The Mini Pie Revolution Event #3 Round-Up

Boy, oh boy, do we love pot pies! We decided to organize the round-up by filling type, and are very happy to see such variety and imagination at work here. Thanks to all of our talented revolutionaries for rolling up your sleeves and showing us what you've got!

Chicken Pot Pies

Karen of Gluten Free Sox Fan’s Blog made these delicious-looking gluten-free Chicken Pot Pies with step-by-step instructions. Achieving a flaky crust and a thick gravy filling is always a challenge when cooking gluten-free, so kudos to Karen for a great entry!

Holly of PheMOMenon made jumbo cupcake tin-sized Chicken Pot Pies, chock full of vegetables and homemade gravy. Usually topped with biscuits, Holly adapted her recipe for a top and bottom crust. Looks tasty!


This is Giz of Equal Opportunity Kitchen's first MPR event and first pot pie. As an intrepid cook, she did a little research to understand the basics and then created her own recipe for these rich Chicken Pot Pies. She marinated the chicken breast with herbs and olive oil and then combined it with a melange of vegetables, including the inspired addition of cauliflower. Delicious!

Jen, of Beware The Killer Chicken, was wandering around the internet minding her own business when she found The Revolution. As she was making Turkey Pot Pies for a party anyway, she promptly made a tiny one just for us. Her crust is made of scallion biscuits (yum!) and her filling is her own creation, featuring a little habanero pepper to heat it up.

Cakelaw of Laws of the Kitchen made Chicken and Leek Pot Pies topped with filo and poppy seeds. She added a hot pepper to the mix of vegetables, binding it all together with thickened chicken stock. Delicious and pretty as a picture!


Rachel of Fairy Cake Heaven was coming down with a cold, but that didn't stop her from making these classic Chicken Pot Pies. She adds a little soy sauce to the filling-- an idea we really like.

Beef and Pork Pot Pies

no_relation of Holopis Kuntul Baris, created this single serving Australian Meat Pie for Pi Day and for TMPR. The filling was "Manwich, but homemade," and the finished pies were served over homemade cornmush. Tasty!

Inge of Vanielje Kitchen made these mouthwatering Steak and Mushroom Pot Pies, sourcing the meat from trusted local butcher. She mentions that the beef is free range, well-hung and properly butchered (okay, I know perfectly well she means "well-aged" but guess where my childish mind went?). As if the rich filling weren't enough, Inge also topped her pot pies with homemade puff pastry. Yum!

Marla of Bella Baita View celebrated Pasquetta (the Monday after Easter) with a Spinach Picnic Pot Pie. She used an oil based pastry (so much healthier than butter or shortening!) and added flavor to the mellow spinach and ricotta with speck (cured ham). Perfect for a picnic!

Gretchen of Canela & Comino combined two traditional dishes to bring us Empanada Pot Pies! Her savory beef filling is spiced with red pepper, cumin and olives. Yum!



Tina of Sweet Designs literally turned pizza on its head, with Pizza Pot Pie. Her filling features sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms and cheese and her topping is a basic pastry crust. Simple and delicious!

Fish Pot Pies

Your hostess of Redacted Recipes, and co-leader of The Revolution, decided to make Fish Pot Pies, blithely ignoring tradition by topping them with pastry instead of mashed potatoes. The British half of the household pronounced them delicious, proving once again that the "special relationship" between England and America is still strong.

Meatless Pot Pies

Jules of Domestic Goddess in Training created a Purple Sprouting Broccoli Pot Pie just for herself after a successful trip to the market. Spring onions for a little bite and creamy cheddar to bind it all together, and you have the perfect meal.



Cooking Up A Storm made these adorable Tiny Timballos, filled with pasta, peas and hard boiled quail egg, all bound together with a creamy bechamel sauce and enclosed in an asiago-flavored pastry.


Chris of Mele Cotte made savory Sweet Potato Pot Pies, combining mellow sweet potato with corn in a creamy sauce before topping it with puff pastry. Result? Ultimate comfort food!


Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey? and The Daily Tiffin made a sensational Ricotta Spring Vegetable Pot Pie. She notes that she particularly loves the creaminess from the ricotta and the hint of ginger with the Spring vegetables. I particularly love the dedication invloved in making the puff pastry!


Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe let go of her fear of pie-making, rolled up her sleeves and made these lovely Farmhouse Pot Pies, substituting tempeh for chicken. Topped with puff pastry (check out the heart shapes!), they're a treat for the eyes.

