Maple Walnut Pie

This is a very autumnal pie, with the nuts and the maple, but I decided I couldn’t wait that long to make it!

I have to say, the maple is rather an ingenious addition to the pie. I once made a pecan pie with walnuts (sounds like an oxymoron!) because they were the only nuts I had on hand. But it wasn’t very good because the walnut skin left the pie tasting a little bitter, and I vowed to stick with the sweeter pecans in the future. However, in this pie, the maple scent covers the bitterness really well and further brings out the full flavor of the nuts. I’d even say that it’s a notch above the regular ole pecan pie for me… This may just become one of my favorites! (Not in the least because it’s relatively simple to make.)

With a dollop of softly whipped cream. Mmmmm…heaven in your mouth!

Saturday morning brunch with fresh fruit and ham-egg toast cups. Yum!

Dried Cranberry Walnut Crostata

I am a bit distracted these days. Lots to do, but sorta lost as to how. As a side effect, I think that my posts will get shorter and shorter, until perhaps only the pictures remain… But the baking must go on! I find that it is a very “grounding” activity for me.

  

This, too, was for the office. We had some dried cranberries lying around, so I took them home and baked them into a crostata. It was very similar to the Christmas cranberry galette (I have no idea what makes one a galette and the other a crostata), except it was maybe a bit sweeter and crunchier. And less Christmassy for some reason. But just as delish!

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I was introduced to a new app that churns out a comic version of your picture. Pretty cool!

I love the juxtaposition of the comic and the real.

I almost expect the piece to taste “funny” :)

Shaker Lemon Pie

This was quite an unusual pie for me. I’d never heard of shaker lemon pie before, or even imagined a pie like this. But it seemed to be in the repertoire of concoctors of American cuisine, as evidenced by its presence in the Pie Bible and the websites of Martha Stewart and Smitten Kitchen, three authorities I have arbitrarily designated as all-American. So, definitely worth trying at least once!

It basically tastes like lemon marmalade pudding encased in pie crust. Interesting, right? And it’s super easy to make. The filling is just 2 lemons sliced paper thin, a terrifying amount of sugar (I think this was the most I’ve ever used for a single recipe), and eggs. And the result is a texture-ful, custardy pie that is mostly sweet, sorta sour, and slightly bitter (because of the pith, but I suppose that’s the beauty of any marmalade).

I took this pie to the office, and it disappeared within minutes. The happiest moment for a baker! Someone commented that it tasted like yuzu tea in a pie. At first I was like, oh this is way better than yuzu. But then I thought, yuzu! Brilliant! I think I might try this with yuzu next time, and invent a Korean variation ;)

Strawberry Lover’s Chiffon Pie

I realize I’ve become a lazy/narcissistic blogger. I used to post pictures of the pie-making process and write about how this or that went. The process is, I guess, no longer new or cool, and mistake-successes have become somewhat routine. I’m more concerned with how well it turned out (or didn’t). Now they’re all glamor shots (especially since Instagram) from various angles. Hahahahaha! So here’s another one.

Look at all those strawberries piled high!

 I would say the main purpose of the project/blog has been achieved – to have something to look forward to. Pie is perfect for that:)

 Strawberry lover’s chiffon – aptly named! It was bursting with strawberry flavor; like eating a strawberry cloud topped with more strawberry lusciousness. Mmmm… strawberry satisfaction!

The Bisou

I haven’t been able to update in a while because things have been crazy hectic; I moved! I recently moved out of my tiny, subtly depressing, all-in-one kitchen-bed/living/dining room and moved into a new, luxurious 3 bedroom apartment at the heart of Seoul. How that happened could serve as the basis of a really bad sitcom pilot. And I now know that the new year or another birthday doesn’t age you, house hunting and moving do.

I’m really happy I ended up here, though I wonder how long I can stay, and if I’ll ever live in such a gorgeous place ever again… But then, I decided to just enjoy it while I’m here:)

Anyway, I was long overdue for a treat.

 Bisou means “kiss” in French, the little peck on the cheek kind…

They do look like little kisses, don’t they?

There were a lot of layers to this one: basic flaky crust, orange curd, light sponge cake layer, cocoa meringue with chocolate lace topping. Delightful! (Though a pain to make!) Orange and chocolate make a strange combination, but somehow it works. Tart and rich…I think the sugar brings it all together.

I like to make my pies the day of because if there’s anything I can’t stand, it’s day-old pastry and cold fries. But I think this particular dish benefits from a day or two in the fridge, so that the flavors can mellow and mingle. The chocolate is deeper and the orange more citrusy. I guess the crust ends up a bit cardboardy, but that’s really not the highlight of this pie.

My sister (one of the very few more-or-less regular readers of this blog) is visiting from Nepal. I thought it was somewhat ironic that I make all this food for me and my friends, and sometimes random people, but I rarely cook for my family. It’s really their fault for living so far away!

So, I made boeuf bourguignon, the special-dinner-dish, gorgonzola twice-baked potatoes (by Bruno Albouze, my other favorite French chef!), and of course the bisou. It was a very French-themed meal:) Though I think I appreciated it more than my guests!

Blueberry Tart with Lemon Curd

I think it’s quite obvious that I’ve started using Instagram for my pictures. It’s pretty awesome! Just look at how the blueberries *pop*! I’m dubious about the pictures’ artistic value – not that they’re really supposed to have such value, but they do seem to be trying to, or at least pretending. But Instagram is so easy to use, even for a techno-illiterate like me. Just a click, a crop, and a quick touch of the buttons, and voila! Your very own hipster photo. I’m not easily taken by apps and stuff, but I must say I’m hooked. I can see why Facebook bought it for a billion dollars (ok, maybe it’s not worth quite that much, but I get the statement it’s making).

Doe makes an appearance to sniff around.

The creamy lemon curd and juicy blueberries were the perfect combination of tartness and freshness. (Let’s be glad it’s a pie and not a teenager.)

It was one of my favorite pies so far: simple, elegant… ideal:)

Kiwi Tart with Lime Curd

I love supermarkets. Lurrrrv them! How consumerist of me, I know. I should be declaring my allegiance to farmer’s markets and condemning those capitalist conglomerates. But to me, there’s nothing more exciting than strolling down aisle after aisle of produce and products. Particularly American supermarkets, with their seemingly infinite number of choices and possibilities… It’s all probably intimately tied to nostalgic childhood memories:) I remember my first time in an American supermarket after nearly a decade in Korea. I was so utterly excited, I made rounds and rounds scouring the place and soaking in everything, all the while thinking, “I could die here and I’d be happy.” Even so, I just ended up buying some peanut butter, jam, and bread. What can I say? I didn’t cook then. 

Korean supermarkets, for me, are more about the thrill of the find. Like when I find fresh blueberries from Chile, limes from America, and home-grown kiwi all at the same time. It’s like experiencing a solar eclipse! A celestial sign to make the kiwi-lime tart!

My friend asked me to make this tart way back in August when I first started the project, and I had it at the back of my mind until now. We’ve been friends a long time now, she and I; probably the oldest friend I have since she was my freshman year roommate. We’re not quite Chandler and Ross. Or Ted and Marshall. But we’ve kept in touch over the years. As I search over again for new living mates, I realize how lucky I’d been the first time! And as we chatted over coffee and tart, she told me that she’s getting a permanent roomie in the form of a hubby. It seems I get a wedding invitation every time I meet an old friend now. Is it strange that I’m more worried about my friends getting married than the pool of fish getting smaller? Who’ll be left to eat my pies?

The tartest one yet! >-<