Salty Winter White Honey Pie with Himalayan Sea Salt

Salty Winter White Honey Pie with Himalayan Sea Salt

Happy Halloween, y'all!! Is it totally bad on my part that I woke up this morning completely unaware that is was a holiday? Oh well, it's one of the only holidays I've never really cared for, which is completely confusing since it practically screams FOOD. So, while y'all are all out in costumes, begging strangers for food, and getting scared shitless by creepy people... I will be inside, making caramel apples, and drinking with my Mountain Man. I thought this pie would be the perfect thing to post today because, I mean, look at it... it is the utter definition of autumn. You've probably seen this recipe floating around the internet, like I did, I saved it and went along minding my own business until I saw that their cookbook was about to be released and it rejuvenated my need to make it. This pie is somethin'-kinda-special. I believe I love it so much because it is similar in texture to buttermilk pie, which is my one only weakness. You can use any honey that you like, but I was feeling a little nostalgic and decided to use our ABSOLUTE favorite honey from the Savannah Bee Company.

new cookbook famous for their salty honey pie.

one of these jars could be YOURS!

perfect elements of any pie.

so rustic :)

Naturally, the pick had to be their delicious Winter White Honey, which comes around this time of year especially and can be eaten with a spoon. It's thicker than classic honey, is bright winter white in color, and has the slightest taste of cinnamon on the back of your tongue... it's faboosh, lemmetelly'all. I love this honey sooooooo much, that I bought two jars, just so that I could use one, but also give one away to one of my followers!! Yay for #followerfreebies :) All you have to do is post in a comment below BEFORE midnight on Sunday of how you would like to use this fabulous honey in your kitchen. Whether you wanna make this pie, put it in tea, or slather it on a bagel, it don't matter! Just a comment on this blog post and you have been entered into the contest! The winner will be chosen randomly and will be announced on Monday afternoon, so please get on here and so you can share in the joy of Winter White Honey yourself. You have to have this pie because it is sweety-salty-balanced-goodness!! Enjoy :)

himalayan salt topping.

For the Vanilla Bean Pâte Brisée:

3 ¾C AP Flour (plus extra for rolling)

3 Sticks of butter, Cut into ½inch Cubes & Chilled

1 ½t Salt

1T + 1 ½t Sugar

12-18T Ice Water, Very Cold

3 Vanilla Beans, Sliced & Scraped for Beans

For the Salty Winter White Honey Pie:

1 stick of Unsalted Butter, Melted


¾C Granulated Sugar


1T White Cornmeal


½t Salt


1 Vanilla Bean, Split & Scraped for Seeds

¾C Honey


3 Large Eggs, Lightly Beaten


½C Heavy Cream


2t White Vinegar

Honey, For Drizzling

1-2t Himalayan Sea Salt, For Sprinkling

Directions:

1. To Make the Vanilla Bean Pâte Brisée: 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, as well as the scraped vanilla beans, 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 three equal pieces and shape into discs (save the other two 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 topping the pie crust with some autumn leaf pie crust pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. For the Salty Winter White Honey Pie: In a medium bowl, stir the melted butter, sugar, cornmeal, salt, and vanilla beans. Stir in the honey and the eggs one at a time, followed by the heavy cream and vinegar. Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator or freezer, place on a rimmed baking sheet, and strain the filling through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the pie shell (or strain it into a separate bowl and then pour it into the shell).

4. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45-50 minutes, rotating 180 degrees when the edges start to set, 30-35 minutes through baking.

5. Finishing the Pie: It is finished when the edges are set and puffed up high and the center is no longer liquid but looks set like gelatin and is golden brown on top. Allow it to cool completely on a wire rack, 2-3 hours. Drizzle the top lightly with some honey, and then sprinkle the Himalayan Sea Salt all over the surface of the pie.

Date Night : Candied Bacon Steaks with Triple Corn Hoecakes, Coca Cola Glaze, “BTFO” BBQ Sauce Drizzle, Southern Braised Collard Greens, & Pickled Shallots

Candied Bacon Steaks with Double Corn Hoecakes, Coca Cola Glaze, “BTFO”
BBQ Sauce Drizzle, Southern Braised Collard Greens, & Pickled Shallots

