Although Kate Carlisle is best known as the New York Times bestselling
author of the Bibliophile Mysteries, it's her second ongoing series—the
Fixer-Upper Mysteries—that are coming to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries this
month.


About the Fixer-Upper Mysteries: In the small resort town of
Lighthouse Cove, California, the best man for the job is a woman: Shannon
Hammer, owner of Hammer Construction Company and an expert in Victorian home
restoration and renovation. Shannon discovers not only skeletons in her
neighbors' closets, but murder victims, too!
The producers at Hallmark hope to bring all of the
Fixer-Upper Mysteries to the screen—four books so far, with more to come: A High-End Finish, This Old Homicide,
Crowned and Moldering, and Deck the
Hallways. You can read free excerpts of all of the books on my website, www.KateCarlisle.com.
In honor of this career milestone, I've created a recipe
that I'm calling Celebration Lemon-Cherry Pie. The first time I served this,
everyone remarked on how flaky the crust is. The trick is to make sure that
your shortening is very cold. I had mine in the refrigerator overnight. I'll
have a printable version of this recipe available in the Secret Room at
KateCarlisle.com.
Celebration
Lemon-Cherry Pie
Crust:
1 C all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
½ C vegetable shortening, very cold (refrigerate overnight
if you can)
2-3 Tbsp ice cold water
Preheat the oven to 450. Whisk together the flour and salt,
then cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or two knives until the pieces
are about the size of lentils.
Add ice cold water 1 Tbsp at a time, stirring gently, just
until the dough holds together. Too much water will make the crust hard. Too
little will make it fall apart. Roll it out on a floured surface until it's
about four inches larger than your pie plate (two inches on each side). Pinch
dough around the crust to form little hills and valleys. Loosely tent aluminum
foil around the edges of the pie crust. Line the bottom of the crust with
parchment paper, and then weigh down with pie plates or something that's
oven-proof and substantial but not too heavy. You're trying to keep the crust
from ballooning up, but you don't want to smoosh it completely.
Bake the crust for 7 minutes, then carefully remove the
aluminum foil. Bake for another 7-10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack.
Filling:
¾ C sugar
3 Tbsp corn starch
1 C cold water
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
Juice of two lemons
2 Tbsp butter, cubed
1 tsp lemon zest
½ tsp lemon extract
2 drops of yellow food coloring (optional)
1 can cherry pie filling

In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks. Add a small
amount of the hot mixture to the egg yolks, stir, and return all to the
saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly for two
more minutes. (I took a break from stirring to take this picture, and the world
didn't fall apart.) Remove from heat.
Add the lemon juice, butter, lemon zest, lemon extract, and
food coloring if using, and stir them in very gently. Cool to room temperature
without stirring anymore. Spread into precooked crust and refrigerate for at
least an hour.
Spread the cherry pie filling over the lemon filling.
Topping:
1 C heavy whipping cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
½ C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Whip the cream alone until it thickens and is spreadably
solid. Whip in the remaining ingredients. This will give you more whipped cream
than you need to do something artistic like I did with my pie, so if you like
lots of topping, just pile it on and enjoy!
This pie is perfect for the Fixer-Upper Mysteries because it's a little
bit sweet, a little bit tart, and it packs a big punch! If you had to pick a
food that best describes you, what food would it be, and why?
We're giving away a $25 Visa Card to one lucky winner today. To enter, leave a comment with your email address so we can contact you if you win. Good luck! And don't forget to live tweet with Kate and the authors of Mystery Lovers Kitchen tonight during the movie! See you there!
Excellent pie recipe; and I'm definitely excited for the Fixer Upper series! If I had to pick a food that best describes me, I would pick vanilla gelato. I'm always cold, am picky about high quality ingredients/materials, and am just sweet enough - nothing artificial :) EMS591@aol.com
ReplyDeleteLOL! I like that. Nothing artificial. :) Thanks for your comment, Liz. Hope you enjoy tonight's Fixer-Upper Mystery!
DeleteI love both lemon and cherry pies but never thought of combining the two fillings to make one pie. Thanks for the recipe. A food that would describe me would be chocolate cake: sweet, popular and fun. grace dot koshida at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteAw, how great! I love chocolate cake, and I love how you describe yourself. :)
DeletePie for breakfast anyone?? Yum! My mouth is watering!! I'm so excited for Framed for Murder tonight! Congrats Kate! You should be very proud! The casting seems great and I can't wait to see if the other characters are as I imagined in my mind. I can't think of a food that describes me because I've got pie brain!! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteRlewis11797 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Confession: We did have this pie for breakfast the day after I made it. I rationalized it by saying, "Hey, fruit, bread (crust), dairy (whipped cream)... how could that be bad?"
DeleteLOL on pie brain!
A food that describes me?? have no idea. There are lots of food I like from meat to sweets, but one to describe -- probably just plan ol' vanilla pudding.
ReplyDeleteI won't get to watch the TV show tonight as we won't be home, but we have it marked to record so I will get to see it later. Can't miss seeing my 'namesake' [Hammer] on the screen. :(
donna {dot} durnell {at} sbcglobal {dot} net
Opps, that is supposed to be a HAPPY face. :) missed the correct key and didn't catch it until I hit 'publish'.
DeleteLOL! I didn't even notice until after you pointed it out. Too funny! I've done that, Donna.
DeleteHallmark will be replaying the movie a couple times in the next few days, and then probably occasionally after that, as well. Plus, Jewel announced this week that they intend to make more movies. Filming on the next one starts in February!
