Blackberry Pie

Cook’s notes: We made this pie for a potluck recently, and it was very popular with guests as well as easy to make. Simple ingredients let the berry flavor shine through. I reduced the sugar by 1/2 cup, and it was still delicious. Next time, I’m tempted to cram 4 boxes (6 oz) of berries in it. Blackberries are very high in fiber. According to the allrecipes site, each slice (1/8 pie) has 4.6 g fiber. I would definitely make this delicious pie again.

 

Excellent berry pie

Tips: Frozen or fresh blackberries can be used. Make sure that you combine the berries with the sugar and flour well until you no longer see any white coating on the berries.

Yield: 1 pie, 9-inches

4 cups fresh blackberries (3 x 6-oz boxes)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 x 9-inch pie crusts (store-bought), made without lard
2 tablespoons milk

Combine 3.5 cups berries with the sugar and flour. Spoon the mixture into an unbaked pie shell. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup uncoated berries on top of the sweetened berries, and cover with the top crust. Seal and crimp the edges. Brush the top crust with milk.

Bake at 425 F (220 C) for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 375 F (190 C), and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes.

Banana Pudding Pie

Cook’s notes: This recipe is quite easy and very flexible. When you have ripe bananas, and it’s too hot to bake banana bread, pudding pie is a great alternative. This lovely summer dessert can also be made with strawberries instead of bananas. The plain yogurt cuts the sweetness of the instant pudding. Also, I was very excited to find the truwhip brand whipped topping in my local market: it has better ingredients that a standard brand of whipped topping. It’s still a treat, not health food, but pudding pie needs whipped topping.

For a tropical-tasting pie, use whipped coconut milk for the topping.

1 x 9-inch graham cracker pie crust
2 to 3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
1 cup milk (we like 2%)
1 cup plain, fat-free yogurt
1 box instant vanilla pudding
Whipped topping or whipped cream

Place banana slices in the graham cracker crust. Whisk the milk and yogurt together. Whisk in the pudding mix. Pour pudding over the bananas. Refrigerate for about an hour. Serve immediately with whipped topping.

Shaker-Style Lemon Pie

Cook’s notes: Start the recipe on the day before you wish to bake; the sliced lemons need time to macerate in the sugar. Food writer P. Allen Smith says, “This lemon pie is excellent served with fresh whipped cream, a sprinkle of powdered sugar, and a sprig of mint for a beautiful presentation. It’s a delicious taste of summer anyone would want to try.”

Day 1 Ingredients
4 large lemons
2 cups of sugar (or less)

DAY 1 Steps
Zest each lemon over a large plastic (or non-reactive) bowl. Cut off and discard the remaining lemon peel and white pith. Slice each lemon into thin slices, removing seeds. Pour any juice created during this step into the large bowl. Combine lemon slices, zest, juice, and sugar in the large bowl. Gently combine with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Fully coat the lemon slices with the sugar.

Cover the mix of lemon parts and sugar. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

Day 2 Ingredients
2 deep dish pie crusts (store-bought frozen crusts made without lard work great)
2 Tbsp butter, softened
4 eggs, beaten

DAY 2 Steps
Heat oven to 375F. If crusts are frozen, thaw them.

Spread the softened butter on the bottom pie crust, as if you are buttering bread.

Add beaten eggs to lemon mixture; mix well. Pour mixture into crust, arranging lemon slices evenly. Cover with the top crust. Cut several slits near center.

Bake for 45 minutes. The pie may need an additional 15 minutes in the oven until done: crust is golden and the filling doesn’t jiggle.

Adapted from a recipe originally printed in Norma MacMillan’s book In a Shaker Kitchen: 100 Recipes from the Shaker Tradition with refinements from Nigella Lawson’s book How To Eat.

One-Bowl Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

Cook’s notes: The batter puffs up over the fruit. Frozen and canned fruit work just as well as fresh in this delicious recipe. Double the recipe: Use a 9×13-inch dish.
1 cup buttermilk pancake mix
4 Tbsp (1/2  stick) butter
1/3 cup sugar (reduced from 1/2 cup)
3 cups sliced peaches (1 x 25 oz jar peaches, 14 oz net weight, drained)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup blueberries (we use frozen)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 375 F. Coat a 2-quart glass pan (either 8-inches square or a 9-inch glass pie pan) with cooking spray.

Melt butter right in the baking dish and use it as the mixing bowl. Add pancake mix, sugar, and milk to the melted butter. Stir with a fork until just combined. Batter will be lumpy — do not overmix. Scatter peach slices and blueberries evenly over batter. Lightly sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake 30 minutes or until light golden brown.

Adapted from Cooking with All Things Trader Joe’s

Mini Apple Pie in Muffin Tins

Yield: 6 pies

Cook’s notes: When you make these delightful little pies, remember to chop the apples much smaller than you would for a pie, about 1/4-inch cubes. The smaller pieces, for the smaller pies, will make eating easier and the appearance more appealing.
2 Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 pre-made pie crusts (store-bought, without lard)

Heat oven to 425F. If pie crust is frozen, begin thawing it.

