For many of my friends, the words βeasyβ and βpieβ should never appear together. Many people are afraid of pie, and how hard it is to make.
Not me. I love making pies. I find them much easier than cakes and cookies.
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| While people expect dry and arid, the desert can be very wet and cold! |
It appears that, for most people, it is the fear of making the crust that paralyzes them. Itβs true, making a good crust can be difficult… but I discovered early in my adult life that there are methods that are pretty easy.
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| Winter rains bring stunning wildflowers. |
Making the crust in a food processor is a foolproof route to good results. This might not make the perfect, flaky crust your grandmother made (using lard), but I have never had anyone complain.
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| Two neighborhood friends: a Rufous hummingbird and a wester Screech Owl. |
Today, I will share my food processor crust recipe with you, but also a filling that is pretty much sunshine in pie form.
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| While cacti do hurt, they also have incredible beauty. |
In fact, it is called Arizona Sunshine Pie. I heard about it while buying veggies at the farmers market between Christmas and the New Year and it was on my table New Yearβs Day.
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| The mission church of San Xavier del Bac is a local β and world β treasure. |
Its corny name smacks of chamber-of-commerce boosterism, but who canβt use some sunshine in this season? And this is peak citrus season here in Arizona. I found quite a few recipes for Arizona Sunshine Pie online and they were all the same.
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| And we have sunsets that can make you cry from their beauty. |
Me being me, I put my mark on the pie in two ways. First, I added a touch of Fiori di Sicilia extract to the batter. It adds a lovely floral quality. If you canβt find it, you can simply omit it. Second, after the first making, we all decide it needed to be more lemony, so I added the finely grated zest of a regular lemon to the filling.
And, since you have all seen lots of photos of eggs and sugar, as well as measuring spoons and cups here on the site, I thought is would be fun to share a few photos featuring the Arizona sunshine and all the beauty of our beloved Tucson!
~ David
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Gerlinde de Broekert
January 25, 2020 at 3:43 pmMy Meyer lemon trees are bursting with lemons. This is a wonderful recipe David and I am always looking for new recipes.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 25, 2020 at 6:18 pmNow, if we could only find recipes that use LOTS of Meyer lemons… π But, even though this only uses one, it is a great use of the lemon, Gerlinde.
2pots2cook
January 25, 2020 at 4:21 pmAfter almost a whole day wasted at the airports the whole batch would be just fine for my son and me οΏ½οΏ½ Thank you dear David !
Cocoa & Lavender
January 25, 2020 at 6:18 pmOooh, Davorka… it definitely sounds like you both could use a Sunshine Pie!
Sippity Sup
January 25, 2020 at 6:25 pmYou're desert photos are as stunning as your pie. I just got back from Death Valley so I know first hand how beautiful the supposedly "barren" desert can be. GREG
Cocoa & Lavender
January 26, 2020 at 12:03 amThanks, Greg – you reminded me that I forgot to add captions. Duh. The desert is so incredibly beautiful – Death Valley is on our list, for sure.
Gloria Baker
January 26, 2020 at 12:17 amabsolutely love this, I love all with lemon!! xo
Cocoa & Lavender
January 26, 2020 at 7:36 pmI do, as well, Gloria. Even though I love chocolate, lemon always wins in a contest!
Sherry's Pickings
January 26, 2020 at 2:37 amthis sounds fabulous david. i love really lemon-y desserts! the tangier the better. yes i find making pastry in the food processor is incredibly easy, thank goodness. actually i used to make pastry by hand, just going by sight as to the measurements. always worked! cheers S
Cocoa & Lavender
January 26, 2020 at 9:00 pmI mostly prefer making a crust using my fingers, pinching the butter into the flour… but sometimes, when I don't have the time, the processor is my best friend! I am also a fan of lemon desserts, Sherry!
Sherry's Pickings
January 26, 2020 at 2:39 amooh yes lovely scenery and wildlife photos too!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 26, 2020 at 7:36 pmThanks, Sherry! π
Christina | Christina's Cucina
January 26, 2020 at 6:49 amExactly how I make my crust except I add a tiny bit of sugar for a sweet pie. How lovely this one looks with my favorite lemons, ever! Love the gorgeous photos, especially the one with lightning! Wow! Thanks for the lovely recipe, David!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 26, 2020 at 11:24 pmSometimes I add a little sugar, too, Christina. It all depends on how sweet the filling is! Glad you enjoyed the photos.
Frank
January 26, 2020 at 1:27 pmThose nature photos are gorgeous, David. I see you have quite the eye for framing a shot, capturing a momentβa bird alighting on a flower or a bolt of lightening. Bravo!
And as for the pie, it sounds lovely. And not too terribly difficult, even for a non-baker like myself. I especially like your adding the fiori di Sicilia. Very nice touch!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 26, 2020 at 11:25 pmThanks, Frank – we feel very fortunate to live here. The bold of lightening took a lot of work (and luck!) considering I don't have ant fancy lightning-catching equipment.
