Sweet + Salty Pie with Black Himalayan Salt + Maple-Bourbon Whoop

Sweet + Salty Pie with Black Himalayan Salt + Maple-Bourbon Whoop

To me, pie is the ultimate food group of the Thanksgiving meal. I can safely say that every year I way over-do it with how many pies I make. The number of them grow to the point that we have more pies than side dishes. Typically there is a bourbon-chocolate chip-pecan pie, buttermilk pie, salted caramel apple pie, crack pie, and either a sweet potato or pumpkin pie. In other words, we have a veritable array  of a pie pupu platter. So, my goal this year was to get started on making up a new dessert to add into the mix. We all know that I am mildly obsessed with the combination of sweet + salty... I top my cookies and coffee with salt and it is practically a scientific fact that salt makes all desserts better. You bet your sweet ass it does. And this pie, well, it hits that note perfectly. The base of this pie is primarily made up of brown sugar, brown butter, eggs, cream, and bourbon. Isn't that music to y'all's ears? After I whip up the custard-like base, I pour it into my go-to vanilla bean crust and bake it until it just has the slightest jiggle in the center. What is so glorious about this pie is the different textures that come about... you have the flaky crust, the smooth center, and the perfect crackly crust on top. It reminds me of a damn-good brownie where it is gooey underneath and slightly crisp above that. After you let the pie set and chill, it's time to brush the top of it with something sticky... you can use light or dark corn syrup, a little bit of brown butter, honey, or maple syrup. Just a little dab will do ya because you only need it as a way for the black himalayan salt to stick to it while you slice + eat it. Now any fancy/flaky/rock salt will work. The first time I made this recipe, I opted to use flaky smoked fleur de sel and it tasted great, but it blended in with the color of the pie and I wanted a contrast of color because we all eat with our eyes first. When I made it a second time, I decided that the black himalayan salt would be the perfect garnish (and it was). Now you might think that having such big pieces of salt would make the pie overly savory, but it doesn't... it only balances it more! Finally when we got around to eating the finished product, I topped it with my Maple-Bourbon Whoop, which is just a fancy whipped cream that is spiked with maple syrup + bourbon. From the different textures to its flavor profile, this pie is an overall winner, and it would make the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table!! Enjoy :)

rolling out my vanilla bean pastry crust

and pouring in the luscious custard base 

look at that crackly crust :)

For the Homemade Crust:

1 ¼C AP Flour (plus extra for rolling)

½t Salt

1 ½t Sugar

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Very Cold

3-4T Ice Water

For the Sweet + Salty Pie:

1lb Dark Brown Sugar

4 Large Eggs

¼C Heavy Cream

½t Vanilla Extract

1t Bourbon

¼t Kosher Salt

4T Brown Butter (melted and cooled some)

Light or Dark Corn Syrup, Honey, Brown Butter, or Maple Syrup (for brushing)

Black Himalayan Salt (or any fancy salt), For Sprinkling (the topping)

For the Bourbon-Maple Whoop:

1C Heavy Cream

¼C Grade B Maple Syrup

2-3T Bourbon

Directions:

1. For the Homemade Crust: Start by cutting the sticks of butter into ½inch cubes and placing in the freezer bag, along with the flour, salt, and sugar. Place the bag of flour into the freezer and chill for at least 1-2 hours. In a food processor, pour the frozen flour bag in and pulse 6-8 times until the mixture resembles a course meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add water 1T at a time, pulsing until the mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch of some of the crumbly dough and it holds together then it’s ready. Remove the dough from the machine and place on a clean surface. Shape the dough into a disc. Do not over knead the dough. You should still be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. Cut the dough into 4 small balls and sprinkle the discs with a little flour on all sides and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour. Remove the discs from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disc. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12inch circle (1/8inch thick). Place rolled out disc on to a deep dish spring form pan, lining up the fold with the center of the pan, trimming the excess and crimping the edges. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. For the Pie Filling: In the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, blend together the dark brown sugar, eggs, heavy cream, vanilla, bourbon, and kosher salt until completely blended and smooth. With the machine running, slowly stream in the melted brown butter until it is all completely incorporated.

4. Baking the Pie: Pour the custard into the prepared pie shell and bake for convection for 30-45 minutes (depending on your oven), or until the pie is puffed and golden brown, if shaken, it will jiggle a little bit but will not be liquid at all.

5. For the Maple-Bourbon Whoop: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream and maple syrup together on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Whisk in the whiskey 1T at a time. With the mixer on high speed, continue whipping until medium-stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

6. Allow the pie to cool completely before cutting. Once it has cooled, brush the top with one of the sticky substances (corn syrup, honey, butter, or maple syrup) and sprinkle the top with the black Himalayan salt. Serve a slice of pie with some maple-bourbon whipped cream.

