Summer of a Thousand Pies
Page 24
1 egg, beaten, or 2 tablespoons of milk for wash (optional)
Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2.Cut the fennel bulb into slivers.
3.In a large bowl, stir together the fennel, apple slices, raisins, cardamom, cinnamon, sugars, and flour.
4.Place one pie crust at the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan and pour in the apple mixture.
5.Top with another layer of crust. Crimp the edges together by pinching the crusts between your fingers. Use a fork to poke holes in the middle to allow steam to escape.
6.Use a pastry brush to apply egg wash or milk to the crust, if desired.
7.Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees.
8.Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 30 to 45 more minutes, until the top is golden brown.
Note: Buy the fennel bulb at the grocery store.
Lady Baltimore Cake
Ingredients
3 cups flour, sifted
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup shortening butter
2 cups sugar
½ cup milk
½ cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 egg whites
Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.Grease two round 9-inch cake pans.
3.Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4.In a separate bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy.
5.Mix the milk, water, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl.
6.Alternately add the mixed dry ingredients and the liquids to the butter-sugar mixture, beating well.
7.In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and then fold into the batter.
8.Pour the batter into the pans and bake for 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes in pan, then put the cakes on a wire rack to cool.
9.Place one cake layer on a plate or platter. Spread about a quarter of the icing over the cake, using an icing spatula or butter knife.
10.Place the second cake on top of the first frosted layer.
11.Pour the rest of the icing over the cake, spreading it down the sides to completely cover. If you’re feeling fancy, try swirling it with your knife or spatula.
Never-Fail or Seven-Minute Icing
(will make enough to frost a two-layer 9-inch cake)
Ingredients
2 egg whites
1½ cups sugar
¹⁄3 cup water
Few grains of salt
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar or 1½ teaspoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
This icing is kind of like making a candy. You’ll be working with hot liquids here, so you’ll need an adult to help. Wear an apron to protect against splashes.
This icing is very sweet, so it’s better if the filling between the layers of your cake is something that’s on the tart side. If using jam, try to use something that’s a little bit tart—preferably without corn syrup, which seems to make things taste sweeter than usual.
Another idea is to use the leftover egg yolks from this and the Lady Baltimore Cake to make a custard filling.
Directions
1.Fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and put heat on high.
2.In the top of the double boiler, combine all ingredients except the vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer, combine these ingredients.
3.Place the pan over the boiling water and use the hand mixer to beat for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture holds a point when the beater is lifted.
4.Remove from heat, add the vanilla extract, and continue beating until cool enough to spread, about 5 more minutes.
5.Good for the tops and sides of two layers.
Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 egg whites
1½ cups sugar
3 egg yolks
2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.Grease and flour the bottom and sides of a glass 13 × 9-inch baking dish.
3.In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
4.In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until firm peaks form, 7 to 8 minutes.
5.Gradually beat in the sugar. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating to blend between additions.
6.Beat in 2 teaspoons of the vanilla extract. Add part of flour mixture, then the whole milk, then the rest of the flour mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
7.Pour the batter into the baking dish; smooth the top.
8.Bake for 25 minutes.
9.Reduce the temperature to 325 degrees; continue baking until the cake is golden brown and the middle springs back when pressed, 20 to 25 minutes more.
10.Let the cake cool in the baking dish for 15 minutes; then invert the cake onto a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet.
11.In a mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, evaporated skim milk, heavy cream, and sweetened condensed milk.
12.Poke holes all over the top of the cake with a skewer. Slowly drizzle half of the sauce onto the cake, letting it soak in.
13.Invert a platter on top of the cake. Lift the rack and gently invert the cake onto the platter. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the cake.
Strawberry Basil Pie
(makes one 9-inch pie)
Ingredients
2 pounds strawberries
8 basil leaves, chopped
Juice from 1 lemon
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pastry from 9-Inch Double Pie Crust recipe (make sure you have two crusts!)
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
Sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.Hull and slice the strawberries.
3.In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, basil, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch.
4.Lay one of the pie crusts into a 9-inch pie dish and leave a little overhang.
5.Pour in the mixture. Top with the other pie crust and crimp the edges together with your fingers, then use a fork to poke holes in the middle to allow the steam to escape (or you can make a lattice-top crust by weaving together strips of dough).
6.Use a pastry brush to brush on the egg wash, and sprinkle the wet crust with sugar.
7.Bake for 45 minutes.