And, by the way, you could make this pie crust with your eyes closed! π
Inger @ Art of Natural Living
January 26, 2020 at 3:59 pmLove the name of this pie! And like you, I am a huge pie fan. Your photos are so beautiful. Now I want to go back…
Cocoa & Lavender
January 26, 2020 at 11:26 pmYou should come back, Inger – even though your daughter has graduated!
Inger @ Art of Natural Living
January 27, 2020 at 4:17 amYou can count on it David!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 27, 2020 at 1:57 pmGood – we will look forward to it! π
Eha
January 27, 2020 at 1:36 amSm also always delighted to see new Arizona photos on your weekend collections ! We may share the desert aspect with you but the results in the landscape present so differently . . I also have a delightfully shaped Meyer lemon in my back garden . . . love the fruit, seem to use it all in savoury dishes . . even in savoury pies . . . .no, the crusts have been quite enjoyable to make . . . π 1
Cocoa & Lavender
January 27, 2020 at 3:41 amYes, Eha – it is amazing that we are both in deserts and yet they are so different. I wish we had a Meyer lemon… perhaps someday.
Marcelle
January 27, 2020 at 1:32 pmDavid, love your celebration of Tucson in this post. Your photos are stunning! We've got to get out to AZ on one of our big road trips. I love lemon pie, but I fall it to the category of people you describe and I don't try to make enough pies π That crackly crust on top of your Arizona Sunshine Pie has talked me into trying this one. Looks delicious!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 27, 2020 at 1:59 pmYou really do need to come here – so much to see and do! And we could always cook together! I am surprised to find you are crust-phobic… considering all the work you do on those amazing cookies, I would have thought crust would have been a no-brainer!
Ron
January 27, 2020 at 2:52 pmDavid, I'm a cookie making man myself, but hold great respect for one who can master a pie crust such as you.
Lovely images, actually fantastic is a better word.
Now for that pie, I must make that for Eva as she loves anything lemon. As we don't have Meyers lemons over this way, do you think normal lemons will work? I think our lemons come from Spain.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2020 at 3:55 amHi Ron. This is a great question – and I should have addressed it in the post! I want to start by saying that I have not tried this YET. But I would consider part of a thin skinned orange and one of your regular lemons mixed – for a total of 5 ounces fruit. I would probably do 3 ounces orange, and 2 ounce lemon. For the lemon, I would take off the zest with a vegetable peeler and put it on the scale, then slice off the pith (Meyer lemons have almost zero pith). I would then add enough flesh (minus the seeds) to equal 2 ounces. I think this will get you there. I will try this next time and let you know. You can easily do this crust, Ron – its so simple – and Eva will be so pleased.
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com
January 28, 2020 at 2:47 amDavid, your outdoor photos are sooooo beautiful! So are the pie photos. And lemon is just about my favorite flavor, so I would definitely appreciate your addition of the extra "regular lemon" zest. Delish!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2020 at 3:55 amLemon is the best, Jean! Better than chocolate! Thanks for your kind comment – I am glad you like the photos.
Valentina
January 28, 2020 at 10:35 pmThis is so timely as my little Meyer lemon tree is still bursting with lemons. The recipe sounds lovely and your nature photographs are stunning! π ~Valentina
Cocoa & Lavender
January 29, 2020 at 2:30 pmYou are very fortunate, Valentina! Lucky for me, I have neighbors with them… Glad you enjoyed the photos…
Fran @ Gday Souffle
January 28, 2020 at 11:40 pmDavid, I love your photos of Arizona. Some of them remind me of the badlands area near Borrego Springs, California. I've made lemon meringue pie before but not just a 'plain' lemon pie- looks delicious. I see that you didn't place your pie dough in the fridge to chill before rolling it out. I'm afraid my dough would fall apart if I didn't chill it first. Also, yes, my family and I used to eat at El Rey Sol in Ensenada many times. However, I haven't been there in many years since moving away from San Diego. I'm afraid we're not brave enough to drive down there now by ourselves!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 29, 2020 at 2:31 pmhe wildflower shots are similar to the Anza Borrego desert, aren't they? I want to go there sometime. With this crust recipe, there is no need to chill – it holds together perfectly.
Jeff the Chef
January 29, 2020 at 4:22 amI love the desert in bloom! It's been so long since I've visited the southwest … your pictures give me wanderlust. Your pie gives me the strong desire to stay home, though, and do some baking!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 29, 2020 at 2:32 pmThanks, Jeff – we feel really fortunate to live among such beauty. Both your urges are good – travel and food!
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness
February 2, 2020 at 8:18 amDear David, what a stunner of a pie and what incredible photos! Unfortunately, there are no Meyer lemons to be had around here but I have read a lot about how to balance out citrus flavors (with lemon and orange juice) so that it comes close to the taste of those famous lemons.
Btw I love baking pies – although I must admit that I haven't quite baked them as frequently as I used to, I often chose cookies over pie (they are easier to transport to school π
Alles Liebe,
Andrea & Co.
Cocoa & Lavender
February 3, 2020 at 1:29 amA mixture of oranges and lemons would be perfect for this – as long as you can get rid of the thick pith! Let me know if you try i! Ganz liebe GrΓΌΓe, David