Cranberry Pepper Jelly + Goat Cheese Baked Brie Bites

Cranberry Pepper Jelly + Goat Cheese Baked Brie Bites

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, y'all. I can't even contain my excitement, literally. I also have Friendsgiving this weekend, which is a great way to test some of my recipes out before the big show. And speaking of this fabulous holiday, every year I realize that one course is often neglected... the appetizers to nosh on while all the important stuff is still cooking. We normally have some charcuterie out, as well as a plate of different cheeses and crackers, but I think it could really do some sprucing up ya'know? Well, my friend, these are the perfect little bites that people can pick up and go multitask. It combines my recently posted homemade cranberry pepper jelly and it's not only perfect with turkey or on leftover sandwiches, but the condiment is great in this too! If you don't feel like making the cranberry pepper jelly (which is completely understandable), then you can sub in almost any jam... cherry, apricot, peach, etc. But I love the profile of the spicy cranberry component and it perfectly fits the season/holiday. As for the brie... I found a great goat cheese brie that, quite frankly, we have been addicted to lately; however, regular brie works just as well!! We personally don't like the rind (on any cheese for that matter), so we chose to remove it. If you don't mind or prefer it, then leave it on, no worries here. Now all you gotta do is buy some frozen puff pastry at the grocery store and cut it into squares and let the layering begin. You have to make sure that you don't over-stuff the squares, so that it seals properly and all of the fillings don't ooze out every where while baking. We purchased a poptart cutter and used that to seal it, but you can use any shape cutter and that will work just as well, just make sure to use a fork to close up the edges. After that, I brush mine with some egg wash, to help the browning, and sprinkle it with some fleur de sel or raw sugar (depending on if I want something more savory or sweet). Once you bake them, they will puff up gorgeously and turn the most perfect golden brown. I let mine cool just a tad, so that the cheese won't be a melty mess, but they are best served warm. Don't you worry though, they are great at room temperature too. I think these will be a great addition to your upcoming Thanksgiving parties. I mean think about it, it's practically a grown-up poptart, yay!! Enjoy :)

layers of puff pastry, goat cheese brie, + cranberry pepper jelly

using our adorable poptart cutter to make hand-held baked brie bites

place them on a baking sheet and brush with some egg wash 

bake them until they are golden brown and devour all of them immediately

For the Baked Brie Bites:

2 Sheets of Store-Bought Puff Pastry, Thawed & Still Cold

4oz Goat Cheese or Classic Brie, Cold

Homemade Cranberry Pepper Jelly

1 Large Egg, Beaten

Splash of Heavy Cream

Fleur de Sel or Raw Sugar, For Sprinkling

Directions:

1. Prepping the Puff Pastry: All-butter, store bought puff pastry usually comes frozen and folded into thirds. We’re going to use these folded thirds to our advantage.  Cut the puff pastry into thirds along the creases. Cut each panel into four pieces.  They’ll be 2 1/4-inch tall and 3-inches wide. One sheet of puff pastry will yield 12 rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half. You’ll have 24 little rectangles that will create 12 little rectangle pockets.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silpat. Set this aside.

3. Making the Jelly-Brie Bites: Combine beaten egg and splash of heavy cream. Brush 12 of the small rectangles with egg wash. Place a small sliver of Brie (we like the rind removed, but it can be left on and it’ll still taste great) on top of the egg wash (and stick).  Top with a small spoonful of the homemade cranberry pepper jelly. Take another square of puff pastry and press between your fingers to make the rectangle slightly bigger. Place puff pastry on top of the cheese and jam.  Use a fork to press the edges together or you can use a pop tart cutter like I had.  The egg wash will act as glue. Make sure to seal the edges well by crimping with the fork.  Prick the tops of the pastry lightly with a fork in order to let the steam escape the inside of the pastry. Place the stuffed puff pastry squares onto the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with some of the egg wash. If you want you can sprinkle with a little fleur de sel (or even some raw sugar for a sweeter pastry).

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the pastry has puffed and turned to a beautiful golden brown. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before serving. These baked Brie bites taste best warm, but are also fine at room temperature!

source: bite sized baked brie bites.

