Lemon Meringue Pie
For a perfect cut before cutting each slice from a meringue topped pie, dip the knife in water and do not dry it off. This prevents the meringue from sticking to the knife. For a perfect cut before cutting each slice from a meringue topped pie, dip the knife in water and do not dry it off. This prevents the meringue from sticking to the knife. For a perfect cut before cutting each slice from a meringue topped pie, dip the knife in water and do not dry it off. This prevents the meringue from sticking to the knife.
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Unbleached Flour
3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 1/2Cups Water
2 Juiced & Zested Lemons
2 Tablespoons Butter
4 Beaten Egg Yolks
1 Nine Inch Baked Pie Crust
4 Egg Whites
7 Tablespoons Sugar
In a medium size saucepan whisk together 1 cup of sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Stir in the water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over a medium high heat. Make sure to stir frequently. Cook until the mixture comes to a boil. Stir in the butter. In a small size bowl beat the egg yolk and then gradually whisk in ½ cup of the hot sugar mixture. Whisk the egg yolk mixture back into the remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until the mixture becomes thick. Remove from the heat and pour the filling into the baked pastry shell. Preheat the oven to 350° F. For the meringue you will need to get either a large glass or metal bowl. Whip the egg whites until they are foamy. Add the 7 tablespoons of sugar gradually. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread the meringue over the pie and make sure to seal the edges at the crust. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until the meringue is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool. Refrigerate and serve. Serves 8
Amish Pie Crust
INGREDIENTS
4 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 ¾ Cups Shortening
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Large Slightly Beaten Egg
1 Teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
½ Cup Water
Mix the flour, shortening, sugar, salt, egg, red wine vinegar and the water together. Place in a ziplock bag. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for 1 hour. Separate into 4 balls of dough. Roll out on a floured surface and place in 9 inch pie pans. Bake in a preheated 425° F oven for 12 minutes for the unfilled crust or use the recipe for a filled pie crust. Makes for crusts or 2 crusts with tops. The unbaked dough may be kept for 1 week in a ziplock bag in the fridge.
Butterscotch Pie
INGREDIENTS
¾ Cup Brown Sugar
¼ Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Unbleached Flour
2 Cups Scalding Milk
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
3 Eggs Separated
1 ½ Tablespoons Butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Baked Pastry Shell
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Combine the brown sugar and white sugar with the flour. Gradually add the hot milk. Stir constantly to make a smooth mixture. Add the salt and cook in the top of a double boiler for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally until thickened. Pour part of the hot mixture slowly onto the well beaten egg yolks. Stir constantly. Pour back into the double boiler. Mix well and cook not more than 3 minutes. Stir constantly. Add the butter and stir until melted. Cool. Add the vanilla and stir. Pour into the baked pastry shell. Make the meringue by beating the egg whites until they are stiff. Add the sugar and beat. Gradually add the vanilla and beat until well blended. Cover with the meringue using the remaining egg whites. Brown in the preheated 300° F oven for 20 minutes. Makes 1 pie.
Classic Pumpkin Pie
This recipe is a classic!
INGREDIENTS
¾ Cup Sugar
½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Ground Ginger
¼ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
¼ Teaspoon Ground Allspice
2 Large Eggs
15 Ounces Pumpkin Puree (1 Can)
12 Ounces Evaporated Milk (1 Can)
1 Unbaked 9 Inch Deep Dish Pie Shell
Combine the sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and allspice in a small bowl. In a large bowl beat the eggs. Stir in the pumpkin and sugar mixture. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk. Pour into the pie shell. Bake in a preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 350° F and bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Serves 8
Camille’s Delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake
I made this delicious holiday Pumpkin Cheesecake. It is a great alternative to pumpkin pie.
INGREDIENTS
Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter
Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
For crust:
In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
For filling:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.
Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place in oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours, but overnight is best. Serves 8
Cranberry Apple Pie
This pie is such a nice holiday pie. Cooking the berries, sugar and orange peel with the flour before pouring it over the apples gives the pie a better texture and flavor. The chopped pecans add a nice crunch as well.