Finally, a date night post. It seems like it has been months since our last dinner post. Between the wedding planning, bachelor-bachelorette party planning, my Mountain Man's new job, a few health scares, and revamping my food blog... I have been QUITE the busy bird. But if that doesn't sound crazy enough, I decided to throw another big commitment onto my plate, and I'm finally ready to share another exciting announcement :) Drum roll please....... Piece, Love, & Cooking/Haute + Heirloom is now an up and running Etsy store. You can find my store here. I know many of y'all will have questions... like what will you be selling, how will you send it, will you do custom orders? As of right now, I have posted products like freshly baked cookies, recipe DIY kits, cake mixes, pickles, candied jalapenos, jams, jellies, marmalades, caramels, sauces, bars and brownies, brittle, doughnuts and cronuts, pies, marshmallows, gourmet caramel apples, simple syrups, and so-so-so-so-so much more!! Of course most of your favorites will be on there, but here will be some new additions as well :) I hope that all of my loyal followers will wander on over to my Etsy store and buy some things. But no worries, no commitment necessary. I personally wanted to take on this adventure myself, so that I could get my name and recipes out there for everyone to enjoy. Maybe one day, after much hard work and raising funds, my dream cafe will come true! The store isn't completely stocked quite yet, but we're at about 35 different products... and GROWING. Okay, enough about that and onto our delightful date night...

a gourmet southern date night

I have already posted the recipes for my Bacon Fat Fried-Triple Corn Hoecakes and my Most Flavorful Braised Southern Collard Greens, which is what were both served alongside our main dish component. I mean, what goes better with cornbread and collards... PORK, butofcourse. You've got to schmancy it up a little though, so I bought some cured pork bellies and braised them in sorghum molasses, coca cola, and spices. After slow-cooking the squares of belly, I removed them from the oven and used a sharp knife to form a crosshatch look to it. I felt like this would be most beneficial because it would allow more fat to render during the second cooking process, it would also trap in the homemade coca cola glaze to make it extra sticky, and it helped the belly to crisp up more on top. Once the braising + glazing, you literally have a glorified "bacon steak". Yep, bacon steaks are real over here at PLC, so if that doesn't convince you enough to make it, then you're, well, un-American. C'MON Y'ALL, IT'S BACON STEAKS, HERE. The homemade coca cola glaze pairs perfectly with the pork belly and gives it that finger-licking-good essence. OhMahGah, it's a Candied Bacon Steak...  yeah it should be blowin' your mind, don't fear the overwhelming emotions that are hitting you like a mack truck right now. Woo-sah, in blue-out red, keep calm. Although I already had so many components in one dish, it was seriously lacking in much needed acidity and brightness of flavor. This was provided by the Signature "BTFO" BBQ Sauce (yes, that means back the f*ck off) and the pink pickled shallots. You might be wondering why the sauce is so violent. Well, the explanation is quite simple to explain... the South Carolina mustard based condiment has three different uses of garlic. You have fresh minced garlic, roasted garlic paste, and garlic powder. So after eating, I'm pretty sure your friends, family, or significant other will say "BTFO" because you're breath will be stanky. But hey, as long as they are eating it with you, then it don't matter. When you are ready to plate, I made a solid swipe of the "BTFO" BBQ Sauce, topped it with a glazed pork belly steak, and drizzled it with more coca cola glaze. Off to the side, stack a few of the buttered hoecakes and top them with some collard greens + pink pickled shallots. In a optimistic look into the future, this exactly the type of cuisine I will be focusing on... modern. southern. comfort. If you're a gal or guy that obsesses about pork and bacon as much as we do, then candied bacon steaks are a "must" to make!! Enjoy and please make sure to check out the new Haute + Heirloom store on Etsy :) Love y'all, XOXO Juliana.

look at the collard green "green-ness" + the pickled shallot "pink-ness", it's so beautiful 

perfectly fried hoecakes + a shot of the sauce drizzles 

CANDIED BACON STEAKS. enuff said.  

Homemade "BTFO" South Carolina Mustard Based BBQ Sauce

For the Candied Bacon Steaks:

2lbs House Cured Pork Belly, Cut into Large Squares

½C Sorghum Molasses

1C Coca Cola or Cheerwine Soda

1t Paprika, Chili Powder, & Cayenne (these can be reduced for a less spicy version)

Fleur de Sel + Fresh Cracked Pepper, To Taste

For the Coca Cola Glaze:

1C Coca Cola or Cheerwine (whatever soda you used to braise the pork belly)

2 Limes, Zested & Juiced

1 ½C Light Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Signature “BTFO” BBQ Sauce:

1T Canola Oil

¼C Minced Shallots + ¼C Minced Garlic

¾C Classic Yellow Mustard + ¼C Stone Ground Mustard

¾C Sorghum Molasses (maple syrup may be substituted if needed)

¼C Brown Sugar

1T Worcestershire Sauce + 1T Sweet Potato-Habanero Hot Sauce (I use Cochon’s)