Revamped : Red Hot Velvet Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing Glaze

Revamped: Red Hot Velvet Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing Glaze

By far + away, the single-most FAVORITE recipe here on PLC are my Red Hot Velvet Cinnamon Rolls. They are probably my greatest creation. Actually at the time when I first concocted the idea of this "dessert for breakfast", it was the only one on the internet. Now different versions are popping up EVERYWHERE. So, I am very proud to say that this was the ORIGINAL idea behind the celebrity. Anyway, I am a firm believer in that everything can be improved upon, so why not revamp the most visited recipe on my site? Well, it happened that my Mountain Man's place of work had a Valentine's Day Bake Off, so I knew I just had to enter my Red Hot Velvet Cinnamon Rolls to be judged. I changed a few things around a bit this time though. Firstly, I took out the cocoa powder in the dough. I felt like that made the cinnamon rolls a bit cake-y in texture, so I wanted to achieve a more yeasted cinnamon roll this time around. But of course, in order for it to be considered "red velvet", there's gotta be buttermilk, red dye, vinegar, and cocoa powder. Instead, I sifted cocoa powder on top of the butter, sugar and cinnamon for a lightly chocolatey filling. It was perfect. To make sure the rolls were extra puffy, I used instant yeast instead of active dry yeast, but either will work for y'all, I'm sure. Also, I felt like my cream cheese frosting was a tad bit thick last time, so this go-around, I whipped up a cream cheese icing glaze. It's still thick enough the coat the rolls, but it is thin enough that in seeps into the middle of the rolls... making them extra gooey. And that's all we want, amirite?! We added some cinnamon into our cream cheese glaze, for a little more spice, but you can easily leave it out, no worries!! As for the garnishes, we found some nifty red velvet cake sprinkles to sprinkle over the top to be super festive and they were awesome! But you can also use any Valentine's Day themed sprinkles or crushed red hots. It's up to y'all!! These are 10 times better than the original, so I hope y'all can get around to makin' them soon!! Enjoy (we sho' did) :)

roll out the red velvet dough with some flour...

spread the melted butter everywhere...

sift over some cocoa powder, cover with sugar, + sprinkle on a mess of
cinnamon (and press gently down so it adheres together)

and tightly roll them up...

so they look gorgeous like this...

and this...

then proof them, so they rise a bit and look like this...

then bake them until they are huge + puffy

and cover them in the cream cheese icing glaze...

and finish them with some sprinkles, butofcourse!

For the Cinnamon Rolls:

2C Buttermilk (minus 2T)

2T White Distilled Vinegar

½C Vegetable Oil

½C Sugar

2-3oz Red Food Coloring (or to the color of your liking)

1 Package of Instant or Active Dry Yeast (0.25oz Packets)

4C AP Flour + ½C AP Flour

½t Baking Powder, Heaping

½t Baking Soda, Scant

1t Salt, Heaping

1C Butter, Melted

1-2T Cocoa Powder (depending on how chocolate-y you like it)

1C Sugar

Generous Sprinkling of Cinnamon

For the Frosting:

4oz Cream Cheese, Softened

7T Unsalted Butter, Softened

1 ½C + 2T Confectioners’ Sugar

3-4T Buttermilk, For Thinning

1t Cinnamon (optional)

¼t Salt (or to taste)

1t Clear Vanilla Extract

Festive Valentine’s Day Sprinkles & Crushed Red Hot Candies, For Decoration

Directions:

1. Measure out the 2C buttermilk in a large measuring cup, and then remove 2T of the buttermilk and substitute by adding in the 2T of white vinegar. Mix the buttermilk, vinegar, vegetable oil, sugar, and red food coloring in a pot. Heat the mixture until just before the boiling point. Turn off the heat and leave to cool for 45 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, sift together the 4C AP flour and set it aside. When the milk mixture is warm (but not hot), sprinkle in the package of yeast. Let it sit for a minute or two, and then add in the sifted flour. Stir the mixture and cover, and then let it rise for at least an hour.

2. After rising for an hour, add in ½C AP Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir the mixture together. Refrigerate the dough overnight to help it become firm and better for presentation.

3. The next day, sprinkle a rolling surface generously with flour. Take the dough and form a rough rectangle, and then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle or spread on 1C of the melted butter over the dough. Now, sift the cocoa powder over the butter, followed by sprinkling 1C of sugar over the cocoa and butter, followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Press the spices lightly into the butter to make sure they adhere together.

4. Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it. Spray a 13x9-baking pan with Pam, and set it aside. Then, begin cutting the rolls into approximately 12 thick round rolls and place them into the prepared buttered pans. Let the rolls rise for an hour.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

6. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 17-25 minutes or until light golden brown.

7. To Make the Frosting: Beat together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl until creamy. Mix in the clear vanilla extract and buttermilk, then gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar and salt until smooth and fluffy. Add in the cinnamon if you are using.

