Sweet Melissa Sundays: Pear and Blackbery Pie with Gingersnap Crumble

I almost didn't make this pie.  Even though I had bought a 6 pound bag of pears at Costco last weekend with the intention some would be used for this pie.  Then I remembered that I had a mini pie crust in the freezer from when the group made ginger pumpkin pie last year.  I also had some gingersnap cookie dough balls in the freezer too.  I had everything I needed and no real excuse.  Then I read Dawn's rave review and I knew it had to be done.  Thank you Dawn of Growing Up (And Having Fun) After 40 for hosting this delicious recipe!

I'm glad I got over my laziness and made this tasty pie.  The recipe calls for cranberries but I used blackberries because I had them on hand.  The pears have a very mild flavor and the berries added a nice tartness to this very sweet pie.  The gingersnap crumble adds a nice crunch and the spices pair well with the pears and berries.  This recipe is definitely a keeper. 

There are several steps to make this pie come together.  It would be best to make it over 2 days.  On day 1 make the pie crust, place it in your pie pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Make and cool the gingersnaps, process in the food processor to grind and place in an airtight container.  On day 2 assemble the pie filling and the ginger snap crumble topping then bake.

To get the recipe head over to Dawn's site.   To see other SMS baker's pies click here.

Very Berry Frozen Yogurt

My kitchen cabinets are at maximum capacity.  Even the cabinets above the stove and fridge are stuffed to the brim with kitchen stuff.  For a long time Hubby has been saying he thinks we should get a bread maker.  My response is, "Sure, as long as we can store it in your office, because the kitchen is full!"  I try to avoid buying any new kitchen appliances as tempting as they may be.  I've had my eye on a nice panini press for a while now.  And heck, I wouldn't mind a bread maker.  But there simply is no room. 

I succumbed to temptation this weekend.  Hubby and I went to Costco on Friday evening to stock up for the long weekend.  Though our kitchen cabinets are overflowed, our fridge and freezer were pretty bare.  We bought shrimp, chicken, baby back ribs, organic ground beef, an assortment of veggies, a bag of pears and fresh blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.  And magically an ice cream maker ended up in our cart.  A 1 1/2 quart Cuisinart ice cream maker (for only $30).  It was our fun item.  Everyone needs a fun item for a holiday weekend.  And just like that I forgot all about the fact this new device would have no home in our kitchen.  I kept thinking about all the fabulous ice cream recipes I've seen on various food blogs.  How these food bloggers just quick whip a batch of home made ice cream and serve it alongside some other tasty baked goodie.  Is it really that easy?

The answer is yes.  It's easy to forget that you have no room in the kitchen and it's even easier to make your own home made frozen treats.  After flipping through the Cuisinart recipe book that came with our new purchase, we decided on Very Berry Frozen Yogurt.  Truth be told, it wasn't my first choice....but Hubby is all pro healthy and thought we should avoid the calorie laden ice cream.  I decided to go along with it...all the while plotting out what decadent ice cream I would make on the second go round with our new toy.  Fittingly, I will be making the "Decadent Chocolate Ice Cream".

The very berry frozen yogurt turned out good.  It's not "soft serve" style frozen  yogurt.  When it came out of the ice cream maker it was the consistency of a thick smoothie.  The recipe recommends freezing the finished product for 2 hours to get a firmer consistency.  When frozen overnight, the yogurt was very firm and had a texture a lot like sorbet.  It would be great to make these into popsicles.  The berry flavor was awesome and the end product wasn't too tart.  It was a nice treat after our dinner of barbecued baby back ribs, cole slaw and cornbread.  Very refreshing, light and delicious.

More frozen treats to appear here soon.  Permanent home for the ice cream maker....TBD.

Very Berry Frozen Yogurt
adapted from cuisinart.com

2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
4 ounces blueberries
4 ounces raspberries
4 ounces blackberries

Combine the yogurt, milk and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix with a hand mixer 1-2 minutes and sugar is completely dissolved and set aside.  Puree berries in a blender or food processor and strain through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.  Pour strained berry puree into the yogurt mixture and mix on low speed until fully combined.  Pour into ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturers instructions.  The frozen yogurt is very soft (the consistency of a smoothie) when it comes out of the ice cream maker.  Transfer to a plastic container and freeze for 2 hours for a thicker consistency. 

Yields 1 1/2 quarts