½t Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, & Chili Powder

1T Freshly Cracked Pepper

1T Red Pepper Flakes

¾C Cold Apple Cider Vinegar

1-2T Roasted Garlic Paste (can be homemade or store-bought)

For the Self Rising Corn Flour:

1C Corn Flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Corn Flour)

1 ½t Baking Powder

¼t Salt

For the Double Corn Hoecakes:

1C Self Rising Corn Flour (the entire batch you just made in the previous step)

1C Southern Ground Cornmeal

¼C Corn Powder (this can be made by processing freeze dried corn kernels into powder)

2T Buttermilk Powder

2t Baking Powder (possibly just 1T of this instead)

½t Salt + ¼t White Pepper

1T Sugar, Optional

2 Beaten Eggs

¾C Well-Shaken Buttermilk

¼C + 2T Potlikker Stock (chicken stock or water may be substituted here as well)

¼C Canola Oil/Melted Bacon Fat/Melted Butter (plus extra for frying)

Directions:

1. For the Candied Bacon Steaks: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Cut in the pieces of cured pork belly into large squares or extremely thick slices. This will help the pork belly remain in tact during the braising process. Line a baking dish with tin foil, spray with Pam, and arrange the pieces of pork in the pan. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sorghum molasses, Coca Cola, and assorted spices until completely incorporated. Pour the liquid evenly over the pork belly, so that the meat is only halfway submerged. Sprinkle the dry tops of the meat with fleur de sel and fresh cracked pepper. Cover the entire pan with tin foil, so that all of the moisture will be sealed in, which will create super tender pork belly. Bake for 4 hours, making sure to flip over the bacon slices at the halfway mark of the cooking time (two hours each side). Once it has cooked, remove the pork belly from the pan and put on a plate or in a container to chill in the refrigerate overnight.

2. For the Coca Cola Glaze: In a small saucepan, bring the soda, lime zest and juice, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt & pepper to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer until it is syrupy, about 30-45 minutes. If serving right away, keep warm until you are ready to plate. But this glaze can also be made the night before and refrigerated until you need it.

3. For the “BTFO” BBQ Sauce: In a medium pot, warm the canola oil over medium-low heat until hot. Add in the minced garlic and shallots and cook until soft and transparent. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the yellow mustard, grainy mustard, sorghum molasses, and Worcestershire sauce. Sift the dry mustard, garlic powder, and chili powder over the mustard mixture (this will help avoid lumping). Pour it into the pot containing the sautéed aromatics. Next, whisk in the fresh cracked pepper, red pepper flakes, and water/apple cider vinegar. Simmer the BBQ sauce on low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring often throughout cooking time. Once the timer has expired, mix in the roasted garlic paste, and then season to taste, adding any needed seasonings, water, or vinegar to reach the desired taste to your liking. Cool the sauce before refrigerating or keep warm if ready to serve.

4. For the Self-Rising Corn Flour: In a small mixing bowl, sift together the corn flour, baking powder, and salt until you have a thoroughly combined mixture. Pour it into a container or plastic bag for storing.

5. For the Double Corn Hoe Cakes: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the prepared Self-Rising Corn Flour, cornmeal, corn powder, buttermilk powder, baking powder, salt, white pepper, and sugar until the components are distributed evenly throughout. In another bowl, whisk together the two beaten eggs, buttermilk, potlikker stock, and ¼C melted fat. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the center. Using a fork, gently whisk together the mixtures until a hoecake batter is formed. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add some fat to the pan for cooking (I personally like to use equal parts of canola oil and bacon fat/melted butter/duck fat because the canola oil helps to raise the burning temperature to the other delicate fat). Once the fat is hot enough, scoop or drop ¼C of batter into the hot skillet to form small silver dollar cakes. Fry them until they are golden brown and perfectly crispy, about 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove the hoe cakes to a paper towel lined plate and briefly drain them of excess oil.

6. Crisping the Pork Belly: Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with just about 1T of canola oil to lube the pan. Score the top of your braised pork belly squares with diagonal lines to create hatch marks. Season with a little salt and fresh cracked pepper, and then place the square (marked side down) onto the scorching hot pan. Sear for roughly 3-5 minutes until it has developed a deep brown color and the fat has begun to render. Next, reduce the heat to medium-low and let the pork belly cook at a slower pace, making sure to fry all sides of the square. The overall cooking process should take about 15-20 minutes. Remove the pork belly to a cooling rack that is fitted on top of a baking sheet pan, and then lightly dab with paper towels to remove excess fat. Heavily brush the Coca Cola Glaze all over the crisped pork belly and broil in the oven for 5 minutes per side, making sure to brush once or twice more with the remaining glaze until a candied bacon steak has been formed.

