Pizza.....Pie....and Pickin' Fruit

It was a nice day.   We had gray skies, with some scattered showers.   A perfect day to stay home and cook.  I dropped Noah to school, carrying his umbrella and stomping in every puddle he could find along the way.  Then came home and made this yummy pie I had seen on a sweet friend's blog.

The Beehive Cottage

Maryjane is crazy talented and has such a charming blog.  Do go visit her.  Her recipe is as follows:

Buttermilk Pie, Oh My!

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"Pat in the Pan" Pie Crust

(you can also use a frozen pie crust)

2 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cup oil

2 T milk

1 1/2 t salt

Mix together and "pat" into the pan and make a pretty edge. set aside.

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Pie Filling

Mix together until frothy:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup melted butter - cool and drizzle in bowl

1 t vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

(no buttermilk? Make your own:

1 cup milk & 2 T cider vinegar. Stir, chill.-Martha Stewart)

2 T flour

4 eggs

Pour into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or by tapping the side of the pie pan and center barely moves.

Make sure you take your first bite when it is a bit warm! Oh, so good!

It reminded me of a custard pie, which is an all time favorite of mine.   I have never made a custard pie before, but every time I happen to visit a diner, and there is homemade custard pie in the case, I have to have a slice!!!!  Mmmmmm!   This pie did not disappoint!!!!

 It only takes a few simple ingredients.  I just happened to have one pie crust left over in the fridge, so I whipped this pie up in no time.

I always have fresh eggs these days, thanks to my girls.    These were brought in just this morning.  Whisk ingredients together, and pour into prepared pie crust.  The only thing I did differently, was add a generous amount of fresh ground nutmeg.  Both to the pie while mixing, and then I dusted the top with it as well.  Whole nutmeg can be hard to find, and also quite expensive.  But the flavor is so far superior to the ground nutmeg you buy.  I have noticed that almost every market now carries a section where they feature some spices in the cellophane bags for far less than you can buy them in the spice aisle.  I buy whole nutmeg this way, and then keep it in a sealed jar in my spice drawer. 

 I could have used my smaller pie plate, and not had so much crust showing.  Next time I will use a differnt dish, or make more custard to fill the shell.

Pop it into the oven for 45 minutes.  The aroma will keep you watching the clock, because you will be so anxious to  have a slice!!

It came out of the oven with a beautiful caremelized top on it.  When I cut into it, that little bit of a crust on top reminded me of a creme brulee.  And when I bit into it, the flavor was a cross between a traditional custard pie and a creme brulee.  It was divine!

Both of my girls were here this afternoon, and they each had a slice.  Here is what they thought....

Yep, I would say they enjoyed it.  Nice mani Eri!!
After the pie devouring, we got our wellies on and went out back to pick fruit.  Clairey was first to be ready to go.

 I love the way they are all sort of stooping over to look at the chickens.  Can you see Tillie way over there on the park bench?  Silly chickens!  We need to get Noah a pair of Wellies so he can stomp in the mud too! 
Genny got the picker, and I got the wagon, and off we went.  The kids were big helpers!

 And they had some silly fun too.

I was surprised at how good Gennifer was at picking!  In all of her years growing up here, I don't believe she ever picked a single avocado.  Once.  Ever!

They filled up the wagon, and then it took the three of them to push, pull and guide the wagon back into the yard.

After the kids all went home, I made a pizza for dinner.  I like to buy a couple of pizza dough balls at a time, and keep some in the freezer for those days when I don't want to make a big dinner.  They defrost quick, and you can make a pizza with just about anything.  I made mine with red pepper rings, mushrooms, tomatoes, mozzarella, and ham.  Tonight I didn't even bother with a pizza pan.  I just put some cornmeal down on a heavy duty tray and pressed the dough out into a rough rustic rectangle. 

I baked it at 425 for about 16 minutes.  When it came out of the oven, I slid it off onto the butcher block so that I could cut it into squares.

Then I topped it with fresh spicy arugula and parmesan cheese with a light drizzle of olive oil.   Delicious!

 Bon Appetit!
XO  Kris