Sunday, December 26, 2010

Christmas Pear Custard Pie

This Christmas, KStead's sister, who lives in Milan, Italy, sent us a Harry and David gift. The Taste of the Valley basket consisted of Royal Riviera Pears, smooth Red Pears, award-winning Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue cheese, buttery Havarti and a walnut-handled spreader, this uniquely designed trivet made of sustainable bamboo unfolds into a pear-shaped basket. KStead engulfed a few pears and they were so juicy. We decided to make a pear pie since I had a frozen pie crust in the freezer. I wanted a recipe that didn't require me to leave the house, so I found a custard pie recipe from Martha Stewart. The pie turned out great! I usually don't eat seconds, especially with desserts, but I kept on going back for more.
Pear Custard Pie
  • 3 Royal Riviera or Red Pears, peeled, halved, cored, and sliced
  • 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees; Prick pie crust with a fork and cook for 5 minutes.  
  2. Peel, halve, and core 3 pears; slice 1/4 inch thick lengthwise. Arrange slices, overlapping slightly, in crust.  
  3. In a blender, process 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter, 1/3 cup each granulated sugar and all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3 large eggs, and 3/4 cup milk until smooth.  
  4. Pour batter over pears; bake until golden and firm to touch, about 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

    Tuesday, December 14, 2010

    The Great American Bake Sale

    First of all, I have to thank those that participated in the great American Bake Sale which I organized at my jog along with the help of the fabulous Nurse J. I thought, "What a great was to help raise money to end childhood hunger" because I love sweets and so do our patients at the clinic. But our patients are primarily obese people with diabetes and hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, so I thought, "Why not do a bake sale of all our favourite holidays treats, but make healthier versions of them?" So here's what we came up with and soon to come... The Cook Book! Big thanks you to the Milwaukee Cupcake Company for donating TWO DOZEN gluten free cupcakes to the bake sale. 

    Nut Clusters
    Cupcakes from Milwaukee Cupcake Company

    Chocolate Truffles


    Mini Sweet Potato Pies courtesy of Dr. I


    Even the medical student joined in by baking granola bars