Kate's Perfect Plum Pie #BakingBloggers

Made with ripe plums and a flaky crust, Kate’s perfect plum pie is one of many special recipes we’ve enjoyed from Kate McDermott’s wonderful book, Art of the Pie. I share it here with the author’s permission. The combination of sweet plummy filling and buttery crust will be a hit at your holiday table.

A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to review Art of the Pie, a beautiful cookbook full of pie recipes, of course, but Kate also shares her wisdom about life. As I said in that review, pie is one of those things that seem to divide the baking world. Some of us get it, some of us don’t. Fortunately, Art of the Pie is for all of us.

Experienced pie bakers will love the creative recipes. But starting from the (17-page!) introduction, Kate’s rules for pie making and life are the calm and knowledgeable words of a wise woman. Her instructions regarding measuring ingredients and the equipment you’ll need are thorough. I’m pretty sure even a nervous pie maker would relax at Kate’s reassuring “you got this” tone.

I love the stories that are interspersed between the recipes, especially the one that introduces A Berry Pie for Julia, about Kate’s afternoon with Julia Child. By the time I closed the book – yes, I read cookbooks all the way through like novels – I felt I knew Kate as a friend. A friend who was going to show me how to improve my own pies and keep everything chill, especially myself.

Here’s the crazy part about our small digital world and social media. Since then, Kate and I have been friends on Facebook. When I wrote her a private message recently to ask if I could share this recipe for our Baking Bloggers pie event, she was delighted to say yes. And I was thrilled when she told me that a companion volume to Art of the Pie will be coming out in October 2020. More delicious pie! I cannot wait!

Kate’s Perfect Plum Pie

As Kate says, flaky crust cannot be rushed, so take your time and enjoy the process. If you don’t have plums, other stone fruit can be substituted.

Ingredients
For the dough:
2 1/2 cups or 312g all-purpose flour, unbleached, plus extra for rolling out
1/2 cup or 113g cold butter, butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
1/2 cup or 113g vegetable shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup or 120ml ice water, plus 1-2 tablespoons or 15-30ml more as needed

For the plum filling:
2 lbs or 900g plums, pitted and quartered
3/4 cup or 150g sugar
1/3 cup or 42g flour
1-2 tablespoons or 15-30g Cointreau or other orange liqueur (optional)
1 tablespoon or 12g quick-cooking tapioca
1/3 teaspoon salt
A small grating of nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons butter

For the egg wash:
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

For decoration:
1-2 teaspoons or 4-8g sugar, for sprinkling on top of pie

Method
To make the pie crust, put all the flour, butter, shortening and salt in a large bowl. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter and shortening into the flour until it looks like crumbs with some lumps the size of peas or even almonds.

Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture a tablespoon or two at a time, stirring it in lightly with a fork.

Squeeze a handful of dough to see if it holds together. If not, sprinkle in a little more ice water. Divide the dough into two pieces. Form them into discs about 5 inches or 12cm across. Wrap them in cling film and put them to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Meanwhile, make your plum filling. Pit and quarter the plums.

Put them in a large bowl with the sugar, flour, Cointreau, tapioca, salt and nutmeg. Mix well, making sure the fruit is well coated with the other ingredients.

When chilling time is up, preheat your oven to 425°F or 220°C.

Take the dough discs out of the refrigerator. They will be quite stiff so leave them to warm up slightly, until they feel slightly soft to the touch. This will make them easier to roll out.

Sprinkle your clean work surface with flour. Pop your dough disk in the middle, and with a lightly floured rolling pin, give it a couple of good thumps on one side. Turn the disc over and repeat, sprinkling it with a little more flour. I’m not sure what exactly this is supposed to do besides spreading the dough out just a bit, but the thumping is very satisfying to do.

Roll the pastry into a circle 1⁄8 inch thick and about 2 inches larger all around than pie plate, always rolling from the middle to the outer edge.

Brush off any excess flour and use your rolling pin to transfer the bottom crust to the pie plate. Kate says you can fix any holes by wetting the crust with a little water and patching the hole with a piece of dough.

Pour your filling into the crust and add bits of the butter to the top.

Roll out the second disc of dough and lay it gently on top of the fruit. Use a sharp knife to cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to escape while baking. Trim the excess dough and crimp the edges. This is decorative and functional. Crimping makes sure the two crusts are stuck together.

