE HERE

More Comfort Food from Spinach Tiger

The post Four Chicken Pot Pie Recipes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

If you are looking for the keto version, there are two ways to enjoy keto chicken pot pie, and I’ll list those at the bottom of this post.

Made with roasted white meat chicken, leeks, rutabagas, green peas, onions, carrots, celery, it has just the right balance of textures. Chicken broth, white wine, butter and heavy cream enhance the flavor.

What Kind of Chicken for Chicken Pot Pie

You have choices, depending on time and budget.

• Roast a whole chicken, use the white meat and freeze the roasted thighs with legs intact for another time.
• Poach boneless chicken breasts.
• Use a store-bought rotisserie chicken

I like to roast a whole chicken, use the white meat and eat the thighs and legs on another day. You can also just roast two chicken breasts on the bone with skin or poach boneless chicken breasts.

Ingredients for Best Chicken Pot Pie

I like leeks instead of onions, but you can use a half onion in place of a leek. I like rutabagas instead of potatoes. They are mild tasting yet hold a better structure than potatoes.

Butter, heavy cream, white wine and organic chicken broth for the sauce. Herbs like parsley and thyme are great neutral herbs. In other words they add flavor, but don’t overpower.

Flaky Pie Crust

The key to a really amazing traditional chicken pot pie is not just what’s inside. The pie crust has to be light, flaky and buttery. This pie crust has just the right amount of flour to butter ratio and will be the flakiest crust, as long as you don’t overwork it.

These are a few kitchen tools that I think are worth it and yield success.

• Kitchen Scale – If you are going to do any baking at all, invest in a food scale. We all have a tendency to overpack a cup of flour. Weighing flour and butter yields a consistent product.
• Pastry cutter – You could make your dough in a food processor, but I have found I get a better product just cutting in the butter. This way I don’t over mix the butter.
• Silicone Baking Mat for Rolling Dough – Helpful but not completely necessary.

What kind of Flour Makes the Best Flaky Pie Crust?

There are a lot of opinions about this, but I recommend buying the best all purpose flour you can buy. Some will say to add in a portion of bread flour, but I like to use a soft wheat all purpose flour. I actually use a flour from Italy, but that’s expensive and you can still get a high quality pie crust with the all purpose flour of your choice. A good pie crust really depends on getting the technique right.

Chicken Pot Pie with Store Bought Rotisserie Chicken or Pie Crust

You might be wondering how to short-cut the chicken pie recipe. You CAN use a store bought rotisserie chicken. You can even use a store bought pie crust or even top your chicken pot pie with a store bought puff pastry. I do, however, like to make everything from scratch for this recipe because it’s a very special recipe for my family. However, there may be times I buy a roasted chicken or use a puff pastry. Just know some of the roast chickens are not always high quality. If you use puff pastry, just top the pie and avoid Peppridge Farms. Publix Greenwise is a better, cleaner choice.

More Recipes

• Keto Chicken Pot Pie with Almond Flour Crust
• Keto Chicken Pot Pie with Grain Free Biscuits
• Chicken Francaise
• Spatchcock Chicken Greek Style
• Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breast
• Parmesan Mayonaisse Chicken Bake

PIN THIS

Print

Chicken Pot Pie with Flaky Pie Crust

Homemade chicken pot pie made with leeks, white wine and the most tender pie crust.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Keyword Chicken pot pie, pie crust

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

1 hour hour

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

Chicken Pot Pie

• 1 recipe double pie crust see below
• 4 tablespoons cold butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
• 3 carrots peeled, diced
• 1 leeks or 1 small onion see notes
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 1 small rutabega peeled, diced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon umami seasoning Trader Joe's (see notes)
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (4 sprigs)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 cups chicken broth more if needed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded See Recipe below

Baked Chicken Breasts on Bone (Method 1)

• 2 chicken breasts on bone with skin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup frozen peas

Poached Boneless Chicken Breasts (Method 2:

• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Pie Crust

• 226 grams all purpose flour more for rolling dough
• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup ice water (more if needed up to 1/2 cup)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg for egg wash
• 2 tablespons water for egg wash

Instructions

Poached Chicken

• Boil water. Turn to simmer and add chicken. Simmer chicken in water with a little salt until chicken reaches 165 Degrees F. (10-15 minutes). Do not overcook.

Baked Chicken Breasts

• Salt chicken breasts. Roast in oven at 400 degrees F. until chicken reaches 165 F. Don't over bake. I like the texture of baked chicken. See blog notes for more ideas. You CAN roast a whole chicken as I did.

