Teeny’s Tour of Pie: A Cookbook + A Giveaway!

Well the day has finally come. Teeny’s pie adventure has turned into an amazing cookbook and has been something she’s been working on for the last few years. She now owns Teeny Pies which is an online pie shop that sells the most delicious and delectable pie. When she first started her tour of pie she came here to Seattle to work for Dani Cone at High 5 Pie. I had the great pleasure of photographing a number of her favorite seasonal pie recipes and I am extremely proud to see some of those images in the final cookbook in bookstores all over the United States! You’ve seen me post about Miss Teeny before when I baked her famous blueberry rhubarb pie and Style Me Pretty Living featured the recipe back in early October.

Here is a brief description of the cookbook by Workman Publishing: Teeny’s Tour of Pie is a love letter to a celebrated dessert (arguably America’s favorite—what’s more American than apple pie?) from a young woman determined to take her education in her own hands and learn more about baking than pastry school could offer. In one year, blogger (click here to view her blog!) and would-be baker Teeny Lamothe sent herself on a traveling apprenticeship throughout the United States, baking under the guidance of regional experts and in this debut book she shares the invaluable real-world know-how, and the recipes, these mentors taught her along the way.

Workman Publishing asked me to join the “virtual pie tour” and blog about two pies from Teeny’s book and share my experience with all of you. I of course jumped at the chance! Food Lion was gracious enough to send me all the ingredients I would need to make my Teeny Pies….thank you Food Lion!! I chose one sweet and one savory pie from the spring section of the cookbook. Being a breakfast lover I went straight for the Breakfast Pie with Hash Brown Crust and since my husband loves Key Lime I made him the Zested Lime Curd Pie in teeny pie form. Not only are you getting incredibly scrumptious and ingenious pie recipes but you also get the lovely stories behind the pies. Who or what inspired them and how they played into the entire adventure that was “Teeny’s Tour of Pie.”

I happen to have a signed copy of this cookbook that I will send to one lucky reader. Head over to Katie Parra Photography’s Facebook page and leave a comment under the link to the Teeny’s Pie post. I want to know what your favorite flavor pie is….then I will randomly select a winner from those who commented and I will private message the winner for your address. For those of you in Seattle Teeny will be at Elliot Bay Book Company with Dani Cone of High 5 Pie on Saturday May 10th at 2pm for a book signing. I know I will be there!! If you don’t have a copy of this book already please head here to purchase one for your very own….trust me…you want this book!!

Breakfast Pie with a Hash Brown Crust:

3 tablespoons olive oil 3 1/2 cups peeled, shredded hash brown potatoes

Salt and ground black pepper 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 large leek, halved lengthwise, cleaned and whites and light greens thinly sliced into half-moons

5 large eggs About 8 ounces mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1/4-inch slices

3/4 cup heavy cream 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with a rack in the middle position.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While the skillet heats, combine the shredded potatoes with 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the rosemary in a large bowl and toss to combine.

3. Add the seasoned potatoes to the hot skillet, spread them into a single layer, and cook, flipping once with a spatula, until they are crispy on both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

4. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and mushrooms and cook until they are soft and lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

5. Meanwhile, combine the eggs and cream in a large bowl and whisk together. Add salt and pepper and half the grated cheese and whisk until incorporated.

6. Press the cooled hash brown into the bottom and up the side of a 9-inch pie plate. Spread the leeks and mushrooms over the bottom of the crust, and top with the remaining cheese. Pour in the egg mixture.

7. Bake until the filling is cooked through and the top is nicely browned, 30-40 minutes. Serve immediately.

Zested Lime Curd Pie:

4 large eggs 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 prebaked 9-inch Graham Cracker Crust ( I split mine up to make smaller teeny pies)

1. Make the lime curd: Place the eggs in a medium saucepan and whisk to combine. Add the sugar, salt, lime juice, and zest, whisking to combine after each addition.

2. Add the butter and whisk constantly over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture begins to develop body and thicken, 5 to 10 minutes. (Watch closely to make sure the mixture doesn’t boil, which can cause it to separate.) Immediately remove it from the heat and pour it into the prebaked graham cracker crust.

3. Let the pie sit at room temperature to set and cool completely, at least 1 hour. Refrigerated the pie, uncovered, until you are ready to serve.

Graham Cracker Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (8-9 graham cracker sheets)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with a rack in the middle position.

2. Whisk together the graham cracker crumbs and the sugar in a medium bowl to combine. Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and mix with a spoon or a rubber spatula until the butter is evenly distributed. The graham mixture will be slightly darker and should clump easily when pressed together.

3. Spoon three quarters of the mixture into a 9-ince pie plate ( or the smaller tins) using your fingers, press the mixture up along the side of the plate until you have a 1/4 inch-thick shell all the way around. Spoon the rest of the mixture into the center of the plate and press it to form the bottom of the shell, making sure the bottom and sides are joined.

4. Bake until the shell is slightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let it cool on a rack before filling.