8. Spread the cinnamon rolls with the icing (generously), sprinkle with garnishes if using, and enjoy immediately while they are still warm.

#instagrub : Pumpkin Buttermilk Pie with Gingerbread Spiced Crust + Bourbon-Maple Whoop

Pumpkin Buttermilk Pie with Gingerbread Spiced Crust + Bourbon-Maple Whoop

Hey y'all! I'm back with a recipe, finally :) We've been out of town for our Chicks + Dicks Party, so I have been super busy and plenty packed with lots of activities... I'll post some pictures from our crazy weekend tomorrow, so check back if you wanna see how our party turned out!! P.S. it was a blast. Today I wanted to keep it simple, and that's why y'all are getting an #instagrub post. We've already discussed that Thanksgiving is right around the corner and this pie would be great on the dinner table! Our family must always make a buttermilk pie and a pumpkin cheesecake, and if you can't decide between the two, then use this recipe because it perfectly marries the both of them! The crust would be great throughout the fall & winter season since everyone LOVES gingerbread... I can't wait to use it for  an eggnog inspired pie at Christmas. The filling is extra tangy from the buttermilk, but smoothed out with the pumpkin puree and candied yams. I love the addition of both starches for the perfect autumn dessert. After the pie has chilled, all you have to do is top it with some homemade Bourbon-Maple Whoop and you are ready to sit down by the fire and keep cozy the cool winter night!! I hope you enjoy :)

homemade gingerbread spiced crust

For the Gingerbread Spiced Crust:

1 ½C AP Flour + 1C WW Flour

½t Salt, Cinnamon, & Ground Ginger

¼t Ground Allspice, Ground Cloves, & Pumpkin Pie Spice

1T Sugar + 1-2T Molasses

2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Cut into Cubes

6-8T Ice Cold Water

For the Pumpkin Buttermilk Pie:

2T AP Flour + 3T Buttermilk Powder, Sifted

1 ½C Sugar

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

4 Eggs

1C Buttermilk, Well-Shaken

1T Vanilla Extract

16oz Candied Yams Puree (puree with the candied syrup in the can)

15oz Pumpkin Puree

½t Cinnamon & Pumpkin Pie Spice (and a little bit of freshly ground nutmeg)

¼t Salt (or to taste)

For the Bourbon-Maple Whoop:

1C Heavy Cream

¼C Grade B Maple Syrup

2-3T Bourbon

Directions:

1. For the Gingerbread Spiced Crust: Start by cutting the sticks of butter into ½inch cubes and placing in the freezer bag, along with the flour and salt. Place the bag of flour into the freezer and chill for at least 1-2 hours. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and molasses until a brown sugar mixture is formed. In a food processor, pour the frozen flour bag in, as well as all of the spices and homemade brown sugar, and pulse 6-8 times until the mixture resembles a course meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add water 1T at a time, pulsing until the mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch of some of the crumbly dough and it holds together then it’s ready. Remove the dough from the machine and place on a clean surface. Carefully split the dough into two pieces and shape into discs (save one of the rounds of pie dough in plastic wrap and freeze them for a rainy day). Do not over knead the dough. You should still be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. Sprinkle the discs with a little flour on all sides and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour. Remove one of the discs from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disk. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12inch circle (1/8inch thick). Place the rolled out disc on to a pie dish, lining up the fold with the center of the pan, trimming the excess and crimping the edges. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place the prepared pie dish onto a baking sheet.

3. For Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pie: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sifted flour and buttermilk powder, sugar, and butter until combined. Add in one egg at a time, mixing thoroughly until each one is incorporated before adding the next. Next, whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. I find that an immersion blender can help make this pie filling a smoother and creamier texture. I have also made this pie filling in a standing mixer by first beating together the butter and sugar, and then adding in the sifted flour and buttermilk powder, along with the vanilla extract. Mix on low speed and beat in one egg at a time, making sure that each one was fully incorporated before adding the next. After the eggs have been mixed in, add in the pumpkin & sweet potato puree. I then slowly poured the buttermilk in a steady stream until the batter was creamy and smooth. Season with a pinch or two of salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until it has reached your desired taste. Once it is thoroughly blended, pour the filling into the frozen piecrust.

4. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the filling is set in the center.

5. For the Bourbon-Maple Whoop: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream and maple syrup together on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Whisk in the whiskey 1T at a time. With the mixer on high speed, continue whipping until medium-stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

6. Cool completely to room temperature and refrigerate until chilled. Serve with a dollop of spiced bourbon whoop.