America's Test Kitchen's Cheesecake with Roasted Strawberry Topping

A little pet peeve of mine is recipes whose titles start with, "the best." Really - the best? In those whole vast culinary world you want to throw down the gauntlet and make that claim? That takes some mighty large huevos my friend.

Hence, when a co-worker tried a slice of this cheesecake from America's Test Kitchen and exclaimed, "this is the best cheesecake that I have ever had," my natural skepticism paused. 

This cheesecake... is too legit to quit. Now I'm not going to give it the title of "best" but goodness gracious it's better than good. It's freaking good. Why so? Adjectives include luscious, creamy, rich, and smooth, full-bodied without being heavy. 

 

The crust offers a nice counter balance because of the baked in cinnamon. I would say you could even cut back a little bit on the sugar in the crust. As with any cheesecake, make sure you schedule around the cooking time (about 2 hours total with cake and crust)! I prefer baking the day before so it has the night to chill.

This cheesecake was specially made for my kuya (brother) as a birthday treat! You've seen a few cheesecakes (White Chocolate Cheesecake with Hearts and Raspberry Swirled Cheesecake) that I've made for him for past birthdays.  Brandon is always more than grateful.  He gives a big hug and thank you no matter what someone gives him. I could bestow him with a bowl of mud and he'd be appreciative. You can imagine my surprise when he simply said, "this is better than last year's cheesecake." 

If this recipe can break kuya's super considerate silence... well then we're cooking with fire.

Know this now! When you sign up for cheesecake... real cheesecake... you are signing up for sinfully high calories and a trip to confession. Better make that the gym. This angelic looking recipe holds an asinine amount of cream cheese, a whole bunch of eggs, a little sour cream, just a hint of lemon, a dash of vanilla extract, and some serious sugar. Don't you dare try to lie to yourself with that "light" cream cheese nonsense. 

Steer into the skid, my friends.

Adorning the top of this cheesecake, I added some roasted strawberries. Roasted strawberries are my answer to everything! They're incredible on top buckwheat pancakes, served with some wine, or slathered on millet muffins. The best part is their simplicity and versatility. I bake them whole on at 375F until their tender, about 15-20 minutes, with a little maple syrup drizzled on top. There's no need for a lot of sugar, let nature do her work. 

The only issue I had with this recipe was the quantity it produced. I definitely had enough batter for TWO cheesecakes. I'm not sure if this is the intention of yield but it sure made for some happy co-workers!

For the America's Test Kitchen's Cheesecake recipe, subscribe to their site or check it out on My Baker Lady's site.

Rum-Kissed Banana Butterscotch Cream Tart in a Cocoa-Buckwheat Crust {Gluten-Free}

This has been one the most frustrating posts to put together in terms of pictures. Each one is vastly different than the other with no theme and consistency. This is the struggle of a commoner having a food blog! There's not enough time or resources to create a picture-perfect post. I rarely have the opportunity to share meals because that's exactly what they are - a meal! Hubby is eager to get his grub on after a hard day at work. Could you imagine telling that oncoming train to ease up - just one more picture while your food gets cold? No thanks! 

A lovely pie such as this, however, could not go with it's song unsung. 

I decided to switch it up on 'em this year for the big brother's birthday. In the past, I have stuck with his love for peanut butter with treats like the Chocolate Covered Peanut Icecream Cake and ghetto fabulous Peanut Butter Cake. Recently, he has been testing out a more gluten-free lifestyle which won't fly with the traditional fare. 

There are millions of awesome options these days for the gluten-free masses. I was lucky enough to stumble upon this beautiful recipe from Bonjon Gourmet for a Rum-Kissed Banana Butterscotch Cream Tart in a Cocoa-Buckwheat Crust. The title alone is daunting but no worries, it's surprisingly easy to make.