Make Pie Crust

• Mix the flour with salt.
• Add cold butter that has been cut into very small pea sized pieces and refrigerated again to make sure it's very cold.

  Don't grate the butter. It must be in pieces to turn flakey. Cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter or very slowly with food processor.
  
• Add cold water 1/4 cup at a time. Use up to 1/2 cup, no more than that. You will be able to bring the dough together. One way to bring together is to put it all in a large ziplock and smoosh together. This keeps the warmth of the hands off.
  
• Form into a two discs. Refrigerate for one hour or more. Take out about 15 minutes prior to rolling.
  

Make Chicken Pie

• Melt butter and in large frying pan or dutch oven.
• Add vegetables (except peas) to pan. Cook about five minutes. Add sprigs of thyme (to be removed later).
• Sprinkle flour over vegetables, Stir well.
• Deglaze pan with white wine about a minute.
• Stir in chicken broth. Add more if you think it's too dry.
• Once chicken broth is warmed through about twenty minutes, add in heavy cream.
• Add chicken and frozen peas to vegetables. Season with salt, pepper, umami seasoning (if you have it) and fresh thyme. (or herbs of your choice).
  
• Allow to cool, while rolling out prepared pie dough.
• Take pie dough out of fridge and let sit for 10 minutes.

Prepare Pie

• Roll out two discs, using extra flour to make sure they don't stick.
• NOTE: If you want to use a decorative cut out, cut out first and then refrigerate your rolled out pie dough and cut-out for ten minutes in fridge so it will be easy to handle. Then place the pie dough over the chicken filling first. THEN place the cut-out back in.
  
• Place first pie crust in pie pan, not forcing or stretching.
• Add cooled chicken filling. Top with remaining pie dough. Cut slits on top for steam to escape. Cut off excess around the pie. Crimp or use fork to press together.
• Egg Wash: Beat one egg with two tablespoons water. Brush over pie crust.
• Bake for 45-50 minutes at 400 degrees F. in lower third of oven.

  Cool for ten minutes before cutting.
  

Notes

Slice leeks down the center. Wash, rinse. Slice across. 

Flour for Pie Crust: 2 cups flour less 2 tablespoons. 

Butter for Pie Crust: 7 ounces or 14 tablespoons

Umami Seasoning (I  use the one from Trader Joe’s). You can substitute with poultry seasoning, or your seasoning of choice). 

Rutabega: You can sub with potato, cauliflower florets or leave out.

 

 

The post Chicken Pot Pie with Flaky Pie Crust appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This is an old post, so it’s not my usual some of the pictures aren’t great, but I think ideas are more important at this time.

This post is about roast beef leftover recipes, but really it’s about much more.

A person blogs for many different reasons, but a serious blogger blogs with intention and purpose. I know that part of my recipes, my food story is the emotional story that burns inside of me.

Food helped to normalized or neutralize a very bizarre childhood, a ruffled life with a happy ending, which is why I like fairy tales and things like ruffled eggs.

Roast Beef Hash with Ruffled Egg

A ruffled egg is just what it means. It’s ruffled and quite adorable, looking like a little purse. The technique is easy and creates a perfectly poached egg, charming  atop roast beef hash, and quite a pleasant way to make a roast beef leftover recipe.

Or…Make Oven Fried Eggs.

Or…Make Poached Eggs. 

This version uses the roast beef, red pepper, potatoes, avocado and fresh squeeze of lime.

On another day, I created a roast beef leftover recipe with a more traditional approach.

Roast Beef Hash Version made with Potatoes, Peas, Onions and Oven fried eggs. If you never heard of oven fried eggs, you’ll thank me after you try this recipe. I’ve even made a video to prove how easy it is.

The roast beef hash is a treat for us, not that it’s hard. It’s too easy; it’s just that I don’t make many roast beef dinners.

These Roast Beef Dinners Make Great Roast Beef Leftovers

Italian Roast Beef

Italian Pot Roast

Ropa Viejo (Cuban Beef)

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Ragu made with Beef Cubes

Food and Food Childhood Memories 

We had roast beef on a lot of Sundays growing up, accompanied with mashed potatoes and gravy,  but every time I think about roast beef, I am reminded of a certain apartment we lived in and the times our family was happy.