The pie looks good. I have no idea what food would describe me.
ReplyDeletesgiden at verizon(.)net
Then I'm going to say "ravioli," Sandy, because from the outside, you're mysterious. :)
DeleteI love cherry anything and this combo of cherry and lemon sounds delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
ReplyDeletesuefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
You're welcome, Sue. It is really delicious! If you make it, please post a picture to my Facebook page. www.facebook.com/katecarlislebooks
DeleteWe are so looking forward to the Hallmark movie tonight! (Maybe with a slice of pie?) Readers, stop by and join the conversation there with MLK and Kate (and Jewel?) on Twitter (#sleuthers @hallmarkmovie).
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to tweeting with you tonight, Sheila!
DeleteCan't wait to see Framed For Murder tonight. Thanks for the pie recipe it sounds delicious. I guess a food that would describe me is anything chocolate. J_a_m_5672@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy Framed for Murder tonight, Joann!
DeleteI wish I could get Hallmark mystery channel!! The pie looks delicious , it's going on my list things to make ! kathambre@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll love the pie, Kathy. Sorry you won't be able to watch the Fixer-Upper Mystery with us. I hope someday that Hallmark will make the DVD available.
DeleteMy guys would love this pie!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the movie! I have not watched television in years, but I enjoy Shannon's adventures. It will be interesting seeing how the book is adapted to work in a visual medium.
That's so nice of you, Dorris. Thank you! I'm so happy you love my books. There will certainly be some changes between the books and the movies, so try to be open to whatever changes they make and know it's completely okay with me. :)
DeleteThis recipe combines two of my favorite flavors! I got a pastry blender for Christmas, so I will have to make this soon. I would say that salsa best describes me because it can be sweet and it can be spicy! Elizw4kids@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI like that, Elizabeth--sweet and spicy is my favorite kind of person. :)
DeleteMy husband would love for me to make this! We both love lemon and cherry pie. brichardson0056@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteIf you try it out, Becky, please post a picture to my Facebook page! It's a fun recipe because it seems like magic when the lemon mixture begins to gel.
DeleteThe recipe sounds good. I think pizza would have to describe me - can add a lot of variety but always the same at heart.
ReplyDeleteCongrats again! My DVR is all set. I enjoy the Hallmark movies made from the cozies and am looking forward to this. And looking forward to the next book in the series.
sallycootie@gmail.com
Thank you, Sally! Hallmark does a wonderful job of bringing cozies to life. I'm so excited for tonight!
DeleteLooking forward to seeing the movie. Unfortunately, I don't do twitter so I'll miss out on that fun. Thank you for the pie recipe.I'd say I'm a bit like Creme Brulee - familiar, yet a little fancy, and sweet and soft once you get past the hard exterior. Dmskrug3 at hotmail dot com
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested, I think you can follow the conversation on Twitter even if you don't have an account. Try this link. If you scroll down and see posts, then you can follow tonight if you want. www.twitter.com/#sleuthers
DeleteCongratulations! What wonderful news. Your recipe is delectable. Thanks for your great books and creative writing. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteAnd thank YOU for your sweet comment. :)
DeleteLove pie will have to try it. I'm not good at doing crust. Do lots of reading and love your books.
ReplyDeletejudytucker1947@gmail.com
This crust turned out really well, maybe my best ever. I think the cold water makes a big difference. (But you can always use a store-bought crust. I'll never tell!)
DeleteI am a lemon lover and this combo is so enticing. Thanks for a beautiful recipe. I would say tart and lemony for me. I look forward to the movie and enjoying your entertaining books. Congrats. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteThe lemon is just perfect! Tart but sweet and oh, so creamy. Enjoy!
DeleteThat looks so delicious!! Looking forward to the movie.
ReplyDeleteSjgolding@sbcglobal.net
Thank you, Sheila! It's going to be fun watching it together tonight and live-tweeting.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the movie and we will definitely be trying this pie today after supper. I'm looking forward to watching Framed for Murder and live tweeting with everyone. Pam.guynn@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteYou're making the pie today? Oh, how wonderful! I hope you enjoy it, Pam.
DeleteDear Kate, I am so excited for you. I wish we got that Hallmark Channel. I have read every book in both your Bibliophile and Fixer-upper Series. Love them both, but more partial to the Fixer-upper series since I like to get my hands dirty once in a while! So, I wait patiently for more! I am trying the pie recipe today since it is a cloudy, cool day perfect for baking! Again, I am so excited for you and congratulations! Merry Northstarvance(at)Gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI'm so honored by your comment. Thank you, Merry! I'm sorry you won't be able to watch the movie with us tonight, but I do hope you'll enjoy the pie and think of me.
DeleteI'm not a tweeter but I will be watching! Congrats to you!
ReplyDeletekpbarnett1941[at]aol.com
Thanks for the recipe. I love both lemon and cherry pies but never thought of combining the two. Love anything chocolate, nothing artificial, organic for us. A food that would describe me? A hard one. But. Think I’ll go with Peanut Butter Fudge. Cuz I’m always sticking my nose into something. Tried so many different PBF recipes and settled on combining two with a little tweak. Della at deepotter (at) peoplepc (dot) com
ReplyDeleteThey're really delicious together, the lemon and cherry. Both have that wonderful sweet-tartness, and then the whipped cream is a lovely counterpoint.
DeleteLOL on sticking your nose into things. Sounds like you should be a detective! ;)
Can't wait to try this recipe. Love your books. Counting the ours until the movie.
ReplyDeleteKathy
Jkooler@att.net