Pie Parties, Whole30, Oxymorons and Broken Resolutions {Peanut Butter & Jelly Pie!}

When I break a resolution, I almost always do it intentionally.  I’d never calling it “slipping up,” but rather a well thought out weighing of the pros and cons that leads me to believe there’s a valuable reason not to stick to said resolution.  Case in point: “Sober January.” About a week in, I decided, “why not just do a full Whole30?”  Except I had a pie party, a trip to Louisville and an anniversary to celebrate on the calendar before I could start.  I passed up the beer competition portion of the pie party and didn’t have a single julep in Kentucky, but when our anniversary came around and we had reservations at an Italian place, I knew I was going to want to share a bottle of wine with my husband.  It wasn’t a situation where someone tried to convince me to “just have one glass of wine” or “you should really try this beer!” – actually, I find that peer pressure strengthens my resolve.  It was a “this is what I really want, and I don’t want to look back and think how silly it was that I didn’t have the wine I wanted when celebrating our 10 year (dating) anniversary… plus, I’m starting a full Whole30 tomorrow anyways!”

So there you have it.  On Thursday we split a bottle of wine and a tasting menu as big as last week’s Powerball and Friday was day one of the Whole30.  You can read about all the ‘whats and why’s here, they’re largely the same as the last time around.  I’ve slipped into some of my old bad habits: mindless eating, sweets when I don’t even want them and worst of all FAKE SUGAR (in protein bars/powders and artificial maple syrup – I”ll never again touch a packet of Splenda – but still!) The rules I’m following are largely the same, although I’ve noticed the Whole30 has gotten less stringent: white potatoes are allowed, but I’ll probably continue to avoid them because I think my diet is better off without them, but also because they simply don’t excite me.  As far as my own guidelines go, I do plan to track nutrition this time.  Probably a ‘no no’ from the Whole30 standpoint and one of the things I said I appreciated getting away from on the last go round, but someone who is studying nutrition education I’m really interested in the macronutrient break down of the Whole30.  I actually wanted to do a cholesterol and glucose test before and after, but who has time for that? Anyways, I’m not planning to journal my Whole30 like I did last time – been there, done that. But I will be sharing the new recipes I discover, as well as my insights along the way.

Anyways, onto the pie party (and no, the irony that I’m tagging the same post “Whole30” and “Pie Party” isn’t lost on me.  I’ve always been told I’m a bit of an oxymoron).  My friend Abbey’s annual pie party (which I coincidentally participated in right before my last Whole30!) get bigger and better each year!  Each year there are more pies (43 of them this time!), the judging gets more rigorous, the prizes get better and the competition gets more stiff.

I decided to do a sweet and a savory pie this year because, well, I’ve never been able to handle doing only what’s manageable.  My savory pie, a take on my popular squash, caramelized onion and fontina galette – did fairly well.  It ranked quite highly among the savories and was the first pie gone!  My sweet pie – not pretty enough for ‘most beautiful’ but not quite ugly enough to win ‘ugly but delicious’ – ran middle of the pack with the abundance of other sweet pies.  There were some seriously impressive ones, my favorite of which was the Earl Grey pie that won ‘most creative.’

Wow.  So. Much. Pie.  And if you’re wondering if this is torture for someone who just started the Whole30… no!  After having eaten out all week, I’m still in the honeymoon phase of loving eating clean.

What I loved most about this peanut butter and jelly pie was the crust.  The addition of the crushed hazelnuts gives it an amazing texture and the roasted hazelnut flavor comes through.  I did find it extremely hard to work with for the lattice, giving me mad respect for the artmanship (trademark: Johanna?) of the steak and Guinness pie above.  If you love peanut butter and jelly, you’ll love this pie, although you might need a glass of milk… it’s rich!

Although I once again didn’t win, I’m already thinking about ideas for next year’s pie competition! Overall, I walked away with three ‘takeaways’ for success: 1) it’s easier to compete in savory  2) make your pie big enough to go around, or have a second to put out when the first is gone – people won’t vote for it if it’s gone by the time they get to the table!  3) perhaps sadly reflective of our society, you probably won’t win first place without either being beautiful or lobbying.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Pie

From I Bake He Shoots

 Ingredients:

• ½ cup hazelnuts, 2.5 ounces
• 1 cup almond meal, 5 ounces
• 1⅓ cup flour
• ¾ t baking powder
• ¾ t ground cinnamon
• ¼ t salt
• ¾ cup butter, room temperature, 6 ounces
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 10oz raspberry preserves
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray 9″ tart pan with baking spray and set aside.  I recommend using the type with a removable bottom.
2. Place the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until fragrant, about 15 minutes. Quickly rub the hazelnuts with a clean dish towel until the skins come off. Let cool.
3. While the hazelnuts are cooling, place flour, almond meal, flour baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl and combine.
4. Place hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.

   

5. Add ground hazelnuts to the flour mixture.
6. In a mixer, place butter and sugar and beat until creamy, about 3 minutes.  Add the egg yolk and combine until thoroughly mixed, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low, add the flour-hazelnut mixture; beat until just combined.
7. If you have a kitchen scale weigh your dough. It should be about 26.5 ounces. Divide it in half.  Place half the dough in the tart pan and press all the way up the sides. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
8. Take the remaining dough and roll it into a 13 inch round between 2 pieces of parchment paper. The dough should be ¼ inch thick. Chill in the freezer until firm, about 20 minutes.
9. Take the chilled tart crust out of the fridge and spread peanut butter evenly on the bottom. Top with raspberry preserves. Return tart pan to fridge.
10. After the rolled dough has chilled, cut into a round slightly larger than 9 inches. I used the top side of a 9 inch cake pan.  Cut dough into ¾ inch strips with a pastry wheel or a pizza cutter.  A knife will work too.
11. Remove the filled tart pan from the fridge and lay strips in a lattice pattern. Do not try to weave them, they’ll break. Place one layer of strips and top with a second layer.  Press the edges of the strips into the edge of the tart.  Chill in the freezer for 20 minutes.
12. Bake tart at 350 F for about 40 minutes or until the crust is golden.
13. Cool in pan for 20 minutes then remove and let cool on a rack.

Johanna