August of this year has been uncharacteristically cool and comfortable. Unlike the August of our first year in Minnesota where the last week of August was so hot and humid that we made a few emergency trips to procure a couple air conditioning units in preparation for house guests. This comfortable weather has meant that my tomatoes are also very disinterested in ripening. But, on the plus side, cooler temps means more oven time.
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| Rose-scented cardamom pistachio cake |
After the stress of all of the fair entries, I needed to right the ship by going back to a previous success recipe to bolster the confidence. I also had a new pan that had been languishing on dining table, patiently waiting for it's turn to shine. I put a twist on a Beekman recipe and made a rose-scented cardamom and pistachio cake. I'd made the original bundt for a cookout a couple years back and it was a big hit. Well, I think my tweaks really put things over the top! I also loved how the glaze looked on the patterned loaf pan. Yum.
I also took advantage of the cooler temps to make another pie, something that I tend to shy away from in July and August. I know that pie making is best in the summer with all of the juicy fruits for fillings, but pie pastry is a finicky thing. The one lesson I've learned from all of my pie pastry studies is that everything needs to be cold-cold-cold. Unless you don't want flaky pastry. We had all of these gorgeous tart cherries in the freezer, however, and I decided that it was time. It didn't help that I picked up another pie cookbook that was on sale (In case you hadn't noticed yet, have a cookbook problem). Cherry vanilla pie with all butter crust and two varietals of tart cherries. I zenned out and decided to make a fancy polka dotted top crust. Glazed with a whole egg beaten with a bit of milk. Applied the cutouts halfway through the baking. Oh. Man. I was so proud of this pie which was pretty much as close to pie perfection as I've ever gotten. The edges of the crust were just a bit over, but the filling was the perfect consistency. This was a damn fine cherry pie.
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| Cherry-vanilla pie! Adorable AND delicious |
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