Friday

Little Pies baked in Canning Jars ~ Redux for Valentine's Day 2011



Hi Friends, My Valentine's Day post is a little early this year, and it is a redux (originally posted 1 year ago.)  I'm going to be away from the blog for a couple of days as we're revamping the office/study and are upgrading computers.









I first saw the idea on Lloyd & Lauren's blog, and if you do an internet search you can find several variations. I thought they would make perfect little Valentine's Day desserts.












I made a few changes; rather than line the entire jar with pastry I made a cookie and  nut bottom crust because I wanted a ratio of more fruit than dough ~ as the jars only hold 1/2 pint.











For the bottom crust I used crushed vanilla wafers mixed with ground toasted almonds and a little melted butter. I add a generous sprinkling of cinnamon to the mix (optional.) The food processor makes quick work of this step. (Crushed graham crackers or almost any type of crushed cookies, and any type of toasted ground nuts could be substituted.)




I placed about 3 tablespoons of the mixture in the bottom of each jar then tamped it down firmly with the bottom of a small drinking glass and baked off for 5 minutes in a 375*(F) oven.



















Use any favorite pie filling ~ I took a shortcut this time and used a ready-made pie filling.









Fill the fruit to 1/2 to 3/4-inch from the top of the jar and top with your favorite pastry dough. I cut the vent shape before placing the pastry on the jar, then "crimped" with the tines of a fork. Brush with an egg wash or heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar or sugar crystals if desired.


Note: If you want to use the lid and band with the jar (for storage or portability reasons) you'll want to allow head room so place the pastry below the top of the jar. The filling and crust will expand a bit while baking, but will shrink back down as the jars cool.)







I experimented with small vent holes and large ~ and fork crimped, as well as folded and crimped crust.I prefer the smaller size vent hole... but it's just a matter of personal preference.


The folded and finger-crimped crust stayed in place more securely than the fork crimped, and it didn't brown too quickly as the thinner fork crimped style did.




Place the jars on a silpat/silicone mat or parchment lined, shallow baking tray and bake until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbling.







Serve warm or at room temperature... plain, with a dollop of slightly sweetened whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.


~CANNING JARS~
I've received several emails inquiring about the canning jars I used in for these mini-pies. If you have trouble finding them in your area (usually you can find them in a hardware store), but if not they can be ordered from Amazon.com,
click the image to learn more:








♥♥♥  I hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day everyone!♥♥♥
If everything goes smoothly with the upgrades I'll be back in a couple of days. Stay well!










18 comments:

  1. How precious. Good luck with the revamping and computer upgrade.

    Happy Valentine's day.
    Sam

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  2. THANKS for reposting this...I have had these on my list to do since you first posted -- and I've since seen them many other places but your sweet cherries are still the best looking ones.

    Blessings!
    Gail

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  3. Yours turned out great:) Mine overflowed with joy..to my miscontent..Not photogenic..at all:(

    Yours are perfectamundo.

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  4. Oh my - they're so darn cute! I have to give them a try. Have fun reorganizing ;). Happy Valentine's Day!!

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  5. Lovely idea... they look adorable and would actually travel well with their own lids... these would be great for a picnic.. if summer ever comes!!!

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  6. How darling those are, and tasty looking. I want to get some of that pie filling, and make this cake that my mom use to make, only she used the good old "comstock" pie filling that all housewives used in the 60's and 70's. The cake is called "cherry crown cake" it has a almond butter cream frosting, and coconut is involved somehow. Then you top it with the cherry pie filling. I just never had the heart to make it with cheap filling, so now that there is upscale pie filling like the one you pictured, I think I will revamp the recipe with it.
    Sorry for the ramble.

    Happy Valentine's day ♥

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  7. The word adorable is the first thing that comes tro mind Mari. This is such a fun idea and would have your guests talking.

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  8. I loved these back when you first posted them and I still love them!

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  9. These are beautiful and lovely pies in a jar! :) I'm not a big fan of pies but these definitely worth to try. Good luck on your upgrade and hope to see your next awsome post soon! ;)

    Have a happy Valentine;s weekend!

    Amy
    http://utry.it

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  10. Peu importe qu'on ait ou qu'on n'ait pas d'amoureux ou d'amoureuse... moi je suis tombée en amour devant vos charmants ports...
    Bisous et bonne Saint Valentin à vous...

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  11. Definitely worth repeating. I'm going to look for some cute little jars.

    Hope the office revamping goes smoothly.

    Ann

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  12. Mari,
    these are the cutest little pies ever. Thanks for posting them. How cute are they? I am going to try them. Yumm. Linda

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  13. Thank you for sharing! I have an elderly dear neighbor lady that is alone, and loves rhubarb pie. A whole pie is too much for her and hardly anyone else likes it at my house, so this is an excellent idea!I am going to have to file this away for when rhubarb is here again! Thank you for sharing!

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  14. Those are SO cute, it's just unreal :) And looks delicious too.

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  15. Oh my goodness - these are just so adorable! I love the mini hearts. Just so creative and beautiful and inspiring!!!!

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  16. Hi!
    I'm a Norwegian foodbloger, an d I just discovered you're wonderful blog!
    As we say in norwegian: Utrolig delikat blogg med vakre bilder!
    I'm on a quest for good te kake recepies, and loved you're pictures!
    Greetings from snowy Oslo :o)
    By the way, most welcom to my virtual dinnertable! www.smattetherese.blogspot.com
    Therese

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thank you so much for your very kind comments! It is so GOOD to hear from friends, new and old from near and far! It makes my heart so happy! Thank you again. :) :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comments, friends ~ they make my day!

A Sampling of my food . . .

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