Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Pink Pie and Giveaway

I am so excited about today's post because desserts for breakfast is teaming up with CSN stores (purveyors of coffee tables, cookware, and oh-so-much-more) for an amazing cause: breast cancer awareness.


October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and, as I've mentioned on this blog before, it's a cause that's very near to me because close family members and friends of mine have had to fight and survive breast cancer.  So please.  Be aware.  Get tested.  Spread the word.


In commemoration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, CSN stores and cookware.com have kindly agreed to give away to one awesomely lucky winner an Emile Henry "Bake for the Cause" 9-inch pink pie plate (Emile Henry donates 10% of the sale of each pie dish to breast cancer research!).  I myself am a huge (read: HUGE) fan of the Emile Henry pie plates (I own four of them!), so I'm uber-excited for one of you to receive one, too, and especially a pink, breast-cancer-research-benefiting one.  To sweeten the pot pie even further, my breast-cancer-surviving relative and I will together donate $50.00 to the American Cancer Society for breast cancer research in the winner's name!


Now, once you have the pie plate, you can make this pink pie I whipped up for the occasion, inspired by a mash-up of my favorite pie (lemon meringue) and one of my favorite pink drinks (strawberry lemonade--trust me, I'm addicted to the stuff): strawberry lemonade meringue pie.  Inside the pie is a mix of the classic, tart lemon curd filling and a sweeter strawberry-lemon curd filling, made from the super sweet late season strawberries that are still floating about the farmers' markets right now.  The combination of lemon and strawberry lends a particularly fun twist to the classic lemon meringue pie.  (And, of course, don't forget the massive amounts of cloud-like meringue on top--my favorite part of this pie!)


This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for participating, and please check back soon for the announcement of the winner!  To enter this giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment with your name, a way for me to get in touch with you (anonymous entries will be disqualified), and the answer to this question:
What is your favorite pie?
I'll also give you an extra entry in the drawing if you tweet about this post, but in your tweet, you must mention me (@shihbakes) and include a link to this giveaway (http://bit.ly/dfbCSN1) so that I can track all of your entries!  You have until 23:59 PST, Sunday, October 17th, 2010 to enter.  I'll pick the winner at random that night and make the announcement in next week's post, so be sure to check back then!  This contest is open in the U.S. and Canada only. (My apologies, international readers.) The pie plate portion of this giveaway is brought to you by the CSN stores and cookware.com.


Good luck on the giveaway, and remember to spread the word about Breast Cancer Awareness!


Read on for recipe...



Strawberry-Lemonade Meringue Pie
makes one 9" pie

for pastry:
2 cups flour
2/3 cup butter
1/4 tspn salt
6 Tbspn ice water

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. In a food processor, combine flour and salt. Cut in the butter in ~Tbspn-sized chunks.
3. Process the flour, salt, and butter for a few pulses.
4. Slowly add in water, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing between each addition.
5. Process just until water is integrated and the mixture is the texture of tiny pebbles. When you press the mixture between your fingers, it should form a dough.
6. Dump the dough onto a piece of parchment paper or a lightly floured board and form into a ball. If the dough has warmed up too much during this process, freeze for ten to fifteen minutes before continuing.
7. Roll out the pastry dough and place into pie plate. Prick the bottom of the pie several times with a fork. Return to the freezer for ten to fifteen minutes if the dough has warmed up too much in the rolling process.
8. Before baking, line the inside of the pie crust with a piece of parchment paper and weigh down with pie weights (or dry beans, which is what I use).
9. Bake in the oven for ~15-17 minutes, until the outside rim of the crust begins to turn a golden brown. Carefully remove the pie weights and parchment paper, lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F, and continue to bake for 5-7 minutes more, until the pie crust has turned golden brown and is no longer shiny. Remove from the oven and let cool.

for strawberry-lemonade curd filling:
1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled
1 cup sugar
6 Tbspn cornstarch
1/4 tspn salt
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 egg yolks
2 Tbspn butter, softened
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 Tbspn freshly grated lemon zest

