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I’ve been participating in, and hosting, snail mail exchanges online since 2001. Last December, we had the Secret Santa Foodie, where everybody got together to spread some holiday cheer. I ‘met’ a lot of new people, including Adrienne Mitra, who owns a travel agency with her husband. What’s so interesting is that they offer fully-customized culinary travel tours. Food and travel — what’s not to love? It’s impossible to have someone you know at every travel destination, who can point you to to the good eats or the best classes where you can learn to cook the regional fare. Guidebooks can only take you so far and it’s rare to have an unlimited vacation time to figure everything out. That’s where they come in. Travel runs through Adrienne’s veins and she loves good food. She is passionate about helping people plan their vacation according to how they want it, and not according to set “packages” (that term makes her cringe). And if there’s one thing I can attest to about Adrienne, she gets things done and she is on top of things — okay, that’s two! After talking and emailing with her, teaming up with them just seemed like an organic thing to do. So I’m very happy to introduce Celebrations International Travel to you guys! Please join us in welcoming them! Check out their site and their blog. You will learn more about them in the coming weeks and months. I’ll be inviting Adrienne to do a guest post about their culinary tours.

This is right up our alley, don’t you think? As the busy travel and vacation season begins, and as some of us scramble to make plans for the rest of the year (ahem, Me!), I can’t wait to find out what they have in store!

———

Now onto the recipe!

MMM…pizza! Whether it be for any meal (yes, even breakfast — admit it!), a casual get-together or game night, the beloved pizza is welcome in our homes and in our bellies. Of course, there’s the debate about which is better: deep-dish or thin crust pizza, but we’ll leave that alone. For now, I’ll talk about my kind of pizza: thin, light, and beautifully blistered pizzas. You heard me: blistered. I get excited over the perfect thin crust!

We’ve been to the much-talked about Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, and my love for that pizza is right up there with Itzhak Perlman — that’s a high pedestal. The long line to get into the main restaurant is something I’d rather forget, though.

The following crust is no Pizzeria Bianco, and I can’t say it tastes the same as the A16 restaurant’s pizza (I haven’t eaten there), but one thing is for sure, this dough has earned top place among the pizza dough recipes I’ve tried.

Being at the top means there are also no compromises, especially when it comes to time. The A16 Neapolitan pizza dough takes the most number of days to make: three, realistically. But you can definitely make it in two if you plan ahead after reading the recipe. Raise your hand if you sometimes don’t carefully read the recipe before deciding to make it. Who does that? Hah.

I don’t have more “after” photos because I was busy stretching the pizza, filling it, transferring it to to oven, and preparing the next pie while that cooks for 7 minutes. Whew. I ran a tight ship and by the time I finished rolling out 4 pizzas, I just had enough to eat and hunger beat food porn. Plus, it’s something that can wait to be eaten. It was incredibly satisfying and even with all the work and wait involved, this is worth making again and again!

NEAPOLITAN-STYLE PIZZA DOUGH
adapted from the book, “A16: Food + Wine” by Nate Appleman, Shelley Lindgren, and Kate Leahy (2008, Ten Speed Press

Ingredients – makes 4 10-12” pizzas

• 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (100°F to 105°F)
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for bowl
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups “00” flour or all-purpose flour**, plus extra for work surface
• cornmeal for pizza peel (optional)

Special Equipment

• Pizza stone
• Pizza peel or rimless baking sheet

Preparation

Day 1

1. Lightly coat a large bowl with olive oil. Set aside.
2. Proof yeast by sprinkling over warm water and letting it stand for 10 minutes in a small bowl. If yeast did not dissolve and become frothy, start again with a fresh batch of yeast. Stir in olive oil and salt.
3. Combine flour and yeast mixture in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes, or until dough is “shaggy” (i.e. The yeast mixture and the dough are just incorporated together. The dough is rough, and almost clumps together in a ball.)  Knead on medium-low speed for about 10 minutes, or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Cover bowl with a damp kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Knead for another 10 minutes on medium-low speed to achieve a smooth and soft dough. It will become warm to the touch.
4. Transfer dough into the prepared large bowl with oil. Turn the dough once to coat both sides. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Day 2

