Key Lime Pie

My now-17-year-old son, Noah, had his birthday celebration with extended family yesterday, and I baked a Key Lime Pie, at his request. This has to go down as one of the easiest, but most enjoyed pies I have ever made. The birthday boy certainly enjoyed did, but we all "yummed" all the way through our portions as well. It set up well and cut beautifully.

I found the recipe at myrecipes.com, but, of course, modified it. I think a Key Lime Pie should have whipped cream on it to counter the tart filling, so that's what I did. I also cut some of the juice out because I was afraid it would be really tart based on the reviews. Because fresh key limes are not available at any of the stores I shop in, I used fresh Persian limes (the standard kind you find at the grocer). Recipe as thoroughly enjoyed below:

Key Lime Pie

1 ¼ cups graham crackers (buy the already crushed crumbs -- it's worth it)

2 T. sugar

¼ cup melted butter

2 (14 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk

¾ cups fresh-squeezed lime juice (use key limes if you can find them, but they are usually small and you'll have to squeeze a lot!)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 ½ cups whipping cream

4 T. powdered sugar

lime zest for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 325°. Mix graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and butter with hands; press firmly into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 325° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and let stand 15 minutes.

Whisk together condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs until well blended. Pour into crust, and bake at 325° for 18 to 20 minutes or until set. Chill at least 4 hours.

Combine whipping cream and powdered sugar. Whip until cream holds its peaks. Spread evenly over pie, and garnish, if desired.

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Source: modified from myrecipes.com

Frozen Key Lime Pie

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I stepped out the back door this morning to let the dog out, and the air felt cool, light, and oh-so-slightly fall-like. I could breathe. Oh my goodness, I think my lethargy this past summer might have something to do with lower oxygen levels in my blood -- for the humidity all summer long I felt like I could hardly breathe.

Anyway, when I got that breath of fresh, cool air this morning, I realized there were some yummy summer recipes that I had not yet shared with you, one of which being this wonderful Frozen Key Lime Pie. I, myself, am not big on Key Lime Pie, but I tell you, I could have eaten this entire pie by myself, it was that good. The recipes comes from my new, favorite ice cream cookbook, A Passion for Ice Cream.

One thing I like about this cookbook is it not only offers great ice cream recipes, but it offers recipes using those great ice creams. This recipe, however, does not use ice cream -- it's made to be just this pie. The crust is made with sugar cone crumbs (yum!), and it is topped with a macadamia nut whipped cream, which we unfortunately had to do without because of my son's tree nut/peanut allergy (I'm sure it's wonderful, however and I have included the measure of nuts in the ingredients in case you want to use them). If you don't use the nut cream you could top the pie with some grated lime peel, or just leave is clean like I did.

Note: I used Rose's lime juice instead of key lime juice as neither key limes nor their juice are available at any of my local grocers.

Frozen Key Lime Pie

serves 8-10

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12 sugar cones, broken up

6 T. butter, melted

6 large egg yolks

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 cup Key Lime juice (I substituted Rose's lime juice available either in the juice aisle or with bar mixers)

1/8 t. salt

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Whipped topping

3/4 c. whipping cream

1 T. sugar

1/4 t. vanilla

2/3 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and roughly chopped (optional)

Place sugar cones in processor and grind them to fine crumbs. Add butter and pulse until combined. Press the crumbs in the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Place in the freezer.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, eggs and sugar. Whisk in lime juice and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant spatula or wooden spoon, until thick, about 8 minutes. (The curd is done when you can briefly see the bottom of the pan as you stir.) Pour curd into a bowl set inside an ice bath and cool. 

When curd is cool, whip the 1 cup whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold cream into curd. Pour into shell and freeze for at least four hours or until firm.

To serve: whip cream with sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold in nuts if using. Spread over pie and serve.

To make ahead: cover pie tightly and freeze for up to 2 days. Whipped cream can be made up to three hours ahead and placed on pie at serving time. (I found that the cream tasted just as good on the leftover pie after it had frozen, so this is your choice -- frozen cream or soft cream).

