Pecan Pie

I am not a pecan pie fan but my brother-in-law is so I found this recipe from Martha Stewart.  I have never made a pecan pie and of course I would want to try and alter it without ever trying it.  Our Thanksgiving party was a whooping 5 people so I opted for mini pies which worked out fantastic but that meant I needed to cut the recipe down.  The top recipe is for the full size pie and the smaller portion recipe is below.

1 pie crust
4 large eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups pecan halves
Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. with rack set in lowest position.

Using kitchen shears or a paring knife, trim dough to a 1-inch overhang. With floured fingers, fold overhang under itself to form a rim; pinch between thumb and forefinger to form a uniform edge around rim of pie plate. Crimp with fingertips. Transfer dough-lined pie plate to refrigerator.

Make filling: In a large bowl, whisk eggs, corn syrup, sugars, butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth; mix in pecans. Pour mixture into chilled pie crust; place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until filling jiggles slightly in the center when gently shaken, 50 to 60 minutes.

Cool pie completely in plate, 5 to 6 hours. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

2 mini pie crust
1 large eggs
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon & 1 teaspoon cup packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3/4 cup pecan halves
Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Bake 30 minutes

Pink Lemonade Pie

Another Pintrest recipe and if you want to make it exact you are going to have to go to the link.  It looked so yummy I just had to try it.  I cheated and bought a graham cracker crust and used cool whip instead of whipping cream.  Opted out of the pink coconut but used pink sugar sprinkles.  This is a freezer pie and it would be very refreshing for the summer.  I was also thinking of adding raspberries.  You could also it switch up and use Limeade.

Graham cracker pie crust

1 8-ounce packet of cream cheese, softened

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup pink lemonade concentrate (not mixed with water)

2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh or bottled)

Red food coloring
Cool Whip

Using the whip attachment and your stand-type mixer or with a handheld electric mixer, mix the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together on medium high speed until the mixture is smooth.  (If you place the sweetened condensed milk in the bowl first, the cream cheese will not stick to the bowl and you will have little need to scrape the sides.)

Add the lemonade concentrate and lemon juice and continue beating.  Color with red food coloring as desired.

Pour the mixture into the pie shell and place it in the freezer.  After frozen spread on thawed Cool Whip and return to freezer.  Remove from freezer a few minutes before cutting.

Mini Apple Pies

Four Granny Smith apples were in my Bountiful Basket and Steve will eat about every apple on the earth except these.  I like Granny Smiths with salt on them but pie sounded better.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and I like individual portions to help control what I put in my mouth but I have to remember to stop at one.

Pie Crust I made homemade but you could use store bought, I did have left over dough which I froze
4 cups apples, cut into small pieces
6 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 heaping teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

Mix apples with flour, sugar and cinnamon.

Roll out pie crust and cut 4" circles.  I have a graduating set of cookie cutters so these worked great because I used the smaller 3" circle for the tops.  Line each muffin tin with a crust.  Fill the crusts with your apple mixture, they will be mounded.

Divide the butter into 12 pieces and place one piece on top of each apple mound.  Cover with dough and bake at 400 for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.

Especially good served warm with vanilla ice cream. 

If you want just a little larger pie you can use the Chicago Metallic Nonstick Cup Pie Set.  The portions below will make 2 mini pies with tops.

 1 cup apple, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon & 1 1/2 teaspoons flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons butter

Bake at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Coconut Cream Pie

Thanksgiving is the only time I make this because Steve is the only one in my immediate family that will eat it. It is one of his favorites, it ranks right up there with banana cream.  I have also included the proportions for mini pies.

1 (9-inch) baked pastry shell
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 2/3 cups water
1 (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (7 oz.) sweetened, shredded coconut
Whipping cream or Cool Whip

In heavy medium sauce pan, dissolve cornstarch in water; stir in sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat; add margarine and vanilla. Cool slightly. Stir in coconut. Pour filling into pie shell. Chill 4 hours or until set. Serve with whipping cream.

4 mini pie crusts
1 T cornstarch
9 T water
4.67 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 egg yolk
2 t butter
1/4 t vanilla
coconut

Emeril's Chocolate Cream Pie

I was told that Robert and Jen would eat a chocolate cream pie so I went searching the internet. When I found this recipe by Emeril I knew that it had to be good. I cheated and used a pre-made chocolate crust, it was half the price of Oreos, but it was really tasty. Very rich!

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus 1 3/4 cups
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch salt
4 egg yolks
4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

1 (9-inch) Chocolate Cookie Crust, baked, recipe follows.

