This recipe gives me occasion to rave about two of my very favorite cooks and bakers of all time – my Mom and Ina Garten. I could, and will go on about the influence of my Mom on my life in the kitchen as this blog continues, but suffice it to say she ignited my passion for cooking and baking when I was very young. My earliest memories of baking with her involve making copious dozens of cookies at Christmas-time in her small kitchen. The doughs were mixed with a wooden spoon – no mixers involved, and we would crank out batches and batches of Vanilla Rolled Cookies – a recipe from my cherished volume of hers, “Woman’s Home Companion Cookbook”, circa1946. We also made tons of Spritz, Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, etc., etc. Suffice it to say we ate them as fast as we made them. My Mom was a devoted baker and used this endeavor as a creative outlet. She took joy in baking for others over the years, especially in bringing fresh baked goodies to work where most of the employees rarely got anything direct from the kitchen. I cherish the recipes I have from my Mom and will share with you as time goes on. One of my first attempts to emulate her involves working out in the yard making “mud pies” on an old cookie sheet she passed down and decorating them with flowers from a forsythia bush. I was probably six or so.
Ina Garten became my favorite Food Network personality many years ago. While I feel I learn alot from many different personalities in the food world, there are few people I feel as closely akin to in spirit. I love many things about Ina but mostly that she embodies great enthusiasm and joy in the creative process. I love the way she works in her kitchen, decorates, selects from the garden, buzzes around the Hamptons, is joyous about travel and, most importantly, shares all of the fruits of her labor with Jeffrey and her friends. And, I love her casual style sensibility – home, garden, food, decor and personal demeanor. She never hesitates to downplay a mistake or allow for some subtle wiggle-room. A few years ago when she was signing books at the Short Hills Williams-Sonoma, I asked her two questions: was she really as happy as she appeared when she does her show, and, could I have a job working for her. I told her I’d sweep her kitchen. I am sure she thought I was just some nutty fan showing up, but I have to say that Ina inspires me every time I watch her. I feel I could inhabit her life and be perfectly happy. (Like Jane Adler in It’s Complicated – a story for another day)
This is a variation of one of my favorite pies from childhood (referenced in my post, Monday, Monday)- my Mom’s Cherry Pie. While I would request this often, she would always make it for me on George Washington’s birthday. Unless you live in Michigan or Oregon, it has become very difficult to find canned cherries packed in water. Do not use cherry pie filling and I have never tried frozen cherries as they tend to be the sweet variety and you definitely need “tart” cherries. I had to order a case online last Fall. Coincidentally, the Cherry Pie is now one of my daughter, Christin’s favorite desserts. If you want to make the cherry pie, just use three cans of cherries.
RECIPE – RASPBERRY-CHERRY PIE
One double pie crust recipe, I use Ina Garten’s Perfect Pie Crust -(Barefoot Contessa Family Style)
Filling:
2 (1/2 pint) containers fresh raspberries
2 cans tart cherries, packed in water*
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup juice from cherries
3 tblsp quick cooking tapioca
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 tblsp butter
Preheat oven to 425F. Prepare crust as directed by Ina. Drain cherries, reserving juice. In a large bowl combine fruit, sugar, juice, tapioca, lemon juice, almond extract and salt. Toss to mix. Pour into pie shell. Top with dots of butter and top crust. I do a lattice crust for this pie. Brush top crust with milk.
Bake in middle of oven for 30 minutes or until filling is bubbling at edges. If crust browns too readily, cover with foil collar.
*A note about canned foods – I am not generally a proponent of canned foods unless, of course, they are “put up” at home. I do use canned tomatoes from Italy all of the time. And, I guess for sentimental reasons and because I have never seen any frozen tart cherries in the grocery store, I have just kept on with the canned. Today though, I looked online for a source for frozen tart cherries and, bingo! FrankFarms in Michigan (269-461-4125). Check out this website – it’s great. Hello? Where have I been? That’s what I love about this —- always learning!
Well, sadly, I am off to a funeral this morning. On the bright side, it gives me a chance to spend an unexpected day with my daughter Christin.
It is still our tradition to bake and eat (that’s my role) the spritz cookies at christmas time, so your mom ( a wonderful lady) established a wonderful tradition. Here is a salute to my mom today, May 3rd. we still miss you, 39 years later, this day.
As a serious cook and baker it is always a benefit to have someone in the house who will gladly sample, and usually devour anything I make. Funny thing has happened lately, though, my husband has taken to “sneaking” snacks after I go up to bed at night… hmmmmm……and Ryan hides his fresh baked cookies (spritz and choc chip) in his room when he comes home.