A quick break down of its composition:

Gluten-Free Cocoa-Buckwheat

Rum Butterscotch Custard

Lots of banana slices

Whipped cream

Dark chocolate shavings

I will say that this pie crust is not for everyone because of the buckwheat.  People commented that they could taste it which was a turn off. It didn't even strike my radar - I thought that it gave a more earthy, dark chocolate flavor.  Then again, I don't like anything super sugary so it was a nice balance for my palette.

If you opt for a different crust, make sure it's not super sweet. Paired with the butterscotch filling, the combination may be overpowering. I see this working a cinnamon-based crust or a traditional butter-based one with chocolate like this Brûléed Bourbon-Maple Pumpkin Pie.

This was the first time that I've ever made butterscotch and I was very pleased with results. The texture is creamy and dreamy while the flavor is humbled by the use of rum. You can switch it out for bourbon or omit it entirely. This recipe called for black rum which sounds tasty for baking but we would never use it otherwise. I went with what we had in-house: a little bottle of Captain Morgan's.

Making the butterscotch takes a degree of patience and persistence because you got to WHISK WHISK WHISK until it thickens. Roll up them sleeves and don't lose heart - it will get there eventually. This is all butter, milk, sugar, and cornstarch.

Lastly, the whip cream topping. Take your liberties as needed. This recipe adds some filler like marscapone, creme fraiche, or sour cream. The use of marscapone is always welcome but again, using what was available, I added sour cream. The result is a heavier topping that doesn't whip quite as high. If you want a super fluffy topping, keep the extras out and use only heavy cream.

A personal touch was the addition of these cute pennants. The hubby took some sticks from an art project and sharpened the tips. I tied on some baker's twine and attached pennants made out of two-sided stationary paper for an alternating pattern. Simply cut a diamond shape and fold in the middle to create simple flags and hang from the twine. Slip in a smidge of tape if you're worried about them falling off.

The birthday boy enjoyed the pie and even the cute pennants! Love you, broseph!

Please enjoy this recipe for Rum-Kissed Banana Butterscotch Cream Tart in a Cocoa-Buckwheat Crust {Gluten-Free} on Bonjon Gourmet's site!

The Patriotic Tart

For those out there who are all about the red, white, and blue- this recipes goes out to you. I recently made this tart for a get-together at my in-laws over the Memorial Day weekend. They're both retired army and their home reflects their commitment to serving the USA. The moment I saw this tart idea, I knew that I had to make it!

The base of this tart is a traditional pie crust; you could easily switch things up with a crumble-base (i.e. graham crackers, cookies, almonds, etc.) crust. This was the first time that I ever deviated form Smitten Kitchen's crust and I was pleasantly surprised with this version from Baked. It's easy to make in a blender and rolls out very nicely. I think we may have a new go-to pie crust! It's flaky, light, and not overly buttery.

The filling extremely simple and quick! It's combination of whipped-cream and cream-cheese to create a smooth base. I split the mix and in one bowl, whipped in a little raspberry jam to help break things up. See the link in the recipe below for my favorite raspberry jam. Throw in a sprinkle of lemon zest to help bring out that fruity flavor! Top with some patriotic fruit and let the tart do the rest.

This dessert is an instant 4th of July rock star for any barbeque!

The Patriotic Tart

inspired by I Heart Baking

Pie Crust (recipe below) - New Frontiers in Baking

Pie Filling (recipe below) - slightly modified from Martha Stewart

6 ounces blueberries (there will be leftovers)

6 ounces strawberries, quartered (there will be leftovers)

13.75" x 4.5" tart pan

Crust

1 1/2  cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
6 tablespoons ice cold water

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together.

Cut the cold butter into cubes and toss the cubes in the flour mixture to coat. Put the mixture in the bowl of a food processor and pulse in short bursts until the pieces of butter are the size of hazelnuts. While pulsing in quick, 4-second bursts, drizzle the ice water into the food processor through the feed tube.

As soon as the dough comes together in a ball, remove it from the food processor roll into a ball. Flatten to a disk and wrap in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the disk until firm, about 1 hour.