Lightly whisk the egg and water with a fork to make the egg wash. Use a pastry brush to paint the top of the pie and crimped edges. Sprinkle with the sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes in your preheated oven then turn the temperature down to 350°F or 180°C. Continue to bake for 30-35 minutes more.

The filling should be bubbling at a steady pace by now. We need it to bubble so the tapioca will set the filling. If it’s not bubbling, turn the oven back up to 450°F or 230°C for 5 minutes, covering the pie loosely first with foil if it’s already quite brown.

Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving. The longer you can wait, the more likely the filling will set, so don’t rush to cut the pie.

But when you do, enjoy! (Yeah, I could have waited longer but PIE! Amiright?)

It's pie baking season! Check out all the lovely pies my fellow Baking Bloggers are sharing today. Many thanks to our fearless leader and host today, Sue from Palatable Pastimes for her behind the scenes work.

• Amazing Apple Pie by Simply Inspired Meals
• Blueberry Mini Pies by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Butternut & Apple Galette by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Chicken and Spinach Quiche by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chocolate Cream Pie by Making Miracles
• Kate's Perfect Plum Pie by Food Lust People Love
• Lemon Meringue Tart by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Mixed Vegetable Pie With Shortcrust Pastry by Recipe Pocket
• Pear Ginger Pie by Cookaholic Wife
• Pecan Streusel Pumpkin Pie by Palatable Pastime
• Sour Cream Pear Pie by Pandemonium Noshery
• Spinach and Chicken Quiche by Sneha's Recipe

Baking Bloggers is a friendly group of food bloggers who vote on a shared theme and then post recipes to fit that theme one the second Monday of each month. If you are a food blogger interested in joining in, inquire at our Baking Bloggers Facebook group. We'd be honored if you would join us in our baking adventures.

Note: The link to the cookbook is an Amazon affiliate link. Your price remains the same but I get a few pennies if you buy Kate’s book after clicking on my link.

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Beef Fajita Nachos Compuestos #FoodieExtravaganza

Crunchy fried tortilla triangles topped with refried beans, fajita beef, cheese and jalapeños, these beef fajita nachos compuestos can also be made with store-bought chips.

Before we get going here, let’s familiarize ourselves with what nacho compuesto means. A basic nacho is a tortilla chip with cheese melted on top and a slice of jalapeño. Simple to make, so easy to eat. Compuesto means compound, so: things that are put together to create a different thing. It is a deliberate act, not a hodge podge of ingredients that may or may not go together. Those ingredients become something else. Like a chemical compound.

A proper nacho compuesto is a singular item. It should not be crowded or otherwise cramped unduly by its neighboring nachos. It sits nicely with them on the hot plate but can be picked up without disturbing, nay, even touching a neighbor.

That said, I am a complete fan of the sheet pan method of nacho making, but even then, I make sure that every chip gets some topping. Those restaurants that serve a big pile of chips heaped with toppings should have their nacho license revoked. No one wants the chips underneath so they are thrown away. What a waste.

When I was growing up in Houston, Texas, a plate of nachos compuestos was often my go-to order at any Mexican restaurant. They have many of the ingredients in a taco, in a much easier to eat format. Usually made with ground beef, the nachos compuestos of my youth were also topped with refried beans and cheese with a slice of jalapeño. Sometimes there were chopped tomatoes and onions or even salsa added after the nachos were cooked.

Today, I am hosting an event for my Foodie Extravaganza friends in honor of National Nacho Day. I’ve upped the ante on nachos compuestos by making them with fajita meat instead of ground beef. Make sure you scroll down to see the other creative nacho recipes the group is sharing.

Beef Fajita Nachos Compuestos

This recipe can also be a main course, as it was for me years ago. You can totally add some shredded lettuce if it makes you feel better about making this a full meal.

Ingredients
For the nachos:
1 lb or 450g trimmed skirt steak (weight after trimming of fat and sinew)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons taco seasonings
1 teaspoon meat tenderizer (Ajinomoto)
freshly ground black pepper
24 corn or corn/flour tortilla chips (or fry your own!)
1 can (16oz or 454g) refried beans
4 oz or 113g extra sharp cheddar
2 whole jalapeños, fresh or pickled

For the pico de gallo:
1/2 small onion, chopped finely
2 fresh jalapeños
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 roma tomatoes
Pinch fine sea salt
Pinch sugar
A few grinds black pepper

Method
Sprinkle the beef with the lime juice, taco spices and tenderizer, along with a few generous grinds of black pepper. Rub the seasonings all over. Use a meat mallet to pound the skirt steak.