Mimi of Mimi on the Move made Mock Chicken Pot Pies, using Morningstar Farms soy "chicken strips," and adapted from a vegetarian pie recipe by Deborah Madison. Love the way she shaped the pastry into flowers for the top!


Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen had never heard of pot pies before this event, so we're very impressed with her for doing some research and creating these Vegetable Pot Pies! She used a spicy Indian style filling and an oil-based pastry recipe. Looks delicious!

Thanks again so much to all of our participants! Viva la revolucion!

Give the Gift of Pie!

Because we always think pie is needed, here are some damned cute pies or pie-related items, we think you or someone you know will love, all from Etsy.

Pie Recipe Triptych

Cute As Pie Necklace

Pecan Tartlet and Pies Crochet Pattern


Silkscreened Sweetiepie Onesie

New Banner!

Banner Detail

We are thrilled to tell you that the wonderful talented Jessie of Cakespy has designed a new banner for us, which we think really captures everything this blog is all about.

Notice the little cupcake being used as a canon ball? Brilliant! Thank you, Jessie!

The Mini Pie Revolution Event #3: Pot Pies

The Mini Pie Revolution is taking a break from sugar and we want to see your very best pot pies in single serving form!

Wikipedia says that a pot pie has a bottom and a top crust, but we disagree. We believe that a pot pie only needs a crust on the top to qualify, though we certainly do approve of crust on the bottom, too!

With meat or without meat, vegan or not, we just want to be inspired by your version of a comforting home-cooked pot pie.

Naturally we don't expect you to make them mini-muffin tin sized-- this isn't dessert after all, it's lunch or dinner! We think a single serving pot pie is about the size of a jumbo muffin cup, a small tart pan, or a ramekin.

To enter:

Bake your mini pot pies from scratch (they must be single-serving). Remember they need a crust on top (biscuits are just fine!)

Photograph your mini pot pies and post about them on your blog, including a link back to this event announcement, before midnight EST, March 26. Then email Ann (at redactedrecipes@gmail.com) the following:

1) A 150 X 150 mini pot pie portrait
2) Brief description of your mini pie (just the name of the recipe and a one-liner about why it's special is fine)
3) The title of your blog and a link to your blog
4) A link to your mini pot pie entry
5) A link back to this event announcement
6) Make sure your e-mail's subject head is "The Mini Pie Revolution." Please send us your
entry by Midnight EST on March 26, and we will post the results on March 28.

Feel free to use the logo at the top of this post, or this smaller version.

This is a single-serving and and single entry event, so please don't recycle your posts for other events!

Thank you to Andrew of Spittoon Extra and The Daring Bakers for helping to get the word out!

Note: during the last event a lot of our mini pie bakers neglected to email us. We found a lot of posts through technorati, but very likely missed some, so please, please, please do send us the requested information!

Happy Valentine's Day! It's the Small Tarts Have Big Hearts Round-Up!

It's Valentine's Day and not too late to bake some flirty and fetching little tarts for your beloved! The Mini Pie revolutionaries have been busy creating all sorts of tiny tarts, so have a look at these delicious little two-bite tarts! How can you resist?

Thanks to all of our revolutionaries for sending in your gorgeous creations! Once again were amazed by the range and creativity we're seeing.

Our very first entry comes from Sarah, at What Smells So Good, with these delectable-looking Choco - Ginger Mini Tarts made appropriately Valentine's Day-looking with strawberry or cherry preserves. Sarah describes this tart as "spunky, sweet, and just a little fruity, but is easy enough to create that it gets along with pretty much everybody."

Tina of Sweet Designs made these sinfully rich Dark Chocolate Tarts garnished with whipped cream. The filling is decadent and rich, requiring five egg yolks! As Tina's husband said, "Mmmmmm!"




Deeba of Passionate About Baking took our description of slightly naughty topless tarts to heart with these Chocolate Strawberry Tarts. A combination of chocolate, strawberries and Valentine sprinkles, these little tarts look irresistible and we almost expected them to leap up and start dancing the Can-can!





Holly at Phe\mom\enon created these rustic Caramel Cashew Creme Brulee Tartlets, based on a dessert at a favorite restaurant, for her husband's birthday. We think the cashew nut crust and sugary bruleed top is over the top-- in a really good way!



Marija of Palachinka made these stunning White Chocolate and Cranberry Tartlets, garnished with pistachios. Completely topless, these tarts look about as refined and lady-like as you can get! Her perfect-looking shells are made from ground walnuts.



