Welcome Back to My Kitchen

"I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food."
     --quote attributed to Julia Child

As I say, welcome. It's been a good long while, in part because I haven't had a whole lot to put on here lately. Alas, like gaggles of knitters all around the world, I have discovered the joys of Ravelry, and as a lace knitter and fearless designer of charted confections, I found it easier to work under the platform of a website that allows me to upload PDF files. So in the meantime, I've sort of let this blog go to seed. But there are other things I experiment with besides knitting designs, and so it's time to give this blog a new purpose...or something. Or at least a few off-the-walls pie recipes a la "Waitress."

The recipe in question today is Cranberry Limeade Pie. This was a confection dreamt up over the produce aisles at my local grocery ("Hmmm...what's on sale today? Cranberries and limes? I dig it."). As some of my test-tasters pointed out, since there's a tendency to associate limes with summer and cranberries with fall, this is the perfect mishmash for the change of seasons, which in New York is happening very late and very stupidly this year (Thanks, global warming!). This pie doesn't indulge in the usual mawkish blend of cinnamon and nutmeg that you find in everything this time of year, so be warned. It is tart. Very tart. And you will like it.

(Mama Fang's) Cranberry Limeade Pie

Crust:
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
pinch of finely ground sea salt
zest of 1 medium lime
1 stick cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup cold water

Filling:
8 ounces fresh cranberries
zest of 1 lime
juice of 2 limes
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch

Prepare the crust:
Combine flour, sugar, salt, and lime zest in a medium bowl. Cut butter into small pieces and blend into flour mixture using fingertips or food processor (growing up in a "why-you-bake-that" traditional Chinese household, I use my fingers to avoid questions). When your mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs (yes, there will be little chunks of butter, that's fine), add the water slowly and stir until dough just comes together. Shape into a ball or disc, cover in plastic wrap (or put in a sandwich bag) and refrigerate until ready to use, at least 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a medium bowl, combine cranberries, lime zest, lime juice, and sugar, and mix well.

Roll out about 2/3 of the dough (I use two sheets of wax paper and a drinking glass, so I won't judge how!) into a large circle and press into bottom of an 8-inch pie plate. Trim overhang and add it to your reserved dough for the lattice.

Pour cranberry limeade mixture into pie shell. If you feel like torturing your test-tasters, slice up another lime into fine half-moon slices and coat in sugar, then arrange artfully over the top.

Roll out remaining dough into strips and arrange over top of pie.

Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes or until fruit filling is bubbly and thickened.

 Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before serving. Top with whipped cream or something if desired, and go forth and torture your coworkers.

And if you're not sure about the pie and prefer lace shawls instead, go to my Ravelry store for free knitted goodness.

Until the next time!