In article 23>,
says...
>
> I usually bake pumpkin, sweet potato, and pecan. Sometimes mince.
>
> What pies are the most popular or common in your house?

Most of the pies I make are seasonal. We both like pumpkin pie (home
made from scratch) but I only make it once a year, round about now,
while pumpkins are in season. At Christmas we make small mince pies (my
mother used to make a big one in a pie-plate but I never have).

I haven't made steak pie or chicken pie for ages, they are winter cold-
weather comfort food to look forward to. So is Graham's delicious
Canadian pork pie recipe for tourtiere.

Apple pie and lemon meringue pie are favourites all year round.

Janet UK

Janet wrote:
>
> Most of the pies I make are seasonal. We both like pumpkin pie (home
> made from scratch) but I only make it once a year, round about now,
> while pumpkins are in season.

How do you prepare your pumpkin for the pie?
I've made it from scratch twice and both times were
a real pain to prepare the pumpkin.

First time, I cut up the pumpkin into chunks, peeled it, then
cooked it, then mashed and put in a blender.

2nd time, I cut pumpkin in half, cleaned the insides then roasted
the 2 halves, thinking that was the easier way to go (but it
really wasn't).

Both times, I had to add a bunch of water just so the blender
blades would mix and puree it.

Don't want to use canned so...

That's why years ago, I tried and switched to sweet potato pies.
Very easy to start from fresh. Cook, peel easy then just mash
well - no water added necessary. Sweet potatoes are also in
season this time of year and are sold at a very low price.

I use the exact same recipe as pumpkin for the sp pies. With all
the spices added, they taste so very close to pumpkin to me.

I usually only make a couple for Thankgiving or Christmas. Last
few years, I just bought one. The taste is always fine but
commercial crust is never as good as homemade.

In article >, says...
>
> Janet wrote:
> >
> > Most of the pies I make are seasonal. We both like pumpkin pie (home
> > made from scratch) but I only make it once a year, round about now,
> > while pumpkins are in season.
>
> How do you prepare your pumpkin for the pie?
> I've made it from scratch twice and both times were
> a real pain to prepare the pumpkin.
>
> First time, I cut up the pumpkin into chunks, peeled it, then
> cooked it, then mashed and put in a blender.

No need to peel. I just chop it into wedges, skin and all; deseed it,
spread out the wedges in a shallow, lightly oiled roasting tin, bake in
a hot oven till the flesh is soft.
Easy to scoop the cooked soft flesh off the skins. Much of the
moisture will have either baked off or collected in the pan so you end
up with a more concentrated pulp and flavour. Whizz it smooth. (FP, or
hand blender).

Other essential tip; use real 100% maple syrup as the sweetener in
the filling.


Janet UK

>
> 2nd time, I cut pumpkin in half, cleaned the insides then roasted
> the 2 halves, thinking that was the easier way to go (but it
> really wasn't).
>
> Both times, I had to add a bunch of water just so the blender
> blades would mix and puree it.
>
> Don't want to use canned so...
>
> That's why years ago, I tried and switched to sweet potato pies.
> Very easy to start from fresh. Cook, peel easy then just mash
> well - no water added necessary. Sweet potatoes are also in
> season this time of year and are sold at a very low price.
>
> I use the exact same recipe as pumpkin for the sp pies. With all
> the spices added, they taste so very close to pumpkin to me.
>
> I usually only make a couple for Thankgiving or Christmas. Last
> few years, I just bought one. The taste is always fine but
> commercial crust is never as good as homemade.

On Sunday, October 28, 2018 at 6:38:52 AM UTC-6, Janet wrote:
....
> Other essential tip; use real 100% maple syrup as the sweetener in
> the filling.
....

Pumpkin and 100% maple syrup?

Why do you want to ruin perfectly good maple syrup that way?

John Kuthe...