Retro Rose is no longer with us. I’m actually relieved she passed away before this horrible virus, as she had COPD and was not one to stay home. This would have caused her enormous stress. Instead, she spent the last weekend of her life with us, dining out, eating my food, and her death was quick. She was still living by herself, driving, cooking her own meals. That is the best I could have hoped for.

Good memories with Retro Rose usually involved comfort food and this beef pie is something she would make and still makes.  Her version includes beans, but I left mine more simple.

Take any of the roast beef recipes and make Shepherd’s Pie. 

Beef Pie with Homemade Pie Crust (My Mom’s Version) Recipe for Pie and Herbed Pie Crust here.

Beef Pie from Scratch with Homemade Pie Crust

You probably know by now that I’ll find any excuse to throw together some pie crust. For a nuttier flavor profile, try my spelt pie crust. 

When we lived only with my father, we saw it a treat to have those frozen pot pies, but homemade is much better.

Beef Macaroni Soup is Good for the Soul Recipe HERE

Here is a soup that reminds me of childhood, but back then I didn’t eat beans and probably would have turned my nose. I’m grown up now and enjoy hearty soups like this beef marcaroni laced with kale.

A Deadly Gambling Addiction is Hard to Grow up Under.

My father was a gambler, but God Redeemed Him

My dad was warm, funny, smart and charming, but he was a gambler, and that part was no fun for us.

My happy ending with him didn’t come until nearly the very end of his life. Initially, he thought he was too far gone to be forgiven, but eventually with many daily conversations, he was able to see that the very crux of redemption is to be lifted and forgiven from our sins, our flaws, our foibles, our addictions, our dark sides with help from above, for none of us has what it takes to do that.  It’s a mysterious and beautiful concept that defies logic, crosses against the human mind and makes no sense, even to believers. I have found comfort in my father’s last words, thanking me for how I affected his spiritual life.

My Blessed, if Crooked Life

No one has a straight-lined, blessed life. Even the happiest people fall into ditches or get bee stings. (or people stings).

Everyone Searches for Hope.

My answer to everything harsh in life has been to create beauty, often but not limited to food. The ruffled egg is one of those pretty things in life that makes me happy.

I feel things too deeply sometimes.

One minute can change your life and catch you off guard. Look at what is happening now.

I decided my story would have a happy ending.

I made a decision long ago to seek out the kind of person that would relish a happy nest. We both made intentional decisions to be happy people. If this is not a decision, a day in anyone’s life can be a roller coaster, because you can’t control what others do. You can’t. You can only make a decision about how your own attitude.

It’s hard. Sometimes it feels like walking through sticky jello. Miserable people wading in quick sand  will try to  pull you in with them. But, if you keep walking towards the light, jello eventually melts and you end up a bit sweeter.

Right now, we all feel out of control. We’re all cooking more. I hope good food is giving you comfort.

And, what does this have to do with roast beef?

I always come back to food and its ability to create happiness.

I get to make roast beef dinners like the one in this picture and then savor the remains and create leftover roast beef recipes.

It’s the  power of a food memory. I’m so well aware of this, so devoted to creating good things in a kitchen. I revisited the roast beef situation and with the left overs, created a roast beef hash, doctored up with avocado and a ruffled egg.

It reminds me of  how useful leftovers are and how useful leftover memories can be if we take them and turn them around into something pretty

Print

Ruffled Egg with Roast Beef Hash for a Ruffled Life

Left over roast beef turns into tender hash, topped with ruffled eggs.

Course Brunch

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup left over roast beef
• 1 red boiled potato peeled cubed
• 2 shallots or 1 small onion
• 1 small jalapeno pepper or sweet pepper
• Tabasco sauce
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• In frying pan, saute onion or shallots until melted.
• Add pepper, seeded, diced.
• Add cubed potato until browned.
• Add in shredded or cubed roast beef.

Ruffled Egg

• Bring a large pot of water to a simmer.
• Spay or rub oil on Press n Seal plastic wrap.
• Add salt and then add an egg. Fold up wrap to make a little egg package.
• Place in simmering water for 4 1/2 minutes.

Assemble

• Put eggs on top of hash and serve with hot sauce.

