Dinner with Julie

Maple Buttermilk Meringue Whoopsie-Pie

I love it when I wind up making something completely off my radar, simply because circumstances dictate I use up a random collection of ingredients.

This morning I had my photo taken for next Friday’s Swerve magazine (!) and so I needed to appear 1) cleaned-up and presentable, and 2) like I was right into it in the kitchen. So I rummaged around pulling out bakerly things, like a wad of pastry from the depths of the freezer, and whipped egg whites and sugar into a bowl of meringue, thinking I could strike a Nigella-esque pose with it (I didn’t). When the photographer left, I had a well-crimped (albeit horribly overworked, as most props are) pie crust and a bowl of meringue. My laptop on the table, I quickly searched for a buttermilk pie recipe, thinking that a custardlike filling would be a) quick, and b) a good way to use up those yolks. A maple version came up. I decided to top it with meringue.

I was 20 minutes from having to leave town when it was chilled and ready to be topped; rushing into the kitchen and holding it in one outstretched arm while attempting to quickly take a photo of it in its naked glory, the pie flipped from my hand and landed upside-down on the table, all over all the stuff that was on it, and I let the expletives fly. It’s been a rough week. I lost it a little bit.

And then I scooped it all back up into the pie plate, smeared it with meringue and popped it in the oven. And was glad I did, because the stuff I licked off my fingers while scooping it back was delicious. I’m sure in some part of the world a pie like this has a name; and it falls under the same classification as pandowdies and slumps and Brown Betties. Whoopsie-pie, maybe.

Warning: 6 eggs will give you a helluva lot of meringue. You could do the mile-high thing (drama is always a nice quality in pie) or bake the remainder off as meringue cookies.

Maple Buttermilk Meringue Pie

inspired by this one

1 9″ pie shell

Filling:
2 cups buttermilk
2/3 cup maple syrup
6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. maple sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch salt

Meringue:
6 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 325°F. Whisk all the filling ingredients together until smooth; pour into the pie shell and bake for 1 hour, until set but still wobbly in the middle. Cool completely.

When you’re ready to finish the pie (it can be chilled for up to a day), preheat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy; gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks. Mound on top of the pie and swirl thickly with a spoon. Bake for about 10 minutes, or just until the meringue turns golden.

And now it’s technically Saturday – I got home from teaching an out-of-town class at midnight, and as I sat down to write this got a call from my sister across the street saying W was sick and feverish. So I ate a few forkfuls of pie, went and collected him, and am now lying next to a very hot, snotty and feverish bundle of joy.

But I’m determined to not miss Free Stuff Friday. Mostly because my friend Wade generously donated two gift certificates to his fine foodshop, Forage, which are each good for a dinner special of the day and a dessert. I’ve never eaten anything of his that wasn’t fabulous.

Which also acts as a perfect segue way to introduce my Brilliant Idea, something I alluded to ages ago when Blog Aid (which is finally coming to fruition this weekend! it is! I’ll keep you posted!) was just a spark. My idea: dinner together. Yes, as many of us who gather here as can make it. A Farm Table Dinner on Wednesday, February 24th, in the private Green Room at Forage. It’s a long, pale green room with an almost equally long dinner table that will accommodate 20 of us. All of the Green Room dinners feature a local producer, and this time it’s Buffalo Horn Ranch. Wade and his team cook and serve dinner family-style, and it’s all very cozy and delicious.

Here’s the deal: it’s $49 (I’m paying too!) which includes dinner, dessert, coffee/tea, and gratuity.
Doors open at 7:00 PM and dinner is served at 7:30 PM sharp.
Beer and wine service is extra and provided by Infuse catering.
You can call Wade and the fine folks at Forage to book your seat(s).

So.. what was for dinner last night? And what do you think – are enough of you interested in meeting in 3D and sitting down to a real dinner? Can we make a go of it?

January 30 2010 | dessert | 48 Comments »