Sprinkle clean surface with flour and roll out into a 16 x 6 rectangle, or 1/4 of an inch thick. Gently lay into tart pan, cutting off excess hanging dough. Crimp edges as desired. 

The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe.

Filling
6 ounces bar low-fat cream cheese or neufchâtel, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 cup raspberry jam 

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, vanilla, lemon zest, and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add cream, and beat until soft peaks form.

In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the cream cheese filling mixture with the raspberry jam. Evenly spread mixture in cooled crust. Spread on top the rest of the plain, cream cheese filling on top to hide the pink layer.

Decorate into with berries and let chill in the fridge. Best served slightly cold to ward off the summer heat!

Raspberry Brie Dessert Pizza with Rosemary and Candied Pecans

This Raspberry Brie Dessert Pizza with Rosemary and Candied Pecans knocks it out the park. Hard. As in the other team just threw down all their gear and is running over to join your team. It's that serious. I'm going  to let the pictures do most of the talking for this post, however there are some elements that I feel compelled to highlight. 

The home-made crust is extremely easy to make and takes only an hour to rise. For a yeast based bread, that's really good time! You can use that hour to prep everything else. Honey is used to as a natural sweetener which is great way to reduce the amount of processed sugar. There's a splash of olive oil to help balance the flavor. I'm sure there's a way to sneak in some whole wheat flour to the mix to get a honey-wheat profile. This bread is simple, quick, light, and delicious. Very impressed! 

If you don't have time to make the crust, no worries. You could easily substitute with store-bought flat bread or even a French baguette! Do what works for you, just make sure you adjust your toasting time.

Surprisingly, the raspberry jam really stood out in this recipe. All the components are important but something about that warm, gooey, berry mess tied everything together. I really enjoy the flavor and texture of Santa Cruz Seedless Raspberry jam. I'll even sneak a tiny spoonful as a mini-dessert after work. For those that don't care for raspberries, I think any other berry combination will do just as well. We used to eat brie with apples and pears straight up on college picnics so get creative.

It's smooth sailing from that point on. Chop up some brie, nestle it on the dough with globs of raspberry jam. The candied pecans are a nice touch but I saved some on the side that weren't candied; I enjoy the natural, earthy tone of pecans too much. The sprinkle the rosemary helps to give it that fresh feeling. A drizzle of honey is optional. 

Suffice to say, this pizza did not make it past the afternoon. Woops!

This Raspberry Brie Dessert Pizza would be a lovely addition to fancy-up a brunch or as a posh snack. Check out the recipe over at Completely Delicious! 

No Bake Chocolate Ganache and Oreo Tartlette

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words. It's an arrow straight to the heart- there's no room for imagination. Pause.  This is Bun, the Hus-Bun.  I believe that there are some pictures that you immediately understand; the picture articulates what you feel in that very instant. You could sit in silence and revel in the small chill from the chemical reaction that your body just experienced.

Or, you could jump around for joy and scream, "I WANT."

Now granted, this isn't exactly what I did when Michele showed me this recipe.  On the contrary, I had a more "negative" reaction.  A tart?  An OREO Tart???  What the heck is a "tarlette?" Umm.  Yeah, these additions didn't really vibe well with my high strung Oreo addiction.  You could say I am a purist, and even though she has done a phenomenal job with all of the Oreo creations she has made for me in the past, by words alone, I wasn't too excited about an Oreo tart.  

That is why ladies and gentlemen, she is a great cook and baker, and I draw pretty peekchurs.  She looked at the image and instantly saw its value.  I looked at it and saw Mac and Cheese sprinkled with A1 sauce.  I like these two things, I just didn't think that they would go together.  

Boy oh boy, was I terribly wrong, terribly, terribly wrong.



I crept in the kitchen and was fascinated by the process.  She let me taste the filling; it was at that moment that I realized I was in trouble. I have a horrible sweet tooth and this was the exact right level of sweetness. It was rich in all the right ways. The chocolate filling ("ganache") was strong but not an immediate punch in the mouth. The texture and taste were smooth, not exactly the word I associate with a desert such as this. Plus, if you want to lure adorable feral beasts into your house, make this tart. It had that much magnetism- even Autumn wanted to check it out.  

