Plum Creamcheese Pie and the lesson learned...

This is another Bake from Scratch recipe. I know, I know. I sound like a broken record, but when I go grocery shopping I will get the newest one of these as a treat. And I consider it money well-spent instead of wasted, since I am going to cook loads of things out of it. (Amazing how the mind can justify anything, isn't it ? ;) Some of the recipes I have tried from this magazine are amazing and definitely "make-agains". Others, like this one, make me wonder who actually tested the recipe and did they even like it or just admire the way it looks. Beauty is wonderful, especially in dessert, but how hollow and deceiving when the taste does not follow through with your anticipation...

I admit it was the photo that made me make this recipe, and it turned out just as gorgeous as the magazine promised. However, I tweaked the ever-loving crud out of the ingredients to make it something I would actually want it eat. 

To start off, the crust including pretzels. I was all for trying it, but the more I read, the less I liked the idea. I ended up using a yummy pecan shortbread crust that I know is wonderful. So I changed the base...

Then they had you beat 8 oz mascarpone cheese and 4 of cream cheese with 2 eggs  and only 2 tbsp brown sugar to sweeten. I tasted it and it tasted like a boring chunk of cream cheese that had been whipped. It was certainly nothing to be excited about, and the lack of sweetening with my slightly tart plums would have not been a nice foil against the fruit. So I added sugar until I had a modicum of sweetness. Enough to be pleasant on its own. So I changed the fill...

Here is the good part. You pit the plums and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices and toss them with 4 tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg (and you know that's a fav of mine). You let this sit for 45 minutes, stirring every so often,  and the salt and sugar leach out the fruit's juices. 

After the fruit has rested, you drain it, reserving 1/4 cup of the juice. Then you arrange the slices in a circular pattern, slightly overlapping. You can curl the ones at the center to make something like a rose. The assembled pie bakes for 45-55 mins at 325 degrees.

This is the fruit without the glaze. Look at the lower pics to see the difference it makes!

Let it cool completely. Then they have you whisk together the reserved plum juice, 1 Tbsp orange liqueur, and 1/2 tsp cornstarch. Why orange? Where does that fit in with the plums and pretzels and cream cheese? Sigh. I didn't like it. So I changed the topping...

I had found a beautiful peach Muscat at the grocery. I do mean beautiful, because I don't drink. It is the soft color of a peach and looks like it would taste like fuzzy fragrant summer. But, of course, it tastes like wine, so I got it for cooking. (I seemed to remember a Nigella show where she poached under-ripe peaches in wine. Wouldn't peach wine be perfect? Don't know, but I'm prepared.) I added the peach wine to my plum glaze, Dear Reader, because it seemed the appropriate thing to do. You bring the juice to a boil over medium heat and cook till it thickens. You brush this all over the plum slices and they become blushing, glistening, jeweled slices. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

So what did I learn here? Never trust nobody, folks. It just goes to show a pretty package can cover a disappointment. The family liked the pie just fine. I loved how it looked but was very hum-ho about the rest. And that is after I changed just about everything about it. Word to the wise, sugar, not all recipes- even in the same publication- are created equal. I try to only give you ones that I will make repeatedly because they are that good. Why did I waste your time with this? Because it was too time-consuming and pretty not to show. And there is always a nugget of good in every bad. I love the plum slices and their gorgeous glaze. So there is something new to work with... Perhaps on top of a nutmeg cake? Or nestled into a vanilla-bean custard? Sometimes a recipe that frustrates can become a springboard for your own amazing concoction. Don't let a set-back make you blue. Keep cooking your little heart out and I'll keep sharing the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly with you!