Pie’s Favorite Beverage
by Chef Deb Traylor
When Ginger and I first began dreaming of a pie shop, we didn’t spend much time thinking about the beverages we wanted to serve – our hearts and conversations were focused solely on pie!
However, once we’d settled on our Linden Street space and construction and renovation began, we knew it was time to start figuring out what people would want to drink with their pie (and everything else on our menus in the restaurants, market and coffee bar!)
The answer to the “what to drink with pie” question came easily – the fact is, we believe pie’s favorite beverage is a good cup of hot coffee, or in my case, a (very) tall glass of iced cold brew. Whether you’re having pie for breakfast, as a midday pick-me-up or for dinner… er, I mean dessert, it just gets better when paired with its best friend “joe.”
So, with that in mind, I had the wonderful task of meeting with many of Fort Collins’ coffee roasters and sampling some fantastic coffee. We spent time learning from an incredible group of people who are just as passionate about their craft as we are about food. In the end, it took two months of meetings, tastings and follow-ups to choose the right cup of coffee for Ginger and Baker.
The criteria:
- We wanted the roaster to be local.
- We needed someone with the roasting capabilities to provide beans for our coffee bar, retail market, ground floor Cafe and our next level restaurant, The Cache.
- We wanted a roaster who would be interested in offering coffee tastings and teaching the subtleties of brewing a great cup of coffee, both for our staff and for the community classes in our Teaching Kitchen.
- We wanted a craft roaster who shared our commitment to the community and dedication to good, honest food and sustainability.
- Most important, we needed a partner who could create a signature blend of coffee that would make a great meal even better and taste dang good with pie.
I loved every minute spent with each one of the roasters and for two months I got to be a coffee geek. This fall, we’ll be opening our doors and sharing our special blend of coffee from our friends at Bindle Coffee. I can’t wait for you to stop by and grab a cup and let us know what you think! In the meantime, here’s a taste of some of the delicious pastries we’ll be offering alongside that perfect cup; Blackberry Lime Pie and Quick Orange Rolls.
Coffee photos courtesy of Bindle Coffee.
Recipe Notes:
With it’s flaky crust, juicy blackberries and a zing of fresh lime, this pie recipe is one of our summertime favorites. It’s super simple and offers a great way to practice lattice crust, or you can use small cookie cutters to make a fun pattern with the dough like we did with the pie pictured.
The beauty of our melt-in-your-mouth orange frosted rolls is that the dough is actually a quick bread recipe. Baking powder and baking soda create the leavening rather than yeast, so it doesn’t need rising time. It’s a fast, super easy recipe that you can pull together in 10-15 minutes. Plus, drizzly orange glaze. Enough said. Enjoy!
Blackberry Lime Pie
- 1 recipe Ginger and Baker pie dough, chilled (see below), or one box refrigerated pie dough
- 5 cups blackberries, rinsed and dried
- 1/2 cup sugar (+ 1/4 cup additional, if needed)
- 2 tsp. lime juice
- 1 tsp. lime zest
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 Tbsp. quick cooking instant tapioca flour
- 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place a baking sheet in the oven to heat through. In a medium bowl toss blackberries with sugar, lime juice, lime zest, tapioca flour and cornstarch until berries are completely coated. Let the mixture rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Roll out the bottom crust on a lightly floured surface to 12 inches diameter and the top crust to 13 inches diameter. Line the bottom of the pie tin with the 12-inch crust, and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove the pie crust from the freezer, spoon in the berry filling and place 13-inch top crust over berries, sealing and crimping the edges. Cut vents and brush top of crust with egg wash. (Or cut shapes with a small cookie cutter and place in a connecting pattern on top of filling.) Place pie on the hot sheet pan and bake for 60-75 minutes, until pie is golden and the berries have begun to thicken.
Notes:
- This pie gets really juicy. Don’t be tempted to overfill the pie with blackberries or it will end up running over the sides of the pie.
- If the crust begins to brown too soon, cover edges with foil.
- This pie is excellent with a lattice or open design as it allows for evaporation of the liquid and helps the pie thicken more easily.
Quick Orange Rolls
(dough adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)
Filling:
- 2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup orange marmalade
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp. orange zest
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
Dough:
- 2 1/2 cups flour, plus extra for shaping
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 4 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter (2 Tbsp. for dough, 2 Tbsp. for brushing on top of rolls)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Glaze:
- 3 Tbsp. cream cheese, softened
- 3-4 Tbsp fresh-squeezed orange juice (more if you want a thinner glaze)
- 2 tsp. orange zest
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix filling ingredients and set aside. Generously coat a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray. For dough: In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl whisk together the buttermilk, 2 Tbsp. melted butter and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour. The mixture will take a few moments to absorb the liquid and the dough will come together roughly (it’s called “shaggy dough”).
Lightly flour the counter or a large cutting board and lightly knead the dough for about a minute or so, or until smooth. Using your hands, lightly press the dough into a roughly 12 x 6-inch rectangle. (This dough is too soft to use a rolling pin.) Using a knife or an offset spatula spread the filling thinly over the entire surface of the dough leaving a 1/2-inch border on one of the 12-inch long sides. The filling does not have to cover completely. Beginning on the opposite side of the 1/2-inch border, use a metal spatula or a bench scraper to help roll the dough, pressing slightly to form a tight log. Once the log is rolled, pinch the seam to seal – you might need to run a small finger of water or buttermilk along the edge of the dough to help seal the seam.
Roll the log so that the seam side is down, then, using your spatula or bench scraper, cut dough evenly into 12 pieces. Place the rolls into prepared muffin tins, brush with 2 Tbsp. melted butter and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove rolls from oven, let cool slightly and then remove from pan and place on a wire cooling rack with a piece of parchment or a baking sheet underneath to catch the drips. Let rolls rest for 5-10 minutes while beating together glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze over the top of rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature. These are best eaten the day they are made. Yield: 12 rolls.
Basic Pie Dough
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tsp. fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, chilled
- 1/4 cup Tbsp. non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, chilled (or 6 Tbsp. additional butter if not using shortening)
- 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. ice cold water
- 1 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar
- Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add chilled butter and shortening and toss to completely coat with flour. Using your hands or a fork, quickly smash the pieces of butter/shortening between your thumb and fingers to flatten each piece to the size of a dime. Gently stir the flour and butter to make sure you flattened most of the pieces.Combine ice cold water and lemon juice (or vinegar), and drizzle half of the lemon water over cold flour mixture and stir until the dough just starts to come together or turns “shaggy”. We prefer to use our hands but a fork works nicely too. Begin adding a few more tablespoons of water at a time, stirring between each addition. Once most of the water has been used (but you have a tablespoon or two remaining) use your hands to gather the shaggy strands into a ball and knead the dough two or three times. If you have dry bits remaining in the bowl, add a little additional water. (Your dough may appear wet or dry depending the climate in your area, so you will need to go slowly and adjust accordingly.)Gather the dough in a ball, dust your counter with a tiny amount of flour, and quickly pat dough into a small flat disk. Cut dough in half and then stack one piece on top of the other, flour side down. Use the heel of your hand and press the dough down and divide in half once more. Cover both pieces with plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least 4 hours or overnight. This dough can be made a day or two in advance. Makes enough for two 8 or 9-inch pie crusts.
