Tag: pie iron

By Darren Kirby, Author of Pie Iron Recipes

So last time I introduced you to the pie iron, and gave you a simple but yummy recipe for a basic fruit pie. This time I’ll give you some ways to really enhance that recipe, share some tips and tricks, and give you my absolute favorite dessert recipe. Let’s get cooking!

So you’ve played around with different fruit fillings, trying cherry, apple, blueberry, blackberry, lemon, strawberry and others, and they’re great. But have you tried swapping out the bread??? A good cinnamon swirl bread pairs great with apple or cherry filling. Try a sweeter Italian bread to pair with lemon or strawberry. Each time you use a different bread, the whole dessert pie tastes different. The combinations are nearly endless!

I’m sure you’re wondering just how to cook your pie the best. While it sounds simple, there’s really an art to cooking your pies right without turning it into a black charcoal mess. This is something that many people don’t do, or don’t do frequently enough. And don’t worry, you won’t ruin your pie or somehow destroy the cooking process. I’m referring to checking your pie while you cook! My secret here is that I don’t latch my pie iron when I cook. I bet you’ve seen the little hook attached to one of the rods of your pie iron, and you’ve probably used it too. But I’m here to tell you, it’s something to avoid.

You’ve seen cooking shows where the chefs are tasting their food as they go? The best chefs will tell you that you need to check your product if you are going to know when it’s at the right time to serve. Your pies are no different. After a few minutes over the fire, take your pie iron cooker out of the fire and pop it open. You are visually checking your bread to see how the color is coming along. Be sure to check both sides too, because one side might be getting done faster than the other. This is the way the pie iron pros end up with the best looking (and tasting) pies cooked over the fire.

Here’s another tip for you. When you go to purchase a pie iron, I always advise people to buy the cast iron version, not the aluminum. Why? Well, there are several reasons, but one of the main reasons is the fact that when comparing the two metals, aluminum has a lower melting point than iron. I’ve seen pictures of an aluminum pie maker that got too hot, and the metal actually warped! The pie iron maker really couldn’t be used after that because it wouldn’t close properly. You won’t have that problem with cast iron. Additionally, aluminum also transfers heat much faster than cast iron, so you could easily end up with more burnt pies using aluminum.

Okay, as my last parting gift, I give you my absolute favorite dessert: a chocolate-peanut butter pie! This is astonishingly easy, yet so good you won’t be able to stop yourself from making a second (or third). Here’s what you need:

• Bread
• Chocolate bar
• Peanut butter
• Butter

And here are the 4 cooking steps:

1. Add a slice of butter to one-half, then cover with a slice of bread
2. Add a half bar of chocolate and a tablespoon of peanut butter to the bread
3. Add a slice of bread on top of the other slice, then put a slice of butter on top of that bread
4. Close up the pie iron with the other half, then cook over the fire until golden brown

Just typing this up makes my mouth water! Yes, it’s really that good of a dessert. So, with these recipes and helpful tips, you’ll be sure to have the best-tasting pies in the neighborhood.

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Enter to Win a copy of Pie Iron Recipes!

Did you enjoy this post? Are you itching to start cooking with a pie iron? Would you like to receive a copy of Darren’s book to get you started? For free? Darren Kirby has graciously offered to give one copy of his book away to a lucky reader. All you need to do to enter is sign up for Darren’s email list. Everyone who signs up between now and the end of March 2017 will be entered into a drawing to get a copy of Pie Iron Recipes in paperback.

Enter to Win Now!

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About the Author: Darren Kirby

Different. Eccentric. Odd. Loud. Irreverent. Fun. While none of these words have been used to describe the author, he nevertheless attempts to entertain people in his own unique way. A student of people, of ideas, of the world, he hopes to entertain for a living through his writing. Fortunately, his wonderful wife and slightly unusual cat both support his efforts.

Darren has been writing professionally for more than nine years, has published 15 titles of fiction and non-fiction, taught a self-publishing class at a state university, and has recently consulted on a new book about Prince’s early life. His book Pie Iron Recipes is one of the most popular books on the topic.

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Create Your Own Unique Pie!

Does pie making daunt you? Are you wary of deviating from any pie-recipe you find, for fear that you’ll ruin the flavor of the resulting pie?

It doesn’t have to be that way!

