• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 10 ounces sliced crimini mushrooms (I bought pre-sliced)
• 1 large onion
• 6 slices fakin’ bacon (or 4 of real bacon if not being fed to vegetarians)
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• about 4 ounces Swiss cheese
• about 1 teaspoon fresh dill
• 2 crusts for double-crust pie

1. Preheat the oven to 350°
2. Shred the cheese
3. Peel and chop the onion
4. Chop the fakin’ bacon into about half inch pieces
5. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat
6. Add the mushrooms, onion, and bacon
7. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes until vegetables are tender
8. Reduce heat to medium
9. Add the cream and dill
10. Cook and stir for about 10 minutes
11. Remove from heat
12. Stir in the cheese
13. Pour mushroom mixture into a pie crust
14. Cover with top pie crust and flute the edge to seal
15. Score the crust so steam can vent
16. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until crust is done

Crust

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flou
• ¼ cup semolina flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
• ¼ cup ice water
• ½ teaspoon cider vinegar
• cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Chill butter, then cut into small pieces
3. Combine all-purpose flour, semolina flour, sugar, and salt in food processor
4. Add butter and vegetable shortening
5. Process until the mixture is a course meal
6. Combine ice water and vinegar
7. Add vinegar-water mixture to flour
8. Mix with a fork until well combined
9. Coat a deep dish pie plate with cooking spray
10. Press mixture into pie plate and up the sides
11. Bake for about 5 minutes
12. Cool on a wire rack

Filling and Pie

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 12 ounces uncooked, deveined shrimp
• ¼ cup cream cheese
• ½ cup egg substitute
• 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 2 ounces Havarti cheese
• fresh dill
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Chop shrimp into bite sized pieces
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat
3. Add shrimp and cook until you’re sure it’s cooked
4. Combine cream cheese and ¼ cup of egg substitute in a mixing bowl
5. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended
6. Add flour and beat one minute minute
7. Add remaining egg substitute and milk and beat until mixed
8. Stir in shrimp, Havarti cheese, dill and salt
9. Pour mixture into crust
10. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes (or until set)

• 1 pie crust
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 leeks
• 1 pinch salt (to taste)
• 1 pinch pepper (to taste)
• 1 cup cream
• 1 1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (more or less)

1. preheat oven to 375°
2. grate the Gruyere
3. chop the leeks
4. melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat
5. add leeks
6. cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until soft
7. reduce heat to low
8. add salt and pepper
9. stir in cream and shredded Gruyere cheese
10. heat on low until mixture is warmed through
11. pour mixture into the pie shell
12. bake for 30 minutes, or until the custard is set and golden on top

Ingredients

• 3 cups half and half
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup couscous
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 crumb crust
• 1/2 cup apricot preserves

1. lightly beat egg yolks
2. chop dried apricots finely
3. combine half and half, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan
4. bring pot just to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low
5. slowly drizzle about 1/2 cup of the half and half mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly
6. whisk the egg yolks into the saucepan
7. add the couscous, dried apricots, and nutmeg and stir to combine
8. simmer, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and almost all the liquid has been absorbed (about 5 to 7 minutes)
9. remove the pan from the heat
10. stir in the vanilla
11. scrape the mixture into the crumb crust
12. in a food processor, process the apricot preserves until smooth
13. spread the preserves over the pie with a spatula
14. wrap in plastic wrap
15. refrigerate at least 3 hours

No photos, because I didn’t have space on the memory card for my camera.

]]> http://www.kingrat.us/2011/05/apricot-couscous-pie/feed 0 http://www.kingrat.us/2011/04/may-i-pie http://www.kingrat.us/2011/04/may-i-pie#comments Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:13:26 +0000 King Rat http://www.kingrat.us/?p=20083 Continue reading →]]> Hello! May I feed you some pie?

Photo by Paul David Gibson (CC By-Nc)

Yes, it’s time for Pie Night again. Come to Voxx Coffee on Eastlake Ave on May 7th at 7:30 p.m. for a pie extravaganza!

The concept for Pie Night is simple. I make lots of pie (10 pies for the last pie night, plus another dozen brought by others) and people eat pie. There is no charge for Pie Night.

Pie Night starts at 7:30 p.m. sharp and ends at 10:00 p.m. Please arrive promptly. I will not save pie for you. As noted, Pie Night itself is free. Beverages, including beer and wine, are available from Voxx Coffee for reasonable prices. Pie Night welcomes your pies if you have made them yourself; no store-purchased pies please. Pie accessories such as whipped or iced cream are welcome. Children are welcome so long as you don’t mind them listening to adult conversations.

For those who have dietary restrictions, let me know when you R.S.V.P. so that I may accommodate you. I’m quite happy to make dairy-free and gluten-free pies and can likely deal with other issues as well.

Please invite your friends or forward this invite. I started Pie Night to meet people!

I do request R.S.V.P.s so that I can provide pie for everyone. To R.S.V.P., comment on this post on my blog or LiveJournal, or add yourself to the Pie Night Facebook event.

Photo by Jessie Lynn McMains (CC By-Nc-Nd)

The next Pie Night will be Saturday the 15th of January at 7:30 PM.