Peel, core and chop the 2 Granny Smith apples. Toss the apples, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.

Unroll the pie crust on your work space. Use a rolling pin to press it flat and smooth. With a four-inch diameter cup, glass, or bowl, cut out six circle pieces of crust. Place one crust circle in each of six muffin spaces. Press the dough to mold it to the inside of each muffin cup. Evenly divide the apple mixture into the six crusted muffin cups.

Knead the leftover crust pieces and roll it out with your rolling pin. Cut thin strips of crust and place them over the little pies, first one way then the other, making a crisscross on each. Or use a second pie crust, cutting three-inch diameter pieces and covering the entire top of each tart. Make slits to allow the steam to escape.

Cut off any excess crust from the thin strips (or top crust) and press the edges of the top and bottom crusts together by pinching or using a fork.

Bake the muffin tin apple pies in a preheated 425 degree oven for 16 to 18 minutes. Check the pies at 16 minutes. Allow the tiny pies to cool within the muffin tin before removing them.

Adapted from ehow.com (link)

9 Apple Pie

Cook’s notes: This is a truly amazing pie. Roll the top crust out, because you have a lot of apples to fit in there! This pie is a hit at Thanksgiving or any holiday.

Mile-high apple pie...with almost no sugar

Pastry for a 9-inch double crust pie (I use two store-bought pie shells without lard)
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
9 apples — peeled, cored and sliced: use 3 Fuji, 3 Granny Smith, and 3 Gala apples
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter
Heat oven to 425 F.

In a large bowl mix together flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add apples and lemon juice. Toss until apples are thoroughly coated. Allow mixture to sit for 10 minutes.

Pour apples into pastry-lined pie plate (bottom shell). Dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Seal edges and cut steam vents in top crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, until crust is golden brown.
Adapted from a “No Sugar Apple Pie” recipe

Tried and Liked: Apple Pies in Muffin Tins

Ehow has an excellent article on making Mini Apple Pies. I followed their directions and got 6 apple pies from 2 pie crusts and 2 Granny Smith apples. Tips for following this recipe:

• Heat the oven before you begin the apple prep.
• Thaw frozen pie crusts and then roll them a little thinner
• Increase the cinnamon to 1 tsp.
• Check the pies after 16 minutes to make sure they don’t get too brown.

Cool the pies before taking them out of the muffin tins. And then enjoy eating a whole pie all by yourself.

Tried and Liked: No Sugar Apple Pie

Debbie Lollo posted a “Best Apple Pie” recipe on Allrecipes (link). We’ve come to rely on this recipe, which uses about 4 lbs. of apples and no added sugar or fake sweetener. This genius recipe uses 3 kinds of apples instead of a lot of sugar to sweeten the pie. Key tips:

• Store-bought pie shells are perfectly fine to use.
• For the 9 apples, we like a mix of 3 Fuji, 3 Granny Smith, and 3 Gala apples.
• Braeburn or Jonathan apples might also be good.
• McIntosh apples are too mushy for pie.

Overnight Cheesecake Pie

Cook’s Notes: A former coworker of mine shared this recipe with me; I don’t know where Meredith got the recipe from originally. It is fail-proof and delicious. The hard part is waiting for it to chill 12 hours before serving!

9-inch deep-dish graham cracker pie shell
3 x 8 oz packages (24 oz total) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp orange extract or rum flavor

Heat oven to 350°F.

Beat together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the melted butter and extract. Turn mixture into pie shell and bake 15 minutes. (see egg safety note below).

Cool pie. Refrigerate at least 12 hours before serving. Serve chilled.

Variation: Use almond extract instead of orange extract. Garnish with sliced almonds.

Egg Safety Note: If you are concerned about the quick cooking time for this recipe, check the filling temperature when you remove the pie from the oven. Per an FAQ on egg safety: In this recipe, eggs are diluted with other ingredients and sugar (more than 1/4 cup sugar per egg). Cook the egg mixture to 160°F, which will destroy harmful bacteria in a few seconds.

Brown Butter Pecan Pie

6 T (3/4 stick) butter
1 c brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 T maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp (1 large pinch) salt
1.5 c pecans (6 oz)
Unbaked 9″ pie shell (store-bought)

Heat oven to 350F.

Cook butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat until brown and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Whisk in sugar. Cook until sugar dissolves and mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature, about 25 minutes.

Beat eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt in a bowl to blend. Gradually stir in sugar mix from the skillet. Fold in the nuts. Pour into crust. Bake pie until crust is golden and filling is puffed and set in center, about 45 minutes. Cool pie completely; serve with whipped cream.

Source: Melissa DeMayo, Bon Appétit, November 2005 (modified)