In a small saucepan combine sugar, 3/4 cup heavy cream, buttermilk, cornstarch and pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, whisking from time to time for the sugar and cornstarch to dissolve and the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking at a low boil for an additional 5 minutes, whisking constantly.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk over the heat until thoroughly combined and very thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the chocolate, butter and vanilla. Continue whisking until thoroughly combined (mixture will be very thick). Cover the mixture with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface and refrigerate until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Place 1 3/4 cups heavy cream in a chilled mixing bowl and add the confectioners' sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold about 1/4 of the whipped cream into the cool chocolate pudding mixture, then spoon the chocolate mixture into the prepared pie crust and refrigerate until firm and cool, at least 4 hours. Refrigerate the remaining whipped cream until you are ready to serve the pie.

When ready to serve, top the pie with the remaining sweetened whipped cream and serve immediately.

Graham crackers to yield 2 cups crumbs
Chocolate sandwich cookies (white centers removed) to yield 1 1/2 cups crumbs (recommended: Oreo)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, process the graham crackers and chocolate cookies to make crumbs.

In a bowl mix together the cookie crumbs, sugar and butter with your hands. Press the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan. (It will seem like an excessive amount of crumbs, but will compress down quite a bit with pressure.) Cover the crust with plastic wrap and top with another 9-inch pan, pressing quite firmly to make a smooth surface. Remove the pan and the plastic wrap from the pressed crust prior to placing it into the preheated oven. Bake the crust for 15 minutes.

Remove the crust from the oven and let cool completely before filling.
Yield: 1 (9-inch) crust

Razzleberry Pie

This recipe came from Becky with a few alterations. Maybe when she received this recipe it was for fresh berries but I had frozen berries and needed to change things up a bit. You could use any berries that you have, I used raspberries, marionberries and boysenberries.

5 cups water
3 1/3 cup sugar
2 cups blackberries
7/8 cup water
2/3 cup cornstarch
3 cups boysenberries
3 cups blackberries
2 cups raspberries

Combine water and sugar; bring to boil. Add blackberries; bring back to boil. Combine cornstarch and water; add to berry mixture and cook until thick. Fold in boysenberries and raspberries (DO NOT COOK). Cool and pour into 9" unbaked pie crust. Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Makes 4 pies.

Make ahead
After putting into crust, do not cut vents and freeze overnight. Wrap in cellophane and foil.

To cook, cut slits for vents, cover with foil and bake at 450 for 15 minutes; reduce to 375 bake 15 minutes more. Uncover and continue baking for 55 to 60 minutes.

Apple Galette

I tore this recipe out of a Sunset magazine and I love it because it is a lot easier than a traditional pie. I had to include their picture because it was so yummy looking. I really does taste as good as it looks and vanilla ice cream is a great compliment.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) plus 2 tablespoons cold butter
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1/2 cup walnuts
2 pounds tart apples (3 to 5), such as Pink Lady or Granny Smith
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg, beaten to blend with 1 tablespoon water

In a food processor or large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Cut 1/2 cup butter into pieces and add to flour mixture; pulse motor, cut in with a pastry blender, or rub in with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. With motor running (or stirring with a fork after each addition), add egg yolk and 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time; process or stir just until mixture comes together in a ball. Form dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill until firm but still pliable, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, spread walnuts in a baking pan and bake in a 375° oven until barely golden under skins, 6 to 8 minutes (leave oven on). Coarsely chop nuts.

Peel and core apples; cut each into eight wedges. In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. When it's foamy, add apples and stir often until slightly softened and brown at edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle brown sugar and nutmeg over fruit and stir until liquid is syrupy and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Stir in walnuts. Remove from heat.

Unwrap dough. On a lightly floured surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll into a round about 15 inches in diameter. Line a 12- by 15-inch baking sheet with cooking parchment (or butter the sheet well) and carefully transfer dough round to sheet (edges will hang over sheet).

Pour apple mixture onto center of pastry, mounding wedges in a circle about 8 inches wide and 2 inches high. Gently fold edges of dough over apples, pleating as you go, leaving an opening about 4 inches wide in the center. Brush pastry all over with beaten egg.

Bake in 375° oven until pastry is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced, 40 to 45 minutes (35 to 40 in a convection oven). Transfer galette (with parchment, if using) to a wire rack to cool. Transfer to a large plate, gently pulling parchment from under tart. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

I found this recipe in one of those little recipe books that you can buy at the checkout stand and it has become a favorite.  We never make just one because we like to eat leftovers.