This tart has shown me one thing:  I still have much to learn about food and its appeal when developing fusion dishes.  However, I am extremely grateful at the fact that I have someone who is willing to teach me.  Someone who is kind and sweet and oh so smooth in the kitchen.  So remember, while looking for recipes out there in the wild west of the internet, keep an open mind. You never know what amazing treats will catch you by surprise.

For this extremely decadent recipe, check out La Receta de La Felicidad. It's quick, easy, and well worth the calories! Just make sure you have some milk on deck!

"Make it Again" Chocolate Pudding Pie

Never underestimate the power of pie.

The other night, Mike and I went out to dinner with hopes of scooping up some teensie pies from the Pie Sisters on our way back home. My favorite is their mixed berry rendition while he surprised me with Chocolate Pudding pie. Alas, it was too late and the store was closed. Mike had been really stocked too... I did not realize that this was a thing for him! 

A week later, the pudding craving set in again. This time, the sheer thought of driving in Northern VA on a weekend that deterred us. (Seriously- it's that traffic that's going to make us move in a year or two.) It's a little extra work... but I much rather bake a pie from scratch than deal with 395. Besides. I couldn't have my man... liking somebody else's confection! 

I jest. Heaven help the person that tries to take away my mint milanos. 

I took my favorite elements from recipes past and combined them into this lovely luscious treat. The crust is my go-to recipe from Smitten Kitchen; the pudding is my own concoction; and the topping can be basic whip cream or cool whip. Simple elements that create a simply wonderful pie!

There were a few lessons learned the first round

1. Grease the pie dish before putting the dough in. You don't want to find some tiny section that doesn't want to let go of the pan after it's been in the fridge!
2. There's no such thing as too much pudding. I doubled the amount to make sure I used the entire dish and had just enough for a little cup on the side.
3. I used a 9"inch round- but I think a 10" inch would have worked just as well. 

Needless to say, it was a smash hit. Mike was very much in love with this recipe. When we went to visit his parents, he declared, "make it again!" How on Earth could I ever say no to that sweet mug of his? He gives me a honey glow something awful!

This time, I got it 100% and used the spare dough to cut out some pastry hearts as decoration. I have a feeling that is going to be a weekend staple!

"Make it Again" Chocolate Pudding Pie

Step 1: Make the Crust

The Pie Crust is from Smitten Kitchen and I strongly recommend rolling it out the night before to save time. I halved the recipe for a single pie crust.

Once you have made the dough, you must chill it, roll it out (remember to butter the pie pan before setting in dough), place into a 9"inch round pie pan, crimp the edges, and chill again. If you have any hanging left over pie dough, roll them out and make some shapes to decorate the final product! 

Now that the dough is ready and in the pie pan, grease a sheet sheet of aluminum foil and gently mold to the uncooked pie crust. Fill crust with pie weights to make sure it doesn't puff up. You can also use dried beans or coffee beans. I like dried coffee beans for the fragrance!

To fully blind bake, bake it at 425 degrees 15 to 18 minutes or until the sides begin to brown. Remove the pan from the oven. Gently remove your pie weights. Reduce oven to 375 degrees and continue to bake the crust for several minutes until it's golden.

Step 2: Make the Filling
The filling is my Choco-Coco Latte Puddin, but doubled (see below)

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup coconut sugar 

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

1 1/2 cups milk

7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (60% and higher)

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 teaspoons instant espresso (how strong you want it? I used 1 teaspoon) 

Heat the water of your double boiler. If you don't have one (like me), heat about an inch of water in a small pot just to a nice simmer.

Combine the cornstarch, coconut sugar, and salt in a heat proof bowl. Slowly whisk in both milks. Place over gently simmering water and give a it a good whisk occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Make sure all the dry ingredients are incorporated. After 10 to 15 minutes, the mixture will being to thicken. Add the chocolate and espresso. Continue whisking just a few more minutes, until the pudding is smooth, thick, and all the chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. 

