Killer Pies: A #Recipe Roundup

Vicki Delany:   

Pie! Did someone mention pie? Let me grab my fork.

In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing better than an in-season fruit pie. I’m not one for cheesecake or mousse pies or anything with a creamy filling. Give me fruit pie or nothing! (Okay, maybe not nothing.)

I recognize that everyone has different taste in pie, so I put together this fun round of pie recipes we’ve featured at MLK over the years. Something for everyone, I hope.

When I searched the MLK archives for the word “pie” I had 425 hits. My gosh, but that’s a lot of pie.

 Here’s a very small sample.

First off: My blueberry pie. I only make this when blueberries are in season, because I truly think it’s something that should be looked forward to and savored.  The anticipation is half the enjoyment. When I put this recipe up on MLK, I divided it into two parts: Pastry and Filling.

MysteryLovers' Kitchen: Blueberry Pie - Part 1: The crust. From Vicki Delany(mysteryloverskitchen.com)

MysteryLovers' Kitchen: Blueberry Pie Part Two: The Filling by Vicki Delany(mysteryloverskitchen.com)

Another of my favourite fruit pies is cherry.  Leslie Budewitz gave us this classic as made by her own mother.

Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: Alice's Classic Cherry Pie (mysteryloverskitchen.com)

You can’t have too many fruit pies, and here’s a favourite from Maddie Day

MysteryLovers' Kitchen: Peach Pie from @MaddieDayAuthor plus #giveaway(mysteryloverskitchen.com)

Some of the best pies are traditional and bring back a lot of wonderful memories. I’m sure we all remember our grandmothers or great aunt’s pies. Such as this recipe Lucy Burdette took from a charity cookbook she happened to stumble across.  

MysteryLovers' Kitchen: Old Time Banana Cream Pie @LucyBurdette(mysteryloverskitchen.com)

We were all heartbroken to hear of the death of our good friend and blogmate Sheila Connely not long ago. Sheila left a lot behind her, including great books and this lovely recipe for a cream pie.

Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: FRANGIPANE CREAM PIE (mysteryloverskitchen.com)

As well as the classics, there are new and exciting things happening in the world of pie. Such as this recipe from Molly MacRae

MysteryLovers' Kitchen: Chocolate Raspberry Cheese Pie from @MysteryMacRae(mysteryloverskitchen.com)

Pie doesn’t always come in the traditional pie shape. As in this version of pecan pie from Cleo Coyle, which are bars.

Pecan Pie Bars (or Bites)

from Cleo Coyle (mysteryloverskitchen.com) 

Do you have a favourite pie? Or do you love them all? The old favourites or new and updated? Whatever your taste in pie I bet we have something at Mystery Lovers Kitchen for you

 

Killer Cakes -- a #recipe roundup

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  As long-time readers of the blog know, we've joked about falling into two camps: People of the Pie and Clan of the Cake. And while I am proudly a member, since birth, of the People of the Pie, I readily acknowledge that sometimes you simply need cake. So we've rounded up a few favorite recipes from our archives, for those days when only cake will do. 

From our LUCY BURDETTE comes this beautiful Upside Down Roman Fig Cake, inspired by memories of the delightful cakes seen in bakery windows in Rome and the fresh figs and cappuccino her book club hosts served. You know how much we love traveling by fork here at the Kitchen -- you can imagine yourself eating this cake at a sidewalk cafe in The Eternal City, without even putting on shoes! 

From Lucy's A Deadly Feast comes this Strawberries and Lime Sponge Cake Trifle. "Chef Martha Hubbard brings this dessert to serve at Hayley and Nathan’s wedding reception. ...  She layers the ingredients in individual-sized mason jars, but you could also serve slices of the cake garnished with whipped cream and strawberries. It would also be nice with raspberries or peaches, depending on what’s in season."

EDITH MAXWELL aka MADDIE DAY serves this Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake, beautiful for any occasion. 

And who doesn't love coffee cake? Her Apple Coffee Cake is a classic! Coffee not required. 

If you've ever watched the Great British Baking Show, you've seen Victoria Sponges. PEG COCHRAN's version oozes cream and berries and makes you long for afternoon tea on the lawn. 

This Angel Food Cake with Fresh Strawberries  is a tribute to my mother, a master pie baker who did not often make cakes but adored this one. I will be forever grateful to the Safeway bakery staff in Helena, Montana who made an angel food cake for me for her 92nd birthday when I could not safely drive one 160 miles over the mountains (and the Continental Divide!), even packing up a box of strawberries, glaze, and a can of whipped cream. This is the version we made for her 93rd birthday, even though she was no longer around to celebrate it. 

And this simple French Walnut Cake is one of our favorites, as I think it will be in your household.  

Remember, there are dozens of delicious cake recipes on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. Simply scroll down the recipe index in the sidebars, or use the search function. 

We hope you and yours enjoy a taste of Killer Cake!

 

 

Yummy Pancakes #Recipe Roundup by Maya Corrigan

MAYA: Who doesn't love pancakes? From ancient times to the present, they've been part of virtually every culture's cuisine. Making them is a labor of love. The cook has to stand over the hot stove, flip them at the right time, and feed them to hungry family or guests before sitting down to enjoy them herself. Last May my grandsons, aged nine and twelve, made pancakes for my daughter-in-law as her Mother's Day gift, showing that they understood the love that lies behind them. 

The pancake recipes I'm rounding up from Mystery Lovers' Kitchen are those that would work for people who have food sensitivities or who avoid pancakes for other reasons. We have many more pancake recipes at the Kitchen. To find them, type pancakes in the Search box at the upper left of the of the MLK screen. 

While pancakes aren't thought of as a low calorie food, Peg Cochran's Low Carb Pancakes are easier on the waistline than traditional flapjacks, griddle cakes, hot cakes, or crêpes.

If you have food sensitivities, you might want to try Cleo Coyle's Ancient Grain Pancakes. They are gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free. And they really look delicious. 

Lucy Burdette's Cornmeal Blueberry Pancakes are ideal for those on a low-salt diet. The flavor and texture of cornmeal pairs well with blueberries.

Finally, while I have no sensitivity to the standard ingredients in pancakes, I have an aversion to standing over a stove flipping them. So I prefer to make the pancake-like Dutch Babies in the oven.  

What are your favorite kinds of pancakes? 

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Maya Corrigan writes the Five-Ingredient Mysteries featuring café manger Val and her live-wire grandfather solving murders in a Chesapeake Bay town. Maya lives in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. Before writing crime fiction, she taught American literature, writing, and detective fiction at Northern Virginia Community College and Georgetown University. When not reading and writing, she enjoys theater, travel, trivia, cooking, and crosswords.

Visit my website for easy recipes, mystery history and trivia, and a free culinary mystery story.

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