FOOD SAFETY TIP, #10: Storing Pies

Thanksgiving and Christmas seem to be the season for pies.

In fact, when I was driving for the food banks, I'd pick up truckloads of pies from a local Carrows to be donated to the (somewhat) nearby Marine base. They have a program where patrons can donate $1 with their meal to go toward the making of the pies. I don't know the details of that program because I spent most of my time going through the back door of that restaurant. It was a nice restaurant, it was just too far away from where I lived to go there except occasionally.

When you are getting 20-40 freshly baked pies a day but want to accumulate a hundred or more before making the run down to the Marine base, you have to figure out how to store them safely.

You can refrigerate them for three to four days (a little longer if you keep them just above freezing).

Freshly baked pumpkin and pecan pies can freeze for one to two months.

Any pies with a custard or chiffon do not freeze well. You can do it, and they will be safe to eat, but the texture can get pretty nasty.

We never messed with freezing them. We just kept them really cold and would coordinate with the restaurant to make our run to the base on the day of their biggest baking run.

Bread and Butter Pudding with Redcurrant Glaze Recipe

Apparatus:

Saucepan
Small saucepan
Large bowl
Whisk
Small microwaveable dish
Microwave oven

Components:

50ml/2fl. oz. double cream
1 vanilla pod (seeds scraped out)
1 pinch ground cinnamon
4 egg yolks
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp butter (for greasing)
2 plain croissants (sliced)
3 tbsp redcurrant jelly

Procedure:

1. Pour the cream into a saucepan.
2. Add the vanilla pod, scraped out seeds and cinnamon.
3. Heat until gently simmering but not boiling.
4. Remove from the heat.
5. Remove the vanilla pod and throw away.
6. Place the egg yolks and icing sugar into a large bowl and Whisk together until thoroughly combined.
7. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the cream, whisking well.
8. Return the pan to the heat and cook gently, stirring until the custard has thickened slightly.
9. Grease a small microwaveable dish and place the sliced croissants into the bottom of the dish.
10. Pour the custard over the croissants.
11. Transfer the dish to the microwave and cook on high for 2 1/2 minutes.
12. Place the red currant jelly into a small saucepan and heat gently until melted.
13. To serve, remove the bread and butter pudding from the microwave, brush with the warm redcurrant jelly and dust with icing sugar.

Original recipe from:
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-life/restaurants-pubs-bars/2011/07/02/bread-and-butter-pudding-with-redcurrant-glaze-recipe-100252-28978645/

DEFINITION: Quiche

In French cuisine, a quiche (English pronunciation: /ˈkiːʃ/; keesh) is an oven-baked dish made with eggs and milk or cream in a pastry crust. Usually, the pastry shell is blind-baked before the other ingredients are added. Other ingredients such as cooked chopped meat, vegetables, or cheese are often added to the egg mixture before the quiche is baked. Quiche is generally an open pie (i.e. it does not include a pastry covering), but may include an arrangement of tomato slices or pastry off-cuts for a decorative finish. Quiche may be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, depending on local customs and personal tastes.

More here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiche

DEFINITION: Custard

Custard is a culinary preparation made by blending eggs with milk or cream. Custard is thickened by the coagulation of the egg proteins, which is achieved by gently heating the custard in some way.

Custard is mainly used as a dessert, or as a base for a dessert, or as a dessert sauce.

Custard can be cooked in a bain-marie in the oven, or on the stovetop. Cooking custard in a bain-marie helps keep the cooking air moist and heats gently so that the custard doesn't curdle or crack.

A custard can have various consistencies, from thick and firm, as in creme brulee, to nearly liquid, as in creme anglaise. Pastry cream, or creme patissiere, which is used as a filling for classic desserts like cream puffs and éclairs, is made by adding some sort of starch, such as flour, to the custard.

Custard is usually sweet, but it can also be savory. Quiche is an example of a savory custard.

More here...
http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/glossary/g/Custard.htm