1. Punch down the dough with your fist and fold over the sides. Turn dough over in the bowl. Cover again with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or up to 24 hours).
2. Place dough on floured work surface and divide into 4 equal portions. Cup each quarter in your hands and tuck the sides to the bottom until you form a smooth ball. Place balls on your floured work surface with generous room in between. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and proof for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in volume. Use water spray keep the surface of the dough moist in case skin forms on it. Skin on dough will keep it from rising, so it is best to avoid it.
3. Place pizza stone on the lowest rack of the oven. Preheat oven to its maximum temperature (usually 500° to °550F) for at least 30 minutes before baking.
4. Shape each ball of dough by placing it on a generously floured work surface. Pat down the ball with your fingertips to flatten into a disk. Press down the center of the dough using the palm of one hand, and pull the dough outward with the other. Repeat while rotating clockwise to form a flat 10-12-inch circle with a slightly raised edge (“cornicione”).
   Tip: If the dough is tough to stretch, cover it with a damp kitchen towel while you work on the next ball of dough. You can also use a rolling pin to stretch out your dough.
5. Generously dust a pizza peel or rimless baking sheet with flour or cornmeal. Slide flattened pizza dough onto the peel and shake to make sure the dough does not stick.
6. Add desired toppings. Place peel over the pizza stone in the oven and quickly jerk to slide off the pizza. Bake for 6 to 7 minutes, until dough is crisp and golden brown. Top should be bubbling. Remove the pizza from the oven using the pizza peel or baking sheet. Enjoy!

** “00” flour : Doppio zero flour. “00” refers to the grade of the flour. It is higher in protein than most all-purpose flours.
Where to buy: http://fornobravo.com, http://www.luccadeli.com, or http://pennmac.com.

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

Thank you Aparna and Deeba! This was certainly quite a challenge (with some standing-by-the-stove endurance involved) and the payoff is heavenly!

Tiramisu is probably our family’s favorite non-Filipino cake. If it’s on the menu at a restaurant we’re dining in, that’s what we’ll get for dessert. You know how much we love it? This is the only photo of a slice I could get before it disappeared. We tasted it before it should have been eaten. It’s just not possible to let it sit there. Have Tiramisu, Will Eat! The couple of slices that were left to themselves for a few more hours tasted even better, I have to say.

As I type this, a SECOND pan of tiramisu is cooling in the fridge, I kid you not. I didn’t make the ladyfingers from scratch, though. One would think that with our addiction to this Italian dessert, we would have made it at some point in our lives. Up until this challenge, no one in the family has made it. We always ordered it. Daring Bakers has changed that and I bet we will be making this on a regular basis. By “we” I mean ME. I will labor on it for hours and we will consume it in minutes.

You will find the recipes from both the lovely sites I linked above. I will post an adapted and PDF recipe within the coming week. It is so very long so I’ll rewrite and reformat it so it’s not so daunting to print (or make)! I’ll also post more photos of the cake-making process tomorrow, while we watch the hockey game. Hehe. Go Canada! Addendum: They have not been posted because — who know the hockey game would be so close that I can’t even concentrate on anything but?! I was busy with the game and preparing food. Mmm…wings!

Tomorrow is the last day of the Olympics so rest assured regular posting will resume and the newsletter will be out soon! Watch out for that because we will be giving away those red Olympic mittens!

P.S. Much thanks to friend Adrienne who featured my tiramisu in her equally delicious culinary travel blog. If I ever go to Italy–to have a taste of real tiramisu, among numerous other gastronomic adventures–she will be my go-to person!

(name that song…)

What do you get when you fall in love?
Macs with no feet to burst your bubble
That’s what you get for your baking trouble
I’ll never fall in love again…

The first time I made macarons, it didn’t turn out too bad. I think I got it too easy. Meh…I’ve done it and that’s it!

In January, I told Deeba and Jamie (or did I beg?) I will be joining Mactweets for Mac Attack 4. I’ve had the book, I Love Macarons , since December and was curious to try the 2 main recipes there. I also thought to test my luck and see if it will pull me through another round of experimentation. Oh, boy, and did The Universe ever slap me back with a resounding ‘Better luck next time!’ and made me hate myself for undertaking numerous failed recipes. (The recipes from the tiny book above didn’t work out for me.)

Eight batches of macarons from different recipes later, here I am.

Macarons with Lemon Curd

Yes, you read that right. I said EIGHT. 8!

Making macarons became torture and I asked myself several times — “ARE YOU I-N-S-A-N-E?” during those sad nights of baking.

