OMG a Recipe (if you get this new book): Me-Oh-My, it's Mini Pies!

I've confessed of my deep, abiding love for miniature food in the past. Mini burgers, aka the ubiquitous "slider," pigs in a blanket, I love them all -- but what about pastries, or more to the point, pies? All the delight and enjoyment of a slice of delicious pie in a single bite -- brilliant. And besides, it's kinda funny to see the look on people's faces when you tell them you ate a whole apple and pumpkin pie in one sitting. *burp*

Apple Chai Mini Pie - it's a superstar! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I had the opportunity to check out a friend of a friend's (thanks, Chuckman!!) new cookbook that just came out, Mini Pies by Christy Beaver and Morgan Greenseth. It's exactly that, a cute little book full of miniaturized sweet and savory pies, and techniques over how to make this mini-magic happen in your own kitchen. Christy and Morgan are the dynamic piemaking duo behind Mini Empire Bakery, a shop in Seattle making all kinds of yummy desserts with a focus on quality local ingredients and having a full menu of options including vegan and gluten-free choices.  I know that probably sounds like a typical bakery to a lot of people lucky to live in large cities or in regions close to a bounty of fresh produce, but we forget there's quite a lot of places where a bakery like this would be a dream come true. We forget what a rare gem quality bakeries can be! So a cookbook like this is especially nice, as people everywhere can still have a taste of Mini Empire Bakery, even if they are hundreds of miles away. The book includes instructions for making vegan-friendly pie crust, there's a lot of soy milk used in recipes, and there are different options for how to fill or top a pie however a person may choose, whether they have dietary needs or not. The book is full of inspiring photos of wee baby pies, and creative ideas for flavors.

With this book, you can create your own Mini Empire at home! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I could have made a big batch of mini pies and sat on the couch to graze on my dessert bounty, watching my thighs grow. But no! I wanted to make several of the mini pie filling recipes and also foist some gently-used clothing on friends for a clothing swap brunch. Mini pies, like the full sized ones, have the same challenge as most desserts -- you can't just make a little bit. Even with the miniature size, you get the equivalent of a full pie, just portioned out in single servings, so invite friends over or package them up as a gift, because they're ridiculously adorable as they are dangerous to have around. You'll eat all of them, I swear. I decided to make a range of pie options, two savory and two sweet. I went with the season, choosing their classic pumpkin and a spicy number, a chai apple for the dessert pies, and a caramelized onion with olive tapenade, and a spinach and cheese quiche for savory. Mini pie brunch and a clothing swap -- it's not a bad way to try some new recipes and trade some wardrobe goods amongst friends. I have to say, clothing swaps are my new favorite thing, and it doesn't have to be clothing, could be anything -- books, kitchen tools, etc. It's kind of like an indoor rummage sale, except that it's a swap and everyone brings their own stuff to trade.

Pie filling factory - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I modified some of the recipes a hair -- I had some leftover turkey slices, so I sliced and crisped it in a pan, while wilting some fresh spinach for the savory egg and spinach quiche. It made them a little more hearty, since I had more sweet than savory options. For the caramelized onion pie, I used kalamata olives for the tapenade versus a mix of olives. Again, I was going more with what I had available, but their recipe would yield a nice creamy tapenade with the combination of olives. For the sweet pies, I had fresh roasted pumpkin on hand, which I mixed with the other ingredients in a food processor to help blend down the chunks. About one small sugar pumpkin is enough to yield the 8 ounces needed in the recipe, if you decide to go with fresh squash. For the chai apple filling, the recipe calls for Granny Smith, which are ideal for dessert pies since they're nicely tart and firm. We had a surplus of Fuji apples from our CSA, so I went with those instead, which turned out perfectly. When you're making multiple pie fillings, I recommend making or preparing as much of the fillings ahead as possible, so they're ready to fill the readied dough shells. Our kitchen may have looked like a mad array of bowls and dishes full of oddball things, but once the batches of filled mini pies were going into the oven and baking away, it went pretty fast.

Filling pies and cutting the dough just right - Photos by Wasabi Prime

As to the tools of the trade -- I didn't have specialty miniature pie tins. A lot of bakeries are starting on this trend, and there are mini pie tins available at kitchen supply stores. But the Mini Pies cookbook suggests using your muffin and cupcake pans, which work just dandy. I have multiple sizes: wee bitty appetizer tart pans, regular cupcake-sized pans, and Texas muffin-sized pans. I had mixed amounts of filling for the savory pies. Since they were more chunky with the whole ingredients, I thought they would fill the small bite-sized appetizer pans better, showing off their texture. I did have extra spinach and turkey quiche filling, but that was by design -- I baked off the excess in ramekins for a quick breakfast while I was working. The cook's gotta eat too, right?