INGREDIENTS
Pie Filling
1 ½ Cups Chopped Cranberries
1 Cup Sugar
½ Teaspoon Grated Orange Peel
1 Tablespoon Unbleached Flour
1/3 Cup Cranberry Juice
6 Tablespoons Chopped Pecans
3 Peeled & Sliced Tart Apples
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Butter
Pie Crust
3 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Sugar
½ Cup Shortening
½ Cup Cold Butter
9 Tablespoons Ice Water
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and sugar. With a pastry blender (or two knives or fingers) cut the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles cornmeal. Dice the butter into cubes and cut in until the largest pieces are the size of a dime. Sprinkle the ice water over the flour & fat mixture. Toss with a fork and continue until the dough is moist enough to hold together. Roll into a ball and cut in half. Flatten with halves into two disks. Wrap the pieces of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate to give them a rest for 30 minutes or more before rolling out.
Preheat your oven to 425° F. Grease a 9 inch pie plate and line with half of the rolled out dough. Put the dough lined pie plate back in the refrigerator while making the filing. In a large saucepan, cook the cranberries with the sugar, orange peel, flour and cranberry juice for 20 minutes until the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and cool. Remove pie plate from the fridge and sprinkle half of the pecans in the bottom of the prepared pie plate. Make 2 layers of apples on the top of the nuts. Sprinkle these with cinnamon and dot with butter. Pour the cooled cranberry mixture over the apples and sprinkle on the remaining pecans. Over with the remaining (rolled out) dough and crimp the edges. Bake for 30 minutes until the crust is golden and the berries are bubbly. Remove from the oven and cool before slicing. Serves 6
Puff Pastry
A relative of Middle Eastern phyllo dough as it is used in a similar manner to create layered pastries. It is thought that French painter, Claude Gelée, who lived in the 17th century. Apparently, Gelée was making a type of very buttery bread for his sick father. The process of rolling the butter into the bread dough created a croissant like finished product. Other Puff Pastry references before the 17th century which indicates that the history was originally from Muslim Spain and was converted from thin sheets of dough spread with olive oil to laminate the dough with layers of butter. Puff Pastry is commonly used for turnovers, Steak & Kidney Pie, other types of pie, sausage rolls, Beef Wellington, strudel and Miguelitos (a cake made in Spain). Here is a basic and quick Puff Pastry recipe.
INGREDIENTS
4 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Cold Butter
1 ¼ Cups Ice Water
In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour and salt. Cut the cold butter into ½ inch thick sliced. Do not cut the butter into cubes. Add the butter slices to the flour mixture and toss until the butter slices are coated with the flour mixture and are separated. Pour the ice water over the flour mixture. Using a spoon, quickly mix. The butter will remain in large pieces and the flour will not be completely moistened. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough 10 times by pressing and pushing the dough together to form a rough looking ball. Shape the dough into a rectangle. Don’t be concerned that the dough will still have some dry looking areas. Make the corners as square as possible and slightly flatten the dough. Working on a well floured surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle. Fold crosswise into thirds to for a slightly smaller rectangle. Give the dough a quarter turn and then fold crosswise into thirds to form an even smaller rectangle. This should create 9 layers. Repeat the rolling, folding, turning and folding process one more time. You should have a rectangle that is approximately 5×4 inches. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and stick in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. To use the dough in your recipe cut the dough in half crosswise with a very sharp knife. Makes two 1 1/3 pound portions.
Petite Pear Tarts
Summer is the season for pears. What to do with all of those pears? Make pear tarts!
INGREDIENTS
Pastry for 1 Pie Crust
2 Small Ripe Pears (Peeled, Cored and Sliced)
2 Tablespoons Unbleached Flour
2 Tablespoons Dried Currents
2 Teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice
½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
½ Cup Plus 6 Teaspoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Milk
2 Tablespoons Chopped Pecans
Prepare the pastry for 1 pie crust. Shape two equal balls and chill for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 400° F. In a large bowl, toss the pear slices with flour, currants, lemon juice, cinnamon and ½ cup of sugar. Set aside. On a lightly floured surface, with a floured rolling pink roll 1 dough ball into a 10 inch round. Transfer to one half of a large cookie sheet. Mound half of the pear mixture in the center of the round. Fold the dough up around the pears, leaving a 2 ½ inch opening in the center. Repeat with the remaining dough and pear mixture to make a second tart on the same cookie sheet. Brush each crust with 1 tablespoon of milk and sprinkle each with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Place 2 sheet of foil under the cookie sheet. Crimp the foil edges to form a rim to catch any drips during the baking. Bake the tarts for 20 minutes. In a cup, mix the pecans with the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar and sprinkle over the filling in the center of the tarts. Bake for 10 minute more or until the crust is brown. Cool the tarts on cookie sheets on a wire rack for 10 minutes to serve warm. Makes 2 petite tarts
Pie Crust Recipe
INGREDIENTs
1 ¼ Cups Unbleached Flour
¼ Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Shortening
4 Tablespoons Cold & Cut Up Butter
In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. With a pastry blender cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle in 3 to 5 tablespoons of ice water, a tablespoon at a time. Mix lightly with a fork after each addition, until the dough is just moist enough to hold together. Shape the dough into 1 ball. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more. Remove from the fridge and let stand for 1 hour before rolling. You want the dough at room temperature. Make two separate balls. On a lightly floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll out each ball to make the petite pie crusts.