What do you get when you fall in love…

I became desperate. Our deadline for posting for Mac Attack 4 is today and I had none to show for all my efforts as of yesterday. Before I headed to bed the other night (technically past midnight yesterday), I wailed tweeted about going for my eighth try, and feeling sorry for all the chickens I’ve failed (21 eggs!!!). Deeba gave me the link to the 2-egg-white recipe that she adapted from “Ottolenghi – The Cookbook”. I decided that I might as well try it because I have nothing else left to lose aside from 2 more eggs, putting my egg count to 23 as of last night.

I almost cried and danced when I saw feet about 6 minutes into baking time of the first tray in the oven.

Dancings queens with dancing feet

Can you blame me for dramatic reaction? And the abundance of photos? I just need to remind myself that It’s okay! You did it! All those depressing night after night of macaruins are a thing of the past.

True story: I think in my 3rd attempt, I ate a whole tray of baked macaron shells out of anger and frustration. Yep.

I didn’t put any other color or flavorings to the meringue cookie shells, but I made up for it with a very flavorful filling of lemon curd, inspired by my recent Key Lime Meringue Pie. I made lemon curd thickened with cornstarch. It was good, but not good enough to post. I still have to tweak the recipe to have a good flavor and consistency without tasting the cornstarch. I know, I know… The starchy taste wasn’t noticeable once it’s sandwiched between two shells, but I’d just be lying to myself if I say that it’s great. Do you have any suggestions to thicken the curd for the filling? I’d love to hear about it.

In my mind I wanted to have this macaron as a  miniature version of a Lemon Meringue pie: the meringue being the shell, and the lemon curd as filling. I’m happy with it, but I’m going to experiment more. I have renewed macaron baking confidence. Haha.

Aside from that pie concept, one of my other goals was to have no waste with the recipe. I had 2 egg yolks from the meringue recipe that went to the curd. If there’s one thing I learned from my macaron Hall of Shame, I’d say I’m done wasting eggs!

This little piggy will go to the hennery to ask penance from the chickens we've failed.

The funny thing is, while I mixed the batter for the meringue, I knew this would work. Something about the texture, weight, and feel of it that made me think this one is different. Ah, lather, rinse, repeat.

And this is just the beginning of my Macaronicles: The Saga.

P.S. I forgot to mention that this month’s Mac Attack theme is Mac-A-Valentine and we’re supposed to have Valentine-inspired Macs. I’m not one to go with convention, and instead of something chocolate, I’d prefer the puckery lemon curd. Plus, nothing says ‘I love you’ more than never giving up and sticking with it through hell and back. Eight batches of failed macs in pursuit of the best. Now THAT’s what I call love. (Or martyrdom.)

I had long-shunned the pucker-ific sour Key lime pies until I made this. Lets just say that I’m now an enthusiastic convert of the Florida state pie. It is absolutely perfect in its balance of flavors, with the well-tempered tartness of the Key limes and a kiss of sweetness from the meringue. You will not regret the time you will spend to make it. I promise.

I’d lost any inclination to eat Key lime pie at any restaurant because I find them murderously sour, as if crushed with ascorbic acid tablets. Not my idea of a good dessert. I really thought that’s just the way it is. No offense to Key limes, but this was the reason I tend to cringe and do a 180° turn whenever I see them at the market.

According to a Flickr friend, Key lime pies in the South are much better than the ones from the West Coast. Is this true? Where do you get your Key lime pies dear Southerners? And if you're from the West Coast like I am, have you found one that you truly love?

To truthfully and finally decide for myself on the matter of Key lime pies, I made it. I wanted to know if it really should taste so repulsive and need to be delegated as a Fear Factor eating challenge where you’re required to have a neutral face. This took me the whole night to make, but it was so worth it. This is what happens when you don’t thoroughly read the instructions and end up having dessert at 11am.

Once again, The Craft of Baking made me overcome another fear: fear of eating key lime pie. The pie from DeMasco’s recipe was DIVINE. The sharp tartness of key limes were perfectly subdued in the silky curd with whipped cream–a beautiful marriage of flavors that simply made the long night of working in the kitchen less painful. The meringue was just a touch sweet, and with every bite of it with the curd and the crust, it’s perfection.

Hi, I'm a Key Lime Pie convert.

KEY LIME MERINGUE PIE

This recipe was adapted from Karen DeMasco and Mindy Fox’s book, “The Craft of Baking: Cakes, Cookies, and Other Sweets with Ideas for Inventing Your Own” (2009).