Allow the crust too cool to room temperature. Pour into fully cooked pie crust and place in fridge to firm up, about 30 minutes.

Step 3: The Topping

For the topping, use a basic whip cream recipe or some store bought cool whip! Honestly, all whip cream recipes are made up of the same ingredients: sugar + heavy whipping cream. 

Step 4: Make it Pretty

Garnish with any leftover pie crust cut outs, shaved chocolate, or fruit!

Sweet Potato Pie for Mr. Worthington

 

Years back, I was a camp counselor for a summer program called Rec-Pac. If you're a Fairfax County, Virginia kid, you're probably familiar with this program. It gave kids a structured summer and parent's an all-day babysitter. I did it for several summers during college. It was an interesting job filled with stress, laughter, and drama. I found that it was possible to overcome any obstacle, so long as the staff worked together. Sound cheesy? You try getting a gymnasium full of screaming 3rd graders to sit down and shuddap solo.

Supporting the counselors were counselors in training (CIT). They were basically Rec-Pac's version of unpaid interns! Most were high schoolers looking for a way to build their resume or whose parent's didn't want them playing video games all summer. Due to the age difference, CIT's and counselors didn't really interact like that.

And then there was Brandon, the CIT that managed to wiggle his way into my heart. In this blog, I typically reference him as "Kuya" which means brother in Tagalog (neither of us are Filipino).

The day before the kids arrived, the staff set up their assigned school. There was the usual awkwardness as a bunch of strangers were brought together. I was in the art room when Brandon showed up. He was very quiet but had all the markings of a break dancer. The shoes. A hat. The arm band. I was wearing Adidas shell toes, a popular dance shoe back in the day. We both kept giving each other the up and down. Does he break? Does she break? Then I caught him doodling someone break dancing and the ice was broken. 

From that moment on, Brandon found his new punching bag. He hit me with dodge balls, chased me with food carts, and tripped me using cheesy kung-fu movie moves (leaf whirl wind kick). At the same time, he was one of the sweetest, most level-headed people I'd ever met- regardless of our age difference. To be this awesome, his parents must have been doing something right.

And no joke, his parents were strict. They were just as bad as my mother. I remember walking over to the van to ask his dad if Brandon could go to a break dance competition one weekend. Mr. Worthington was just like his son: sweet, polite, and level headed (and the answer was "no"). The entire family makes you feel welcome and loved. You can't walk in the door without a happy greeting and a hug. Who would have thought 7 years later, I'd be making birthday pie for his pops? Madness.

This is a basic sweet potato pie. Honestly, I didn't see much variation from one version to the next online. The key difference seems be the use of evaporated milk vs. whole milk and the presence of brown sugar. The crust I used is buttery and flaky (thanks again Smitten!) while the filling is smooth and spiced.I tried to create a pie merging the best traits of all versions. Hope you enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pie

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 unbaked chilled pie crust- store bought or my favorite my Smitten!
1 lb sweet potato
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of brown sugar on the side

Make sure your pie crust is ready to go and in a 9-inch round pan. Set in the fridge to chill. If you're making it from scratch, I always recommend making it the night before to save time.

Preheat oven to 375. Bake sweet potatoes  wrapped in aluminum foil with skin for 60-90 minutes, or until tender. Let cool and then peel off skin.

Break apart sweet potato in a mixing bowl. Add butter, and mix well thoroughly. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Set in fridge.

Preheat oven 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Once it's hot, take out the chilled pie crust and sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of brown sugar on top. Pour the pie crust on top. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools.

Pumpkin Pie with a Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust

Happy Post Thanksgiving! I hope you had a relaxing and cozy weekend, filled with good food and better company. We were definitely on the move in our household.  Thanksgiving lunch was spent with my side and dinner with his. I'm grateful that our parentals live only 25 minutes apart!