On 2018-10-28 4:36 AM, Janet wrote:
> In article 23>,
> says...
>>
>> I usually bake pumpkin, sweet potato, and pecan. Sometimes mince.
>>
>> What pies are the most popular or common in your house?
>
> Most of the pies I make are seasonal. We both like pumpkin pie (home
> made from scratch) but I only make it once a year, round about now,
> while pumpkins are in season. At Christmas we make small mince pies (my
> mother used to make a big one in a pie-plate but I never have).
>
> I haven't made steak pie or chicken pie for ages, they are winter cold-
> weather comfort food to look forward to. So is Graham's delicious
> Canadian pork pie recipe for tourtiere.
>
> Apple pie and lemon meringue pie are favourites all year round.
>
> Janet UK
>
I no longer make mince pies at xmas but make almond tarts instead. I
have just come across a slightly more economical Bakewell Tart recipe
that substitutes semolina for some of the almond meal so that's on the
schedule.
My mother used to make what she called "Tartcomebuns" - pastry tartlet
shells with a dollop of jam and topped with a Victoria Sponge mix. They
were Dad's favourite.
Graham

On 2018-10-28 5:56 PM, Wayne Boatwright wrote:

>
> I also bake my pumpkin pies from scratch, and we're having a
> particuarly good pumpkin crop in Arizona. I use small "pie"
> pumpkins, cut them in half, scoop out the seeds and fibers and bake
> the halves until tender. Then I scrape all the pulp from the skin.
> (It seems we do pretty much the same thing.) We like having pumpkin
> pie well enough to have one at least every other month, so I buy at
> least a half dozen small pumpkins. When their fully prepared, I
> freeze portions enough to make one pie each.

I did it completely from scratch once. I roasted the pumpkin, scraped
out the flesh, pureed it,added the other ingredients. I liked the
texture, but my wife objected to it. There was a stringiness that she
detected that I did not. I have not bothered since. I won't use canned
pumpkin pie filling, but I will used canned pumpkin.



> Apple pie is favorite of ours and of our friends, so I bake them
> more frequently. Unfortunately, Bramley apples are not available in
> the US AFAIK.

Northern Spies or Ida reds for me.

>
> I'm a fan of lemon merngue pie, but no one emong my friends care for
> it, so I bake one a couple of times a year, primarily just for me.
> :-)

If I do a lemon meringue it is from scratch. It's a pretty easy one to
do and it is cheaper from scratch than using a mix.




> I love cherry pie made from fresh sour cherries, but it's rare that I
> can find them where we live.

I feel pleased in that regard. We used to be able to get them for free
across the street. That orchard is gone now, but there are lots of other
sour cherry orchards nearby.

On 2018-10-28 3:59 PM, Wayne Boatwright wrote:

>>
>
> Graham, would you mind posting your tourtiere recipe again? Somehow
> during our last move it was one of the recipes I lost. TIA
>
My Pleasure! Here it be!

Here is a recipe for Tourtière, a traditional xmas dish from Quebec.
It seems that there are as many recipes as there are cooks (and there
are also regional variations) but the following is a good start. I
suspect that many of the recipes are originally from Mme Benoit, La
doyenne de la cuisine du Quebec.

Use a basic pastry and cut 2 rounds. Line a pie plate with one and keep
the other for the top.

Oven temp. 400ºF/200ºC
Filling. (tsp=teaspoon=5ml, Tbsp=tablespoon=15ml)
1 lb (450g) minced, or finely chopped pork
1 small onion chopped finely
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp dried savoury
1/4tsp celery salt
1/4tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup (125ml) water
1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs
Put all the ingredients (except the breadcrumbs) in a saucepan and bring
to a boil, stirring to break up the pork. Simmer, uncovered, for about
20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in a couple of Tbsp breadcrumbs.
Leave for 10 minutes to absorb the liquid. If there is still some
liquid left, repeat. Cool.
Pour mix into the pastry-lined pie plate and cover with the other circle
of pastry. Brush with beaten egg, poke a small hole in the top and bake
for 30-40 minutes until nicely golden.