Pie-Palooza 2017 is brought to you by Your Perfect Pie, a cookbook that breaks down pies into easily made component parts so you can unleash your pie-making creativity. Available on Amazon in both print and Kindle formats. Grab your copy today and start creating your perfect pie!

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By Darren Kirby, Author of Pie Iron Recipes

First, a big Thank You to Carma for asking me to be a part of Pie-Palooza! I was really excited when she asked because I love pies, and I love talking about my favorite way to make pies.

When you think of pies, most people think of the lattice covered cherry or apple pie. Maybe you even picture it cooling on the window sill. But have you ever cooked your pie over a fire?!

Cooking your pie over a fire is easier than you think, all you need is a pie iron cooker. A pie iron cooker is basically a clam shell made of either iron or aluminum, and it is attached to 2 metal rods that end in wooden handles. This allows you to cook your pie without burning your hands, similar to a marshmallow fork.

Okay, great, you say, but when would I make these? Well, I’ve been using them for nearly 4 decades when I go camping. I used these when I was a kid, and loved making them. Now as an adult, I enjoy them because they are fun, but also because you can put nearly anything you like in them and they’ll be delicious!

But you don’t need to go camping to use pie irons. Even having a fire in your backyard is grounds for breaking out the pie irons. What a fun afternoon you’ll have with your friends, mixing and matching different fruit fillings and sharing each other’s concoctions. Going to the beach? Make a bonfire in the sand and cook your favorite pies. And they make a great conversation starter, as people will see what you’re doing and want a closer look. More than likely you’ll have someone say “Hey, I remember using one of those as a kid!”.

So, how do you use these pie irons? They are really easier than you think. You only need a few ingredients to make yummy dessert pies. This recipe comes straight out of my book Pie Iron Recipes and is a basic one that you can modify with your favorite fruit filling. Here are the ingredients needed for the recipe Basic Fruit Turnover:

• Bread
• Can of your favorite fruit filling
• Butter

Yes, just 3 ingredients! Hey, I told you this was easy. Now you need to assemble everything in the pie iron itself. First, open the pie iron and if possible, separate the 2 halves, laying them both flat on the table. Next, follow these 4 easy steps:

1. Add a slice of butter to one-half, then cover with a slice of bread
2. Add some fruit filling to the bread
3. Add a slice of bread on top of the other slice, then put a slice of butter on top of that bread
4. Close up the pie iron with the other half, then cook over the fire until golden brown

A little tip when you are cooking your pie: check it often. The nice thing about pie irons is that you can pop them open to check on your bread. Like roasting a marshmallow, you are aiming for a nice, deep golden brown finish to your bread. Make sure to get both sides cooked.

And that’s all there is to it! Yummy, tasty pies cooked over the fire. This gave you the basics, but in my next post, which will go live on March 21, I’ll give you one of my most favorite dessert recipes, along with some extra tips and tricks to make your pies amazing.

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Enter to Win a copy of Pie Iron Recipes!

Did you enjoy this post? Are you itching to start cooking with a pie iron? Would you like to receive a copy of Darren’s book to get you started? For free? Darren Kirby has graciously offered to give one copy of his book away to a lucky reader. All you need to do to enter is sign up for Darren’s email list. Everyone who signs up between now and the end of March 2017 will be entered into a drawing to get a copy of Pie Iron Recipes in paperback.

Enter to Win Now!

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About the Author: Darren Kirby

Different. Eccentric. Odd. Loud. Irreverent. Fun. While none of these words have been used to describe the author, he nevertheless attempts to entertain people in his own unique way. A student of people, of ideas, of the world, he hopes to entertain for a living through his writing. Fortunately, his wonderful wife and slightly unusual cat both support his efforts.

Darren has been writing professionally for more than nine years, has published 15 titles of fiction and non-fiction, taught a self-publishing class at a state university, and has recently consulted on a new book about Prince’s early life. His book Pie Iron Recipes is one of the most popular books on the topic.

---

---

 

Create Your Own Unique Pie!

Does pie making daunt you? Are you wary of deviating from any pie-recipe you find, for fear that you’ll ruin the flavor of the resulting pie?

It doesn’t have to be that way!

Pie-Palooza 2017 is brought to you by Your Perfect Pie, a cookbook that breaks down pies into easily made component parts so you can unleash your pie-making creativity. Available on Amazon in both print and Kindle formats. Grab your copy today and start creating your perfect pie!

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