The food was the traditional meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, veggies, and (my all time favorite) stuffing. The older I get, the more I realize that turkey really isn't as magical as I remember from childhood.  Funny how nostalgia makes things taste better.  The giant bird is very hard to do well; plus my family keeps trying that turducken stuff which has been unimpressive. I think you need to be a true Carnivore to appreciate the art of turducken.

Usually, my mom doesn't want me to cook anything on holidays. Strange, right? Her philosophy is the less I do, the more I can relax. It's a bit of a catch 22. The kitchen is one of my favorite ways to relax. The stress sets in when I feel the pressure to be perfect. The only person creating this pressure is myself because food is a form of expression. For me, it's a tiny way to show my love. 

Hence why 6 hours were shot creating dinner rolls for Mike's family. *puts head on desk* See what happened was... a friend showed up on our front door unexpected the night before Thanksgiving. The dinner rolls were done shortly before they departed and they had come out perfect! In the midst of parting, I totally forgot that the dinner rolls were still resting in the oven. It was time to make the pumpkin pie, so I preheated the oven and... well... at about 400 degrees I smelt something toasting. Destroyed. 

Defeat?

Never.

Back at it. Measure, mix, knead, and rise for another hour. After forming the rolls, I slipped the unrisen dough into the freezer for Thanksgiving. The next day, chaos in my mother's kitchen overtook the poor dinner rolls. There was a battle between my tia's sweet potatos and my beloved rolls over oven space... and she won. Every time I turned around, she had slipped her tray of potatoes back in the oven, directly above the rolls. They never stood a chance.

Needless to say, this Thanksgiving, there was no Sprite in my red wine. Salude! Please feel free to share your favorite holiday kitchen disasters! It's all goodie though. The Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake, specially made for my brother, came out fantastic. This year, I decided to try something a little different with the Pumpkin Pie.

The filling of the pie is from America's Test Kitchen. The spices are standard issue for a pumpkin pie. The technique is the key! You warm the pumpkin puree over the stove to deepen the flavor and then pour it directly into a half baked pie crust straight from the oven. Everything has to be hot and timed! This will prevent the pumpkin from dampening the crust. Pretty slick, no?

The other exciting aspect of this year's pie was the Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust. Yah trust me- when my girlfriend shared this concept with me, I nearly threw a chair. For your viewing ease, I flipped once slice of pie to show off it's pretty under belly. All you need is some pre-made pie crust, a little butter, and some cinnamon. Check out Taste for Adventure's post for a detailed break down of the process.

Note: when you smooth the rolls into the bottom of the pie dish- make sure they're nice and thin. Mine were a little too chubby still and made for a thicker then desired pie crust. It should cover the entire pie dish.

The baking time of the crust and the filling magically aligned. The crust needs 25 minutes to pre-bake and a total cooking time of 40 minutes. How ideal! America's Test Kitchen's Best Pumpkin Pie recipe (not the one with the yams) needs 15 minutes to bake and requires a hot, pre-baked crust! So all you have to do is bake the crust (at whatever heat it requires) for 25 minutes, then you add the warmed pumpkin pie filling and continue to bake for another 15 minutes at the filling's required temperature.

If you're feeling extra frisky, top with home-made whipped cream with a touch of rum or bourbon and toasted pepitas!

Once again, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. It's quite obvious here as to what Autumn's grateful for! We both love this guy something fierce.

For the recipes, check out Taste for Adventure (crust) and America's Test Kitchen (pie filling).

Peach and Crème Fraîche Pie

Millions of peaches. Peaches for me. Millions of peaches. Peaches for free. Well not quite. My sister and I have different preferences when it comes to sweet things. I wanted to make something for her birthday that was different and peach tart got stuck in my head. I've never made a tart from scratch. They seem simple enough. In my quest to find a yummy peach tart, I found this from Smitten.

Peaches are good. Peaches in a pie? Even better! The crust was flaky and buttery. It really held together too! You could almost pick it up like a slice of pizza- almost. The sweetness of the fruit is not overpowering. It's a very mature pie.

