Pie – Amigurumi #54

It’s been a week since COVID-19 sent us all into hiding. So what did I do? Run to Michael’s, stock up on supplies, and start making plushies again!

This pattern was created by Sherry Rohekar on Ravelry. The original pattern made a cherry pie, with a suggestion for blueberry pie at the end. So here we are.

Before making the single crochet trim, the pie looked like this. On its own this isn’t too bad. If you are not confident in making the trim, you could probably get away with leaving it like this. I think the trim makes it look like the edges have been “sliced” from a whole pie, which is what you are going for. My slice ended up a little overstuffed.

The pattern said to make bobbles “every now and then.” I tried to keep the bobbles evenly spaced each row, and it ended up looking nowhere near as interesting. Not to mention all the bunching going on… indeed, just make bobbles wherever you find enough space.

Growing up, my family was never “pie” family. We preferred cakes and cookies. I only had homemade apple pie once, before I met Hatter. Shoonie was a wee baby shoon, and we made it as a kids’ workshop project at the local apple picking farm. Having only tried the jelly-filled hand pies from McDerp’s, my mind was blown eating actual warm, baked apple pie! Maybe I’ll try making a cherry pie from scratch this summer, once cherry season kicks in.

I like to eat pie with a nice cup of tea. Hatter said this pie looks cute, but tastes “pleh pleh pleh.”

No-Face and Sootsprite liked it. As you can see they are enjoying the pie, and totally not just licking it because I put cat treats on the plate.

I meant to have this pie finished in time for Pi Day. And then we went into social isolation, which cancelled classes and due dates for this week.

Fortunately we had just enough time to have Pi Day, before isolation began. I made actual pies!

Clockwise from top left: bacon and mushroom quiche, Shepherd’s Pie, apple pie, and chocolate ganache tart. I spent all afternoon slaving away at these, but it was worth it to see so much gone by the end of the night. Some folks even took leftovers home!

The apple pie was the most intimidating because of all the apple peeling and lattice arranging. Which is why I got Hatter to do those things. 😀 I didn’t have nutmeg, so I substituted a secret ingredient. But it’s secret, so I won’t write it here. Don’t worry, rest assured it’s safe to eat. I just kept it secret from folks who might oppose it.

For the ganache tart, I used Chef John’s pots de creme recipe minus the coffee, poured it into the pie shell, and stuck it in the freezer for an hour. I was happy with how this turned out, because it was what I expected of a chocolate tart. Previously I made a chocolate pie, but found it too sweet and not at all like the silky, dark chocolate ganache I love. Hatter liked it, but I think a ganache tart is more of my taste. For best results, try it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The taste and consistency reminded me of a popular ice cream chain’s cakes.

Baking all these pies, and being able to serve guests has boosted my confidence. Next, I want to make a key lime pie; real, and crochet. Mmmm….

It sucks to be isolated. But think of it this way: now you don’t have to share your pies! Here are some links to patterns and recipes, to keep you entertained:

Cherry Pie crochet pattern by Sherry Rohekar
Quiche recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction
*Slow cooker Shepherd’s pie from Taste of Home
Apple pie with lattice crust from the Tenderflake official website
Chocolate mocha pots de creme by Chef John

*You can make this in the oven too. I used the slow cooker to save on oven space.

What other pies do you like? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Pi Day with Pudding Pies – Dessert Days #4

Today is March 14, 2015, and the time is 9:00 pm. Aka 3/14/15/9:00. Aka 3.14.15.9. I meant to wait about 26 minutes more, but when you’re in a comp sci related field, 3.14159 is enough. Any more decimals, and you’re just being a douche.

Anyway, this post is dedicated to today’s most obvious pun: Pi Day!

I’ve never been a huge fan of pie. Don’t get me wrong, I do love a good chicken pot pie. KFC used to make this amazing cookie dough pie, but I think people were getting too fat, so they discontinued it. Not to worry, it was promptly replaced by lava cakes and strawberry cheesecake. Mmmm, cheesecake… *drool*

Mini Shoonie and me, learning to make awesome pie

Mini Shoonie and I, learning to make apple pie

We made apple pie years ago, using apples we picked. Shoonie was only 7 years old at the time. *squishy squishy squishy squish* We brought the pie home, baked it (kitchen smelled amazing) and ate it with ice cream. It felt great to eat an apple pie that wasn’t just hot apple-flavoured jelly and apple bits wrapped in a flake pastry. (One of the big reasons I wasn’t a big pie fan) Here’s a picture of us making it, taken from my old deviantART account. No, you’re not getting the link. >:O Fun fact: that purple shirt went on to become this dress.

One of my favourite types of pie is Key Lime. I love the sweet and sour combination. Of course, when I suggested making it this week, mi madre was all, “who’s going to eat so much pie? Make it next week!” Oh well, we don’t have lime juice anyway. 😦 And then, I thought about Marzia’s Puga Puffs, and remembered the package of banana pudding we have sitting around. I said it last week, and I’ll say it again: thank goodness for small-portion recipes.

puddi-pie

Mini Pudding Pies

You can look up the most basic pie recipe and you’ll notice that they have three main layers: the crunchy bottom crust, the flavorful middle filling, and the light topping. Just like the cupcakes, these pies whip up quick and are perfect to satisfy any sudden cravings. It’s unlikely to happen, but if you get stuck, please follow Marzia’s video above.

First, you will need to make the bottom crust. Get some plain biscuits (I used Maria biscuits) and crush them as finely as possible. Two biscuits gave me enough crumbs for two thin crusts. Then, melt a teaspoon of butter and mix it into the crumbs. Don’t soak the crumbs through. They just need to be wet enough so that they pack together, like this:

IMG_20150314_173940047

Next, you will need a pudding of your choice. You can make it from scratch or use a mix. I used banana, because that’s what we had on hand.

IMG_20150314_174440813

Finally, top it off with whipped cream and whatever else you want! Make sure the whipped cream is nice and thick. This will make it look prettier in see-through containers. It’s difficult to tell from the picture, but I put a bit of coconut on my pies.

IMG_20150314_180311867

Now I have a snack for these shark week cravings! Yay!

What’s your favourite type of pie? Are you going to do anything fun for St. Patrick’s Day? What DO you actually do on St. Patrick’s Day, if you haven’t reached the drinking age? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~