Isn't EVERYTHING Better with Bacon?

It's no secret that I love pie for breakfast. They are two of my very favorite things, and the combination is my true Achilles heel. But to this point, I've always been a little unsatisfied with my pie for breakfast fixes. I was missing something... I felt like Snoopy without Woodstock. Or Simon without Garfunkel. I needed something to balance out that sweet, tart, crispy-crusted pie. Enter bacon.

Let's me be real honest with you. My consumption of pork, sausage, carnitas, bacon and ham have increased dramatically since my boyfriend entered my life. If that man doesn't have pig in some form at least once a day, it's not a good scene. So how had I missed this for so long? Bacon and pie! It's a Portland dream come true. In the city of roses, we love our breakfasts. We want the breakfast meatloaf (thank you, City State), the three-egg omelet with bacon and a scone, or hash browns smothered in gravy and fried eggs. And we want it smothered with Secret Aardvark sauce served with a steaming mug of locally roasted coffee! 

Let me introduce you to Lumberjack Pie. It involves tart apples, maple syrup, buttery crust, and a woven layer of crunchy bacon that will leave your tongue dancing and your knees shaking.

Start out with a pie crust, just like your normally would; roll it out and form it into your pie dish. Once that's complete, slice up several Granny Smith apples and mix them with a few tablespoons of flour, a few shakes of cinnamon and some nutmeg. Once your apples are nicely coated, add in a splash of lemon juice... and some maple syrup. Poor that gooey mixture into your pie crust and set it aside.

Next you'll need to open up your bacon and lay the slices on a plate that's been covered in a couple layers of paper towel. Pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes to cook out a majority of the grease, which will keep your heart pumping longer and your pie crust crispier. 

Once most of the bacon fat has rendered out, you'll want to weave the bacon strips on top of your apples so it hangs over the edge of the pie tin just a bit. As it cooks, the bacon will shrink to just cover your apples. Once you have your bacon layer woven together, sprinkle it with a handful of brown sugar, and pop it into the oven at 350. Let it cook until the apples and maple are bubbling up through the bacon (which should be delightfully crispy) and the crust is golden brown. Let it sit for a few minutes to cool, and then serve up a generous slice. It's fruit and protein, for goodness sake - eat up!

In short, the oh-so-famous culinary duo, peanut butter and jelly, better watch its back. Bacon and pie are hot on their tracks.

Celebrate Your 96th Birthday with Pie

When I'm 96 years old, I hope I'll be as amazing as my boyfriend's grandma. She's sassy, wants to go skydiving, and loves her berry pie. I made an extra special pie in her honor this weekend, and filled it with as much love as it could hold. Happy birthday to you, Grandma Moto!

 

 

 

When Disneyland is too far... try a new pie crust!

If you could be anywhere in the world right this second, where would you be? My answer to that question has always been Disneyland. I have grown up with a ferocious love of Disneyland that was instilled in me as a tiny tot by my mother. In fact, one of my very first memories is of my dad holding me when I was three years old by the carousel near the Peter Pan ride in Fantasyland. Because Disneyland is about 14 hours by car from Portland, this weekend I found myself in my kitchen making pie. But just like Disneyland, making pie is completely magical, so I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I tried my hand at a new sort of pie crust this time. Still my mom's secret recipe, but this time I used a couple of cookie cutter leaf shapes to cut out the top of my pie crust. Here's a handy how-to guide so that you can do the same!

First things first. You're going to need an apron because making pies is a messy proposition with lots of flour involved. This is one that I made during a crafty phase a few months ago, and I love it.

After you have your apron, roll out the pie dough for the bottom of your tin as normal. Add in the fruit and set it off to the side. Next, roll out the dough for the top of the pie and use your cookie cutter to cut out enough shapes to cover the top of the fruit.

I chose to use fall leaves since I'm smack dab in the middle of my yearly fall obsession. If this was a strawberry rhubarb pie for the fourth of July, I would use stars. Or if it was for Christmas, I would use Christmas trees. But today it's leaves. My boyfriend is the artistic one in our relationship, so he used a chopstick to make a few of the leaves look a bit more realistic to create contrast on the crust.

Once I had all the shapes cut out, I lined them on the top of the pie and then did an egg wash by beating an egg and brushing it over the crust. This will make the crust extra shiny after it's finished baking. To cap it all off, I sprinkled a little bit of sugar over the top before I put it in the oven to bake.

Forty five minutes later, and here's the final product! It's a fun, creative and easy way to give your pie a little extra seasonal flare. And don't forget that you can order a pie kit from me that comes with everything you need to create your own masterpiece. Check out the About Me section of my blog and send me an email. Happy baking!