1. In a food processor or blender, puree the strawberries until smooth.
2. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually blend in the strawberry puree and lemon juice.
3. Add the egg yolks and butter, blending until smooth.
4. Gradually add in the boiling water, stirring constantly.
5. Place the saucepan on medium high heat and bring to a full boil, stirring gently with a spatula and scraping the bottom (to prevent burning). Once the mixture begins to thicken, reduce the heat and simmer for one minute.
6. Remove the curd from heat and mix in the lemon zest. Let cool.

for lemon curd filling:
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbspn cornstarch
pinch of salt
1/3 cup + 1 Tbspn freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 egg yolk
1/2 Tbspn butter, softened
1/2 cup boiling water
1 Tbspn freshly grated lemon zest

1. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually blend in the lemon juice.
2. Add the egg yolk and butter, blending until smooth.
3. Gradually add the boiling water, stirring constantly.
4. Place the saucepan on medium high heat and bring to a full boil, stirring gently with a spatula and scraping the bottom (to prevent burning). Once the mixture begins to thicken, reduce the heat and simmer for one minute.
5. Remove the curd from heat and mix in the lemon zest. Let cool.

for meringue and assembly:
7-8 egg whites
1/2 tspn cream of tartar
8 Tbspn granulated sugar
1 1/2 tspn vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
1. Place egg whites in a large bowl and sprinkle in the cream of tartar. Stir using a whisk until the surface of the egg whites is completely covered with foam.
2. Increase speed and whip the egg whites, gradually adding the sugar, until the whites hold glossy stiff (but still a bit rounded) peaks. Do not overbeat!
3. Add in the vanilla extract with a quick stir.
4. Fill the pre-baked pie crust with strawberry-lemonade curd and then swirl in the lemon curd.
5. Top with meringue, making sure to seal the meringue to the pie crust at the outer edges.
4. Bake for fifteen minutes, until the meringue is just barely golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool for at least one hour at room temperature before serving.




Enjoy!

74 comments:

  1. My favorite pie is cranberry-pear with a touch of cardamom. Its also our go-to Thanksgiving dessert =)

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  2. tweeted - @booksncooks22

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  3. A truly thoughtful giveaway, Stephanie! And the perfect pie to go with. So to be honest, I didn't start eating pie until a year ago. It was a too-long continued dislike of the stuff from childhood. Now that I've corrected my ways, the sweet potato buttermilk pie I made for Thanksgiving last year was darn good; though I'm sure once I start trying more I'll have many more favorites.

    *Heather*

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  4. Tweeted. FOUR Emile Henry pie plates? Beats baking in a springform! Lucky girl.

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  5. My favorite pie is chocolate banana cream pie, especially in the summer.

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  6. Hi. Pie looks great. I saw a pink lemonade cupcake one similar to this that was cute! My favorite pie is dark chocolate tart. Maybe with some orange in it! Yum! Hope you pick me! Hint, hint! And even if I don't win, what a great promotion for an important cause!
    Stacey

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  7. What a fabulous giveaway for this month!! Love the photo of the pink ribbon twist with strawberries!!

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  8. What a nice idea. I love coconut cream pie.

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  9. Pink pie looks really good! My favorite is pecan pie.

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  10. My favorite is the wild apple-elderberry pie I made twice last week, or maybe the blackberry and plum pie I made in Poland. I might even qualify for this drawing if you use my mom's mailing address. (Or wait for me to arrive in December.) ;)

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  11. Really adorable pictures and a very cool giveaway.

    I would eat pumpkin pie every day if my body allowed it.

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  12. That looks awesome!

    My favorite pie is blackberry, but not just any - blackberry pie made by my mom with her grandmother's crust recipe and blackberries from our backyard. Mmmmmm.

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  13. Gorgeous pie! My favorite pie is sour cherry.

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  14. Hands down just because it is incredible, I adore that strawberry ribbon pic. LOVE it!