Print

Beef Pie with Homemade Pie Crust

The best thing to make from Roast Beef is a beef pie with homemade pie crust.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Keyword lefover roast beef, roast beef, roastbeefrecipes

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 cups leftover roast beef
• 2 carrots medium dice
• 1 onion diced
• 1 celery diced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 cups beef broth can use juice left over from roast beef
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• salt
• pepper
• 2 tablespoons white wine

Pie Crust for double crusted pie (recipe found here)

Instructions

• You may have left over roasted potatoes and carrots to use in pie.
• Saute onions, celery, carrots in olive oil and butter until softened on low heat about 10 minutes.
• Add broth and diced potatoes and continue to cook in sauce pan until the vegetables are softened.
• Add wine to broth. Add roast beef.
• Add peas.
• Combine cold water and flour into a jar and shake.
• Add to broth and simmer until thickened about 10 minutes.
• Prepare pie crust in 9 inch pan or 4 smaller individual pans.
• Pour into pie crust and top with pie dough.
• Make slits into the top of the crust.
• Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.

The post My Favorite Leftover Roast Beef Recipes and Roast Beef Hash appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I just baked a few special apple pies in the last few weeks, and posted them to instagram.  As I was looking over my recipes, I could see that I tend to favor apple pie, and there is no one way to bake it.

The latest pie is the Cranberry Apple Pie, perfect for Christmas time, but put a heart cuttout in this baby and you stretch it’s appeal (apple appeal).

I am still working on my varied lattice top. You can only really do this with a tool like this.

Holiday Apple Pie. You can use any kind of cookie cutters to make your pie. Sometimes I use a berry jelly for the apples, but for this I used leftover cranberry sauce. The addition of nutmeg and cinnamon ensures those holiday flavors.

Caramelized Apple Tart. This tart is probably my favorite when I really want to go all out. The apples are made stove top with lot of brown sugar.

Bourbon Caramelized Apple Hand Pies (Do I really need to sell these to you).

Apple Pie from Scratch with Cinnamon, Lemon and Love and a Video

Apple Sweet Potato Pie. This is the most unique of the apples pies is diabetic friendly.

Iron Skillet Apple Pie is a Heart Warming Presentation

Not a cake. Not really a pie Swedish Apple Dessert.

If making pie crust makes you nervous, this is the dessert where you can shine!

You can also make the Swedish Apple Dessert in a Jar!

You can order these jars here. 

Apple Rosemary Galette for a rustic approach.

Apple Berry Pie Dessert from my Favorite Chefs. We threw in freshly picked blueberries and strawberries.

Apple Grape Tart which ushers in Fall and stays through Winter. This is a favorite of my apple desserts when I want something elegant.

You can order small pie pans here.

You can order a tart pan here. 

Apple Galette with Rosemary is one of the best apple desserts when you want to go rustic.

Apple Hand Pies is one of the best apple desserts for kids. They love these.

You can order Apple pie cutouts here.

Apple Dutch Baby which is not really dessert, but more of a brunch item, but it’s also one of my most popular posts.

I have 13 cast iron pans. You can order my favorite here. 

For the Gluten Free crowd, we have  Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Pandowdy made with my gluten free pie crust recipe. This is one of my best apple desserts using a gluten free flour.

As I make more apple desserts, I’ll be back to add them in. Right now I’m working on a grain free apple custard pie. Stay tuned. I always post on instagram first and would love to see you there.

More Apple Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Pie Recipes from Spinach Tiger

This post contains affiliate links which earn a small commission for Spinach Tiger.

The post My Best Apple Desserts with Decorative Pie Crusts appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Just when I thought I’ve baked berries every single way in a pastry crust, I found one more way to do it. Making mini pies in muffin tins is genius, but it wasn’t my idea.

I saw this in a magazine and I’m sorry to say, I can’t remember which one, but when I do I’ll tag them.  I just used my own pie recipes, and I love this idea. There is no need for a topping crust, but you could add a little decorative dough if you wanted to. I prefer to add fresh herbs to my mini pies.

Fruit Mini Pie Recipes in Muffin Tins are the PERFECT POTLUCK and Summer Party Dessert.

Mini Pies are so convenient, make great party desserts, and perfect for a potluck, a backyard party or a picnic.

You can take your favorite pie dough recipe or use this all purpose pie crust here or my gluten free pie dough here. In case you’re new here, I have mastered gluten free baking to the point that it’s standing on its own (not just good for gluten free). I practice a lot and what you see here is gluten free, but it doesn’t have to be. You can even buy rolled out dough if you need super easy.

The thing that is nice about these is that you can use any kind of berries or cherries you have and you can make up to 24 using a full pie recipe or you can make as little as six using scraps or part of pie dough recipe and freezing the rest for later.

You can also get creative and make pies to individual taste. I made these mini cherry pies with mascarpone cheese, but I made a few with just cherries. Instead of mascarpone I could have used this buttermilk pie recipe. 