Modified from A Passion for Ice Cream

A Peach of a Saint Pie

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For the feast of Saint Anne I looked for something special to make that had some significance to her. Apparently lobster is a traditional dish, but I wasn't planning to spend quite that much. ;-)

Catholicculture.org mentioned that fruit pie is a traditional treat because her feast day, and the feast of her husband St. Joachim, is mid-summer, and fruit is certainly plentiful, not to mention delicious. I decided a Peach Pie was in order because St. Anne is certainly a peach of a saint: the mother of the Blessed Mother, the grandmother of our Lord Jesus? Yup, she's a peach.

This recipe is based on my Apple Crumble Pie recipe, but with adjusted thickener and sugar and a splash or two of amaretto for added depth. The amaretto is not absolutely necessary but nice. And if you go for it, you can also add a handful of sliced almonds to the topping. I would have if I had any.

A Peach of a Saint Pie

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1/4 cup sugar, divided
1/4 c. flour
6 medium to large peaches, peeled and sliced in bite size pieces (just use a potato peeler)
1 T. lemon juice

2 T. amaretto (optional)

3 T. butter
Pastry for single-crust pie prepared and placed in 9" pie dish (the one I use is here)

1/2 cup sugar
½ cup flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
¼ cup butter

1/4 cup sliced almonds


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl (the same one you use to make the crust is fine), sprinkle peach slices with lemon juice and toss. Add 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup flour and toss. Sprinkle with amaretto and toss. Pour in prepared crust. Dot with 3 T. butter cut in small pieces.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour and spices. Cut in 1/4 cup butter until crumbly. Add almonds, if using, and sprinkle atop peaches.

Bake for an hour. Serve warm or room temperature.

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Buttermilk Pie

I baked this pie several weeks ago (it was in my backlog of recipes to post) and I realized I had better get it up because you might just need to bake it for Thanksgiving. I understand, from reading other blog posts about this pie, that it is a traditional Thanksgiving dish in many places.

I admit I wasn't sure when I looked at the ingredients if my family would like this pie (or even me for that matter). Buttermilk? In a pie? Isn't buttermilk kind of tangy and oddly textured -- sort of thick, sort of runny? Well, yes it is. But, I told myself, it works well in all sorts of sweet treats, like pancakes and waffles. Why not pie? Besides it has loads of sugar to sweeten it up. And my Southern mama's heart really wanted to bake a Buttermilk Pie. It just sounds Southern doesn't it? Especially if you say "pie" like Paula does.

I thought the texture of this pie would be like Custard Pie, which my family does indeed love. But it is not. It is more firm than Custard -- more like a Chess Pie. The recipe I used came from Katy's Kitchen -- isn't her pie pretty? I felt badly that I forgot to take a picture of my pie before I cut into it, but that's real life, isn't it? And I only felt badly until I bit into my piece of pie. Mmm, sweet, but not too sweet. Good texture, good flavor. Yum. It would indeed make a great addition to the Thanksgiving dessert buffet -- just a little sliver of Buttermilk Pie next to a little sliver of Pumpkin Pie -- perfect! This pie could hardly be easier -- I guess if you used a frozen or refrigerator crust it would be incredible simple -- as easy as pie!

I think I may have to add this one to my Thanksgiving menu -- just one more pie won't hurt!

Southern Buttermilk Pie

1 10-inch pie shell, unbaked (I used a 9 1/2 inch deep dish Pyrex pie pan)
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add flour and eggs and beat well. Add buttermilk and vanilla. Blend. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake for 50 minutes to one hour.

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Source: Katy's Kitchen

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A Peach of a Blueberry Pie...

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...Blueberry Peach Crumble Pie to be precise. For the feast of Our Blessed Mother's nativity, we celebrated with pie...the usual birthday dessert in our house. And because it was Our Blessed Mother's birthday, I chose to make a blueberry pie, with a couple of peaches added for extra yum, and a crumble topping because it's my favorite.