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  15. So beautiful- both the pie and the plate!

    My favorite is grasshopper pie.

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  16. Stunning photographs and the pie ain't so bad either ;)I'm a big lemon meringue fan.

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  17. Great giveaway! My grandmother fought breast cancer, so I support it anytime I can! Hmm...I would have to say Coconut Cream Pie. :) BTW, I will be 17 on the 17th! (not that that has ANYTHING to do with this ;D)

    Laura

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  18. Hmmmmm....I'd have to say good ol' apple pie. Peach is great too. annc999(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  19. That pie looks amazing! As does the bakeware! Yum!

    Favorite pie, hrmm. Probably key lime. I know it's expected but I just can't get over it!

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  20. Although I don't live in the US or Canada I tweeted about your giveaway. My birhday is on 16 October and this pink pie plate would be the perfect present for me! :)

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  21. This pie looks amazing. My favorite pie is coconut creme, probably because no one else in my family likes coconut, and I rarely get to eat it! twitter @fayethorn

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  22. ooh, i LOVE pie so that's a hard one to narrow down! i think my favorite is the classic apple pie.

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  23. hi,
    oh yeah, blueberry all the way!!

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  24. My favorite pie is Coconut Cream Pie with Coconut Whipped Cream and Toasted Coconut on top. I made my 1st one last Thanksgiving and almost ate the whole thing. Still working it off but soooo worth it.

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  25. Ohh this looks so yummy and a great cause too.

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  26. Once a friend brought over homemade apple pie topped with a heart-shaped crust. It definitely was my favorite pie ever.

    heychicka (at) gmail.com

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  27. I think my favorite pie is Apple Pie...but maybe that is because it is apple season. Love it!

    ashley (dot) hasty (at) gmail (dot) com
    http://ashleyanderic.blogspot.com

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  28. My favorite is banana cream pie!! Yum!!!!

    http://ambikaskitchen.com

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  29. Is it weird that I have a favorite summer pie and a favorite winter pie?

    Summer:Coconut
    Winter: Pumpkin, with copious amounts of whipped cream on top

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  30. I have a new favorite pie after this past thanksgiving weekend, replacing key lime as my favorite kind of pie, is the ravishing "pear pie" with cardamom.

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  31. Oh, what a sweet (no pun intended) idea! Thanks for hosting such a great giveaway---and thanks to CSN for providing the plate!

    My favorite pie is lemon meringue, although you may convert me with this STRAWBERRY lemon meringue pie! I would have never thought of it, but now that you've suggested it, it's stuck in my head!

    It's certainly not an autumnal flavor; but it's still hot down here in the south! And the color is beautiful... and still appropriate for Pink-tober. ;)

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  33. That's a great pie dish and a great cause! My all time favorite pie has to be homemade strawberry rhubarb. I just love the sweet, tangy, crunchy and creamy

    Lizz0784(a)aim(dot)com

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  34. Chocolate all the way!
    No need to bother with warm, mushy fruit in a pie, just use chocolate!

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  35. Peanut Butter Pie!!! With some chocolate of course!
    janabaatenburg@gmail.com

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  36. Love the photos, so beautiful! And a strawberry lemonade meringue pie sounds too good to be true :) Will be trying this recipe out soon!!!

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  37. That is a tricky question! I thought long and hard about it and I think I decided my favourite pie is lemon meringue. I love lemon!

    hotpolkadot@live.com

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  38. In my book, nothing can beat my grandma's apple pie. The crust is perfect and not too sweet. It always puts a smile on my face.

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  39. Nice giveaway =) My favorite pie is blueberry pie *_*
    I tweeted @cey

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  40. My mom's a survivor... so thanks for the great cause. :-)
    I'm not sure I'm a pie kind of girl... yet. Though I *loved* the wonderful fresh strawberry pie my friend's mom made this summer. I do like making pumpkin pies for turkey day, too.
    This pie sounds delightful... I'll have to give the recipe a go.
    Thank you so much for sharing such gorgeous photos and lovely recipes. I hope to see your work in a cookbook!