Ingredients

• Foolproof Pie Dough (You can also use your own pie dough recipe or a readymade 9-inch one

Key Lime Curd

• Finely grated zest from 4 Key limes
• 1/3 cup fresh Key lime juice (from at least 6 Key limes)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 tablespoons or 1 stick of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup heavy cream

Meringue

• eggs whites from 4 large eggs
• 2/3  cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

1. Pre-bake/blind-bake your pie crust.Pre-heat oven to 375°F.Roll the pie dough on a floured surface to form an 11”-diameter disk. Loosely roll around a rolling pin and transfer into a 9” pie plate. Trim the dough and leave a 1-inch overhang to fold over. Crimp the edges. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.Prick crust on the bottom and sides with the tines of a fork. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans, making sure to fill to the corner and sides. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the edges begin to turn golden. Remove the parchment and weights, return to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes more until golden all over. Cool plate on a wire rack. Turn off oven.
2. Make the Key lime curd. Boil 2-inch-deep water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk Key lime zest, Key lime juice, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, egg yoks, and salt in a large heatproof bowl. Once water is boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and heatproof bowl over the saucepan. Whisk the juice and egg mixture constantly until it becomes thick, about 12 to 15 minutes. Thickness test: when you trace your whisk across the bowl, the curd won’t immediately cover the track.Remove from the heat and transfer on a kitchen towel to secure it on the counter. Whisk in butter one piece at a time until it is well combined and smooth. Strain curd through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl. Line the surface of the curd with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for half an hour.Whip cream to soft peaks in a medium bowl. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled curd. Pour into completely cooled piecrust.Preheat oven to 375°F with the rack positioned about 8 inches from the top of the oven.
3. For the Meringue: Whisk egg whites on low speed using an electric mixer until bubbles begin to form. Increase speed to medium-low and beat for about 5 minutes until it begins to turn opaque and increase in volume. Add granulated and confectioner’s sugar in a slow and steady stream. Add vanilla and salt. Increase the speed to medium and beat for about 10 minutes until meringue becomes very thick.Spread meringue over the curd and cover up to the edges of the curd. Swirl and create peaks using a spatula. To make really nice peaks, grab a small dollop of meringue with the pads of your fingers and touch and swoop it all over the meringue to create the desired effect.Place pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating it halfway through the baking time. Peaks should be darker, and the “valley’s should still be white. Completely cool pie on a wire rack before chilling in the fridge for an hour before serving.

   This pie is best consumed the day it is made. Can be chilled, loosely covered in plastic wrap for up to 2 days. That is, if you have leftovers. ;-)

Happy baking and eating!

I love biscotti. For the longest time, I sat back in awe, envious of friends (on- and offline) who make it look like it’s a walk in the park to prepare. For me it was intimidating, especially the fact that it has to be baked twice. I don’t know why, but just the thought of that thwart any attempt at it! Enter Karen DeMasco and Mindy Fox’s book, “The Craft of Baking: Cakes, Cookies, and Other Sweets with Ideas for Inventing Your Own“. I pored through the pages, checking the ingredients and processes, and unapologetically drooled over the sweet delights. Then, like cowlick on a well-manicured lawn of a hair, 3 recipes stood out: those of the twice baked cookie variety called the Biscotti. Hello, self-imposed yoke.

It’s crazy to think that some of us have mountains to move when it comes to baking:

• Mt. Cake
• Mt. Macarons
• Mt. Pie
• Mt. Jelly Rolls…I’m still talking about baking here…
• Mt. Cinnamon Rolls
• Mt.Homemade Bread

What else? What’s your baking nemesis?

My friend is leaving to go back to her new home across the border, and I wanted to give her something for their long flight. Biscotti would make a perfect travel snack: light, TSA-friendly, and will survive the journey. And there it was, my work cut out for me and I was ready to face another fear in the kitchen. Luckily, my first try worked like a charm. DeMasco’s recipe is a winner.

Of course I had to try making the chocolate first. Priorities dears.

Chocolate Walnut Biscotti with Coffee. The coffee was just there for props. I haven't had coffee in 13 days. THIRTEEN! Days! And I'm ok. Really. Did I tell you I'm okay?

The dough was sticky and fragile to work with, but incredibly good to eat. I’m a dough/batter-eater. I cannot resist tasting it, unless it is yeasty. It pretty much goes that if the dough tastes good, the baked product will be good, too. So I do intensive testing. With my mouth. Do you? If not, you’re missing out. Well, unless you’re pregnant, then don’t do it if it has raw eggs like this one.