Blueberry Peach Crumble Pie
serves 6-8

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2 cups blueberries rinsed and patted dry
two large peaches, peeled and diced
3/4 c. sugar (if fruit is very sweet cut this measure back to 1/2 cup)
3 T. flour
1 T. fresh, strained lemon juice
1/8 t. salt
Single pie crust (if you need a crust recipe, you can find the one I use here)

Crumble

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ginger
1/2 cup flour
4 T. butter



Prepare pie pan with bottom crust.

Mix the fruit, sugar, flour, lemon juice and salt (do this gently with your hands to prevent breaking the berries). Place in pie crust.

Crumble: Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour and spices. Cut in the butter until crumbly and sprinkle on top of the fruit.

Bake the pie at 375 degrees F in the lower third of the oven for 30 minutes. Place a baking sheet under pie. Bake until thick juices bubble in the middle, about 30 minutes longer.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

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It must be the season for fruit pie bars -- just in the past few days I've seen peach bars, blackberry bars, lemon bars. They are all delicious ways to make an easy-to-bake and easy-to-eat pie. We went to the home of dear friends last week to swim in their pool and enjoy pizza, salad, sangria and dessert. They provided the pool and we provided the rest. The pizza we picked up, the sangria came in a bottle, the salad was just a quick toss, and the dessert was Blueberry Crumb Bars. These yummy little bars were sweet and tart with a little bit of lemon zest and some slightly tart blueberries. If I had tasted the blueberries, I would have added more sugar, but everyone seemed to like the bars with a little zip to them. The recipe is super easy -- you can put them together before the oven preheats. I found the recipe at allrecipes and only modified it a little -- I think the next time I make them I'll substitute half the Crisco with butter -- I bet the crumb would be even tastier.

Blueberry Crumb Bars
24 bars

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1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shortening
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 pinch ground cinnamon (optional -- I did not use)
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons cornstarch
zest of one lemon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan. In a large mixing bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and cinnamon, if desired. Add shortening and using the whisk attachment of the mixer, stir slowly until dough is crumbly (alternately you can cut the egg and shortening in with a pastry cutter). Add egg and mix to combine. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Source: modified from allrecipes.com

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Key Lime Pie

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I must have seen a Key Lime Pie recently...I don't remember where or when, but I couldn't get it out of my head. It's not a pie I usually choose to make or eat, but I have had a hankerin'.

This was a very easy recipe, though not a true-blue Key Lime Pie. First there's the issue of Key limes. I can't get them in Ohio, so regular limes are what I used, but honestly, I don't know if I could tell the difference -- Key Limes are supposedly a little stronger and more acidic. Then there is the issue of egg substitute, which I almost didn't use at the last minute, but it was good -- very good. I'll probably try another recipe or two just to see what I think, but this pie was so easy and so good that another recipe would have to be five stars to replace this one.

I did replace the Cool Whip that was called for in the original recipe with whipped cream -- I just can't use Cool Whip even it it cuts out fat. You could also top it with meringue, but I like whipped cream (meringue would be lower in fat than cream, and taste better than Cool Whip). Mine turned out softer than the photo at myrecipes, but it was plenty firm to cut and serve. I also made my own crust. Use a low-fat, pre-made crust if you want to retain more of the reduce-fat qualities in the original recipe.

Key Lime Pie
serves 6-8

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1 can fat-free sweetened condensed milk (14-oz.)
¾ cup egg substitute
½ cup fresh lime juice
2 t. grated lime rind (about 2 limes)
1 graham cracker crust (ready made or see below)
1 cup whipping cream
¼ can powdered sugar

Process first 4 ingredients in a mixer until smooth. Pour mixture into piecrust.

Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Let pie cool completely, then chill if desired (I did). At serving time, top with whipped cream. Garnish, if desired (with shreds of lime peel),

Whipped Cream: whip whipping cream at high speed with powdered sugar until soft peaks hold.
Graham cracker crust: mix 1 1/2 finely crushed graham cracker crumbs with 1/3 c. melted butter and 1/4 c. sugar. Mix thoroughly. Press in a 9-inch pie pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 9 minutes. Cool completely.

