The Broke Baker

Category: Pies

  • Passion Fruit Tart

    Passion Fruit Tart

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    My family will eat just about anything if it’s made with passion fruit. Last year, when the local Latino grocery store chain had a massive sale on fresh passion fruits, I tried my hand at making a passion fruit tart. I used a store-bought refrigerated pie crust and baked it in a tart pan. It was good, but not great.

    Working with dough is not my forte, but I knew that making my own tart crust would make a huge difference in the end result. I wound up finding a great recipe that came together on the first try. After that, it was just a few tweaks to get the right amount of filling to fit a 9-inch tart crust without wasting filling. What I ended up with was a tart that has been a hit with everyone who has tasted it. And so, I am passing the recipe on to my readers.

    You can make this tart dairy-free by using vegan butter in the tart crust and replacing the heavy cream with coconut milk. Make sure that you use the full fat coconut milk. You need that creamy richness to balance out the tartness of the passion fruit.

    Passion Fruit Tart

    Ingredients

    • 1 recipe for 9-inch tart crust (I used this one)
    • 3 eggs, beaten
    • 1/2 cup seedless passion fruit puree (I used frozen, but you can use fresh)
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 1/2 cup heavy cream (or full-fat coconut milk)

    Directions

    Prepare the tart crust according to the recipe directions for partially baking the crust.

    While the crust is baking, combine the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth.

    When the crust is ready, pour the passion fruit mixture into the prepared crust. Return the filled tart pan to the oven.

    Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake the tart for 30 minutes, or until the filling is set. Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before removing from the tart pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

  • Pressure Cooker Mango Key Lime Pie

    Pressure Cooker Mango Key Lime Pie

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    It has been raining nonstop here in South Florida for the past 2 weeks or so.  The upside to this rain is that it has been knocking the mangoes out of trees prematurely, which means that mango season has started a little early this year.  My friends and my coworkers have all been generous with their stashes, so mangoes haven’t been in short supply for me.  One particular coworker and I have a verbal agreement where he will let me have first pick of his surplus mangoes every season as long as he gets a mango key lime pie.  Of course, I always deliver.  This year, though, I decided to try making it in my Instant Pot.  It was a smashing success, so I decided to share.

    Mix your crust ingredients and press them into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a greased 7-inch springform pan, then set aside.  If you’d like, you can line the bottom with parchment paper to make it easier to get out of the pan.  I also like to bake my crust for about 5 minutes in the oven at 350, but that is totally optional.  Whisk the rest of your ingredients together in a small mixing bowl, and then pour the mixture into your prepared crust.  Cover the pan with foil, place it on a trivet, and lower it into your pressure cooker liner (filled with 1 cup of water).  Cover, seal, and cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 10 minutes.  When the time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for an additional 10 minutes before you release the remaining pressure.  Remove your pan and uncover.  The top should be shiny with no jiggle.

    Let the pie cool completely in the pan, then cover and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours before you serve it.

    Maybe you can make your crust look prettier than mine, eh?

    Serving a pie cooked in a springform pan is actually easier than serving it in a traditional pie pan.  There is a lot less hassle when digging your spatula underneath a slice.  You can’t make as big a pie, though, so choose who to share with wisely.

    Pressure Cooker Mango Key Lime Pie

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
    • 1 tbsp sugar
    • 3 tbsp butter, melted
    • 1 can sweetened condensed milk
    • 1/3 cup key lime juice (or use 1/4 cup if you like it less tart)
    • 1/4 cup mango puree
    • 1 egg
    • 1 egg yolk

    Directions

    Grease a 7-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper (if desired).  Pour 1 cup of water into the liner of your pressure cooker.

    Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter, then press onto the bottom and halfway up the sides of your prepared pan.  Set aside (you can also bake at 350 for about 5 minutes prior to filling).

    Whisk the remaining ingredients together in a small mixing bowl, then pour into your prepared crust.  Cover with foil and place on a trivet in the liner of your pressure cooker.

    Cover, seal, and cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 10 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally for an additional 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure.  Remove pie from pressure cooker, uncover, and allow to cool completely.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

    Makes about 8 servings.

  • Caramel Apple Slab Pie

    Caramel Apple Slab Pie

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    I have a lot of “rules” when it comes to food.  I think that most of us do.  I guess that you can also call them “preferences,” but I a pretty solid set of guidelines for what I will and will not eat.  For the most part, cooked fruit is on the “will not eat” list, but there are exceptions.  I won’t eat cooked berries in a pie, but I might eat them in a sauce over cheesecake.  Cooked apples are on my “no” list, except when the dessert also includes caramel.  And, most fruit pies in general are off the table because the crust (which is the best part for me) is simply there to hold a mountain of hot fruit mush.  This is one of the many reasons why this caramel apple slab pie caught my attention.  Not only did it meet one of my exceptions (cooked apples are paired with caramel), but the apples are not piled high on a crust.  This makes the fruit to crust ratio more even, and a LOT more appealing to me.  I say this as the person that scoops out most of the apples in an apple pie or turnover so that she gets more crust.

