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| Christmas Pear and Cranberry Pie |
It is now Boxing Day, 2015. Over the last week I have been busy making pies, fillings and Christmas Buns for gifts. My husband and I had Christmas Breakfast with friends yesterday and went for dinner at our closest neighbour. We were both grateful for the reprieve from our kitchen and happy to indulge in another's flavours. We were very appreciative...and VERY full.
A topic of conversation that came up at both of our Holiday Meals was how he helped in the preparation of our gifts.
"I peeled 10 lb. of apples!" Was his exclamation when discussing the treats we brought.
His estimate was close to the weight of the apples which were prepared, he peeled and sliced 8 large apples. I had a total of 12 lb. of apples available, as I was prepared to make a very large quantity of apple pie plus a few additional treats.
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| Christmas Buns |
In total, I made:
5 Apple Pies, with decorative tops, (1 Christmas Tree, 4 Star Bursts)
2 Apple Rosette Pies,
1 Christmas Pear and Cranberry Pie,
1 Christmas Key Lime Pie (not homemade)
1 dozen Christmas Buns with the extra apples and cranberries I had left.
In order to tackle a project like this and make sure the pies are fresh when you give them as gifts, I made the filling mixture for the apple and pear pies first. Once cooled, I stored them in covered containers in the fridge for two days. The next day I made the Pastry dough and stored it for 24 hours. I wasn't sure If I would have enough apples to make "cinnamon buns" into Christmas Buns, I therefore saved the buns until the day I tackled the baking.
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| Sautéed Pears w/ Orange Juice |
Pie Pastry recipe
Old Fashioned Apple Pie recipe
Pear and Cranberry Christmas Pie,
additional ingredients:
Juice from 1/2 an Orange
1/4 TSP Fresh Ginger, Grated
1/4 Cup Cooked, Fresh Cranberries
A pinch of nutmeg sprinkled over the top.
The process and Baking instructions were otherwise the same.
The Cranberries were boiled, strained and I placed them around the crusts edges and in the centre, using a teaspoon. This added a little hint of tart and added colour.
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| Decorative Pie Crust |
Apple Pies
Apple Pie Ingredient Variations:
Juice from 1/2 an Orange
1/4 TSP Fresh Ginger, Grated
Decorative Ideas
I was having some fun with the look of the pies as well. Using Scissors, I cut out Star and Christmas Tree shapes to give the pies a Christmas theme. The bursts around the centre shapes were made using a Pizza Cutter. My purpose for this was to maximize the use of the pie Crust Dough I made.For the Apple Rosette Pies, I simple left them uncovered and placed the apples individually, starting from the outside crust, and overlaid the edge of each one. I continued to do this until the apples reached the centre. It made for a pretty presentation. It also created plenty of grooves to catch any Ice Cream that may have been served with it.
The Open Pies didn't need as long to bake. I took them out 15 minutes ahead of the covered pies.
I have many other projects coming up in the new year. Writing out the Christmas Bun Recipe is one of them. The Key Lime Pie, I admit I did not make from scratch, however it was a special request for a friend of mine. I used a pre-prepared package of Key Lime Pie and poured it into a pie shell I made. I additionally cut Triangles and baked them with the shell, for a bit of decoration.I have become much better at decorative pie crusts, I can still improve. Honestly, after three days of baking, I was quite pleased with the over all results. It was the flavour and bringing homemade gifts to those around us that mattered the most.
I have three more recipes almost finished, but will be updating them the next time I bake or create them. As we move into 2016, I'm very satisfied that I have managed to write out as much as I have this year, considering the volume of work that goes into the preparation of all the meals, bread and pastry I have made. I don't make New Year's resolutions, but I do like to give myself challenges. I have a list of projects to complete in 2016, getting these recipes all written out is on the list.
We will be having roast duck tomorrow. That's one recipe I REALLY wish to finish!!!
Have a wonderful Holiday!
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