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Grasshopper Pie -- or Parfait

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For the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist yesterday, I made a Grasshopper Pie. That's as close as I was getting to locusts and honey. Yeah, I'm a wimp that way.

The pie was a huge hit at my house -- my children had apparently never had Grasshopper Pie, even though mint and chocolate are very popular flavors around here (you will always find York Peppermint Patties in my husband's "secret" hiding place, and you'll almost always find mint chocolate chip ice cream in the freezer -- unless it's almost shopping day and we're out). The recipe came from Sugar Plum: Vision of Sweets and I would make it exactly the same again. As I was enjoying it, however, I was thinking about Charlotte's parfaits and realized the filling of the pie would be wonderful layered with chocolate pudding, Oreo cookie crumbs and whipped cream. To me, parfaits just look so special, so celebratory -- I think my kids would like them even better than the pie. So, note to self: next year on this feast day, use the filling and make pretty Grasshopper Parfaits.

This pie, however, would make a cool and creamy ending to any summer supper.

Grasshopper Pie
makes 8 servings

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2 cups finely ground Oreo cookie crumbs
4 T. unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups heavy cream, divided
2 T. cornstarch
1t. vanilla extract
1 t. green peppermint extract (I was not able to find green extract, so I used extra green food coloring -- probably 6 - 8 drops in all)
Green food coloring
24 Andes mints, coarsely chopped (I used more like 28 -- more is better!)
2 T. granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, stir together cookie crumbs and melted butter until well combined; press into 9-inch pie dish. Bake 6-8 minutes or until crisp. Cool completely.

Whisk eggs together in a large bowl until combined. In a medium saucepan, whisk together condensed milk, 1 cup heavy cream, and cornstarch until combined; bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking frequently. Gradually whisk half of the hot cream into eggs until combined; slowly whisk egg mixture into saucepan. Cook mixture for 4-5 minutes or until it thickens up and coats the back of a spoon. I let it almost come to a simmer. Remove custard from heat and strain into a large mixing bowl. Lightly cover and refrigerate until cold - about 1 hour (probably need a little longer).

Beat vanilla, peppermint extract, and a few drops of green food coloring into cooled custard, using a mixer on high speed. Beat mixture for 2 minutes or until creamy and fluffy (I can't say mine ever got fluffy -- but it was definitely creamy). Gently stir half (I used 15) of the chopped mints into custard; evenly spread custard into pie crust.

To make the whipped cream, beat additional 1 cup heavy cream and sugar in a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on high speed, until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream over top of pie. Garnish with additional chopped mints. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: Sugar Plum-- Visions of Sweets

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White Chocolate Berry Pie

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aka Pentecost Pie





When thinking about what to make to celebrate our Church's birthday today, I didn't think long before I thought of this yummy, fresh strawberry pie. As we are (most of us) pie people in my house, I thought "pie" because my children usually request pie for their birthday dessert. And I thought "strawberry" because when sliced, strawberries look just like red flames. Layered over a bed of white chocolate whipped cream, this berry pie is so delicious and refreshing. It's not too filling, and even though it's perfect for Pentecost with sliced strawberries, I have a feeling it would be wonderful with any fresh berry on top.

Today when I made it, I had assumed I had an orange in the produce drawer. Alas, I did not, but I can assure you, after tasting the filling, it is just as good with lemon peel. I use a pre-made graham cracker crust because the darling of the pie is most definitely the filling and the berries. You could certainly use a homemade graham cracker or even a regular baked and cooled pie crust instead.

btw -- I accidentally put all five ounces of melted chocolate in the filling and didn't feel like melting more for drizzle -- so my "flames" are drizzle-less.

The recipe came to me through a friend from Taste of Home.