Instead of the breadcrumbs, there is an alternative method with grated
potato. Follow the above recipe but add two grated, medium potatoes at
the beginning and omit the breadcrumbs. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

On 2018-10-28 6:31 PM, graham wrote:
> On 2018-10-28 3:59 PM, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
>>>
>>
>> Graham, would you mind posting your tourtiere recipe again?Â* Somehow
>> during our last move it was one of the recipes I lost.Â* TIA
>>
> My Pleasure! Here it be!
>
> Here is a recipe for Tourtière, a traditional xmas dish from Quebec.
> It seems that there are as many recipes as there are cooks (and there
> are also regional variations) but the following is a good start.Â* I
> suspect that many of the recipes are originally from Mme Benoit, La
> doyenne de la cuisine du Quebec.
>
> Use a basic pastry and cut 2 rounds.Â* Line a pie plate with one and keep
> the other for the top.
>
> Oven temp. 400ºF/200ºC
> Filling. (tsp=teaspoon=5ml, Tbsp=tablespoon=15ml)
> 1 lb (450g) minced, or finely chopped pork
> 1 small onion chopped finely
> 1 clove garlic, minced
> 1/2tsp salt
> 1/2tsp dried savoury
> 1/4tsp celery salt
> 1/4tsp ground cloves
> 1/2 cup (125ml) water
> 1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs
> Put all the ingredients (except the breadcrumbs) in a saucepan and bring
> to a boil, stirring to break up the pork.Â* Simmer, uncovered, for about
> 20 minutes.Â* Remove from heat and stir in a couple of Tbsp breadcrumbs.
> Leave for 10 minutes to absorb the liquid.Â* If there is still some
> liquid left, repeat.Â* Cool.
> Pour mix into the pastry-lined pie plate and cover with the other circle
> of pastry.Â* Brush with beaten egg, poke a small hole in the top and bake
> for 30-40 minutes until nicely golden.
>
> Instead of the breadcrumbs, there is an alternative method with grated
> potato.Â* Follow the above recipe but add two grated, medium potatoes at
> the beginning and omit the breadcrumbs. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
>

No breadcrumbs here. I use some finely diced potato. I don't know for
sure what her basic pastry is, but I always use lard pastry when I make
tortiere.

In article 23>,
says...
>
> I bake one large mince pie at Christmas, and occasionally make mince
> tarts as well. Do you use prepared mince or do you make your own?
> If you have a special recipe for it I would love to have a copy.

I just buy a jar of ready-made and improve it with some brandy or
sherry and a raw grated apple.

Janet UK

On 2018-10-28 5:41 PM, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Sun 28 Oct 2018 03:31:41p, graham told us...
>
>> On 2018-10-28 3:59 PM, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> Graham, would you mind posting your tourtiere recipe again?
>>> Somehow during our last move it was one of the recipes I lost.
>>> TIA
>>>
>> My Pleasure! Here it be!
>>
>> Here is a recipe for Tourtière, a traditional xmas dish from
>> Quebec. It seems that there are as many recipes as there are cooks
>> (and there are also regional variations) but the following is a
>> good start. I suspect that many of the recipes are originally
>> from Mme Benoit, La doyenne de la cuisine du Quebec.
>>
>> Use a basic pastry and cut 2 rounds. Line a pie plate with one
>> and keep the other for the top.
>>
>> Oven temp. 400ºF/200ºC
>> Filling. (tsp=teaspoon=5ml, Tbsp=tablespoon=15ml)
>> 1 lb (450g) minced, or finely chopped pork
>> 1 small onion chopped finely
>> 1 clove garlic, minced
>> 1/2tsp salt
>> 1/2tsp dried savoury
>> 1/4tsp celery salt
>> 1/4tsp ground cloves
>> 1/2 cup (125ml) water
>> 1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs
>> Put all the ingredients (except the breadcrumbs) in a saucepan and
>> bring to a boil, stirring to break up the pork. Simmer,
>> uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in a
>> couple of Tbsp breadcrumbs. Leave for 10 minutes to absorb the
>> liquid. If there is still some liquid left, repeat. Cool.
>> Pour mix into the pastry-lined pie plate and cover with the other
>> circle of pastry. Brush with beaten egg, poke a small hole in the
>> top and bake for 30-40 minutes until nicely golden.
>>
>> Instead of the breadcrumbs, there is an alternative method with
>> grated potato. Follow the above recipe but add two grated, medium
>> potatoes at the beginning and omit the breadcrumbs. Cover and
>> simmer for 30 minutes.
>>
>>
>
> BTW, I have also used sage instead of savoury a couple of times. We
> liked both variations!
>
I think sage always goes well with pork, but that's my upbringing. My
Father came from a part of the UK where that combination was normal and
my Mother used a sage & onion stuffing with pork tenderloins.
Graham