7. Assembling the Dish: On a serving plate, either drizzle a circle or brush a streak of the “BTFO” BBQ Sauce around the circumference or through the center of the plate (this will create a rim or middle division, creating a place to plate your dish). On one half of your sauce base, place a small stack of buttered silver dollar hoecakes, while on the other half, lay down a glazed square of braised pork belly. Ladle one last spoonful of Coca Cola glaze over the candied bacon steak. Next, create a small mound of cooked Southern collard greens in between the two main components. Garnish with crispy bacon lardons, fried garlic chips, & minced chives.

Soup Sunday: Caprese Soup with Sherried Tomato-Basil Base, Crispy Toast Rounds, Pesto, Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella, Shaved Parmesan, + Basil Chiffonade

Soup Sunday: Caprese Soup with Sherried-Tomato Basil Base, Crispy Toast Rounds, Pesto,
Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella, Shaved Parmesan, + Basil Chiffonade

Hi y'all, we just rolled back into town from a short little trip to Birmingham + Tuscaloosa!! So, I'm posting kinda late, SORRY. We ended up taking the weekend to visit my Mountain Man's family and also to attend the Alabama-Tennessee Football Game. Oh how I love it there, it really doesn't get much better than "Title Town", y'all. Here are some pictures from the festivities...

On another short + exciting note... Saturday was exactly one year/365 days until the PLC Wedding, yippee!! WE CAN'T FREAKIN' WAIT :)

Okay, now I have shared plentyyyyyyy of our weekend. Onto Soup Sunday. This Sherried Tomato-Basil soup has been featured many'a'times on my blog. It's a classic. It's delicious. It's comforting. Make it, make it all the time. But then, go a little crazy and do it up Caprese-style. Plop some crispy rounds of toasted bread, a schmear of homemade pesto, thick slices of creamy buffalo mozzarella, + shaved parmesan. Torch the crap outta it or place it under the broiler until the browns and gets melty-gooey. Garnish it with fresh chiffonade basil and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. Y'all, this shit is so good. Like french onion soup, but a million times better. Best Soup Sunday everrrrr!! Enjoy :)

For the Soup:

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Melted

1 Medium Sweet Onion, Sliced & Cooked until Caramelized

4 Garlic Cloves, Finely Minced

28oz San Marzano Tomato Puree

28oz Cans of Whole, Peeled San Marzano Tomatoes

3T Tomato Paste

1C Slow Roasted Tomato Puree or Homemade Slow Roasted Heirloom Tomato Jam

1T Homemade Pesto

4C Chicken Stock

3-6T Sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

¼t Dried Oregano & Red Pepper Flakes (or a little less for not as spicy soup)

1C Cooking Sherry

1 ½C Heavy Cream (or Half & Half can be substituted, Soy Milk for a healthier recipe)

For the Caprese Soup:

Crispy Toast Rounds (one baguette, cut into rounds, brush with EVOO, & bake till crisp)

Homemade Basil Pesto, For Spreading the Crispy Toast Rounds

Extra Creamy Buffalo Mozzarella, Cut into Slices

Grated Parmesan, For Topping

Balsamic Reduction, For Drizzling

Basil Chiffonade, For Garnishing

Fresh Cracked Pepper, For Sprinkling

Directions:

1. For the Soup: Caramelize the sliced onions in the butter and a sprinkle of salt over medium-high heat until golden brown and beautifully caramelized, about 15-20 minutes. Toss in the garlic and sauté for a couple minutes until it is fragrant. Add the whole tomatoes, San Marzano tomato puree, tomato paste, slow roasted tomato puree/slow roasted heirloom tomato jam, homemade pesto, chicken stock, sugar, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring the pot to a near boil, and then cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add in the basil and cook on low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy (do this off the heat). Next, add in the sherry and heavy cream (or choice of milk) and stir. Keep warm until you are ready to eat.

2. Preheat your oven to the broiler or about 500 degrees. You want it extra hot to melt and brown the cheese on top.

3. Assembling the Caprese Soup: Ladle the prepared Sherried Tomato Basil Soup into an over-safe soul bowl. Spread two crispy toast rounds with a generous spoonful of homemade pesto and plop into the top of the soup bowl. Lay the creamy mozzarella slices on top and freshly grate some Parmesan over the mozzarella. Place the bowl onto a baking sheet and put it into your preheated oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven, but keep an out so it doesn’t burn either). After it has perfectly melted and toasted slightly, remove it from the oven. Drizzle the top of the soup with some balsamic reduction, and then finish garnishing with fresh cracked pepper and a mound of basil chiffonade.

4. Enjoy it while it is still hot & gooey and the bread is still crisp, not soggy!