November 2015 Hamptons Lane Review & Coupon – Tarts & Pies Box

The November 2015 Hamptons Lane theme is “Tarts & Pies.”  Hamptons Lane is a fantastic foodie/gourmet subscription box perfect for everyone who loves to eat well and likes to have a hand in preparing their food. It doesn’t just deliver a few tasty morsels — Hamptons Lane curated boxes are great because they usually have some cool kitchen gadgets that enable you to recreate the deliciousness again and again.  You get the equipment, the guidance, and some tasty gourmet accompaniments too! Hamptons Lane is one of the subscriptions where you can preview the theme before you’re locked in for the month, which is always excellent, so you can subscribe and skip any months you don’t love.

The Tarts & Pies themed box marks the first time Hamptons Lane dedicated a box solely to baking.  As always, it has all the great components of a Hamptons Lane box:  high-end kitchen implements, some choice gourmet ingredients, and a bunch of recipes to get you started.

Everything in the November box.

The information booklet was updated a few months and we love the booklet form – it’s sturdier and great to keep the recipes!

The curator’s note gives some insight on the choices for this box.  At least one recipe is included that showcases each food item in the box.  The booklet has six complete recipes and a pie crust recipe included in full form.

Two more recipes are available on the Hamptons Lane site.  Of course, there is complete information on every item included in the box, as well.

Award-winning Whipped Cinnamon Honey by Cloister Honey ($8):  Don’t be fooled by the term “whipped” — this isn’t a light mousse.  It is thick and packed with mild cinnamon.

The whipping creates a honey that is thicker than raw honey, so it spoons like a spread.

Custom Pumpkin Pie Spice by RawSpiceBar ($4):  We’ve reviewed several offerings from Raw Spice Bar and applaud their inclusion in this month’s Hamptons Lane.  The Pumpkin Pie Spice goes beyond the usual few spices, adding in mace and star anise for a more complex flavor profile.

Original Chicken Pie Spice by RawSpiceBar ($4):  This blend made a really great pot pie filling.  The tarragon and sage added a sweet and aromatic flavor, and the blend was balanced well and complemented the dish without overpowering the contributions of the other ingredients.

Handmade Sweet Orange Sugar by Terre Botanicals ($13):  A lovely organic finishing sugar infused with orange essence.

Set of Four Decorative Leaf Presses by Hamptons Lane ($19 I think closer to $10 though – see these similar ones from Sur La Table):  These presses work really well (see below for photos) — I am usually quite skeptical of cookie cutters with fine grooves and lines, but the spring mechanism helps pop out the crust, and I didn’t have any issues with sticking.

Essential Ceramic Pie Weights ($8):  For blind-baking your pie crusts (cooking without filling).  These weights are ceramic and easily washable.

Double-sided Pastry Cutter by Fox Run ($7):  This cutter can make straight and wavy cuts.  Intended for pie crust, you could also use this for cutting homemade pasta.  Made of stainless steel, with a real wood handle.

Professional Rectangular Tart Pan by Fat Daddio’s ($14):  The bottom pops out for easy removal of your tarts.  The anodized aluminum heats and cools quickly.

The Raw Spice Bar Chicken Pie Spices where fragrant and not ground to dust. We used them in our chicken pot pie.

I thought the leaf presses worked really well.  They were easy to use and made a simple pie crust much more interesting.

I think the adornment helped the crust keep from browning too much by serving as a heat sink.

We used the extra puff pastry from our pear tart to make an extra dessert.  We had a jar of strawberry-rhubarb jam and some creme de maron in the fridge, and they made for a really easy pastry dish.

Our youngest was really excited to join in on the cooking.  I love that the potholders go clear up to his armpits.

The Pear and Goat Cheese Cinnamon Honey Tart from the back of the booklet.  I used chèvre, bosc pear (the firmness is great for cooking), and packaged pastry dough.  I think the pan makes a lovely, long tart, and the pop out bottom makes for easy release.

This Hamptons Lane was a lot of fun.  I loved all the handy items in the box this month:  the leaf stamps, pastry cutter, and pie weights.  They are the little items I wish I had in my toolkit but would not make the effort to acquire individually.  The tart pan is a nice shape size to make an impressive tart without it being too huge.  This kit is great ahead of the holidays, as nothing is more welcome at a gathering than a homemade dessert!

Visit Hamptons Lane to subscribe and save $10 on this box with code Mommysplurge10!