    ~Emily

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  41. Thanks for the giveaway! My favorite is apple crumble pie.


    Chris M.

    zekks at yahoo dot com

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  42. I love your giveaway...even if you left out the pie plate. My favorite pie is key lime with a pretzel-graham cracker crust.

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  43. pumpkin cheesecake pie is what i've been craving lately!

    angelattam@gmail.com

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  45. Dang, your pie actually sounds incredible. My favorite pies... Jeez, I can't even list them all I love all kinds of pies. Pecan and pumpkin for sure (and it is that time of the year) and my grandma makes one with chocolate pudding and Swiss Rolls that is to die for as well. You can never go wrong with peach or apple pie either. I'm getting so hungry just thinking about it!

    h.cromer[at]hotmail.com

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  46. My favorite pie is lemon meringue or peach! Strawberry pie is also delicious!

    oh.sakim@gmail.com

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  47. MMm this looks absolutely phenomenal!

    My favorite pie is strawberry rhubarb, without a doubt. Cant get enough of that sweet/tangy combination :)

    johnsal3@onid.orst.edu

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  48. I swear the best pie ever is strawberry rhubarb pie - and it's one of the easiest to make too!

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  49. I am totally hooked on strawberry rhubarb - but anything homemade tends to be lovely.

    not.a.ship(at)gmail(dot)com

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  50. What a great pie for a great cause. Love what you've done with styling the cloth as a ribbon.

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  51. Oh my what LOVELY photos and perfect pie for a wonderful cause!!!
    My favorite pie would have to be pumpkin.

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  52. I love all kinds of pie! Some of my favorites are german chocolate, pumpkin, and apple. :)
    stardust4849@yahoo.com

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  53. Pumpkin...cheesecake? Technically it's a pie!

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  54. Lemon-meringue, because it's my Mommy's favorite. I love making her smile, and making this pie is just one of the ways I show her how much she means to me :)

    hey_julie_luv@yahoo.com

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  55. My FAVORITE kind of pie is apple pie with the yummy crumbly topping!! its soooo good!! Made from scratch every single time!
    But looking at this strawberry lemonade pie... it might become my NEW favorite! I am so makin this tonight!!!!

    miss.erin.kaley@gmail.com

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  56. So pretty! My favorite pie is apple. :)

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  57. Yummy :))

    ceema_girl@yahoo.com

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  58. I LOVE your photos. just divine and mouth watering~!

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  59. ------------Giveaway now closed----------------

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  60. Love the photos, so beautiful! And a strawberry lemonade meringue pie sounds too good to be true :) Will be trying this recipe out soon!!!

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  61. That's a great pie dish and a great cause! My all time favorite pie has to be homemade strawberry rhubarb. I just love the sweet, tangy, crunchy and creamy

    Lizz0784(a)aim(dot)com

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  62. I have a new favorite pie after this past thanksgiving weekend, replacing key lime as my favorite kind of pie, is the ravishing "pear pie" with cardamom.

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  63. ooh, i LOVE pie so that's a hard one to narrow down! i think my favorite is the classic apple pie.

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  64. That looks awesome!

    My favorite pie is blackberry, but not just any - blackberry pie made by my mom with her grandmother's crust recipe and blackberries from our backyard. Mmmmmm.

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  65. My favorite is the wild apple-elderberry pie I made twice last week, or maybe the blackberry and plum pie I made in Poland. I might even qualify for this drawing if you use my mom's mailing address. (Or wait for me to arrive in December.) ;)

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  66. Hi. Pie looks great. I saw a pink lemonade cupcake one similar to this that was cute! My favorite pie is dark chocolate tart. Maybe with some orange in it! Yum! Hope you pick me! Hint, hint! And even if I don't win, what a great promotion for an important cause!
    Stacey

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I love hearing from you and reading your comments! Thanks so much for stopping by the blog. Happy feasting!