I saved the larger cupcake-sized pans for the dessert pies, since I had more filling for those. The real trick was getting the sizing right for when the pie dough needed to be placed into each tart or cupcake mold. It needs to be cut in a large enough circle to make a fully-formed shell up the side of each mold shape, so you find yourself hunting around the kitchen for round shapes that can make a nice, clean cut. A biscuit cutter was perfect for the little bite-sized pies. The standard cupcake pans required something larger and I was pleased to find that the metal top for a cocktail shaker makes a just-right circle! Plus the sharp, clean metal edge ensured a clean cut. I know people say to use a wine or cocktail glass for cutting pastry rounds, but some glasses have rounded, blunt edges, making it harder to cut. Plus, it's glass and you hate to mess around with that if there's an accident. It's all fun and games until someone gets a big shard of glass in their dessert.

Savory mini pie goodness! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The mini pies were a hit. Sure, it requires a little extra effort versus making one large pie, but gosh darnit if they're not cute as all get-out. And it inspired me to consider doing mini pies for Thanksgiving. I'll still make the traditional pumpkin pie, but maybe pecan and apple or pear, in mini form, so there's less hard decisions to make when dessert comes around. You could easily have two of these small pies in one sitting. Even three! 

Much thanks to the girls at Mini Empire Bakery for letting me cook through some of their recipes and enjoy their wonderful new book,  Mini Pies. This is a great gift idea if you're looking for something to make/give to someone for the holidays -- the book is small and would go nicely with a batch of mini pies!

FoodTrek: Killer Feast on Orcas Island

Vacations are a rare treat, so when I have a chance to just get away for a few days, I grasp that brass ring and high-tail it outta Dodge. Mr. Wasabi and I packed way too much stuff, including Miss Indy, into the car and headed north to Orcas Island for a long weekend. We fit a surprisingly wonderful amount of things into a short time, so consider this just one part of a long feast on this small island in the San Juans. So let's get this trip on the road... er... water.

You know you're in Orcas - it says so right on the building when you get there! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Pack your dramamine, as you'll have to take a ferry to get to Orcas, at least if you want your car with you. Don't worry, if you've never riden a Washington State ferry, they're like little cities on the water -- big boats that provide a fairly smooth ride and it's one of the prettiest ways to view the surroundings. They're also dog-friendly, as long as your pooch stays in the vehicle. The noise of the ferry engine is a little loud, so I don't think most pets will be eager to escape the safety of your car, at least that's how Indy felt taking her first boat trip. There are small planes you can charter, which will of course get you there faster, but most people like to have the freedom of a car to get around the island. The ferry is the most popular way to go, especially if you're bringing extra gear like sea kayaks. We saw a lot of people with small fishing boats and kayaks strapped to their cars when we were waiting at Anacortes to catch our boat early Friday morning. They always say, it's never too early to catch the ferry, and this was the case as we were there more than an hour before the ferry was even docked and the rows of awaiting cars were filling up. Despite the wait times, both coming to and leaving Orcas, it's a good reminder to live on the vacation clock, which is to say -- relax, don't rush, take a moment to sit and enjoy your surroundings. And oh yeah, bring a book or two.

Riding on a boat and blowing my car GPS's mind - Photos by Wasabi Prime

One of the first things we did upon arriving to Orcas was head to Moran State Park, one of several parks on the island. We had several hours to kill before checking into the place we were staying, and the day was still young, so we drove from the ferry dock to a quick drive-through preview of one of the main cities, Eastsound, before going to the park. I was given the great recommendation of doing the Cascade Loop Trail hike by local to-do guru, Ms. Seattle Events, who also happened to be on Orcas the same time we were. Her suggestion of this hike was perfect -- it's just under three miles and it takes you around a small lake, so it's tough to get lost. The sun played hide and seek during the whole walk, but I was able to get a few moments of blue sky. And Indy loved the walk -- so many new smells and an added bonus of seeing a few curious deer.

