Old-Fashioned Apple Pie for Thanksgiving

You’ve heard that phrase, “As American as apple pie.”   Well, come to find out ~ that’s not actually true.  

The most iconic pie of America’s culture is not American at all.  Apples were, in fact, brought to America in the 17th century by Europeans.  

Bourbon-Pecan Pie

Not much

can be better than a pecan pie ~

unless it’s a pecan pie with a healthy splash of 

bourbon!

You can overwhelm a recipe by using too much liquor, just a touch intensifies flavors; moreover, using a less-expensive bourbon that has not aged, will make your pie filling thin instead of deep and complex.  

The rich nutty flavor of pecans, the buttery distinction of dark caramel, and the spicy woody taste of bourbon, make this pie a rich delicious experience that’s a great finish to any meal or treat any time of the day.

This is a great recipe for one of my favorite pies!

A perfect Thanksgiving Dinner Dessert, but I’m saving a slice for breakfast…


Bourbon-Pecan Pie
Printable recipe 

Ingredients:

Crust for one 9” pie*
¾ cup granulated sugar
1½ cups dark corn syrup
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons flour
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons bourbon (I use Maker’s Mark)
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups pecans

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Using a hand mixer, combine sugar, syrup, salt, flour, and eggs, mixing well.
Stir in remaining ingredients and pour into unbaked pie shell.
Line pie crust edge with foil, if needed to prevent excessive browning.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out relatively clean.
Remove from oven and place on cooling rack, allowing pie to rest for about 3 hours to set.
*Link to my pie crust recipe



ENJOY!

On this Thanksgiving Day

it seems more important than ever

to count our blessings.

May God bless you and yours

with

Peace, Good Health, Prosperity and

Much Happiness.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Spicy Pumpkin Pie with a Story

Bill is the pumpkin pie connoisseur in this family, and he likes it spicy!

This pie is synonymous with this time of year and it’s always a great dessert.

I cannot even think of pumpkin pie without remembering a neighbor who lived beside us in Louisville years ago.  She ran over to me one day with a “pumpkin pie” in her hand, asking what happened to it…

“Uhhhhh, oh my gosh, Beth!”

She bought a large pumpkin, scooped out the stringy stuff and seeds, and set them aside; next, she threw the flesh (meat for pies) into the trash.  Then she proceeded to make her pumpkin pie ~ of stringy stuff and seeds mixed with evaporated milk and spices ~ poured the conglomeration into a pie shell and baked it.

It was disgusting!  She was upset, ready to bawl, while I tried controlling myself by not laughing hysterically until she left!

‘Nuf said, here’s the recipe for a spicy pumpkin pie, it’s delicious!

Spicy Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 can (16-ounces) pumpkin
¾ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
1 can (12-oounces) evaporated milk
Pastry for 9” one-crust pie*

Method:

Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Beat eggs slightly with a whisk.
Beat in remaining ingredients.
Pour into unbaked pie shell.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.
Bake for 45-50 minutes longer until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Transfer to wire rack and cool.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
*My pie crust recipe is way back here.  

ENJOY!

Mini Pies ~ Blueberry & Apple Too

I confess, I really like kitchen gadgets and have my share of them.  Then, I read an article about the Breville Personal Pie Maker…

I eyed the Pie Maker for a long time on line, and studied the plethora of reviews, before inquiring about it at Williams Sonoma.  They were a hot little item at the time, and there was even a waiting list for them ~ kind of like years ago, when I was waiting to read a library book that was on the reserve list.  I passed on the pie maker list.

Months later, while at Williams Sonoma, I inquired about the Breville Pie Maker again, and the saleslady told me she had a stack of them in the back.  She said they wouldn’t even be displaying them as people always ask for them and they sell swiftly.  Wow!

Breville Personal Pie Maker

She brought one from the back for me, and explained how it worked, and how great it is for a variety of pies, even savory ones. She needn’t have bothered, as I was sold on it before I saw it!

The other day, I made 4 blueberry and 4 apple pies.  First of all, I heated the pie maker, and cooked the 2 fillings.  The instruction book says to fill the pies with about 1/3 cup filling each.  I think they needed more.  Too full tough, the filling spills out, and then you have a mess.

