CookWomanFood.com » Pies

Pineapple Pie

admin — Wed, 19 May 2010 00:15:19 +0000

Here is a treat for what ails you. Of course you need to like pineapple and it would help if you like pie too! I happen to love both. My husband’s birthday was the other day and I usually make the standard b-day cake, chocolate with white frosting with some nice writing on it. This year I decided to get out of the cake rut and bake him a birthday pie. This is one of his favorites and with canned pineapple it becomes an easy task. Easy recipe especially if a store bought crust is used, which btw, (not to be confused with wtf) I used as I am a terrible crust maker. Crust seems to fall apart in my fingers. Pillsbury makes a great one, roll it out, don’t even have to unfold it anymore. Love it! Tasty too. I just brush the top crust with some milk and sprinkle with a little sugar, and it never fails to please even harshest critic: the mother! Here is how to make the filling and put the pie together. Enjoy!

Pineapple Pie

2 lrg. cans of crushed pineapple in its own juice (undrained)
3 tbsps. cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

MIx all ingredients in a pan. Heat until thickened and then bring to a boil for 1 minute. Let cool for a few minutes. Pour into crust, cover with the top crust, seal, make a couple slits on the top, brush with milk, and then sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a 400* oven for about 35 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Note: If the pineapple mix is too warm, the crust will get a little mushy and stretch too much.

Pumpkin Pie

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 02:20:27 +0000

Pumpkin pie iorite pies. It is a texture thing for sure. I love to make it from scratch, using fresh pumpkin. Yum. It is quite easy to make. First I clean the pumpkin, usually a small sugar pumpkin. Carve out the stem, cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds and membranes, and then place in a large saucepan and add about 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender. Drain and scoop out the tastiest and freshest pumpkin possible. Then I make sure I use spices and a perfect pie crust. I am including the recipes for both the crust and the filling.

Single Pie Crust

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup Crisco
1/6 + a little more ice water, the colder the better

Pumpkin Pie
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground gingeg
1/2 teaspoon nutmet
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
2 cups pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Pour into pie shell.
3. Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until it passes the inserted knife test.

Easy as Apple Pie

admin — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 20:32:23 +0000

Easy as apple pie. All American as apple pie. My mother must be one of the founding mothers of this country’s all Americanism as she is probably the best apple pie maker in the entire country. Humble as she is she would definitely tah tah that statement. But, nonetheless, she is an incredible baker and pies are her specialty. She has the knack for an incredible, flaky crust that is light and tasty. Her apple mixture is also something that is very difficult to duplicate. She mostly uses Cortland apples which is a northeastern variety. It is a tart/sweet apple that is perfect for baking and eating. More important that the filling is the crust itself. Here is my mother’s recipe, which was her mother’s recipe, and now it is yours! Remember, making the perfect pie crust is an art. It takes practice, the correct tools, and then more practice.

Pie Crust-2 crusts
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup Crisco
1/3 + a little more ice water, the colder the better

1. Mix flour and salt together with a fork.
2. Add Crisco and cut in with a knife and fork.
3. Continue mixing with a pastry blender. Chop fine.
4. Pour water into flour mix. Start with 1/3 cup of the water. Mix and form a ball. It should stick together but not be too sticky (sticky sticky as Mom states )
5. Wrap the ball in waxed paper and refrigerate for 2 hours.
6.Divide the dough almost in half. The bottom crust should be slightly larger than the top crust. Roll out in a circle on a floured surface. Make sure that the crust is about a 1/4 inch larger than the pie plate. Place in the pie dish and trim so that the edge hangs evenly over the side about 1/4 inch. Brush milk on the outside edge.
7. Place the pie filling in the crust. (Recipe to follow)
8. Roll out the top crust. Fold in half to move, cut a few slits in the top. Place evenly on the top. Roll up the bottom crust and fold over the edge. Press the 2 edges together with either a fork or by crimping together with your fingers. (Look at picture)
9. Brush top with milk and sprinkle with sugar if desired.
10. Bake in a preheated 400* oven for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350* and continue baking for 45 minutes.

Single Pie Crust: Cut recipe in half

Single Pie Crust that needs to be baked before filling is added (such as for Lemon Meringue or a cream pie.)
Prepare half of above recipe. Fork stab the bottom a few times (good for getting out a few frustrations). Bake in a 350* oven for about 20 minutes.

Apple Pie Filling
8-10 apples depending on size
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup sugar (blend brown and white together for Mom’s special flavor)

Scan’s Pumpkin Delight

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:35:05 +0000

Check out the gooiness!