What is Pie Night? Pie Night is where I make a lot of pie in a glorious attempt to buy friends. If I can be bribed by pie, I figure a lot of other people can be too. Feel free to bring your own pies (not store bought), though this is by no means required. The only requirement for attendance is that you eat pie!

Please note the start time and the location! There are some changes this time around. Voxx Coffee (Facebook) has graciously agreed to provide the space free of charge. The start time is a little later than previous start times as well. We’ll have 2½ hours to consume pie. Please do not bring beverages. Voxx has beverages (including beer and wine) at reasonable prices.

Please respond here or add yourself to the Pie Night Facebook event if you intend to come! Invite your friends too.

It’s a bit shorter notice than previous incarnations, but here’s the official announcement/invite to the next Pie Night! It will be Friday, June 18th, running officially from 3 p.m. until whenever. Show up any time before the pie is consumed. Location will be my place; the pool if it’s sunny, inside if not. Take off from work early and enjoy a bit of sun and tasty pastries. Please state if you are planning to come and if you are bringing a pie in comments.

What is Pie Night? Do you need to ask? It’s all about pie! I make pie. Other people make pie. People eat pie. You do not have to bring pie. You have to eat pie if you come.

Really, that’s all there is to it.

My address: 2301 Fairview Ave E, Seattle.

Oh, and to answer the inevitable question: no I do not know what pies I will make. I never decide until a day or two before.

Photo by Heather Katsoulis, used under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike license.

A Slice of Lemon Meringue Pie

Do you like pie? Then come to pie night! Friends and enemies alike are welcome!

You can bring a pie, but you don’t have to. If you do bring a pie, please make/assemble it yourself; purchasing a pie at Whole Foods is verboten. Feel free to bring beverages, whipped cream, ice cream, or other pie accoutrements.

Where? 2301 Fairview Ave E in Seattle. Ring WEISS on the call board.

Please note in the comments here or add yourself to the Easy as Pie Night Facebook event if you plan to come, and if you plan to bring pie. I need to know approximately how many pies to make.

Any last minute questions or need of directions? Call 206-607-9177.

Image A Slice of Lemon Meringue Pie by Daniel Greene used under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 2.0 License.

• Single shell pie crust
• 1 egg white
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 6 medium sweet onions
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• ½ ounce Gruyère cheese
• pitted Manzanilla olives

1. Pre-bake the pie crust
2. Lightly beat egg white
3. While still warm, brush the crust with egg white
4. Peel and thinly slice onions
5. In skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over low heat
6. Add onions
7. Sprinkle onions with sugar, salt, and pepper
8. Cover and cook without stirring on lowest possible heat 45 minutes
9. Shred Gruyère cheese finely
10. Preheat oven to 400°
11. Raise heat on onions to medium
12. Stir and cook onions until all liquid has evaporated and they are golden
13. Turn heat to low
14. Add garlic and thyme
15. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes
16. Fill pie shell with onion mixture
17. Sprinkle with Gruyère cheese
18. Place olives on top
19. Bake for 20 minutes or so (until cheese is melted and top is brown)

The result was heavenly. Several folks told me it was the best of the 20 or so pies we had at the last Pie Night. It might become one of my staple pies. Easy to make and so very very tasty.

Doesn't pie look tasty?

Pietoberfest, the next Pie Night is October 17th, officially from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.

What is Pie Night? It is a celebration of pie! People come over, and then we eat pie. Sometimes before the sugar crash hits, we converse. There are fruit pies, cream pies, chocolate pies, and meat pies. There are all sorts of pies.

This time I am going to post the rules in the the form of frequently asked questions, because people never seem to read them if they are rules.

Do I have to bring pie?

No. You do not have to bring a pie. I will make enough pie.

Can I bring pie?

Yes, you can bring pie.

Can I bring a cake?

No.

What about cookies? What about cake-pie?

The concept is Pie Night. Every time there’s some joker who thinks it’s funny to ask these questions. It’s about as funny as Jay Leno. If you ask these questions I will revoke your license to breed.

My pie didn’t turn out. I forgot. I ran out of time. What’s the nearest store so I can pick up a pie?

The nearest store for approved Pie Night store-purchased pies is in Chaiten, Chile, which is currently evacuated due to volcano eruption. In other words, do not bring a pie from a store! This is to encourage people to attempt their own pies. If you don’t make a pie, just come and eat pie.

Can I bring anything?

Ice cream and beverages are always welcome, particularly alcoholic beverages. I do not drink, so you don’t want me picking out your alcohol.

Can I bring friends?

Yes.

Can I bring my kids?

If you don’t mind your kids hearing ribald discussion, yes.

Should I R.S.V.P.?

Yes yes yes! Please let me know in the comments or on the Pietoberfest Facebook event if you intend to come, how many friends you plan to bring, and whether you intend to bring pie. I need to know how much pie to make. I don’t mind a few last minute additions or cancellations, but if I end up with 50 people when I expected 25, you may not get pie.

When is it again?

Saturday, October 17th, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. (come early if you want, though)

Where is it?

My condo. It’s small but we’re all friends, right? 2301 Fairview Ave E. Ring WEISS on the call box out front.

Image Long Slice of Pie Ala Mode 4 of 4 by cobalt123 used under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 2.0 license.