White Chocolate Berry Pie

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5 oz. white chocolate, divided
2 T. milk
1 cup whipping cream
3 oz. cream cheese
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1 t. grated orange peel
1 graham cracker crust - 9 inch
2 cups fresh sliced strawberries


In a microwave or over double boiler, melt 4 oz. of white chocolate with milk. Cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, beat whipping cream until stiff and fluffy. Remove from mixer bowl to another bowl. Then, beat cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth. Beat in orange peel and melted chocolate. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon into crust; smooth. Arrange strawberries on top. Melt remaining chocolate; drizzle over berries. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Store in refrigerator.

Source: Taste of Home magazine

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Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

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Yesterday I celebrated "Be Nice to Your Husband Day" and baked him a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, his very favorite. The bonus for him in baking a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie is that he is the only one who eats it. It's too tart for me (and probably too much acid for my IC), and the kids don't like fruit pies that much. He shared a portion of the pie with his dad, but he'll have leftovers for a few days.

Because I did not eat the pie, it's probably not fair to put the recipe here (I never trust a cook who doesn't eat her food), but my husband assured me it was a Five Star recipe. The fact that he ate more than a quarter of it last night should be testimony enough.

The recipe is modified from Simply Recipes. I tossed out "orange peel?" when I saw it in the ingredients list and my husband resoundingly said "no." I also upped the tapioca by just a bit, and I used my own pie crust recipe.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

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3 cups rhubarb stalks cut into 1/2 inch pieces (make sure you trim the stringy outer layer and remove any part of the leaves, which are poisonous)

1 cup strawberries, stemmed and sliced

1 cup sugar

3 1/2 T. quick cooking tapioca

1/4 t. salt

Unbaked pastry for two-crust 9-inch crust


Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix the rhubarb and the strawberries with the sugar, tapioca, and salt. Let sit for 10 minutes.



Turn into a pastry lined pan. Top with the pastry, trim the edge, and crimp the top and bottom edges together. Cut slits in the top for the steam to escape.


Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 350°F, and bake an additional 40 minutes longer. Cool on a rack.



Serve warm or cold. If you do cool to room temperature, the juices will have more time to thicken.

Pie Crust

one single-crust pie shell
(double for the Strawberry Rhubarb pie)

1 1/3 c. flour
½ t. salt
½ cup Crisco
3 T. cold water

Measure flour and salt into a medium bowl.
Add Crisco and blend with a pastry cutter
until Crisco is small crumbs.
Add water by the tablespoonful and blend with a fork.

Berry Berry Pie

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On Sunday, we were invited to go for pizza with Doug's parents, and I offered to bring dessert to enjoy at the house afterward. Doug and his family are big fruit pie fans, so I planned to bring a Strawberry Rhubarb, my husband's personal favorite. I couldn't find rhubarb anywhere, however, so I settled with Strawberry Blueberry, which was a huge hit. My favorite is Blueberry Pie (or maybe it's Cherry, I just can't decide), but I really liked the little bit of tartness from the strawberries. I thought I'd write it down, so I don't forget the combination. The recipe is the standard fruit pie recipe in the Joy of Cooking, found here. You can see from the picture that my pie was very juicy, but the juices thickened perfectly and it cut in perfect slices. Top with vanilla ice cream!

Strawberry Blueberry Pie

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3 cups blueberries (I used frozen)
2 cups diced fresh strawberries
3/4 c. sugar
4 T. quick-cooking tapioca
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/8 t. salt
3 T. unsalted butter, cut into small bits
double pie crust I use the one here; doubled and the second one cut into strips for lattice in this pie)

Prepare pie pan with bottom crust.

Mix the berries, sugar, thickener, lemon juice and salt (do this gently with your hands to prevent breaking the berries) and let stand for 15 minutes.

Dot the butter over the filling, then cover with a lattice for the top (here's a great tutorial if you've never done it before). Brush with cream, or milk, and sprinkle with sugar, if desired.

Bake the pie at 425 degrees F in the lower third of the oven for 30 minutes. Place a baking sheet under pie and lower oven temp to 350 degrees. Bake until thick juices bubble, about 30 minutes longer.

