Mini Caramel Pecan Pie

Fall is finally here, right? All the hubbaloo of Halloween has gone (not that I don’t love Halloween, but orange is not my best color), and temperatures are dropping. Though currently, it has dropped from 90 to 85, but I will take what I can get. Anyways, fall seemed like the perfect time to break out pies, but not just any pies. Mini pies. Because everything is better in miniature form, right? I am a sucker for mini anything, I saw mini eggplants the other day and almost died with excitement. But for the moment, I am content with my mini pies. Mini caramel pecan pies = love. Because no one can eat a whole pecan pie, but four minis, bring it on.

Ingredients:

1 ready to roll piecrust

1/3 cup Caramel sundae topping

2 tbsp. milk

2 1/2 tbsp. butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/8 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup pecans (chopped/ diced)

Directions:

1) Spray a mini muffin tray with non-stick spray (cause I’m paranoid). Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Use the top of a mason jar (or other circular glass or cookie cutter) to cut pie crust. Smush (yes, that is a word) the circles into the greased mini muffin pan. It will not be perfect. And your fingers will leave marks in the crust.

2) On the stove over medium heat, combine milk, butter and caramel topping until mixed and heated through.

3) In a  heatproof bowl, mix sugar, egg and vanilla. Then add caramel mix. Once combined, add pecans.

4) Pour mixture into crusts until 2/3s full. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

5) Enjoy!

Martha Stewart Sundays: Valentine’s Crafternoon

      Every Sunday, I shall attempt to do something like Martha does, from baking to cleaning to (God help me) glittering pictures of your dog.

       For my first installment of Martha Stewart Sunday, I took her idea in the February 2011 Living magazine of a Valentine's Crafternoon. I invited a few girlfriends over for snacks and crafts. It was a blast, we sat around for a few hours in the afternoon happily cutting and glittering to our hearts' content. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon away from all the super bowl fanfare and instead create cards for our loved ones. Later this week, I will be breaking down everything I did for the party as far as food but here is a quick overview of the Crafternoon.

      I bought stickers, cardstock, tissue paper, scissors, glitter and glue plus more. I also asked the girls to bring over some crafting things; if they had anything to contribute (glitter hearts are not cheap). For food, I had the pie, candies, apple dips, brie bites and raspberry ginger ale with frozen cranberries.
Here's what the work table looked like:

 

 

Sandra Lee-ing a Martha Stewart: Boozy Bartlett Pear Pie

     I love Martha Stewart, she is amazing at everything she tries from modeling to stockbroking, and the woman is a GOD at baking. Yet I wish her stuff came with rating levels, like this is for a beginner crafter to this is for expert bakers only with 10 hours to spare and several special baking utensils. Sadly, I don't have 10 hours to roll out dough and then refrigerate it overnight, then cut into small pieces and then roll it all together and start again. Take this pie for instance, looks amazing. The hearts cut out and pressed in circles to form a top crust. Fresh Bartlett pear peeled, cored and cut into small slices (3 lbs. of them). Frankly, I don't have the patience for such a thing or the time for that. Thus this is my "Sandra Lee-ing A Martha Stewart" for Pear-Raspberry Pie.

My improvements:

-add brandy (Sandra Lee would)

-readymade pie crust (I don't have to time to make it)

- canned pears and frozen raspberries

-change the hearts (cut 48 individual hearts, and place them in circles around the pie crust, WAY ABOVE my pay let alone skill level)

So here is my nouvelle recipe

• 2 readymade pie crusts
  
• ½ cup sugar
  
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  
• ¼ teaspoon salt
  
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 2 cans of pears (slices or cut them yourself)

 

• 1 ½ cups raspberries ( I used frozen)
  
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  
• 1/3 cup brandy
  
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces
  
• 1 egg yolk
  
  
  Directions:
  

1. Trim one pie dough to fit a 9-inch pie dish and trim edges. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
   
2. In a sauce pan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and raspberries over low to medium heat till it turns a bit gelatin. In another sauce pan, combine 2 cans of drained pears, brandy and brown sugar over medium heat. Combine the two sauce pans once pears have soaked up the brandy and sugar plus the raspberries are more gelatinous.
   
3. While the filling cools, roll out the second pie crust on a lightly floured surface and use heart cookie cutters to cut large and small hearts. Use scraps to roll out more dough to cut.
   
4.  Once slightly cooled, pour filling into pie pan, then using alternative directions to press the large hearts into the outer rim of the crust. Once full circle is formed, place the small hearts all facing the same direction on the edges.
   
5. Lightly brush egg yolk over crust and then use sugar to sprinkle over the crust afterwards.
   
6. Bake at 400 degrees for roughly 30 minutes.
 

 

Weekly Wanted Wonders

     As many of you may already know, next Monday is St. Valentine's Day, unless you are my boyfriend (It's February 14^th, dear). It seems that so many of my friends and family members have birthdays around that time, making the holiday extra important. These are the things inspiring me this week.

1. Pear-Raspberry Heart Pie
   
   

    

   Heart Pie

    It almost looks to pretty to eat. ALMOST. I love the heart cut outs for the pie crust. Maybe this will be a weekend project…
   
   
2. Florist Measuring Cups
   
   
    
   Measuring Cups
   I wish I had something to bake deserving enough of these cups! I feel I would just place them on a shelf and never want to get them messy, which isn't really the point of them.
   
   
   
3. Marchesa Gown
   
   

   
   I know this has nothing to do really with décor, but I so want this dress and somewhere to where it. Any ideas on how I could possibly justify it?
   
   
   
4. Damask Flocked Wall Paper
   
   

    

   wallpaper
   I don't really know where I would put this, but I know it would be beautiful. I love the soft purple offsetting the more modern foil behind it, making it more whimsical than stuffy.
   
   
   
5. Heart Shaped Valentine's Bejeweled Box
   
   

    

   Bejeweled Heart

    My boyfriend wouldn't appreciate it, so I might have to end up making this for my best friend and giving her a bunch of homemade goodies to fill it with à la Martha!
   
    
   
   What's inspiring you this week?