The trick to transferring this dough from the floured counter to the baking sheet is the speedy lift-and-support-entire-length action. It does have the risk of sagging and breaking apart.

Making biscotti and proof that I may have taken Karen DeMasco's"generously floured work surface" too far. It really didn't stick. At all. I mean, how could it?

The hardest part in making these is the baking time. Your kitchen and its surrounding open spaces will be filled with the come-hitherto aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and a hint of something that tickles your nose, trying to let you in on a little secret. You know what it is? Espresso. The book says the cookies will fall flat in taste without it, and I’ll have to agree. No, I don’t even want to try it without!

The Biscotti Council

These biscotti are not too sweet, and would make a perfect companion to coffee or plain milk. Thinking of tea? This is your mate. It’s not too overpowering, even for a light tea.

There are only a few left of this batch, and the generous bag of biscotti I gave my friend for the trip is on the verge of missing the flight, I was told. If that isn’t the best compliment for it, I don’t know what is.

If you’re looking for a biscotti recipe to start you baking, look no further. This newbie approves. And for the seasoned biscotti bakers, this is a worthy addition to consider for your repertoire of old favorites.

For me, honestly, I can’t wait to make more that will last long enough to make it past the front door without being eaten, so I can mail them to friends! I love sending care packages of food, and it almost sounds selfish because I get such sheer pleasure in doing so. :-)

The full recipe can be found online (it’s the 3rd recipe down), and that’s the exact one in the book. I thought I’d just link to it because it’s a long one, plus I didn’t change anything in the recipe.

Happy baking this weekend!

TWO YEARS.

Who knew we’d still be –
…here?!
…blogging about food?
…enjoying this much more than when we started?

And who knew we would –
…get to meet so many great people online and in person?
…STILL BE HERE? Oh, I already asked that. *pinch*

Not us! We’ve just been taking it one day at a time. We have had our share of lulls, hiatuses, and blogging blocks, but we’re still here with renewed passion and interest in food blogging.

THANK YOU for being there!

A special Thank You goes our families and friends who supported us from the very beginning, and for reading and leaving comments when nobody else did. Those are truly what kept as going.

I would also like to give a shoutout to those who have been here since our first two months: Tea, Patricia, Katy, Hillary and Maxine and RowdyFood. Thank you!

The past two years have been as sweet as pie. :-)

Two more years in the food blogging world shouldn’t be too bad then, eh?

To celebrate our blogaversary, we are giving away $50 in ChefsCatalog.com** shopping money! It’s all yours to pick a gift for yourself or that special foodie in your life.

To enter:

• Leave a comment on this post. (gives you 1 entry)
  This is not a requirement though: it would help us a lot if you let us know what you like about the site right now, what you’d like to see more (or less). We would love to get your feedback!
• Subscribe to our brand spankin’ new Monthly Newsletter (gives you 2 entries)
  Be the first to know what’s going on at Gourmeted.com, which recipes will be featured for the month, and what nifty gadget we’re loving (and giving away exclusively to newsletter subscribers). We’ll be adding different features according to the month’s theme. We put a lot of work into our newsletter to make it worthy of a spot in your mailbox each month, and we highly encourage you to subscribe. This is our little pet project that we’ve been wanting to launch for almost a year now, and it’s finally here. It’s free, spam-free, and it’s 100% homemade. :-) If you’re already a subscriber, you automatically get 2 entries — ho, ho, ho!

Contest deadline is December 14, at 11:59PM PST time. Winner will be announced on December 15 to give ‘em enough time to shop. =) That’s it…good luck!

[**DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED OR PAID ADVERTISEMENT. WE DID/WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY KIND OF REMUNERATION FOR CONDUCTING THIS CONTEST.]

As I mentioned in our newsletter, I am going to share the Foolproof Flaky Pie Crust recipe that I’ve been using for months now. It’s pie-idiot-proof, as far as I’m concerned. Before I found this recipe, I’d cower in the corner at the mere mention of making pie. Not anymore. The pie at the beginning of this post was a mango pie I made last summer. This is a Dutch apple pie I made last spring:

Oooh lala!