The best way to justify a big lunch and dessert, hiking around Moran State Park - Photos by Wasabi Prime

You work up a bit of an appetite, even for a small hike, so we headed back to Eastsound, the quaint little town that's located along the inside curve of the island. One of the places that caught my eye on the initial drive-through included Passionate for Pies, a sweet and savory pie shop that uses fresh, organic ingredients baked in an all-butter crust. We stopped in later in the day, so a lot of their treats were bought, but they still had slices of their sweet pies available. If we could have sat for a while, I'd have had a slice a la mode, but that day happened to be Mr. Wasabi's birthday, and a slice of pie saved for after dinner would be a lovely birthday treat. Melted scoop of ice cream? Not so birthday treat-like. I picked up a slice of their mixed berry pie and a spiced rhubarb pie. The slices were huge and filled with fruit filling. I like that the crust is rolled extra large and folded over as a flap, sort of partially covering the pie along the edges, giving them a rustic look. The pies are fruit-sweet, not overly sugary, which gave the fillings their chance to shine with flavor. The crust was more doughy than flaky, probably because they stick to butter and no shortening or lard. The rhubarb was nicely tart with the cardamom and other spices to round out its sharpness, but the berry pie was probably my favorite just because your flavor expectation for pie is sweet, homey goodness, and theirs delivered in spades. If we had more time, I'd have gone back to sample more of their pies, including their apple and coconut cream tart -- they were nice to let me take a photo of it when I was there, with it's pretty little purple flower decorating the top. And when you're at the shop, look down -- their flooring is recycled paper bags with sweet little sayings and fruit drawings stamped all over.

Me oh my, that's tasty pie - Photos by Wasabi Prime

But we can't grab dessert without a real lunch -- we stopped off at Mia's, a little breakfast and lunch spot in Eastsound, on Beach Road. We specifically looked for places that had outdoor seating, since we had Indy with us, and they have a few chairs and tables sitting outside their shop. We were probably the last ones to order lunch, and they were nice about taking care of us stragglers. We ordered that day's special, which was a muffaletta sandwich, popular in New Orleans. Theirs was on a nicely chewy bun with a mix of meats, cheeses, a smear of olive tapenade and some tart pickled beets mixed in. It's probably not the official way of having this sandwich, but it was such a good lunch to have and tasted extra-good sitting out in the sun. I would definitely visit again to check out their breakfasts, as the spot was cozy and the food was fresh and tasty.

Walking around Eastsound, it's got an East Coast/Nantucket charm -- vintage clapboard buildings and seafaring decor everywhere. But it's set against the dramatic view of the Pacific Northwest waterfront, dotted with hilly evergreen islands to break up the water's horizon. In our wanderings, we found a spot for our coffee fix, Enzo's Italian Caffe. We went here a couple of times for lattes and they had a little seating area outdoors, plus they didn't mind the large hairy Indy hanging out with us. We had taken an ice cream break earlier, at Lily, Lisa Nakamura's new ice cream and snack shop right below her well-known restaurant, Allium, otherwise I'd have had some of Enzo's gelatto that looked really delicious. In one afternoon we had a truly Pacific Northwest experience - pie and coffee. Call Agent Cooper, Orcas Island is giving Twin Peaks a run for its money!

Sites and bites from the island - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I had a chance to chat with Lisa Nakamura before the dinner rush at Allium and she recommended us picking up a fresh baguette from Rose's Bakery. She had good things to say about their bread and she always knows what's good, so I headed over to Rose's before they closed for the day. The people behind the counter were apologizing for their empty shelves of bread, but I have to say, that's a good sign when you see bare shelves -- it means it's really good stuff, so go early to get the choice items. Like, seriously, hop in your car, jump on the ferry and go right now. We already had our pie slices to-go from Passionate for Pies, so I zeroed-in on the last baguettes sitting in the basket. They had a couple of plain ones and the last seed-covered one, which they recommended as their favorite. Despite the confetti of seeds as you slice the bread, consider it the party the bread throws for itself as you enjoy it. It was chewy and flavorful, and it lasted us three days, as we ate a few slices either for dinner or breakfast. It stayed chewy the whole time and would have made for a wonderful sandwich.

We had to check into the place we were staying at, Once in a Blue Moon Farm (will do a post about that, stay tuned), which had a full kitchen in the converted carriage house loft. Again, it's dog-friendly travel that we have become accustomed to -- find a place that not only takes large dogs, but find places with a kitchen, as we'll always spend one night eating a simply prepared meal. Ours that evening was composed of the goodies we gathered from the day, plus the things we brought -- spinach salad with crushed pecans and topped with fresh eggs from the farm we were staying at, plus an appetizer of slices from the seed-encrusted baguette, served with olives and cured meat we brought. We also brought a bottle of D2 from DeLille and a little flask filled with McCallan for cocktail hour. Viva vacation!

Savoring the baguette from Rose's Bakery - Photos by Wasabi Prime

This was just a sampling of the things we got to enjoy on Orcas -- I have a couple of other posts planned, highlighting favorites, like our afternoon and evening at Lily and Allium, and a day on the farm, staying at Once in a Blue Moon Farm, so stay tuned, there's more to share (and eat!)