Make sure you season and pound on both sides. This helps break down any tough bits and works the seasonings into the beef. If it’s all about the same thickness, it also cooks more evenly.

Place the beef in a Ziploc bag or reusable plastic container. Refrigerate until ready to use, but preferably at least one hour.

To make the pico de gallo, chop the onion and jalapeño finely. Put them in a bowl and sprinkle on the lime juice, salt, sugar and pepper. Chop your tomatoes in small cubes and mince the stems of the cilantro. Chop the cilantro leaves roughly. Mix the tomato and cilantro into the onions and jalapeño. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Slice the jalapeños for the nachos in rounds. Set aside.

At this point, I cut six corn and flour tortillas (called mitad y mitad here in Houston, they are made with both corn and flour) in quarters and fried them until golden in a little canola oil. If you are doing the same, make sure you drain them well on a layer of paper towels with a wire rack or newspaper underneath. Otherwise, store-bought chips will work.

Meanwhile, open the can of beans and give them a good stir to loosen them up.

To cook the fajita beef, heat a grill pan or frying pan over a high heat. Once it’s hot, place the pounded beef on it, a piece or two at a time, making sure not to crowd the pan. We want this beef to sear and sizzle, not steam. When a nice brown crust forms on the bottom, turn the beef to the other side and leave it to brown as well.

Repeat until all of the beef is browned on both sides. I like to turn it to make some lovely crisscross grill marks. Remove the pieces of beef to a carving board as they are ready.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. Lay the fried tortilla chips out on a large baking pan, in single file, making sure no points overlap.  I saved a space in the middle of my platter, leaving room for the pico de gallo in the middle. I have two identical platters so I split my two dozen putting 12 tortilla chips on each.

Spread a generous spoonful of refried beans on each tortilla.

Slice the fajita beef against the grain.

Top the chips with a couple of pieces of fajita meat on top of the beans. Next comes the grated cheese and finally, add a slice of jalapeño to each nacho.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until the meat and beans are heated through and the cheese has melted.

Serve with the pico de gallo and some sliced avocado, if desired.

Enjoy!

Check out all the other tasty nachos we are sharing today! How are you celebrating National Nachos Day? 

• Beef Fajita Nachos Compuestos from Food Lust People Love
• Beer Brat Nachos from Palatable Pastime
• Breakfast Nachos from Tara's Multicultural Table
• Chorizo Nachos from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Garam Masala Lamb Naan-chos from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Homemade Deep Fried Nachos With Cheese Sauce from Sneha's Recipe
• Leftover Turkey Nachos with Cranberry Salsa from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pizza Nachos from Making Miracles

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!

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Tiny Taco Bites #MuffinMonday

These tiny taco bites are made with oven baked tortillas filled with spicy ground beef and extra sharp cheddar, then topped with a fresh pico de gallo made with onions, tomatoes and jalapeños. They’d be great as an appetizer for your next cocktail party, especially if you are serving margaritas.

Saturday night we were invited over to my brother-in-law’s home for an early birthday dinner of fajitas and margaritas. (He turns 50 on Thursday!) Of course, I always ask what we can bring. “An appetizer,” came the response. It just so happens that my Muffin Monday friends are going rogue this month, that is to say, using our muffin pans for deliciousness other than actual muffins. Otherwise I’d have made some savory mini muffins. Perhaps even my artichoke dip mini muffins. We all LOVE those. I also considered my sincere pumpkin patch cheese ball, because Thursday is Halloween, after all. It's not just adorable but tasty too.

But I’ve long been wanting to make tiny taco bites using Tostitos scoops. They are already perfect little bowls! I floated that idea by my younger daughter and she shook her head. Apparently she finds Tostitos too salty. And anyway, I thought that was an idea for another day, since it didn’t use a muffin pan. Then inspiration struck. I could make the tiny taco bowls myself with fresh tortillas and a mini muffin pan, killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.

As with most of my other fabulous ideas, when I checked the interwebs, there were almost 4 million results. It would seem tacos in a muffin pan are a thing. Never mind. These are delicious and bite-sized, and everyone at the dinner party loved them! Make sure you scroll down and check out all the other fun non-muffin recipes you can make in your muffin pan.