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Put-the-Lime-in-the-Coconut Chess Pie

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Last Sunday the weather had taken a turn for the better, the sun was shining, and I was in the mood for something tropical. I don't know why, but lime and coconut seemed to be the flavors I wanted, so I created my own take on the very tasty chess pie. I have made chocolate chess pie and lemon chess pie and it was not a far stretch to get lime and coconut. It was very tasty -- tangy and rich. And the texture with the coconut was gooey with a crunch. Yum.

Maybe you can squeeze it in for a Sunday supper sometime very soon. It's a little taste of sunshine!

Put-the-Lime-in-the-Coconut Chess Pie

1 9-inch pie crust
2 c. sugar
2 T. cornmeal
1 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. butter, melted and cooled
2 T. milk
3 T. lime juice
zest from one lime
1/2 t. vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. coconut, toasted in the oven or in a pan

Preheat oven to 425°.

Place crimped and pricked pie shell in oven and bake for about 7 minutes. Cool.

Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Stir together sugar and remaining ingredients -- except eggs and coconut. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring well. Stir in toasted coconut. Pour into piecrust.

Bake at 350° for 50 to 55 minutes, tenting pie with aluminum foil if top or edges begin to get too brown.

Cool completely on a wire rack.

Serve with whipping cream and additional toasted coconut, if desired.

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Tollhouse Pie

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This pie is a favorite among the chocolate lovers in my house (everyone!). It's a breeze to put together, you want to eat it warm, and so you can make it, bake it, and eat it within just a few hours. We love it served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and whenever I have served it to company, it's always been a hit! I make mine without nuts because of allergies, but I think it would be fabulous with.

Tollhouse Pie

2 eggs
½ c. flour
½ c. sugar
½ c. brown sugar
1 c. butter, melted and cooled
6 oz. chocolate chips (1 cup)
1 c. chopped walnuts, optional
9-inch unbaked pie shell
whipped cream or ice cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In large bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Add flour, sugar and brown sugar; beat until well blended. Stir in melted butter. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour into pie shell and bake for one hour, until pie is puffed in the center and center is set. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

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Lemon Meringue Pie

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This dessert is a favorite in my house with my husband and all my children (especially my men folk) -- they are all lemon lovers. I can take it or leave it, but the challenges presented in making one keep me interested in creating the perfect pie. If you've ever made a lemon meringue pie, you know those challenges -- creating a filling that holds up and doesn't run all over the plate when sliced, and creating a meringue that neither shrinks up nor weeps like a teenage girl.

This recipe is perfect, but depending on the weather and the temperature in the house, my meringue can shrink and/or weep -- there are some factors that are just beyond my control. These pies are beautiful right out of the oven, but the meringue did shrink a little bit by the time we cut the pies six hours later. The filling was perfect, in flavor and substance, however.

I have noticed, in my hunt for the perfect lemon filling, that lemon meringue pie recipes can vary greatly. Some contain milk, others not. Some call for extract and others only grated peel, and others, niether. Mine is smooth -- I have omitted the peel because my family likes a perfectly smooth filling. And I have included extract because they like it extra lemony. I used a recipe from Taste of Home as starting point for the filling, but the crust and meringue are the ones I always use and have tweaked for my family.

Lemon Meringue Pie
serves 6 - 8

one recipe for a 9" pie crust, prebaked and cooled
(mine can be found here -- bake at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes)

1-1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
3 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 t. salt
1-1/2 c. water
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 T. butter
1/3 c. lemon juice
1 t. lemon extract

4 egg whites
1/4 t. cream of tartar
6 T. sugar
1/4 t. vanilla

Pre-bake pie crust and cool.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually stir in water. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Gradually stir 1 cup hot filling into egg yolks; return all to pan. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the butter until melted. Stir in lemon juice and extract. Pour hot filling into crust.

Beat four egg whites with cream of tartar.
Slowly sprinkle in sugar and add extract, beating on high until whites are stiff and glossy and hold their peaks. Spread carefully and evenly over hot filling and push meringue up against edges of crust. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, until peaks are golden brown -- being careful not too brown too much. Cool for at least and hour and then refrigerate to serve chilled or serve at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers.

