Baking pies is so much fun once you learn the inside secrets for flaky, flavorful crusts.  Also, many variations are on tap in our Perfect Pies class set for this Thursday at 5 PM.  Two other crusts we will be featuring are a Pretzel Crust for the yummy Margarita Pie and an oh, so nutty crust for the fabulous  French Silk Pie made with both walnuts and pecans.

I have the class still on a $95.00 special and would love to see you.  

Our week long class is coming up very soon and is set for April 15 - 19.  As with all my classes, it is 100% full participation and features the culinary history of many of the special dishes and ingredients.  Our local cuisine is the very first cuisine in all of the Americas which lends to its rich history and many traditions.

Our next weekend class is May 17 - 19.  Our next Corrales day class is a longtime favorite, Finger Lickin' Barbecue on Thursday, April 4 at 5 PM.

And....before you know it, June will be here and we are going on our very special Oaxaca Culinary Tour, June 11 - 17.  Reserve NOW to be sure and get in on our fun, fun tour.

I am proud that my classes have been rated as the "Best in the US" for non-vocational cooking classes.  As many students have told me, "I teach not only the 'what' but also the 'how and why' for the techniques of all kinds of cooking. 

If you would like to see me offer a certain class or with some dishes you would like to learn, especially of our yummy local cuisine, just let me know and I will work it in.  Also, feel free to call me anytime with your culinary questions.

Here are two of my very favorite pie recipes-- 

GREEN CHILE COCONUT CREAM PIE 

I  first tasted this yummy pie at a local barbeque restaurant years ago. I decided to experiment and came up with this version which is wonderful after a spicy meal I think you’ll like it. 

Yield: 1 9 inch pie 

1, 9 inch pie pastry

¾ cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

¾ teaspoon salt

2 ¼ cup milk, warmed

3 egg yolks, well beaten

1 ½ Tablespoons sweet unsalted butter

¾ teaspoon Mexican vanilla

1 cup dry shredded or flaked coconut

¼ cup or 2 mild, green chiles, parched, peeled and chopped (1/2 4 oz. can)

1. Make a 9 inch pie pastry and bake it, prickling the bottom of the crust several times with a fork. (May use the French pastry, page ____using 1/3 of the recipe or any pie pastry desired.)

Bake in a hot oven, 450F for 10 minutes or until light golden. 

2. Prepare the filling by mixing the dry ingredients, then add the warm milk slowly, while stirring to prevent lumps. Cook over low heat or in a double boiler until thickened. Allow to cool slightly, then carefully stir in the egg yolks and butter. Cook until thickened over low heat and stir in the coconut and the green chile. Taste and adjust flavor. Make meringue.

Meringue:

Yield: enough for 1, 9 inch pie 

3 egg whites

Dash salt

¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup toasted coconut* 

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Beat egg whites with the salt, then add the sugar gradually using the medium speed of the mixer. Switch to high and beat until stiff. Add vanilla. Spread over pie, making peaks of the meringue. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut. Bake until delicately browned, about 10 minutes.

ORANGE LACED RHUBARB PIE

Ever since trying this ages-old recipe from England, I cannot bear the thought of making rhubarb pie any other way—other than perhaps with substituting half to a fourth of the rhubarb with strawberries   Gooseberries are great prepared in a pie this way—just increase the sugar by ½ cup, depending on your taste and how they were frozen—if they were.

Temperature: 425 F, then 375 F

Baking time: 50 to 60 minutes

Yield:  1, 9 inch pie

1 recipe for double crusted pie, see pie pastry this issue of Bytes

¾ cup light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons flour

2 pints (4 cups) fresh or frozen rhubarb

1 small orange, thinly sliced with seeds and outside peel and membrane removed

2 Tablespoons butter

Several grates fresh nutmeg or about ¼ teaspoon 

1.  Preheat an oven to 425 F.  Line a 9 inch pie plate with the pastry.  Mix the sugar and flour together.
2. Place 1/3 flour-sugar mixture on the bottom of the pie, on top of the bottom pastry.  Top with 1/3 of the rhubarb, and a few slices of the orange, then scatter another 1/3 of the flour-sugar mixture over the top.  Repeat twice more, ending with a layer of orange slices.
3. Dot with small pieces of the butter over the top.  Arrange either a lattice or solid crust over the top, bake on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with sides.  Reduce heat to 375 after 15 minutes and bake until golden tan and an inserted knife or fork easily glides through the fruit.

Reprinted with permission from Jane Butel’s Freezer Cookbook