    Until recently, I didn’t even know that slab pies existed.  But, they are a novel idea.  They are great for potlucks, easier to cut and serve, and the leftovers are usually easier to store.  This caramel apple slab pie was a collaboration between myself and a few of my friends.  It is basically exactly what it says it is.  You get some chopped spiced apples and pour them into a crust-covered sheet pan, sprinkle with crumb topping, then drizzle with caramel after it has been baked.  Overall, I think we did pretty well!

    We used premade pie crust, because it’s quicker than making our own and it guaranteed a more uniform crust thickness.  One package of refrigerated pie crust contains 2 round discs of crust, so we pieced them together the best way that we could to cover the entire pan.

    After my apples were peeled, cored, and sliced, I tossed with in lemon juice.  Then, I added the sugar, flour, and spices and mixed until they were all combined.  Once that’s done, spread the mixture evenly in the prepare sheet pan.

    The last step before baking is the crumb topping.  Get the topping ingredients into a bowl, then use a pastry cutter (or two forks) to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until you get a coarse, crumbly mixture.  Crumble this mixture over the apples, then bake for about 45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.  Set the slab pie on a cooling rack while you make the caramel sauce.

    Combine butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream with a pinch of salt in a small saucepan.  Cook them over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken, about 10 minutes.  If you drop some of the caramel in a bowl of ice water, the caramel should hold it’s shape somewhat instead of dissolving.  When it reaches this stage, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Let it cool for 5-10 minutes before you pour it over the slab pie.

    It’s not the prettiest dessert you’ll ever see, but it sure is tasty!  Let the slab pie cool just enough so that it doesn’t fall apart when you slice it, but it’s best served warm.  Unless you’re one of those weirdos that prefers cold pie.

    And, if you are feeling indulgent, serve it with a scoop of ice cream.  A plain vanilla ice cream works, but we also learned that cream cheese ice cream also pairs wonderfully with a piece of this dessert.  The subtle cream cheese tang in the ice cream sets off the tang of the granny smith apples, but is tempered by the sweet caramel.

    Make sure you refrigerate your leftovers!

    Caramel Apple Slab Pie

    (Adapted from The Recipe Critic)

    Ingredients

    For the pie filling

    • 1 package refrigerated pie crust (or make your own pie crust)
    • 3 1/2 lbs Granny Smith apples (or your favorite apple), peeled, cored, and sliced
    • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
    • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
    • 1 tbsp lemon juice

    For the crumb topping

    • 1 cup rolled oats
    • 1 cup packed brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into cubes
    • 1/2 cup all purpose flour

    For the caramel sauce

    • 1 cup packed brown sugar
    • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
    • 1/2 cup heavy cream
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • a pinch of salt

    Directions

    Prepare the crust and filling:

    Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.  Unroll pie crust according to package directions.  Cover the bottom of an ungreased 15 x 10 inch cookie sheet with the pie crust, cutting and piecing together as needed.

    Place your apples in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice.  Add the remaining filling ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.  Spread evenly into prepared cookie sheet and set aside.

    Prepare the crumb topping:

    In a medium bowl, stir the rolled oats, brown sugar, and flour.  Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut the cubed butter into the dry mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Crumble over the apples in the cookie sheet.

    Bake for 45 minutes, or until the crumb topping is golden brown and the apples are tender.  Remove from oven and set on a wire rack while you make the caramel sauce.

    Make the caramel sauce:

    In a small saucepan, heat the butter, brown sugar, cream, and salt over medium heat until the mixture comes to a soft boil.  Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened.  The caramel should stay together if you pour a little bit in a bowl of ice water.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then slowly drizzle over the slab pie.

    Makes about 18 servings

  • Bourbon Pecan Pie

    Bourbon Pecan Pie

    March 14th was Pi Day!  Being the nerd that I am, how could I let the date pass without making pie?  I don’t really making fruit pies, because I am not a fan of cooked fruit (I know, I’m a weirdo).  But, this pecan pie is always a hit when I make it.  And, while certain scandals that came to light have made me dislike her as a person, I’ve got to admit that Paula Deen can make a good pie.

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  • Sugar Cream Pie

    Sugar Cream Pie

    It would be an absolute lie if I said that I would have ever come across this recipe if I didn’t have a quart of half-and-half sitting in my fridge that I had no idea what to do with.  As it turns out, I’ve been missing out.  The Hoosiers were on to something when they came up with Sugar Cream Pie.  I love creamy, custardy pies.  And, since this pie doesn’t use any eggs, it is good for accommodating egg allergies. (more…)