Blueberry Crumble Pie
Summer was created for blueberries and what a great way to honor summer than to make a blueberry pie! This recipe is made with a crisp and crunch crumb topping which is the perfect match for a juicy berry pie filling.
INGREDIENTS
1 Basic Pie Dough
¾ Cup Plus 5 Tablespoons Unbleached Flour
2/3 Cup Firmly Packed Light Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Plus 2 Tablespoon Sugar
2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
1 Stick (8 Tablespoons) Cold Unsalted Butter
5 Cups Blueberries
Put your oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400° F.
Roll out the dough and transfer to a 9 inch pie pan. Refrigerate until firm. Line the chilled piecrust with a piece of aluminum foil. Fill with dried bean, pie weights or uncooked rice. Bake for 15 minutes until the pie crust dries out. Carefully remove the weights and the foil. Reduce the heat to 350° F and continue to bake for another 5 minutes until the crust is lightly browned on the edges and dry looking on the bottom. Transfer the pie crust to a wire rack.
Increase the heat to 375° F. In a large bowl, stir together the ¾ cup of flour, 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, the 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon and salt. Cut the butter into ¾ inch pieces and scatter the pieces on top and toss around with a fork or your fingers to coat with the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, work the ingredients together until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs that are the size of large peas. Set the topping aside.
In a separate large bowl, combine the blueberries, the remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar, the remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 4 tablespoons of the flour. Gently stir to coat the blueberries evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of sugar over the bottom of the prebaked pie crust. Pour the filling into the crust, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the blueberry filling. Bake the pie for 50 to 60 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the blueberry filling just begins to bubble. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Serve at room temperature. The pie is best served the day it is baked. Makes one 9 inch pie. Serves 12
Single Pie Crust
INGREDIENTS
1 ¼ Cups Unbleached Flour
½ Teaspoon Salt
1/3 Cup Shortening
4 Tablespoons Cold Water
In a bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Roll out to fit a 9 inch or 10 inch pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate. Trim pastry to ½ inch beyond the edge of the plate; flute the edges. Fill or bake shell according to recipe directions.
Victoria’s Cherry Pie
Cherry pie is one of my favorite things to eat! Homemade cherry pie is one of life’s treats!
INGREDIENTS
2 ½ Cups Unbleached Flour (Plus More For Dusting)
3 Tablespoons Plus 1 Cup Sugar (Divided)
¾ Teaspoons Salt (Divided)
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Cup (2 Sticks) Butter (Cut Into Small Cubes – Chilled)
7 Tablespoons Ice Water
2 Pounds Fresh & Pitted Cherries
3 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 Tablespoon Milk
In a large bowl combine flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and cinnamon. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter until butter is the size of small peas. To ensure the butter is cold enough, chill in the freezer for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. I you do not have a pastry cutter you can use two knives to cut in the butter. Stir in the ice water with a fork just until combined and the dough holds together. Form the dough into two 5 inch discs. Cover and chill for 1 hour or until cold, but not completely firm.
Preheat the oven to 400° F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough into a 12 inch circle. Transfer to a 9 inch pie pan. In a large bowl, toss together cherries, cornstarch, 1 cup of sugar and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Spoon the cherry mixture into the dough lined pan and set aside. On the same lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining disc of dough into a 10 inch circle and cut into ½ inch wide strips. Top the cherry mixture in the pan with the dough strips, weaving them in and out to make a lattice crust and then crimp the outside edge of the crust. If you don’t want a lattice crust you can just make a normal top crust like I have done in the photo above. Brush the crust all over with milk and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Arrange on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Yes, you will have drips so be sure to set the pie pan on the baking sheet. I like to use a pie bird to let out the steam. If you don’t have a pie bird or pie vent then cut slits in the top crust (if you are not using a lattice crust). Bake for 1 ¼ hours or until bubbly and golden brown. Set aside to let cool before serving. Serves 12