Crust

1 (15 oz.) pkg. Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts or use Pie Crust recipes

Filling

2 cups diced cooked chicken

2 cups mixed vegetables, thawed

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 (12 oz.) jar roasted chicken gravy

Heat oven to 400.  Soften pie crust as directed on package.  Remove 1 crust from pouch; unfold crust. Place crust in bottom and up sides of a pie pan.

In medium saucepan, combine all filling ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high beat, stirring frequently. Pour into crust filled pan.

Remove second crust from pouch; unfold crust. With small cookie cutter or sharp knife, cut holes in crust. Top casserole with crust; seal edges with fork or flute, trimming edges if necessary.

Bake at 400 for 20 to 30 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden brown.  If necessary, cover edge of crust with strips of foil after 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning.

Make ahead recipe
Mix ingredients like above but you do not have to bring filling ingredients to a boil.  After putting on the top crust omit cutting holes in the crust and place into freezer.  When pie is frozen wrap with cellophane and foil and place a paper plate on top to protect the crust. 

To cook cut slits in top crust to vent then cover with foil and bake at 450 for 15 minutes; reduce to 375 bake 15 minutes more. Uncover and continue baking for 55 to 60 minutes.

Grandma Birrell's Lemon Tarts

Dad's favorite

2 cup sugar
1 egg
4 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix 3 ingredients together. Place pie dough in greased foil muffin papers and pour lemon filling in. Don't overfill because filling bubbles up and will overflow. Bake 10 minutes at 450.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Grandma Sillitoe loves lemon and she says this pie has the best flavor.  Mini pie proportions included below.

1 (9-inch) baked pastry shell
1 2/3 cups sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 300. In heavy saucepan, combine 1 1/3 cups sugar and cornstarch; add lemon juice. In small bowl, beat egg yolks; add to lemon mixture. Gradually add water, stirring constantly. Over medium heat, cook and stir until mixture boils and thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add margarine; stir until melted. Pour into prepared pastry shell. In small mixer bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form; gradually add remaining 1/3 cup sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Spread on top of pie, sealing carefully to edge of shell. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until golden. Cool. Chill before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

4 mini pie crusts
6 tablespoons & 2teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoons & 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons boiling water
1 1/2 teaspoons margarine or butter
pinch of cream of tartar

Banana Cream Pie

Use these three ingredients in place of the can of sweetened condensed milk - 1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons evaporated milk, 1 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons butter. Tried this and Steve said it tasted great!  Mini pie proportions below.

1 (9-inch) baked pastry shell
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 2/3 cups water
1 (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 medium bananas
Lemon juice
Whipping cream or Cool Whip

In heavy medium sauce pan, dissolve cornstarch in water; stir in sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat; add margarine and vanilla. Cool slightly. Slice bananas; dip in lemon juice and drain. Arrange on bottom of pasty shell. Pour filling over bananas; cover. Chill 4 hours or until set. Serve with whipping cream

4 mini pie crusts
1 T cornstarch
9 T water
4.67 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 egg yolk
2 t butter
1/4 t vanilla
bananas

Mini Fruit Tart Buffet

This is a great dessert because everyone gets to make it exactly the way they want it. I have also used pudding, chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, coconut and strawberries.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3/4 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 half-pints raspberries or blackberries
1 jar lemon or lime curd
1 jar caramel sauce

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Work in the butter with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Add 1/2 cup cold water and stir with a fork until the dough comes together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead just until smooth. Divide the dough in half and form each piece into a round; wrap each round in wax paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400. Invert a 12-cup muffin pan and lightly grease the outside bottoms and sides. Roll out 1 piece of dough on a lightly floured surface into a 10-inch round. Cut into four 4-inch rounds, reserving the scraps. Drape the 4-inch rounds over the muffin cups to mold into the cup shape. Repeat with the second piece of dough and any scraps, for a total of 12 tart shells. prick the flat surface of each shell all over with a fork and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Bake the tart shells on the muffin pan until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let the tart shells cool on the pan before removing.

In a large bowl, whip the cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Serve the tart shells on a tray with the whipped cream, berries, lemon or lime curd and caramel sauce in separate bowls.

Pie Crust

I took this recipe off of the Martha Stewart website.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup chilled (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Place flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and process for a few seconds to combine. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube, just until the dough holds together. Do not process for more than 30 seconds.

Turn dough out onto a work surface. Divide in two. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten, and form two discs. Wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using. Makes enough for one 9-inch double crust pie.

If making single crust pie bake at 450 for 10 to 12 minutes.