Here is an easy little recipe to follow that is very similar to pumpkin pie. My friend Ann, affectionately referred to as Scanny, (that’s a story for another day, a story from our youth when life was a bit wild), decided to bring along a dessert to her sister’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. She remembered this recipe from her baking days, came for a visit, and decided to put it together at my house. It is very good and definitely very similar to pumpkin pie, but as Ann, oops, Scan insists, it is a true delight!

Pumpkin Delight

1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped pecan or walnuts
4 eggs
1 30 oz. can pumpkin
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2/3 cup milk (evaporated okay)
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup butter (do not melt)

1. Set aside one cup of the cake mix.
2. Mix cake mix, melted butter, chopped pecans, and 1 egg.
3. Press into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan.
4. Prepare pumpkin layer by beating pumpkin, 3 eggs, milk, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice.
5. Pour into pan.
6. Mix reserved cake mix, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and the 1/4 cup firm butter. Mix until crumbly and sprinkle on the top.
7. Bake in a 350* for about 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
8. Serve warm or cool with whipped cream.

Fresh Pear Pie, a Delicacy of Autumn

admin — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:55:03 +0000

I am very fortunate to have a small, and I mean small, orchard growing on my property, right next to my house. Of the four trees, (did I mention it was small?), one is a pear. The trees produce quite an abundance of fruit, in fact too much for one family. The fruit is quite good, if you can get beyond the ugly spots. Once in a while we spray the trees in the spring, but usually do not. The fruit, however, is perfect for baking! My favorite, well, one of my favorite, is pear pie. Unfortunately I am in a race with a family of deer to see who will harvest the fruit first. Last year I noticed that the pear tree was abounding with fruit. I had everything prepared for baking and strolled outside with my basket. When I reached the tree there wasn’t a pear to be had!! This year I barely won the race. I managed a basketful of ripe pears, but barely. The little scavengers picked them and left many on the ground with only a couple bites taken of each pear.

Most people are accustomed to an occasional apple pie in the fall. When I mention pear pie, I usually get looks of scepticism. I tell you it is a texture thing. Pear pie is very delicious. I also used a store bought pie crust. My mom is the guru of pie crusts, I am not.

Pear Pie

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup unbleached flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
8 cups fresh sliced pears (I used bosc, a brown, hard pear)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. coarse sugar

Heat oven to 425*. Prepare the pastry.
Peel and slice the pears. Add in the sugar and flour.

Turn into the pie crust. Sprinkle with the lemon juice.
Put the cover pie crust on top. Smooch the edges.

Brush on milk and sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
Place a little foil on the edges of the crust.
Bake for about 45-50 minutes. Remove and cool.

Key Lime Cheesecake for Dessert Tomorrow Night!

admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:28:25 +0000

One of my favorite summer desserts is key lime pie. I also like cheesecake and since it is a favorite of many, why not combine the two and make a cheesecake? Here is a great recipe, just be sure to plan ahead as it needs to be quite chilled before removing from the pan. It is well worth the effort.

Key Lime Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 1/4 pounds cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons flour
3 eggs
3/4 cup lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cinnamon or cocoa for sprinkling

Crust:
Stir the graham cracker crumbs and 2 tablespoons sugar. Mix in the butter.
Pat the mixture into the bottom of a buttered 10 inch springform pan and bake the crust in a preheated 375*
oven for about 8 minutes, til browned.
Beat cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the sour cream, flour, lime juice, and vanilla.
Pour the filling over the crust. Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 250* and bake for 50 to 55 minutes longer, or until center is barely set.
Chill, remove from pan, garnish with whipped cream, lime slices, and some cinnamon or cocoa if desired.

Chocolate Mousse Pie with Raspberries for the 4th

admin — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:39:31 +0000

Ever get craving for chocolate? Don’t fret, you are a woman and human!! Totally normal!! Here is a great fix for chocolate. I love to add the raspberries for a nice blend. The raspberries and chocolate complement each other and each bite is a little taste sensation that is hard to beat!

Chocolate Mousse Pie

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 cups chocolate chips
2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 pint fresh raspberries

Mix graham cracker crumbs, cocoa and granulated sugar. Stir in butter and press into bottom and up side of a nine inch pie plate.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in a 350* oven. Remove and sprinkle 1/2 cup chocolate chips over bottom of the hot crust. Spread chocolate over bottom and up side of crust.

Melt 2 cups chocolate chips in 3/4 cup cream over low heat.

Beat remaining cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Fold 2 cups whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Pour over crust. Refrigerate until firm.

Place raspberries on top of pie. Garnish with remaining whipped cream.