In this cherry recipe, I used mascarpone cheese mixed with a little sweetener. I topped with jarred morello cherries. You can also use my regular cherry pie recipe.

The Muffin Pan for Mini Pies 

This muffin pan is a non-stick and will work well.

Next week, I’ll be picking my own blueberries at a farm right next door to me. It’s a yearly tradition, and if you do that too, I wrote about a lot of blueberry picking tips here.

Since blueberries are one of my favorite fruits, naturally, I’ve made more than my share of blueberry recipes.

This festive blueberry pie is also so cute. These can be made into mini pies easily.

You can take any of my pie recipes and make mini pies. Most will take twenty minutes to bake. There is a recipe for gluten free pie  gluten free pie crust (which is what I used) and for my all-purpose pie crust.

More Pie Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Print

Mini Pies Muffin Tins

Mini Pies in Muffin Tin are perfect for summer parties picnics and potlucks

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 24

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 recipe pie dough gluten free here (all-purpose flour here)
• 8 cups blueberries can use frozen, defrosted
• 6 tablespoons sugar or swerve
• juice of one lemon
• zest of one lemon
• 4 tablespoons instant tapioca or corn starch
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint or lemon thyme
• Tools:
• 4 inch cookie cutter

Instructions

• Mix zest into sugar with your fingers.
• Prepare Berries. You can toss frozen with lemon juice, zest, sugar (or swerve) and tapioca. Allow to defrost (about 15 minutes). Pour off any excess juice before putting in tins.
• Roll out pie dough. Cut 24 circles.
• Place each circle of dough into a muffin tin.
• Fill with berries.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Note: This post has amazon links which earn a small commission and help to keep Spinach Tiger up and running.

The post Berry Mini Fruit Pie Recipes in Muffin Tins appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

These are by far my favorite dessert of the year, so far. An apple pie is friendly and has always been synomous with hospitality. I’ve made plenty of them.  Here and here are my two favorites.

I’ll be honest with you. I’m going through a tough season. What was supposed to be a most joyful experience in remodeling my kitchen has turned very dark. The kitchen is beautiful, and I showed you my new beautiful, carrara marble countertops here.

However, there are many troubles unresolved with our remodel.  I’m not one that enjoys any kind of adversarial relationship. I forgive quickly and I would rather find a peaceful resolution than stand in court defending my truth.

Add to this, the devastation of Paris and I feel heavy hearted and anxious. I cannot get my mind around the heart of group evil and intentional destruction of a culture and of a people.

This is the time that we need to be extra loving towards our neighbors. We need to be a welcome mat, a healing ointment for each other.

Not only do we all have messy lives, we live in a fast, sound bite world where we can experience, sadness, hopelessness, opportunity, validation, and insult all in one afternoon.

It’s overwhelming,  and what is often missing is the absence of real in person relationships versus the many we form on social media.

I have heard people say that they actually refuse to speak on the phone to anyone, and will only text. But do you remember when a good phone call with a friend was the magic salve that made your  day better?

In my perfect world, all neighborhood’s would have sidewalks, and houses would have front porches. On any given day or night, you could take a walk and talk to a neighbor.

You would be invited in for a beverage, frequently. You would know the names of those people who lived around you and your children would have several “eyes” looking out for them.

People would walk together to the grocery store, talking and sharing the joys and trials of their lives. People would frequently deliver left over food or homemade goodies, just because.

I actually do have one such neighbor. The people that live next to us who are here from India have shown us what hospitality means. The day they moved in, they came and introduced themselves. We loved them for that immediately, because they demonstrated our value to them before they even met us.

We have been invited to their home for delicious food I don’t know how to cook several times.  I have sat and enjoyed tea with Priya many many times at her kitchen table. Their children play in my house, and I have on occasion made their birthday cakes. We have walked together, talked together and it’s comforting to have them next door. They brought this “style” of neighboring with them. It’s ingrained in who they are, and there are often a line of cars parked in front of their home as they welcome in friends.

I think we Americans used to be more like this, but then something happened as we purchased suburban homes and put up fences.

My prayer today is that we all reach out to our neighbors with love and perhaps with a sweet treat, like these apple hand pies.

The Hand Pies

I’ve made hand pies before, but this is a much different recipe. That recipe is made with raw apples and raspberry jam. In this recipe,  I cook the apples on top of the stove first, just like I did in this apple tart. I added a little bourbon in there, because it’s a bourbon week. Both are amazing.