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Blueberry Cream Pie

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For the Feast of Our Blessed Mother's Nativity, I bought everything to make this delicious pie. And then we drove fours hours to pick up a puppy and the pie never happened. I used the blueberries in a Buckle and saved the idea for the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary instead. We had company over and everyone enjoyed end-of-summer blueberries over a base of vanilla creaminess. You don't have to limit yourself to Mary's feast days or summer for this pie though. Blueberries are usually available all year 'round (although they can get pricey in the winter).

Blueberry Cream Pie
serves 8 to 10

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9-inch pie crust, prebaked and cooled

1 sml. box instant vanilla pudding
1 c. milk
1 1/2 c. whipping cream
¼ t. vanilla

3 c. blueberries, washed and picked over for stems
2 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. sugar
juice of half a lemon
1/4 c. water

Place milk and whipping cream in mixer bowl. Add pudding mix and vanilla and whip until it holds its peaks. Spoon into cooled pie shell and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Mix cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice, water, and 1 cup blueberries in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook over med-low heat until berries burst and sauce is thick. Add a tablespoon or so of water if necessary for a good consistency (depending on how juicy the berries and lemon are the sauce can thicken too much -- you want the consistency of pie filling). Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup more berries. Cool for about 15 minutes.

Top cream with berries -- being gentle so as to not disturb the cream filling. Top with remaining 1 cup berries. Refrigerate until ready to serve -- at least two hours.

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Cherry Pie

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A few months ago I teased you by posting just a picture of my mother-in-law's Cherry Pie. My in-laws have a cherry tree in their back yard and they get several pies worth of cherries each year that they pit and freeze (actually my father-in-law does that part). For Labor Day supper my mother-in-law baked another pie and this time I got the recipe. Cherry is probably my favorite fruit pie, with blueberry a close second, and this pie was absolutely perfect. Just the right amount of tart and sweet and the perfect consistency.

Honestly, I think it takes years of baking to get this kind of pie just right, because fruit pies always vary in sweetness and juiciness depending on the fruit. But, I think you will get a pretty good pie with this recipe whether your cherries come from the tree in your back yard or from the freezer section of your grocer. I asked my mother-in-law if she drained her fruit and she said that she used the cherries half frozen and they didn't have any juice. If yours are very juicy, you might want to up the tapioca by a tablespoon.

Not a great picture this time, but I guarantee it tasted better than it looks here.

Cherry Pie

4 c. frozen tart cherries, partially thawed
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 T. Minute tapioca
4 T. butter, diced into smaller bits
double pie crust (you can find my mother-in-law's here)

In a bowl, toss cherries with sugar and tapioca. Pour into bottom pie crust in pie plate. Dot with butter. Top with top crust -- either a lattice crust (how to here) or a vented top crust. Bake at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature and bake for 30 minutes longer.

Banana Cream Coconut Pie

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I can't explain it, but I seem to only have desserts to post these days. I guess I have sweets on the brain. I know my husband does -- he's the one who requested this one. Not too long ago he said it had been a long time since he had a Banana Cream Pie. Oh, poor boy. I tucked that thought away and last week I indulged him. I can't say this is an award-winning recipe, but it was good -- cold and creamy and very bananay. I cheated by using a box of Jell-O Cook and Serve Pudding, but after my experience with the banana pudding in the Banana Chocolate Chippers I thought it was worth a try. Normally I make a vanilla pudding from scratch for Banana Cream Pie, but honestly this was just as good, and much easier. If you're a purest, you can use the recipe for pudding at this post instead of the banana pudding. Definitely make your own graham cracker crust -- it is really crucial to the overall Banana Cream pie experience. If you're not a big fan of coconut, you can easily leave it out.