The filling for this pie is ridiculously easy. Fast and basic. It's the crust you need watch out for. Oh it's easy- but time consuming. You can always go out and buy the crust, but it doesn't have the same love in it. I made the dough the night before so all I had to do the next day was let it thaw in the fridge a little, roll it out into the pan, freeze again, par-bake, and then bake. What is par-bake? It's a little pre-toast so that you don't get a soggy bottom from all the juices in the pie when it's baking.

The key to make the yummy, buttery crust- FREEZE EVERYTHING. I'm serious. Freeze your butter. Freeze the crust. Keep everything cold cold cold so it stays together. Visible butter means visible flakiness.

Note: what the hell is Crème Fraîche? It is a delicious, thinner form of sour cream first developed by the French. It has a slight hold and tangyness. You can make your own at home, there are a couple online recipes like this one. I bought mine at Whole Foods because Safeway didn't know what the heck I was talking about. Also... The quality of pie depends on the quality of the peach. They're in season from late June to September. You be the judge when you pick them out.

I made this in NJ in a foreign kitchen. Don't be jealous of my Dixie paper plates : )

Pie Crust

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, very cold
9.5x10 inch pie plate (not deep dish)

Streusel

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 to 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cold (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling

1 1/2 pounds ripe (4 to 5 medium) yellow peaches, pitted and quartered
2 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
5 tablespoons crème fraîche

For the Pie Crust... fill a one cup liquid measuring cup with water, and drop in a few ice cubes; set it aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Dice very cold unsalted butter into 1/2-inch pieces. Get out your pastry blender. Don't have a pastry blender? Me neither. Take 2 knives and cut like a pair of huge scissors. It takes longer but hey, do what you gotta do.

Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour and begin working them in with the pastry blender, using it to scoop and redistribute the mixture as needed so all parts are worked evenly. When all of the butter pieces are the size of tiny peas — this won’t take long — stop. You want those butter bits!

Start drizzling 1/4 cup of the ice-cold water over the butter and flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gather the dough together. You’ll probably need an additional 2 tablespoons cup of cold water to bring it together, but add it gradually. Once you’re pulling large clumps with the spatula, take it out and get your hands in there. Gather the disparate damp clumps together into one mound, kneading them gently together.

Place dough on a large piece of plastic wrap. Let the dough chill in the fridge for one hour, but preferably at least two, before rolling it out.

When you do roll it out, it should be 1/8 inch thick. Trim edge to 1/2 inch; fold under and crimp (with a fork) as desired. Pierce bottom of dough all over with a fork. Transfer to freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F right before you take it out. While this is freezing, make the streusel and filling!

For the streusel ... Stir confectioners’ sugar, baking powder, salt and three tablespoons flour together in a small bowl. Add bits of cold butter, and either using a fork, pastry blender or your fingertips, work them into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add additional flour as needed. Don't worry if it's more than the recipe states- just make sure it's crumbly!

Par-bake crust ... Tightly press a piece of aluminum foil against frozen pie crust. From here, fill the shell with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes, then carefully remove foil and any weights, press any bubbled-up spots in with the back of a spoon, and return the crust to the oven for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until it is lightly golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

For the filling ... Sprinkle quartered peaches with sugar (2 more a touch of sweetness, 4 for sweet) and salt. (Easy way to quarter peaches- cut full circle vertically and then twist apart like a bottle cap.) Let sit for 10 minutes. Spread two tablespoons crème fraîche in bottom of par-baked pie shell, sprinkle with one-third of the streusel and fan the peach quarters decoratively on top. Dot the remaining three tablespoons of crème fraîche on the peaches and sprinkle with remaining streusel.

Bake the pie until the crème fraîche is bubble and the streusel is golden brown, about 50 minutes. Cover edge of crust with a strip of foil if it browns too quickly. Let cool on a wire rack at least 15 minutes before serving.

Store in the fridge due to the crème fraîche. Serve warm or cold. I served mine cold because we were out watching the fireworks. This gives the flavors more time to blend.