Showing posts with label Historic St. Charles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Historic St. Charles. Show all posts

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Window Shopping


I’ve been treating myself to a little window shopping lately, but when I window shop, I don’t look at what is in the window, I look at what is on the window.  I’m looking for holiday ideas as to how to decorate the rather barren front of my house.  Frigid weather and lack of time (plus that blasted Thanksgiving being so late this year) has me days (well, weeks, if you must know) behind on getting my decorations up.  So here’s a little eye candy to inspire you if you find yourself similarly just a teensy bit behind this year.







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Thursday, December 8, 2011

Old-Fashioned Buttermilk-Coconut Pie

  
Honestly, it’s scary the way my mind works.  I was reading another culinary cozy mystery, Carol Culver's A Good Day to Pie (Typically I am not a pie person, but reading the descriptions of all of the pies got to me.), and was inspired to bake one.  Next thing you know I’m paging through an issue of Midwest Living magazine (sometimes I read a book and a magazine at the same time -- don’t judge me) when my eyes fell upon a pie recipe from a local restaurant, Miss Aimee B’s Tearoom in St. Charles, MO.  Located in the charming Historic Marten/Becker House built in 1865, it is a welcoming place containing a delicious tea room and variety of unique shops.   The recipe in question was for Buttermilk Pie, something that, admittedly, has intrigued me over the years.  I mean, isn’t a pie supposed to have apples, or chocolate, or lemon custard?  How can a pie with a buttermilk filling be any good?

Well, the fact is, I just don’t know, but served warm from the oven it was delicious!  And it is, well, as easy as pie to make.  Chances are you have all of the ingredients on hand, so what are you waiting for?  Pick up a good book to enjoy afterwards.  I'm currently recommending, you guessed it, Carol Culver's A Good Day to Pie.  There are plenty of pie recipes at the end of this book to whet your appetite and inspire your culinary endeavors.  Naturally I'm planning on trying them all.

Old-Fashioned Buttermilk-Coconut Pie
From Miss Aimee B’s Tearoom & The Upstairs Market Place

1/2 15 ounce package rolled refrigerated unbaked pie crust (1 crust)
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flaked coconut

For crust:
Let pie crust stand according to package directions. Unroll pie crust; place into a 9-inch pie plate. Tuck pie crust under and flute edges. Do not prick pie crust. Line pastry with double thickness of foil.
Bake in a 450 degrees F oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes more or until crust is light brown. Remove from oven. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

For filling:
In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir in sugar and flour. Remove from heat; set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs lightly with a whisk until combined. Add buttermilk and vanilla; whisk until just combined. Gradually whisk buttermilk mixture into butter mixture until smooth. Stir in coconut.
Place partially baked pastry shell on the oven rack. Carefully pour filling into shell. Cover edge of pie with foil to prevent overbrowning.
Bake in the 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil; bake pie about 10 minutes more or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm. Cover and store any remaining pie in the refrigerator within 2 hours. Let chilled pie stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. Makes 8 servings.
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Monday, October 25, 2010

Baked Potato Soup from the Magpie Cafe

A trip to St. Charles would not be complete without shopping on Historic Main Street, and dining at Magpie Cafe. Fortunately when I can't get there, or when the weather is too inclement to be able to sit outside on their multi-level patio and watch shoppers stroll the cobbled streets, I can at least fix one of my favorites, the Baked Potato Soup, at home.  It is but one of their many delicious specialties.

As luck would have it, this recipe is one of the many gems in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's cookbook called Special Requests, that I mentioned earlier here.

I made this soup for dinner tonight to accompany a salad, and while the atmosphere might not have been quite as festive as dining at the restaurant (though I'm sure my husband would disagree), the soup was just as good.

Let me encourage you to try it!  Here's the recipe.




Cup - Konitz Cappuccino from Amazon


Konitz K103 Coffee Bar Cappuccino Cups and Saucers Set of 4