Pear Gruyere Pie

Remember the TV show called Pushing Daisies? One of TV's biggest regrets is losing that show. The vivid color and vibrant fantasies that passed by on the screen was a highlight in entertainment.

In remembrance, or just because I've always wanted to make one of the delicious pies they're constantly baking and eating (they do work at The Pie Hole after all), the Pear Gruyere Pie was born - completely and utterly inspired by Chuck, who bakes the Gruyere into the crust. Enjoy!

Pear Gruyere Pie

Yield: 1 pie
Ingredients

• Gruyere Crust
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup ice water
• 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• Pear Filling
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 5 cups pear, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Dice the butter into 1/4 inch pieces. Place butter and the flour in a large zip lock bag, seal and roll over with a rolling pin until the butter is combined. Place the bag in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
2. Pour the ingredients from the bag into a chilled mixing bowl and work together with a fork until the mixture becomes pebbly. Gradually drizzle the ice water over the mixture, blending with the fork. Add more water if necessary add a tablespoon at a time, until you achieve the right consistency.
3. Form two discs out of the dough, working each in your palm. Wrap them each tightly with saran wrap and refrigerate.
4. Combine sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in mixing bowl.
5. Arrange pears in layers in a 9 inch pan on top of one of the crusts, sprinkling sugar mixture over each layer. Dot with butter. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Roll out remaining dough; cut slits for escape of steam. Moisten rim of bottom crust. Place top crust over filling. Fold edge under bottom crust, crimping to seal.
6. Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Sprinkle Gruyere over the top. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes.

Muesli with Yogurt

I think there's something wrong with my camera. See that purple line at the top? Not too pretty. And the display screen doesn't seem to work as well as it once did. And the pictures don't seem to come out as clear (not that they were ever that awesome to start. Any tips for fixing it would be sincerely appreciated!

Anyway, on to the goods! Muesli - sweet, sweet muesli. I'm not a fan of plain milk, so I make my own yogurt a lot. But I love muesli. There's something about leaving it overnight to soak up everything that I love. Plus, it's perfect for a hot summer day.

It's also pretty much perfect because I don't have to spend time over a hot stove cooking oatmeal to get my oats fix. And it's also pretty much perfect because you can toss in whatever your little heart desires, as I've done here. Read on for the specifics. Enjoy!

Multi-Baked Potatoes and Veggies with Sauteed Garlic Mushroom Blend and Baked Pear

Yes, this title is overly long. Sorry about that. But how do you convey all of the highlights of dinner in one title when everything was a knock out of the park?

So today it's two kinds of potatoes (purple potato and sweet potato) with carrots that were baked to soft, steaming perfection. Then mushrooms, red onions, green onions, and chives were sauteed with garlic over the flaming stove. And finally, as the dessert of the night, an elegant pear baked in its own juices - succulent and sweet. All paired with our favorite chenin blanc. Read on for more. Enjoy!