Chris, of Melle Cotte, made these delectable Blackberry Tarts with a chocolate crust. We love the combination of tart barely-sweetened blackberries and the cookie-like crust (I know this because it's the recipe we both used for the last Daring Baker's challenge) modified with cocoa powder.

Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook has been fascinated by face cards ever since she was a child, and particularly by the Queen of Hearts, who clearly needs some sugar in her life. Have a look at Susan's beautiful Almond Cherry Tarts. If these can't make the Queen smile I don't know what will.


Aparna, of My Diverse Kitchen, got creative with a surfeit of grapes nobody was going to eat and created these lovely Cardamon Flavored Grape Mini Pies (though we would argue they are tarts). Even her daughter, who dislikes grapes, gave them a thumbs-up!


Aran, from the very new and very beautiful blog Canelle et Vanille, created a classic flavor pairing with her Chocolate Mousse and Raspberry Tarts. We're crazy about slightly naughty look of the tiny droplets of peach jam on the tips of the raspberries.




Ann from Redacted Recipes was in a chocolate-raspberry mood, too. These little White Chcolalate Raspberry Tarts are made up of a rich chocolate pate sucree filled with raspberries and white choclate ganache. A lattice of dark chocolate on top preserves their modesty.





My good friend Manggy of No Special Effects says "I love you" with the food he makes. His original interpretation of a classic Filipino dessert cake into Crema de Fruta Tarts results in these stunning peach and custard beauties. Manggy observes that tarts are shallow, but we think there's a lot of depth of flavor here.




Kaykat, of Cooking from A to Z, sent us these spicy little Chocolate Mousse Tarts with greek Yogurt, which she dressed up with a drizzle of chocolate mixed with a touch of cayenne and cinnamon to heat things up.





Ben from Heights Eats made Lavender Lime Tarts, using the little tartlet pans he won from our first event! Nice to see you back, Ben! The hearts on top were piped on with a Chocolate-Orange ganache. Yum!





The fabulous Helen, of Tartelette, continues with her obsession of all things Herme and whipped up these melt-in-the-mouth Chocolate Coffee Tartelettes. Filled with Chcolate Coffee Ganache and artfully draped in Coffee Whipped Cream, these babies are sure to make you buzz with pleasure.







Alexandra of Addicted Sweet Tooth (another very new and very beautifuk new blog, folks!) made gorgeous tiny little Passion Fruit Tarts. Her almond shortcrust is filled with almond sponge cake and raspberry puree and covered with passion fruit curd, topped with a jelly glaze. Each tart is just 1.75 inches across! Stunning!



Gretchen of Canela & Comino made Valentines for your inner child with these adorable Peanut Butter and Jelly Mini Tarts. After a bit of a hassle with the original crust recipe, Gretchen saved the day by substituting wonton wrappers. Brilliant! Are these not the prettiest PB&J you ever seen?


Christy of Balance made Blueberry-Ginger Tarts and then worried they might be too large for TMPR. We say, "you made them in a muffin tin, so it's fine by us!" Out of a bare larder she managed to create scrumptious tarts with blueberries and fresh ginger and a decidedly low-fat pastry cream. We're impressed!


Shana of Mimi On The Move almost became a turncoat when her pastry crust kept sticking to her fingers but kept at it. Her last-minute improvised concoction of Caramelized Pears with Hazelnut topped with whipped cream and raspberries looks fabulous! We want that recipe Shana!


Baking History delved into her collection of antique recipes and made these wonderful Cinnamon Tartlets. She notes that they may look plain but that they hide a tender almond meringue heart scented with cinnamon. Mmmmmm!



Irene's Confessions Of A Tart is another wonderful new blog and brings us Bartlett Tartlettes. Her frangipane filling is enhanced with pears and pear syrup. Irresistible!




Gail at Pacific Outpost sent us these lovely Fruit and Vanilla Cream Tarts in a cookie-like crust of walnuts, almonds, coconut and dates. The crust alone is making me hungry!




We received one past-the-deadline entry this morning that was too scrumptious-looking to leave out. Cin from A Few of My Favorite Things had a serendipitous meeting with a farmer and scored a bag of black figs, resulting in these mouth-watering Fresh Fig Tarts.

And another late entry from Inge of Vanielje Kitchen with these beautiful Pistachio and Sour Plum Frangepane Tarts. They were just too yummy-looking to deny!

Thanks again so much to all of our participants! Viva la revolucion!

PS/ We're very, very excited about our next event, which is a secret right now, but we'll give you a hint. We've teamed up with one of our favorite food bloggers!