Tiny Taco Bites

For the taco seasoning, I use a brand called Tone’s. It comes in a large container so I just scoop out how much I need when seasoning taco and enchilada beef and even fajitas, rather than buying those little pouches of spice mix. Such a waste of packaging. You can always make your own, of course. Plenty of recipes online. For the tortillas, I love the ones at my local grocery store here in Houston, called mitad y mitad: half and half, by which they mean half corn and half flour. This is Texas, after all, where many aspire to be bilingual. They are flavorful because of the corn and supple because of the flour. Use whichever fresh tortillas you can find or your personal favorite.

Ingredients
For the beef filling:
1 lb or 450g ground beef (I used ground sirloin. Because it’s lean, you don’t lose much weight as it cooks. More to eat!)
2 tablespoons olive oil – if your ground beef is fatty, you might not need as much
1/4 cup or taco seasonings
2/3 cup or 156ml water

For the tiny taco bowls:
16-18 (6-in or 15cm) soft corn, half corn/half flour or flour tortillas
2-3 teaspoons canola or other light oil for greasing the muffin pan

For the pico de gallo:
3 ripe Roma tomatoes (approx. 1 lb or 450g in weight)
1/2 large onion
2-3 fresh jalapeños
Small bunch fresh cilantro
2-3 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Pinch fine sea salt
Pinch sugar
Freshly ground black pepper

For topping:
4 oz or 113g extra sharp cheddar, grated finely

Method
Brown the beef in the olive oil over a medium high heat, breaking it up into little pieces as it browns. When it’s well browned, even crunchy in places, add the taco spice mix and the water.

Pop the lid on and lower the heat to simmer. Simmer covered for 5-7 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer uncovered until most of the water has evaporated, another few minutes. Remove from the heat and tip the pan to one side so any oil drains off and collects away from  the beef.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 325°F or 163°C. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan with a little canola.

Cut the tortillas into 3 in or 7cm circles using a cookie cutter. (Save all the scraps for making your favorite tortilla soup recipe!) With a 3 in (7cm) cookie cutter, I got 3 taco bowls per tortilla. They don’t hold much so the seasoned beef was enough for 54 tiny taco bites! The perfect bite-sized appetizer, truly.

Use the bottom of a small glass or jigger to press the circles of tortilla into the mini muffin pan. I find it helps them release if you also grease the jigger.

Bake the tiny taco bowls in your preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through so they brown evenly. Watch them closely so they don’t suddenly burn. Remove them from the oven. Some of them will be puffy and not so bowl-like anymore.

As soon as they are cool enough to handle, use a folded towel if you need to, pick the puffed ones out of the muffin pan and put the glass or jigger back in it and press the bowl back into the muffin pan. Place to cool on a wire rack. Cute, right?

Continue cutting and baking all of the tortillas, until you have about 50 of them.

While they bake, cut the onion into small bits. Stem and chop the jalapeños small as well. When chopping the jalapeños, remove the membranes and seeds if your family and friends aren’t chili lovers. At our house we say, the hotter, the better.

Put the chopped onion and jalapeños in a bowl with the fresh lime juice and a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar and a few good grinds of black pepper. Stir well and set aside.

Cut the tomatoes in half and remove all the seeds and juice. We don't want the pico de gallo too wet or it will make the taco bowls soggy. Chop the tomatoes finely. Remove the hard stems from the cilantro and chop it roughly. Add the tomatoes and cilantro to the onion/jalapeño bowl. Mix well.

Turn your oven temperature up to 350°F or 180°C. In a large baking pan, arrange your tiny taco bowls and divide the spicy beef between them.

Top with the grated cheese.

Bake the tiny taco bites for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the beef is hot through. I actually made these through this step and then baked again for 10 minutes at 350° or 180° when I arrived at my brother-in-laws, just to warm them again. These guys are very forgiving though, delicious even at room temperature.

Top with pico de gallo or set the pico out with a spoon and let everyone top the tiny tacos themselves so they don't get soggy.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to Sue of Palatable Pastime for her fun suggestion that we go rogue for Muffin Monday and use our muffin pans for other delicious recipes. This just might be a more regularly scheduled theme, if feedback is positive. Check out the other great recipes below:

• Green Eggs No Ham (Egg Bites with Spinach and Parmesan) from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Individual Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Mac and Cheese Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Mini Cheesecakes from Making Miracles
• Mini Pumpkin Pies from Palatable Pastime
• Tiny Taco Bites from Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

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