FOOLPROOF FLAKY PIE CRUST RECIPE (adapted from Cook’s Illustrated)

Ingredients for one 9-inch Double-Crust Pie or two 9-inch Single-Crust pies

• 2 1/2 cups (or 12.5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into 4 pieces
• 1/4 cup vodka, cold (no substitutes)
• 1/4 cup water, cold
• 1 teaspoon sugar (use for double crust pie)
• egg white of 1 large egg, beaten

Preparation

There are 3 ways to combine the pie pastry ingredients: using a food processor, stand mixer with flat beater paddle attachment, or by hand using a dough blender/pastry cutter.

1. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, salt and sugar.Food processor: Use 2 one-second pulses.
   Stand mixer: Mix on low speed for  4 seconds.
   By hand: Whisk using a whisk or dough blender, in a medium bowl.
2. Add butter and shortening and combine until homogenous, cottage cheese-like crumbs form. For all three methods, it’s important not to overwork the dough. Butter and shortening needs to be distributed in small pieces and everything should be covered in flour. Once you get that consistency, stop. Remember to scrape the sides of the bowl as you go.Food processor: Pulse for about 10 seconds.
   Stand-mixer: Mix on low to medium speed, for 10 to 15 seconds.
   By hand: Cut butter and shortening into the flour in short strokes.
3. Add remaining cup of flour and combine until the mass of dough has been broken up.Food processor: Pulse 4 to 6 times.
   Stand mixer: Mix on medium to low twice, in 4-second intervals, scraping the sides of the bowl between mixing.
   By hand: Cut additional flour into the mixture, going around the bowl twice, while scraping the sides and bottom.
4. Sprinkle cold water and cold vodka over the mixture. Fold dough to combine ingredients using a rubber spatula. Scrape the sides and bring to the middle until the dough becomes slightly tacky and sticks together. Remove from the bowl and transfer onto a non-stick pastry sheet, pie mat or parchment paper.
5. Divide and shape the dough equally into two balls. Flatten each into a 4”-diameter disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 45 minutes, and for up to 2 days.
6. To bake: Adjust oven rack to the lowest position, and place a rimmed baking sheet on it. Preheat oven to 425°F.
7. Remove dough from the refrigerator and place on a floured work surface. Roll dough into a 1/8”-thick 12”-inch diameter circle. Wrap the dough loosely around a rolling pin and transfer onto the center of a 9-inch pie plate. Leaving a 1-inch overhang around the plate, gently press dough where the side of the plate meets the bottom. Leave the overhang and return to the refrigerator to chill for another 30 minutes.For DOUBLE CRUST (top and bottom crust) pie: Roll the  other dough into a 12”-diameter 1/8”-thick disk between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Refrigerate as well. Make your filling while the crusts are being chilled.
8. For SINGLE CRUST pie: Take dough from the fridge and trim the overhang using kitchen shears, leaving about 1/2 inch extending from the lip of the plate. Fold the overhang under itself. Edge of the fold should be level with the edge of the pie plate. Flute the edges or press the tines a fork against them. Refrigerate the dough in the plate for 15 minutes.Remove pie plate from the refrigerator and line with aluminum foil. Fill with pie weights or pennies, and bake on baking sheet for 15 minutes. Remove weights and foil, and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until the crust is golden brown and crisp. Make your filling while the pie crust is baking, and pour into the crust once baked. Bake according to the instructions for your type of pie.
9. For a DOUBLE CRUST (top and bottom crust) pie: Take the dough-plated pie plate and the dough between parchment out of the fridge. Place filling into the pie plate with dough. Peel the parchment from one side of the other dough and carefully place that side on top of the filling. Gently peel off the second parchment sheet. Trim the overhang of the two dough layers using kitchen shears, leaving ¾” from the edge of the plate. Fold the two ends of the dough underneath the lower dough and make sure the edge aligns with the rim of the plate. Flute edges using your thumb or forefingers, or press them with the tines of a fork.  Cut four 2”-long slits on top of the dough using a sharp paring knife, they should radiate from the center area, but not connected to each other. Brush the surface with the beaten egg white using a pastry brush and sprinkle white sugar on top of the dough curst. Bake on preheated baking sheet for 45 to 55 minutes until crust is dark golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 ½ hours.

Dare I tamper with our Ultimate Brownies?

Yes, yes I did!!!

Hop on over to Craftzine for my guest post about the “healthier” version!

Here are the ingredients of the two versions, side by side:

Download the Original recipe:     

Download the Healthier recipe: