Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I have been making lemon meringue pies and tarts for years and years, but I have finally mastered what D calls "the actual good meringue." Okay, that was rude. However, I have to agree; once I started making Italian meringue, my pies disappear much more quickly!  The taste is a perfect sweet foil to the tart lemon filling; the texture is fluffy and light, just marshmallow fluff; and - maybe my favorite part of this meringue - the look. You can form dramatic, steep peaks. And, once you torch them, they are stunningly gorgeous. And, after I served another pie for Easter, I realized that I had neglected to post my actual good meringue! So, here we go. Oh, and my filling it's a traditional gelatin lemon filling; I fill mine with straight lemon curd. It's mouth-puckeringly delicious. Ingredients makes 1 pie Crust 2 cups flour plus more for rolling 1/2 cup powdered sugar 3/4 cup butter, cold and cubed 3 to 4 Tablespoons gin, as needed 1 to 2 Tablespoons cold water, as nee...

I was shocked to discover that I have never blogged my berry pie recipe. Shocked! Because it's something that I make every summer...and multiple times throughout the summer. And I was even more surprised to discover that summer berries weren't yet at the markets in beautiful, overflowing containers. There were some, but they were ridiculously pricey. Frozen berries to the rescue; they work just as well.   I had some fun with natural food dyes and cranked out a JAWS-inspired design. My best friend's older son said, "Aunt Cam, that shark needs braces." True enough. Ingredients makes one 9-inch pie Crust 2 cups flour + more for rolling 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar 3/4 cup butter 2 Tablespoons vodka 2 Tablespoons cold water Also needed: parchment paper; rolling pin; pie pan; food dye, if making a colored design Filling 2 pounds frozen berries (I used a mixture of raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries) 3/4 cup organic granulated sugar freshly squeezed lemon juic...

  #BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Karen of  Karen's Kitchen Stories  is hosting and she wrote: "Bake your favorite pizza.. pan pizza, grandma pizza, deep dish pizza, Chicago style pizza, flatbread pizza, Detroit Style Pizza, English muffin pizza, Neapolitan pizza, and/or grilled pizza (or any other type of pizza). In other words, share your favorite pizza recipe." If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the #BreadBakers' pizza shop... Aglio e Olio Pizza  from The Wimpy Vegetarian Barley Flour Vegetarian Pizza  from Cook ...

In 2018 the Pieathalon was a new-to-me event. I have since participated in the 5th and 6th Annual Pieathalon which is coordinated by Emily of  Dinner is Served 1972 . Both years were a ton of fun. So, when she emailed to see if I were interested in participating in the 7th annual pieathalon, I was in! Since this whole Pieathalon thing is only once a year, I'll share the rules with my readers.  1. Pick a pie recipe from a pre-1990 cookbook. 2. Email it to Emily. 3. She assigns it randomly to another pieathlete. 4. We bake. 5. We post. 6. We share. Today's the day! Get ready for some fun retro pie recipes. Kelly of the Velveteen Lounge submitted the Lattice Pineapple Pie for swap and that's the one I received. Kari at The Nostalgic Cook received the Lemon Pie Reliable that I sent in; I can't wait to see how it turns out. Let's get this party started! The #7thAnnualPieathalon Line-Up Dinner Is Served 1972:  Betty Crocker Sombrero Pie ...

Four years ago, D was a huge fan of Cake Boss and heard them talk about Italian Wheat Pie; we made a version back then. I hadn't heard him mention it for years. But, in the past two weeks, he's been bugging to me to make a pastiera . As it's Spring Break, we have fewer commitments and he has more free time. So, I suggested he had time to do it. I helped...a little bit. When he decided to add a layer of frangipane to the bottom of the pie, I was excited. What a great twist! Ingredients Crust  makes top and bottom  2-1/2 C flour 1 T organic granulated sugar 1 C butter (2 sticks), chilled and cubed 1 t pure lemon extract 1/2 C cold milk Filling 2 C whole milk ricotta 2 C cooked wheat grains (we used farro) 3 eggs 1 C organic brown sugar 1 C frangipane (recipe below) 1 t pure lemon extract 1 t pure vanilla extract Frangipane 1 C ground almonds 1/2 C organic granulated sugar 1/4 C butter, softened 1 egg 1/2 t pure lemon extract 1/2 t ...

When Pia picked up our CSA boxes from High Ground Organics last week, there was rhubarb in it...and fava greens. I'm allergic to fava beans and didn't think I should risk eating the greens though they were very pretty. Pia must have been thinking the same thing because she handed me my produce and offered: "How about I take your fava greens so you don't die . I'll give you my rhubarb and you can make me a pie?!" Fine. She and Brian were leaving for their anniversary weekend, so I whipped up some portable pies in my heart-shaped springform pans.  Brian said, "Thanks, but what is she going to eat?" He didn't realize there were four pies in that box! I switched it up from my usual rhubarb pie by making a rhubarb compote and folding fresh rhubarb slices into it before spooning it into the pie crust to bake. Delicious! Yuzu-Scented  Pâte Brisée I started with my usual  Pâte Brisée  and added a splash of yuzu liqueur because I thought it wo...

This round Simon, at  briciole , selected  That Old Ace in the Hole  by Annie Proulx for our October-Novemer  Cook the Books  project. Here's  her post .  I have to be honest: I couldn't get through this book. I tried. Twice. The first time, I was reading the words without really engaging. I decided to restart, thinking I just needed an attitude adjustment.  The second time, I  was  more interested in the characters and the story, but that only lasted for about the first fifty pages. Then, again, I was slogging through.  I used to be a stubborn reader, determined to finish any book I started. But I am not that reader anymore; if a book doesn't hold my interest, I know that there are plenty more that will. I am thoroughly enjoying Jim Gaffigan's  Food: A Love Story . But just as I was about to throw in the towel and declare that I was out for this round, I read a page about Cy's Old Dog Café and knew that I could cook...

When I found these pink lovelies - Pink Pearl apples - I tried to figure out how to use them...and keep their gorgeous hue. Jake suggested pie. Of course he did! I obliged and added a cheddar cheese crust . Yum. Not much of a dessert person, I actually finished my helping and almost licked my plate clean. Almost. Ingredients cheddar cheese crust   (or use your favorite crust) 3 Pink Pearl apples 3 Cripps Pink apples (use Honeycrisp if you can't find Cripps) 1/4 C organic granulated sugar + more for sprinkling 2 T flour 1 T ground cinnamon 2 T butter whipped cream, for garnish Procedure Roll out your crust or press it into your baking dish. Reserve some for a topping. You can do a lattice; I opted to make twists and a heart in the middle! In a large mixing bowl, stir together the apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter. Spoon the mixture into your crust and top with leftover crust. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover the pie with foil...