You can tailor these pies to be gluten free like I did with these pumpkin pie hand pies.

So tell me, do you know your neighbors? Do you gather together? Do you send goodies over, just because?

Let’s Connect

Connect with me on Pinterest to see more Spinach Tiger recipes and, of course, instagram.

Please subscribe to see everything. I post frequently and I would hate for you to miss.

If you are on Periscope, the new live streaming app, I’m going to be streaming live cooking Thanksgiving Dinner. It will be in five minute episodes, the weekend BEFORE thanksgiving! So please get the app and follow me. It’s interactive, and you can ask questions. It’s so much fun!

Print

Bourbon Caramelized Apple Hand Pies

Hand pies with bourbon caramelized apple, made on the stove. Perfect for pot lucks. Can be prepared ahead, frozen and baked later.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 15

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Pie Filling

• 8 cups sliced Granny Smith apples
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant tapioca
• dash nutmeg
• juice of ½ lemon
• 1/4 cup white sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1¼ cups brown sugar
• ½ cup butter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 2 tablespoon milk or cream for brushing over pie before baking
• raw sugar for dusting top of pie

Pie Dough

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour see gluten free option here
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 15 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 to 6 tablespoons iced cold water enough to make dough shaggy

Instructions

• Peel and slice apples. I like them on thin side.
• Mix with lemon, 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar or enough to coat all apples.
• Add in tapioca, (it serves as the thickener).
• Melt butter in large frying pan.
• Add in brown sugar.
• Once it's melted into the butter, carefully add in bourbon (optional). 'Have a lid ready to cover as it may spike.
• Cook for about 5-8 minutes.
• Add in more cinnamon to taste.
• Cool. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor.

Pie Crust

• Place flour and cubed butter into freezer for 30 minutes.
• Using a food processor, mix flour, salt and sugar for a few seconds to evenly disperse.
• Add butter evenly in food processor. Mix on medium low speed for 10 seconds or until the butter is evenly dispersed, but still in tiny parts. You might want to
• Slowly add in the water and mix for 3-5 seconds. It will not look ready, but you can test this by pinching the mixture together and it should hold. If not add in one more tablespoon water. Pour this mixture into a plastic ziploc bag. Form together and refrigerate for at least one hour. It will magically turn into pie dough.
• Take out and allow to rest 15 minutes. Flour the dough and roll out.
• This will make enough pie dough for a double crusted pie or 12-20 hand pies, depending on size.

Assemble

• Take pie crust out of refrigerator. It will take about 15 minutes to warm up.
• Roll out on a floured surface. Use cookie cutter to cut discs into four inch rounds, smaller if you like.
• Brush the bottoms with milk. Add 1 to 3 teaspoons apple filling (depending on size) to middle.
• Before you place the top. put a slit or use another cutter to make a decorative imprint, making sure to have a steam vent on top. This helps prevent filling from spilling out sides.
• Put top on; press edges together.
• Brush with milk and sprinkle with raw sugar.
• Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
• See notes on freezing.

Notes

You can prepare these and freeze before baking.
Bake frozen, but remember to brush with milk and sprinkle sugar.
You can also pre-bake and freeze.

Note 2: I note it takes about 30 mins ACTIVE Prep time, but I like to refrigerate the pie dough and apples overnight. You do not have to, but I think dough is easier to work with and apples taste better.

More Hand Pies from Spinach Tiger

Pumpkin Pie Hand Pies, Gluten Free

Blueberry Mini Hand Pies with Spelt Pie Crust

Apple Hand Pies Laced with Raspberry Jam

The post Bourbon Caramelized Apple Hand Pies appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Before I get to the pie making, baking, I want to tell you about an interview I did for Foody Direct. You can go here to read the whole thing, which has way more information than my about page does right now. But, come back when you’re done, because we’ve gone blueberry crazy.

There are two ways to make a fresh blueberry pie. You can make a blueberry filling on top of the stove, or just put your fresh berries right into your pie dough. I vary it, and do all kinds of things with fresh blueberries.

If you want the stovetop method for a fresh blueberry pie, go here. If you want to skip the cooking and put the fresh berries right into the pie, I have that recipe for you too, right below.

You know the first thing you need for pie is pie crust. After much practice I can honestly say I can make pie crust with confidence. Please visit this pie crust post with a video which will give you all the tips you need. It’s easier than you think and it’s like riding a bike. Once you have it, you have it.

