My apologies for the late post. It’s been a busy week at work. Anyway, it all comes down to this - a late November top-5 matchup to decide who goes to the B1G championship. Against…Indiana? Yup, Indiana. The Hoosiers roll into Columbus on Saturday with no signature wins, but an unblemished record and plenty of confidence. The good guys are once again shuffling the o-line after another season ending injury. Hopefully the new look line picks up where the old one left off. We're in the endgame now. Buckle up, Dubbers, it’s officially championship season!

When I first started searching for a Fries Quatro Queso Dos Fritos recipe from the show Psych, a few different Psych-inspired recipes popped up. One of them that I really wanted to try is from the homage episode, Dual Spires, and it pairs well with the Thanksgiving holiday coming up next week. 

Cinnamon Pie

This dish comes out looking a lot like pumpkin pie, but with the obvious emphasis on the cinnamon. Let’s get to it.

Ingrediants

Pie Crust

• 2 ½ c all-purpose flour, unbleached
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Ice water

Pie Filling

• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour, unbleached
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 c full fat sour cream
• ½ c whole milk
• 3 large eggs, whisked
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Pie Crust (Recipe makes 2 pie crusts or 1 pie crust and lid. For 1 pie crust, ½ the recipe.)

1. Combine the flour, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
2. Slice cold butter into very small cubes (about ¼ inch size). Add these to the flour mixture. Break them apart and toss them until their coated.
3. Work the butter into the flour using a pastry blender (or large fork) until the mixture is shaggy and crumbly. Flatten any large pieces of butter with your fingers.
4. Add the vanilla extract to the bowl. Then add 4 Tbsp of ice water to the mixture and use a spoon to toss it together. 
5. Add another Tbsp of ice water and stir it again. Continue adding ice water to the mixture 1 Tbsp at a time and stirring until the dough starts clumping together. Once you can squeeze the dough and it holds together with little to no crumbliness, it’s ready.
6. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Squeeze the dough together with your hands a few times. 
7. Pull the mixture up and fold it over. Flatten it with your hands and repeat 4-5 times until the dough has come together. Pieces of butter will be visible in the dough, but that’s ok – it’ll make the crust flaky.
8. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half slightly with the palm of your hand and wrap the dough disk in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes or until firm. Dough will keep frozen for up to 3 months if well wrapped.

Pie Filling

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Move oven rack down one notch. 
2. Roll out pie crust to ¼ inch thickness. Cut a 13 inch circle from the dough. Fit the dough into the pie pan, pressing along the bottom and sides. Fold the crust under all around the edge, then crimp the edge all around. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and hold in the fridge.
3. Pour cinnamon into a large saucepan and set it over medium heat. Toast the cinnamon for 3 minutes, stirring often, until it’s very fragrant. Slide the pan off the heat.
4. Stir the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, and salt into the toasted cinnamon. Then whisk in sour cream and milk.
5. Heat the mixture over medium heat, whisking often. As soon as the first bubbles appear, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook another minute, whisking frequently. Slide the pan off the heat.
6. Take ¼ cup of the hot mixture. While whisking the eggs constantly, pour the hot mixture as a slow stream into the eggs (this gently tempers the eggs so they won’t go scrambled during the next step).
7. Pour tempered eggs into the rest of the hot mixture, whisking constantly as you do, until the eggs are completely mixed in. Move the pan back over medium-low heat and whisk for 1 minute or so until it starts to thicken.
8. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
9. Remove the pie shell from the fridge. Pour mixture into the shell and smooth the top.
10. Place the pie on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees F. Then lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for another 30 minutes until you can insert a toothpick or knife into the filling and it comes out clean.
11. Let the pie cool on a rack to room temperature then place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
12. Serve slices of pie with shipped cream and enjoy!

Note that a little cinnamon goes a long way. However, I still added more than the recipe called for and it was fine. Add extra as your palate desires. Go Bucks and happy Thanksgiving next week!

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