Friday, April 12, 2013
Country Living - Favourite Recipes @LifeMadeDelish #LMDConnector
Many people who live with the hustle and bustle of busy city dwelling always tell me how much they love heading to the cottage on Summer weekends. For me, I've left the city and have through some strange turns of events, ended up embracing a life of country living.
Glorious sunrises and Monet-like sunsets, cattle grazing on green pastures, and afternoons at the beach are all part of our every day.
What kinds of meals and snacks are our favourites for country living? Homemade biscuits, homemade chocolate pudding, and Crocodile Pie are some family favourites. Hubby and Little One know that I like to limit our sugar consumption, so I only make desserts (like puddings, pies, cakes, cheesecakes, tarts, muffins, cupcakes, or cookies) on special occasions. Sweets are meant as a treat for every once in a while. Lucky for me, casseroles and salads of all sorts are also high on the list of things my family loves to eat.
If you're at all familiar with country living, you'll know that using what ingredients are local and readily available dictates what kind of meals you will likely prepare.
Because we have an abundance of raspberries, apples and rhubarb on our farm, I have to figure out as many ways of using them in recipes.
Raspberry-Apple-Rhubarb Pie
aka Crocodile Pie (I don't know why it's called that, but that's what my Mother-in-law told me it was called)
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
Directions
1. In a medium bowl stir together the 2 cups all-purpose flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the shortening until pieces are pea-size.
2. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cold water over part of the mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to sides of bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon cold water at a time, until all of the dough is moistened.
3. Divide dough in half. Form each half into a ball.
4.On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the pastry into a 12-inch circle, line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry.
5. Trim pastry 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold under extra pastry.
6. Line pastry with double thickness of foil. Bake in a 450 degree F oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5 to 6 minutes more or until golden brown.
7. Cool on a wire rack. On a lightly floured surface, roll remaining pastry into a 12-inch circle.
8. Using a 2- to 3-inch cutter, cut pastry into desired shapes(leaves are a nice choice), cover cutouts loosely; set aside. I used snowflake cutters from Watkins, but Hubby said they looked more like stars when they came out.
9. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons flour and stir in rhubarb, raspberries, and apple.
10. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until fruit begins to juice out then increase heat to medium and cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.
11. Transfer to the baked pie shell. Brush edge of pie with milk and place pastry cutouts over fruit filling and around the edge of the pie.
12. Brush pastry cutouts with milk and, if desired, sprinkle with sugar.
13. Bake in a 375 degree F oven about 25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown, cool on a wire rack. Makes 8 servings.
Glorious sunrises and Monet-like sunsets, cattle grazing on green pastures, and afternoons at the beach are all part of our every day.
What kinds of meals and snacks are our favourites for country living? Homemade biscuits, homemade chocolate pudding, and Crocodile Pie are some family favourites. Hubby and Little One know that I like to limit our sugar consumption, so I only make desserts (like puddings, pies, cakes, cheesecakes, tarts, muffins, cupcakes, or cookies) on special occasions. Sweets are meant as a treat for every once in a while. Lucky for me, casseroles and salads of all sorts are also high on the list of things my family loves to eat.
If you're at all familiar with country living, you'll know that using what ingredients are local and readily available dictates what kind of meals you will likely prepare.
Because we have an abundance of raspberries, apples and rhubarb on our farm, I have to figure out as many ways of using them in recipes.
Raspberry-Apple-Rhubarb Pie
aka Crocodile Pie (I don't know why it's called that, but that's what my Mother-in-law told me it was called)
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2/3 cup shortening
6-7 tablespoons of cold water
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
1 medium cooking apple, peeled and shredded (about 3/4 cup)
1-2 tablespoon of milk
2/3 cup shortening
6-7 tablespoons of cold water
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
1 medium cooking apple, peeled and shredded (about 3/4 cup)
1-2 tablespoon of milk
2-3 tablespoons sugar (optional)
Directions
1. In a medium bowl stir together the 2 cups all-purpose flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the shortening until pieces are pea-size.
2. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cold water over part of the mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to sides of bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon cold water at a time, until all of the dough is moistened.
3. Divide dough in half. Form each half into a ball.
4.On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the pastry into a 12-inch circle, line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry.
5. Trim pastry 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold under extra pastry.
6. Line pastry with double thickness of foil. Bake in a 450 degree F oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5 to 6 minutes more or until golden brown.
7. Cool on a wire rack. On a lightly floured surface, roll remaining pastry into a 12-inch circle.
8. Using a 2- to 3-inch cutter, cut pastry into desired shapes(leaves are a nice choice), cover cutouts loosely; set aside. I used snowflake cutters from Watkins, but Hubby said they looked more like stars when they came out.
9. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons flour and stir in rhubarb, raspberries, and apple.
10. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until fruit begins to juice out then increase heat to medium and cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.
11. Transfer to the baked pie shell. Brush edge of pie with milk and place pastry cutouts over fruit filling and around the edge of the pie.
12. Brush pastry cutouts with milk and, if desired, sprinkle with sugar.
13. Bake in a 375 degree F oven about 25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown, cool on a wire rack. Makes 8 servings.
This Crocodile Pie is always a crowd pleaser. It's so pretty and is a hit at any party, picnic, BBQ or potluck. It's the perfect dessert to bring when going to a friend's house for dinner. To me, when I think of pies like this one, it reminds me of good 'ol country living.
If you're looking for inspiration for quick and easy recipes for the cottage, check out the Life Made Delicious website! They've got tons of great recipes to choose from! Who knows? Maybe one day, my Crocodile Pie recipe will make it on there! A girl can dream, right? :)
What foods or dishes remind you of country living or Summers at the cottage?
What foods or dishes remind you of country living or Summers at the cottage?
Disclosure: I am part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger program and
I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The
opinions on this blog are my own.
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City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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7 comments:
hi c!
I love the pastry cut outs on top of that pie! Makes it look so much prettier than a regular old pie crust. Thanks for the ideas! Great recipe too. Now if I can only find rhubarb! :)
Canine:
Thanks! I owe you a phone call. I've been away and I fly home on Monday.
To be honest, I used the cut outs on top of the pie because I'm crappy at pie crusts and couldn't make the top stretch enough, so I had to cut them into pretty stars. Ummm...I mean, "I did it intentionally so that the pretty red colour would 'pop' in contrast with the golden colour of the stars". Yeah, that's right. Hahaha!
Hey, if you need rhubarb, we have WHACKLOADS of it on our farm!!!! Crazy amount of rhubarb! No joke!
You do live in the most gorgeous surroundings. Even the atmosphere and pace of life is beautiful.
I especially love the ferry coming around the bend, it is an amazing sight - and its only a few weeks now until you'll see it reappear again for the season! Enjoy the spring in your little slice of heaven.
CMCM:
Thanks so much for always leaving the sweetest comments! You are such an amazing friend. Looking forward to seeing you again this Summer! xo
That looks like an amazing pie! I've never had a rhubarb pie, but always so tempted to buy some rhubarb and make a pie whenever I seem them at the farmer's market.
I love how you topped the pie off with stars. It never even occurred to me to do that as a pie top!
That looks so pretty!! Summer can't come fast enough.
Hey thanks for linking in. I have now also pinned this to the special Pinboard I have created for Food on Friday: Rhubarb. http://pinterest.com/ca4ole/food-on-friday-rhubarb/ I hope to see you again soon Cheers
Ps I have signed up to follow your blog and hope you follow Carole's Chatter too!