And, just in case you like variety, take a look at all the ways you can make a blueberry pie.

Here is a dreamy Blueberry Cream Tart, the kind you get in a French Bakery.

A good blueberry pie often starts with a great blueberry pie filling. Here is the cooked version.

Here is a way to make a fresh blueberry pie into what we in the South call a cobbler.

Blueberry Cobbler Pie

Blueberry Buttermilk Pie is not as sweet as chess pie, and very easy to make.

Blueberry Thyme Galette is the rustic version of a fresh blueberry pie.

Mixing berries with apples makes for a great look and texture. Apple Berry Pie.

The most popular blueberry anything with the twins are these hand pies. They ask for them all year long.

Cutting sugar? I’ve got you covered. Blueberry Cobbler Made with Stevia.

Blueberry Strawberry Tart is still a pie.

Today is July 4th, so I have to leave you with my American Pie Recipe, another version of Blueberry Pie.

But sometimes I think about cocktails, like this Blueberry Old Fashioned.

Need a gluten free blueberry dessert? Try this Gluten Free Blueberry Crisp

Or this, Blueberry Mascarpone Tart

So tell me, how do like your blueberry pie? I like mine with peach ice cream.

I would love to connect with you on instagram where I share lots of pictures that never make it here, and I’d love to see what you’re doing too. Feel free to ask any kind of cooking or baking question. I respond to everyone.

So please enjoy all the fresh blueberry pie you can possibly make!

Print

How to Make Fresh Blueberry Pie

How to Make a Fresh blueberry pie with many variations.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Blueberry Fillling

• 6 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup tapioca
• zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

Pie Dough Recipe found here

Instructions

Pie Dough

• Make pie dough according to instructions.
• Wash blueberries. Drain. Mix gently with lemon, zest, sugar, tapioca.

Assembly

• Roll out pie dough in circle. Put in pie pan. Fork holes in bottom. Pour in blueberries. Use remaining pie dough to make a lattice crust or make a regular crust.
• Bake for 40 -50 minutes at 400 degrees.

The post How to Make Fresh Blueberry Pie a Million Ways appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Berries are my favorite fruit, whether eaten alone or baked into pies and cobblers. I’ve recently backed some berry recipes using stevia instead of sugar.

I’m not suggesting that stevia is perfect as a sweetener, and there is a lot of controversy about it, especially, the processed stevia. However, for someone who cannot have any sugar and doesn’t want to consumer aspertame, stevia is a better choice. Here is a well-researched article discussing stevia and its safety.

In these recipes, you can substitute equal amounts of sugar, but always taste test for your own sweetness preference.

I bake with berries all year long because berry pies, tarts, cobblers are my favorite dessert, and discovered recently that frozen berries work just as well as fresh. I’ll admit that it takes a little playing around to get the amount right. Not enough and berries won’t be sweet; too much and there will be an after taste.

One way to boost the sweetness is to marinate the berries for several hours to overnight in the stevia. You have to taste them and adjust for your preference and keep in mind that berries lose sweetness when they bake. One way I got around this was to add in a few raw strawberries to the mix. They naturally sweeten things up.

Blackberries are more of a challenge, as they aren’t that sweet to start with and they usually need a lot of sugar, so I tend to add in about 25% more stevia.

I’ve only put pie crust toppers on these to keep the carbs low. This gives you a nice piece of pie in a jar for at most 150 calories. This means you can have dessert just about every night of the week!

If you don’t want to make jar recipes, you can do this. Just double the recipe. How pretty is this, and the pie crust was sensational. Some days it just turns out more perfect than other days. Use a half recipe of my perfect pie crust found here, with a video tutorial. If you want to make this healthier, try my spelt pie crust, also with a video tutorial. It’s nutty and I actually prefer it with berries.

So tell me, have you tried to bake with stevia before? Do you have dessert recipes with stevia? I’d love to hear about them.

Print

Healthy Blueberry Pie Jars Made with Stevia

Berry desserts made with stevia, as pies, tarts, cobblers

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 6 wide mouth half pint jars or 6 ramekins
• 1 12 ounce bag frozen berries or fresh
• handful strawberries optional
• 1/4 cup stevia in the raw
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon tapioca or cornstarch optional
• 1/4 recipe pie crust skip the sugar

Instructions

• Marinate berries for at least one hour in stevia and cinnamon.
• Roll out pie crust, cut out to your liking and refrigerate.
• Before baking add in tapioca for thickening
• You could put a bottom crust in, but I recommend not doing that. Fill berries in jars leaving one inch at least at the top.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees.

Notes

Play around and skip the pie crust, top with yogurt or whipped cream.

The post Berry Pie and Cobbler Recipes Using Stevia appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Nothing on this earth is as good as a homemade apple pie, baked from scratch,  and like a roast chicken,  it is universally loved. Have you ever met a person who doesn’t eat apple pie? I haven’t. Apple pie from scratch makes me go all out too. I want to make it sky high or turn it into a tart, and there always has to be ice cream.

In the Fall, I like to use the Autumn Leaves Cut out, but let your imagination run wild. You can choose stars and stripes, or even ghost cut-outs.  

What Makes an Apple Pie from Scratch Perfect?

Apple pie from scratch has to have balance, meaning, the pie crust has to be great, but so does that filling. I don’t like grocery store pies that are too sweet or too mushy. I make my apple pie only as sweet as I need it to be and not a drop of sugar more.

The only thing that I love more than plain old apple pie, is Christmas Apple Pie, where I use Christmas tree cookie cut outs to make the top crust and swirl in raspberry (or blackberry) preserves or jam to add color and additional flavor.

You could make this with an Autumn theme or just give it a plain crust, but I love to see the apples peaking through. You can go healthier by using this spelt pie crust.

This is not a super sweet recipe, and I wouldn’t change a thing, but you can certainly add more sugar or even replace the sugar and use stevia.

I have another amazing apple pie tart here where the apples are first cooked on top of the stove.

How about you. Do you have any good apple recipes? Leave me a link. I’d love to connect with you.

Ideas for Apple Pie from Scratch

• Add flavored jam as apricot for Fall, raspberry for Christmas, blueberry for Summer.
• Crush some graham crackers on the bottom of the pie between the pie dough and apples for crunch. Taylor Swift recommended that in what she calls her epic apple pie.
• Make individual tarts and put a cut-out on each top.
• Sprinkle with colored sugar.
• Mix fruit like grapes (recipe here).
• Bake Berries into the pie (recipe here).

More Ideas for Apple Pi

Print

Apple Pie from Scratch

The best apple pie all from scratch with options and fun crust outs using cookie cutters.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 double pie dough recipe see below
• 8 cups apples thinly sliced (see note)
• juice of half lemon
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons raw sugar
• 1 tablespoon tapioca or cornstarch

Pie Crust Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 15 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 6 tablespoons iced cold water

Finishing Pie

• 1 egg for egg wash

Instructions

Prepare Apples

• Peel, core and slice apples thinly
• Toss with lemon juice.
• Mix cinnamon into sugar. Toss with apples.
• Let sit for about an hour, while making pie dough. Refrigerate pie crust for at least 30 minutes.
• After an hour you’ll notice a juice from the apples is expelled.

Pie Crust Instructions

• Mix flour with salt and sugar.
• Cut in cold butter to pea sized pieces. Be careful not to smear butter. These little pieces will melt in oven, developing flakey pie crust.
• Slowly add cold water and mix until dough forms. I use a kitchen aid and stop while dough is still shaggy. It will come together once placed In plastic bag. If it seems too dry add a little more water. Press the dough together In the bag. Refrigerate for one hour or overnight.

Roll Out Pie Dough

• Take dough out of refrigerator and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Divide pie dough in two. Roll out pie dough for the bottom to about 1/8 inch thick. Roll out second piece of dough and place on parchment and put back in fridge.
• Place in bottom of pie pan. Fork bottom. Place in freezer for 10 minutes.
• Toss apple mixture with 1 tablespoon of tapioca or corn starch.
• Place into the pie.
• Take out second piece of dough, Either place over pie or do cut outs.
• Brush on egg wash (beat egg with a teaspoon of water). This will give a more golden glossy brown. Milk will help brown, but won't give a glossy appearance.
• Bake for 50 minutes at 400 degrees or until golden brown.

Notes

Apples: I use gala because I don’t need to add a lot of sugar; they don’t get too juicy, stay crisp. If you like juicier, mix gala (or that type of apple) with golden delicious.

For Christmas Apple Pie: Use Christmas cookie cut outs and two tablespoons of raspberry jam drizzled over the apples before you put the top on. To bring that Christmas flavor through even further, crush graham crackers on the top of the bottom crust before putting the apples on.

The post Apple Pie from Scratch appeared first on Spinach Tiger.