On Sunday, October 28, 2018 at 7:09:25 PM UTC-6, graham wrote:
....
> I think sage always goes well with pork, but that's my upbringing. My
> Father came from a part of the UK where that combination was normal and
> my Mother used a sage & onion stuffing with pork tenderloins.
> Graham

Me too. My mommy put sage on pork and I love it!

John Kuthe...

On Monday, October 29, 2018 at 12:49:15 AM UTC-6, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Sun 28 Oct 2018 06:09:24p, graham told us...
>
> > On 2018-10-28 5:41 PM, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> >> On Sun 28 Oct 2018 03:31:41p, graham told us...
> >>
> >>> On 2018-10-28 3:59 PM, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> >>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> Graham, would you mind posting your tourtiere recipe again?
> >>>> Somehow during our last move it was one of the recipes I lost.
> >>>> TIA
> >>>>
> >>> My Pleasure! Here it be!
> >>>
> >>> Here is a recipe for Tourtière, a traditional xmas dish from
> >>> Quebec. It seems that there are as many recipes as there are
> >>> cooks (and there are also regional variations) but the following
> >>> is a good start. I suspect that many of the recipes are
> >>> originally from Mme Benoit, La doyenne de la cuisine du Quebec.
> >>>
> >>> Use a basic pastry and cut 2 rounds. Line a pie plate with one
> >>> and keep the other for the top.
> >>>
> >>> Oven temp. 400ºF/200ºC
> >>> Filling. (tsp=teaspoon=5ml, Tbsp=tablespoon=15ml)
> >>> 1 lb (450g) minced, or finely chopped pork
> >>> 1 small onion chopped finely
> >>> 1 clove garlic, minced
> >>> 1/2tsp salt
> >>> 1/2tsp dried savoury
> >>> 1/4tsp celery salt
> >>> 1/4tsp ground cloves
> >>> 1/2 cup (125ml) water
> >>> 1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs
> >>> Put all the ingredients (except the breadcrumbs) in a saucepan
> >>> and bring to a boil, stirring to break up the pork. Simmer,
> >>> uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in a
> >>> couple of Tbsp breadcrumbs. Leave for 10 minutes to absorb the
> >>> liquid. If there is still some liquid left, repeat. Cool. Pour
> >>> mix into the pastry-lined pie plate and cover with the other
> >>> circle of pastry. Brush with beaten egg, poke a small hole in
> >>> the top and bake for 30-40 minutes until nicely golden.
> >>>
> >>> Instead of the breadcrumbs, there is an alternative method with
> >>> grated potato. Follow the above recipe but add two grated,
> >>> medium potatoes at the beginning and omit the breadcrumbs. Cover
> >>> and simmer for 30 minutes.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >> BTW, I have also used sage instead of savoury a couple of times.
> >> We liked both variations!
> >>
> > I think sage always goes well with pork, but that's my upbringing.
> > My Father came from a part of the UK where that combination was
> > normal and my Mother used a sage & onion stuffing with pork
> > tenderloins. Graham
>
> I think sage is perfect with pork, as that was my upbringing too.
....

Yep, when I was a kid, under 10, and me and my friend Tom across my street used to break off the sage stems from my father''s herb garden and SMOKE them!

No effects of course!

John Kuthe...