Mini Peach Galettes

With a fridge full of peaches that were ready to be eaten, I had to find another way to use them up. (My personal favorite is to cut up the peaches into bite sized pieces, sprinkle with a little sugar & let them sit for an hour. Then, add a little half & half.... MMMMM.....) The addition of cinnamon to the recipe makes it perfect for fall!

I definitely recommend using the parchment - I had run out, and had some difficulty with the galettes sticking to the pan. Still tasted delicious, but they weren't all pretty!



MINI PEACH GALETTES (Idea from The Comfort of Cooking)
Makes 4 Galettes

Dough for 1 pie crust (I use a butter based pie crust), divided into 4 pieces

2 fresh peaches, sliced into approximately 10-12 slices each
Blackberries (optional)
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
4 tbsp. graham cracker crumbs

Heat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Coat lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix sugar & cinnamon in a small bowl, set aside

Roll out each piece of dough into a 6-8 inch circle.

Place 1 tbsp. of graham cracker crumbs in the center of each crust. Place approximately 5 peach slices onto the crust. Sprinkle approximately 1/2 tablespoon of sugar mixture on top of peaches. Fold the edge of each crust up and over peaches. Sprinkle each pie with a small amount of the sugar mixture.

Bake 25 minutes, until pies are golden brown. Let cool 3 minutes before serving.

ENJOY!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I have to thank my mother-in-law for this pie. When I was home a week ago, she asked if I wanted her rhubarb - she didn't plan on using it & she knows how much I enjoy baking with it (and making my Great-Grandma's Jam, which I'm sure I'll be making soon!)

It's not too weird to get rhubarb & other garden goods from family, but not many people fly across the country with it! I'm sure the guys at security wondered why my carry on bag was over 1/2 full of rhubarb stalks! (That, and a wonderful new bundt cake pan that I can't wait to use! I'll also blog about that later...)

Between the wonderful rhubarb from my in-laws, and a large crate of strawberries from Costco, I knew I had to make a pie!

The flavor of this pie is wonderful! However, I don't think I baked it quite long enough as the bottom of the crust wasn't coming out of the pan as easily as I would have liked. Also, the filling was quite runny (which I know can happen from a fresh fruit filling) Either way, if you don't mind it in more of a crumble form in your dish, you'll love this pie!



STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE (Adapted from AllRecipes)
Makes 1 pie

1 cup white sugar
3 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 pints fresh strawberries, sliced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons white sugar

Preheat oven to 400F.

In saucepan, combine rhubarb, sugar & cornstarch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn heat down, and simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Turn off heat

Stir in strawberries & vanilla. Place filling in pie crust, and cover with top crust. Cut slits in crust if using a solid top crust.

Apply yolk to top of pie with a pastry brush. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly and brown. Cool on rack.



DOUBLE PIE CRUST
Makes 2 single crusts or 1 double crust

1 cup unsalted butter, chilled & cut into pieces
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup ice water

Combine flour and sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Add butter pieces & blend until just combined.

Slowly pour in cool water while processor is running - stop when dough forms crumbles.

Lightly knead dough until it forms a ball. Divide dough into two parts. Flatten each part into a disk.

When rolling out dough - I use a few spoonfuls of powdered sugar instead of flour to prevent sticking - it prevents an overly "floury" taste to the dough and makes the dough a little sweeter.

ENJOY!

French Silk Pie

French Silk Pie is one of my hubby's favorite desserts. I think it was one of the first desserts I made for him (this, or Lemon Meringue, his other favorite). It's actually quite easy to make, and is soooooo good!

I made individual "pies" for Easter - I placed all of the filling into a large pastry bag, then divided it between 8 chocolate bowls. They were stored in the fridge. Right before serving, I took them out, used my new, fancy smancy Whipped Cream Dispenser (like coffee shops have!) to make them pretty, and served them. Quick, easy to serve, and easy to clean up. They were extremely rich in the chocolate bowls, but no one complained.

FRENCH SILK PIE FILLING (Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book)
Makes 1 pie (8 servings)

1 cup whipping cream
6 oz semi sweet chocolate squares, chopped
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 beaten egg yolks
3 tablespoons whipping cream

In a medium heavy saucepan, combine 1 cup whipping cream, chocolate pieces, butter and sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted (approx 10 minutes). Remove from heat.

Gradually stir half of the chocolate mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Return egg mixture to chocolate mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously, until mixture is slightly thickened and begins to bubble (approx 5 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in additional 3 tablespoons of whipping cream.

Place the saucepan into a bowl of ice water, stirring occasionally, until the mixture stiffens, and becomes hard to stir (about 20 minutes).

Transfer chocolate mixture to mixing bowl.

Beat cooled chocolate mixer on medium to high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light & fluffy.



Spread into pie crust (or individual bowls, in my case). Cover & refrigerate for 5-24 hours.

To serve, top with whipped cream.

Enjoy!