Gluten-Free Pie Crust
Ingredients
2 cups gluten-free flour (any brand)
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar (for sweet pies only)
½ cup unsalted butter
1 egg
⅔ cup ice water (approximately 11 tablespoons)
Before you start, cut the butter into small pieces (about 1/2-inch) and stick them into the freezer for about 15 minutes.
Directions
1.Combine the gluten-free flour with the salt and optional sugar. Use either a food processor or a fork, mixing until the flour is aerated.
2.Add the butter. Mix with the fork or pulse the processor 10 times, until it looks crumbly.
3.Add the egg, pulsing or mixing until the egg disappears. The mixture should still look crumbly.
4.Stir or pulse in 1 tablespoon of ice water at a time, just until the dough will hold. Being on the wet side is better than being too dry. It should look like dry cottage cheese curds.
5.Divide the mixture in half and roll into two balls. Cover each ball in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to rest.
6.Gluten-free dough is very sticky, so make sure everyt
hing is floured or lightly oiled so the dough doesn’t stick to your surface.
7.With floured hands, shape the balls into disks.
8.Place each disk onto a piece of floured waxed or parchment paper. Cover with another sheet of floured waxed or parchment paper. If you want, you can very lightly oil your paper instead (use a spray such as PAM, or a tasteless oil, as opposed to olive oil).
9.Roll the disk while it’s sandwiched between your floured paper until it’s slightly larger than the pie tin.
10.Take off the top piece of paper. Put your hand under the bottom paper and flip it into the pie tin. Peel back the paper as you press the crust into the tin. If it breaks apart, press it back together.
11.Poke the bottom slightly with a fork (not all the way through).
12.Repeat with the other disk for the top of your pie.
13.Use your choice of filling.
You can make the crust ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator or freezer, empty or filled, until ready to bake.
Acknowledgments
To my critique partners on this: Karina Glaser, Casey Lyall, Ki-Wing Merlin, Laura Shovan, and Timanda Wertz. Your encouragement and insight helped more than I can ever say. You ladies rock.
To Brenda M. Villalpando, Esq., thank you for answering my immigration law questions about a fictional character. Any mistakes are my own. To Genevieve Suzuki, Esq., thanks for referring me to Brenda and for all the coffees, omelets, burgers, fish-shaped cakes, and general emotional support.
To Steven Torres of Pop Pie Company, thank you for showing me the inner workings of a pie shop, feeding me too much pie and coffee, and giving me some small-business insight. Here’s to living your dream.
To Stephanie Lurie, thank you for your generous early insights and direction.
To Laurie Jamrok and Abbie Stevens, thank you for being my test kitchen.
Thanks to Mary Pender-Coplan, my United Talent film agent, for your support.
To my agent, Patricia Nelson, thank you for interrupting me midpitch to tell me you loved it. Thanks for believing in me.
A very huge thank-you to my editor, Kristin Daly Rens, who has shaped this book into what it was meant to be. I’ve learned a lot from your patience and wisdom.
To my family, for (mostly) respecting the “closed door” rule and not complaining about all the grilled-cheese sandwiches for dinner.
And thanks to the young person I can’t name.
About the Author
Photo credit Mia Alysse Photography
MARGARET DILLOWAY lives in San Diego with her husband, a former Army Ranger; their three children; and a goldendoodle named Gatsby, who has his own following. In her spare time, she dabbles in long-form improv, baking, and hiking.
Margaret can be found online at www.margaretdilloway.com.
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Copyright
Balzer + Bray is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
SUMMER OF A THOUSAND PIES. Copyright © 2019 by Margaret Dilloway. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
When cooking, it is important to keep safety in mind. Children should always ask permission from an adult before cooking and should be supervised by an adult in the kitchen at all times. The publisher and author disclaim any liability from any injury that might result from the use, proper or improper, of the recipes and activities contained in this book.
Cover art © 2019 by KATIE DAISY
Cover design by JESSIE GANG
* * *
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Dilloway, Margaret, author.
Title: Summer of a thousand pies / Margaret Dilloway.
Description: First edition. | New York, NY : Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2019] | Summary: After her father goes to jail, Cady Bennett, twelve, is taken from foster care to spend a summer with her estranged aunt Michelle, trying to save her failing pie shop.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018014219 | ISBN 9780062803467 (hardback)
Subjects: | CYAC: Family problems—Fiction. | Aunts—Fiction. | Baking—Fiction. | Pies—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction. | Family-owned business enterprises—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.D563 Sum 2019 | DDC [Fic]—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018014219
* * *
Digital Edition APRIL 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-280348-1
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-280346-7
1920212223PC/LSCH10987654321
FIRST EDITION
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