It Is Difficult To Think Anything...

"It is difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a home grown tomato."-Lewis Grizzard

 Dear blog readers, you must excuse me, I have not been at my best. I was gone for two weeks, and summer got in the way before I left. Recognize that song? In all seriousness I am very sorry and understand how frustrating it is when you check blogs and updates cease to happen. I will be catching up over the next couple of weeks and PROMISE at minimum a blog a week. I won't leave you in the lurch again my friends.

Enough apologies. Have you ever made oven roasted tomato sauce? Well, my friend Michala brought me the most beautiful, big, unevenly shaped heritage tomato and I was inspired! I have made pasta sauce before, many times and am almost always disappointed with the result. This time I winged it, and the results were superb! Best fresh tomato based sauce I have ever had! Now I am even more inspired to grow my own tomatoes on my deck next summer! My fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants recipe follows! Enjoy!
-m

In a glass baking dish lined with parchment (cause I hate brown baking dishes that were once crystal clear!) add as many tomatoes as you have on hand (I had one massive and two small...which yeilded just enough for two!) chopped into decent sized chunks. Drizzle with a good dose of olive oil, I used basil from Liquid Gold, season with sea salt and pepper. Then take a large clove of garlic, quartered and mashed with the blade of your knife. Toss in a few fresh basil leaves torn by hand and a pinch or oregano if you have some! You may also choose to add some chilies if you enjoy a little heat! Bake at 400 for an hour or so, or until tomatoes are very soft and falling apart. Allow to cool for a few minutes then toss into mixer or food processor and voila! Perfect on spaghetti or angle hair pasta!

If You Wish To Make An Apple Pie From Scratch...

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, first you must invent the universe."- Carl Sagan

Pies are a precarious things. Many people attempt them, many don't even bother and many buy the frozen variety. There is something time consuming and stressful about a pie crust, you really never know how it will turn out. If you are anything like me, you spend a whole day trying to touch it and mix it as little as possible in the hopes it is thick and flaky and doesn't collapse. There is just something comforting about a home made pie and I guess that is why we go to all the trouble.  Thanksgiving growing up wouldn't have been the same without mom's pumpkin pie, nor Christmas without apple. Pie was such an all time favorite in our house that both my sister and father opted out on birthday cakes in request of their favorite pie, leaving my mother to get up at crow-piss and make a masterpiece for them.

Recently my favorite guy was away on vacation so I thought I would make him his all time favorite pie...blueberry. I was talking about this at work and asking around to see if anyone had a decent recipe. That is when Sheila introduced me to a wonderful thing, The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Beranbaum.
Oh-ma-gahd, this book is the same size and weight as my Joy of Cooking, but where Irma B stocked hers full of every type of recipe you can think of and just a bit of every cultural food and dessert, Rose dedicated as many pages to pie and pastry ridden desserts. Sheila assured me, this book has never lead her wrong and that it was full of important tips. Did you know that pie crust should be cold when you fill it and then chilled an hour before you bake it?  Or that you should put a foil ring around the edge of your crust half way through so that it doesn't over-brown. I feel as though I have been waiting my whole life for these tips! Her blueberry pie was simple as can be and was a show stopper. Recipe follows pics! Forgive the side-ways pictures, haven't figured out how to flip I-phone pics yet!!
-m

Pie Bible's Blueberry Pie

Make a crust of your desire (2x9inch) and chill. Pre-heat oven to 425 and line a cookie sheet with tin foil (to avoid over flow ). In a mixing bowl add four cups of washed and dried blueberries, in a second bowl combine half a cup of sugar, two tsp of lemon zest,  two tbs of lemon juice, two tbs or corn starch and a pinch of salt. Mix up and then toss with blueberries until well coated. Transfer mix into bottom pie crust and apply top crust, tucking under moistened bottom edge and finishing with a fork or whatever you fancy. Chill for an hour. Bake for 40-50 min, applying a foil ring to the crust edge at 30 minutes to prevent from over browning. Allow to cool and set for at least 3-4 hours so you filling doesn't run like lava out of your delicious flaky crust!