Today’s recipe falls into the McGyver category of culinary experiences. In other words, it’s one of those recipes made up on the spur of the moment to compensate for a lack of ingredients.
The kind of recipe that can be a total bomb or the start of a new and beautiful creation.
Thankfully, the blueberry pineapple pie I made during the ten days at my daughter and son-in-law’s after the birth of their son was almost as new and beautiful as our grandson.
If the pie pictured above looks familiar, that’s because it looks a lot like the crumb top blueberry pie featured in previous posts on this blog. It is in fact, the very same recipe, except for the addition of a cup of pineapple to compensate for not enough blueberries.
Rather than go to the store (which I had visited numerous times already) for more blueberries, my daughter and I decided to dice some fresh pineapple in with the blueberries stir well, and see what happened.
What happened was very, very good. Delicious even as the the intense flavor of the pineapple along with its distinctive texture, was the perfect contrast to the smoother, blander blueberries.
We decided that when we make it again, and we will, we can cut down more on the sugar and dice the pineapple even smaller. (The recipe below reflects those changes.) And probably make two pies because one doesn’t last very long.
Blueberry Pineapple Pie
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup fresh pineapple, finely diced
2 1/2 tablespoons instant tapioca
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine all ingredients and stir well. Place in an unbaked, nine inch pie shell. Bake for 25 minutes.
Mix together 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour. 1/4 cup rolled oats, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 3 tablespoons softened butter (or Earth Balance Buttery Vegan Stick). Sprinkle on top of pie. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes more, until fruit is bubbling in the middle. Cool and serve.
In the past 4 weeks, I’ve attended 2 conferences in Virginia, recovered 2 times from jet lag, and became acquainted with a new grandson. All of which has left very little time for testing new recipes in the kitchen. So this week’s recipe for chai tea is one of my favorites that has appeared on this blog before. It’s also a favorite of my daughter who’s new mama of our beautiful new grandson. Bottoms up!
My daughter Anne loves chai tea. I’ve tried it a few times at my favorite coffee shop. Though I love it’s spicy, mellow flavors, most chai teas are too sweet for my taste. But when USA Weekend Magazine (Jan. 20-22 edition) published Pam Anderson’s recipe for chai tea concentrate, I decided to give it a try.
The biggest challenge presented by the recipe was finding all the spices. Thankfully, we have a bulk food store nearby, and I was able to find everything there. (Did you know cardamom costs $70+ a pound? Thankfully, they sell it by the ounce!) Other than gathering the ingredients, this recipe was easy to follow.
Compared to the cost of specialty drinks at the coffee shop, this recipe is a bargain, even with the price of cardamom. Not only that, Hiram gave the hot chai drink his coveted seal of approval. The ingredient list for the recipe below matches the original one exactly. But, I added more details to some of the directions.
DYI Chai Tea Concentrate
4 teaspoons each ground ginger and cinnamon
4 teaspoons fennel seeds, ground (I ground them in a coffee grinder)
2 teaspoons each ground black pepper, cardamom and corriander
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup loose black tea such as Earl Grey
3/4 cup blue agave
2 tablespoons molasses
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Heat spices in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until fragrant and smoke starts to rise, a couple of minutes. (This sounds so weird, but it works!) Add 1 quart of water and tea; bring to a simmer.
Remove from heat, cover and let steep for about 10 minutes. Strain out tea and spices. (I strained out the tea and ground spices by lining the strainer with a cloth.) Stir in agave, molasses, vanilla, and lemon juice.
To serve, combine 1/4 cup concentrate with either 3/4 cup hot or cold milk (or milk substitute) or water. The rest can be covered and refrigerated up to a couple weeks until ready to use. (The photo shows the concentrate in the background and a cup of tea made with 1/4 cup concentrate and a 3/4 cup mixture of equal amounts of water and milk or milk substitute.)
