Desserts

International Pi(e) Day: Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

We’re just days away from International Pi(e) Day, March 14.

Get it? Pi? 3.14?

Oh stop rolling your eyes at me. Focus, people. On Pi(e) Day, we eat Pie.

PIE.

My office is observing Pi(e) Day this Friday afternoon with a pie-themed happy hour. Presuming I can find rhubarb (which is in season starting in March), I’m planning to make one of my favorite pies, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie from Beantown Baker.

I love rhubarb. It’s a weird little vegetable that looks like pink or red celery, but is (usually) used like fruit. It’s great in desserts, from pie and tarts to sorbet, but it also works well in savory dishes, such as chutney for pork.

The tartness of rhubarb are a fantastic complement to the sweetness of strawberries, which is why they’re often paired together. Tossing the fruit in sugar draws out the excess liquid, keeping the pie crust from getting soggy.

Lattice work is easier than it looks. Bon Appetit has a great primer here.

Looking for a non-fruit option for Pi(e) Day? French Silk Pie is like dark chocolate pudding, but in pie form. Delicious. :)

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

From Beantown Baker

2 cups diced fresh rhubarb stalks
3 cups diced fresh hulled strawberries
1 cup sugar, divided
Choice of double-layer pie crust
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamom or orange peel, if desired
1/4 cup cornstarch
very small pinch of salt
1 beaten egg

In large bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, and 1/2 c. sugar. Toss to combine well and set into colander over sink or bowl and let drain for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare pie plate. Roll out 1/2 recipe of dough and line bottom of pie plate.

In large clean bowl, combine strawberry and rhubarb that have been drained with remaining sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, pinch of salt and cornstarch. Toss to combine well and add to pie shell, smoothing out evenly.

Roll out remaining pie dough and lattice top the pie filling.

Brush lattice with beaten egg and place pie into oven. Let cook for 20 minutes, then place a piece of tinfoil loosely over the top. Continue cooking until filling is cooked through and bubbling, about 50 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.

Angel Food Cake

Buzzfeed recently declared cake as one of fifteen signs it’s going to be a great day. (And btw, big shout-out to my college town, Lincoln, Nebraska, for making the list at #2. Whoever is responsible for your marketing is pretty fantastic).

And you know what, Buzzfeed? You’re totally right.

Cupcakes and cake pops may be the “it” treats, but there’s something special about a whole cake.

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like people treat cupcakes as a grab-and-go, individual treat. Or maybe it’s just that cupcakes have become so commonplace, they’ve lost their charm. After all, if every sandwich shop, bakery, and food truck within a mile of your office sells cupcakes, what’s the big deal?

With cake, people linger. They grab another beer, share another joke. Magically, the cake becomes the focal point of the gathering.

(Who me, melodramatic? No way.) And good cake disappears faster than any cupcake I’ve ever made.

The raison d’être for yesterday’s purple and green cake was a Mardi Gras-themed happy hour. I opted for angel food cake (with a little food coloring folded in for fun), topped with fresh whipped cream. People loved it, and I received more than one request for a pink variation on Valentine’s Day.

Angel food cake is a classic, simple dessert that requires only a few ingredients. I especially love it in the summer with fresh berries.

Angel food is essentially meringue with flour folded in. You’ll need an ungreased 9-inch tube pan and a bottle with a narrow neck (beer generally works better than wine) for cooling the cake. If you have it, use a stand mixer, but it can be made with a handheld mixer. The flour is then folded in with a rubber spatula.

Most cakes contain baking soda and/or powder and will rise in the oven; with angel food, the cake is only as high as the batter. The goal, then, is to keep the batter “big.” The more you beat or stir the mix, the more air you will release, causing the batter to shrink. To fold the batter, make a few figure-8’s while keeping the handle of your spatula vertical. Don’t over-mix.

After beating the egg whites, add the sugar in a steady stream.

Beat the batter until medium to stiff peaks form.

When folding, keep the spatula vertical, moving in a figure-8 motion, with as few strokes as possible.

Food coloring adds playfulness to a simple dessert.

I was told there would be cake… because I volunteered to bring it.

Angel Food Cake

Adapted from Baking, by James Peterson

Makes one 9-inch tube cake

15 egg whites (2 cups)
Pinch of cream of tarter (unless using a copper bowl)
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 1/4 cups cake flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar on medium-high speed n a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment for about 3 minutes, or with a handheld mixer on high for about 8 minutes, until medium peaks form. Add the sugar in a steady stream and beat for about 2 minutes more in a stand mixer or 5 minutes more with a handheld mixer, until medium to stiff peaks form. It’s better to underbeat slightly than to overbeat.

Sprinkle the lemon juice over the egg white mixture. Sift the flour over the mixture in about 4 batches, alternating between adding flour and folding the batter until the flour is no longer visible.

Carefully transfer the batter to an ungreased 9-inch tube pan. Cut a knife through the batter to release trapped air. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a paring knife or skewer comes out clean and the top of the cake feels firm and springs back to the touch.

Turn the tube pan upside down and set over the neck of a bottle to cool for 45 minutes. Slide a knife around the outside rim of the pan and remove the outer piece of the pan. Slide the knife around the bottom of the base and around the tube in the middle. Invert the cake onto a cake rack and lift off the pan. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

For whipped cream, beat 1 cup of heavy whipping cream on high with an electric mixer. When soft peaks form, add 2 tablespoons sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Pumpkin is a staple in my kitchen in the fall, but I’ve been making this quick bread year-round for years.

The combination of pumpkin and chocolate never fails to raise eyebrows, but if you try it, you too will become a believer. It’s equally delicious with butter or cream cheese, served for breakfast, dessert, or a snack.

Pumpkin chocolate chip bread is an example of a quick bread, which uses baking soda and/or baking powder as leavening (as opposed to yeast). When working with quick breads, avoid overmixing. Mix by hand until the batter should be just combined; 40 strokes is a good rule of thumb.

I love that that this recipe makes two loaves. I typically give one as a gift, but it also freezes well. To do so, wrap first in plastic wrap, then foil, and then place in a freezer-grade zip-top plastic bag. To thaw, remove the plastic wrap layer, re-wrap in foil, and place in a warm oven.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Adapted from Cooking Light

Makes 2 loaves, 16 slices each

1 3/4 c sugar
2 c canned pumpkin (1 15-oz can)
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c vanilla pudding
4 large egg whites
3 c flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 c semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 8″ x 4″ loaf pans with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, pudding and egg whites, stirring well with a whisk. In a medium bowl, combine try ingredients (through baking soda). Add flour mixture to pumpkin, stirring until just moist. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 70-75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place pans on a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Slide a knife around the inside of the pans and remove the loaves. Cool completely on a wire rack.