Banana Cream Coconut Pie
serves 8

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (24 squares)
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter, melted
pinch nutmeg

1 large box (5 oz.) Jell-O Banana Cook and Serve Pudding,
cooked with 3 cups whole milk
3 bananas

2 cups whipping cream
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 cup coconut, toasted in the oven at 400 degrees F until golden brown, cooled


Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter and nutmeg. Press into bottom and sides of 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

When pie crust is cool, prepare pudding according to package directions with 3 cups milk. While pudding cools a few minutes, slice bananas crosswise and place them around the bottom of the pie. Pour pudding onto bananas. Cover with a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap stuck directly onto the pudding. Chill until cold -- several hours.

At serving time, whip cream with powdered sugar.
Spread over the pie and sprinkle with toasted coconut.



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Blackberry Pie

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The simplest things in life often give the greatest pleasure. What is more simple than a fruit pie? Nothing fussy, just the beauty of ripe fruit cooked to a lush juiciness. A scoop of vanilla ice cream, melted around the edges. Mmmm.

My husband asked me for a blackberry pie a few weeks ago. I held that thought in the back of my mind and when I was grocery shopping Saturday, I picked up some pints. Big, fat, juicy, sweet-tart blackberries.

I used the Joy of Cooking recipe, which is really so very simple, and can be made with any fruit. My pie ended up a little on the runny side, but better wet than dry, when it comes to pie (I'm a poet and I didn't know it). ;-) I used tapioca for thickening, but just as often use flour. Maybe flour would have been a better choice for my blackberries.

We're having a crowd over the weekend for the Fourth. I'm planning a few more of these -- definitely a blueberry, my personal favorite, and maybe a peach, or maybe an apple. Apple pie on the Fourth of July. Sounds good.

(Any) Fruit Pie

5 cups sliced fruit or berries
3/4 c. sugar (see note below)
3 T. quick-cooking tapioca or cornstarch (see note below)
1 T. fresh, strained lemon juice
1/8 t. salt
3 T. unsalted butter, cut into small bits
double pie crust (if you need a crust recipe, you can find the one I use here; just double it for this pie)

Prepare pie pan with bottom crust.

Mix the fruit, sugar, thickener, lemon juice and salt (do this gently with your hands to prevent breaking the berries) and let stand for 15 minutes.

Dot the butter over the filling, then cover with the top crust, or make a lattice for the top. Bake the pie at 425 degrees F in the lower third of the oven for 30 minutes. Place a baking sheet under pie and lower oven temp to 350 degrees. Bake until thick juices bubble through vents, about 30 minutes longer.

NOTE on sugar: tart fruits, such as cherries, rhubarb, cranberries, gooseberries, blackberries, fresh currants and green tomatoes require 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar. I recommend tasting the fruit, if in doubt, to see how sweet it is. My blackberries were not so tart, so I stuck with the original measure of sugar.

NOTE on thickener: Ideally, the amount of thickener should be adjusted according to the juiciness of the fruit. This can be tricky, though, because you just don't know until the fruit cooks, how juicy it can be. From Joy of Cooking: While flour is still a popular choice for thickener for home cooks, cornstarch or quick-cooking tapioca produces clearer fillings, and a smoother, more melting consistency. The exception is apple pie which seems to benefit from the creaminess that flour imparts. Of course, you may thicken any fruit pie with flour. Use as much flour as cornstarch or tapioca.

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Rhubarb Streusel Pie

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My husband might soon leave me and go take up with one of those Mennonite girls. Just kidding, but he really is quite a fan of their recipes. I made this Rhubarb Streusel Pie over the weekend and he said it was the best rhubarb pie he ever ate, though you better not tell his mama.

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Cherry Pie a la mode

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...for breakfast. I know it's Lent, but to waste is a sin. :o)




Sorry, I have no recipe -- it was my mother-in-law's contribution to Sunday dinner. The cherries are from their very own tree (I'm sorry; that was just mean.)

UPDATE
At Margaret's request, my mother-in-law's pie crust recipe (I was surprised at how close it is to my own):

Pie Crust

1-1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup plus 1 T. Butter Crisco
1/2 t. salt
4 T. ice water

Measure flour and salt into a medium bowl.
Add Crisco and blend with a pastry cutter
until Crisco is small crumbs.
Add water by the tablespoonful and blend with a fork.

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