Next, I followed the advice in the booklet, and used rolled pie crust from the dairy case for the pastry base and puff pastry for the pastry top.  I simply unrolled the bottom crust on the flour-dusted countertop; rolled it out slightly, with a rolling pin, so the included pastry cutter would fit perfectly for 4 pie crusts. 

Each one was inserted into a pie mold and tamped down with the accompanying pastry press.  Scoop the filling into each one, top them with 4 cutouts of puff pastry tops, close the lid and let it do it’s thing for about 12-14 minutes, and ~ VOILA! ~ you have 4 yummy mini pies.

I experimented the first couple of times with how much filling and how long to bake.  I used almost ½ cup filling per pie, instead of the 1/3 cup suggested in the book.  The filling may be heavy enough to push the bottom crust into the maker, without using the pastry press.  Canned filling may be used also.  The pie maker crimped the edges of the dough well when baking.   

The pies start baking the second the bottom crust is inserted, so it requires quick work.  The top crust seemed to bake/brown faster than the bottom so I left the lid open the last minute before removing them.  The longer the pie maker heated, the better it was, by the second set of pies.

Bakes 4 mini pies

Cut-outs for pastry bottom

Dough ready for filling

Apple filling

Ready to bake

Voila!  Second batch baked longer

I think it’s a great gadget. At holiday time, I will be baking many in a wider variety, since we all have our personal favorite ~ pumpkin, pecan, apple, mince and cherry.  But first, I want to bake chicken/veggie pies or quiche from a recipe in the instruction book!

Mom was the “pie queen” and wouldn’t have dreamed of using a store bought crust.  Unfortunately, I have never mastered the art of pie making, like my mom, even after standing by her side, following step by step.  This is the #1 reason why this is a great gadget for me!

Blueberry Filling

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1½ tablespoons corn starch

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

In a medium saucepan, combine blueberries, sugar, water and lemon zest and corn starch.

Stir to combine and cook until thickened, without crushing berries.

Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

Allow to cool before assembling pies.

Filling for 4 mini pies

Apple Filling

Ingredients:

4 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced

4 tablespoons butter

¼ cup light brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons corn starch

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter.

Add apples and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients, except vanilla.

Reduce heat to low.

Stir frequently until sugar is dissolved and apples are well glazed.

Remove from heat.

Stir in vanilla.

Allow to cool before assembling pies.

Filling for 4 mini pies

The Breville pie maker is a wonderful thing and if you like gadgets too and mini pies, you will love this!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind Of Cooking.  She has unique tips on Tuesdays and yummy recipes every Friday!

Disclaimer:  I have no affiliation with the maker of the product.  This post is just my personal opinion.

Our Great Valentine Gift ~ 4 Days Early and Appalachian Stack Pie!

I am thrilled to say that I have been a Grandma and Bill a Grandpa since 4:25 a.m. Thursday, February 10^th!  This is our first grandchild and we are looking forward to many years of loving and spoiling him. 

 

Our younger son Matt, and his wife, Kathy, are the proud parents of Matthew, who weighed in at 6 pounds, 6 ounces and is 19 inches long.  He’s tiny, adorable and perfect. 

Mom and baby, and Dad also, are doing great and I know Matt and Kathy will be wonderful loving parents.  The world is already a better place now that Matthew has arrived!

 

He is the absolute best Valentine’s Day gift ever!  And speaking of Valentine’s Day, I have a great recipe for a Valentine’s Day treat!

Maybe you’ve heard of or even enjoyed Appalachian stack cake.  It’s usually filled with dried apples and lots of spices.  With wedding cakes being so expensive, the legend goes that stack cake was a community-baked wedding cake.  The dough for the cake was rolled into 9-inch very thin layers and baked in cast-iron skillets.  Each family attending an Appalachian wedding baked one of the 6-12 cake layers and carried it to the wedding.  The bride’s family was in charge of cooking the apple filling and assembling all the layers into the finished cake.  It is a practical wedding cake that supposedly took 3 hours or more to make.

A modernized version of it was in the Chicago Tribune the other day.  It’s made with pie crust dough, resulting in 3-inch miniature Appalachian stack pies, instead of stack cakes.  Practical, delicious and easier to make!

The filling takes about 30-60 minutes to cook, so it could be made the night before you want to serve the dessert.  The rest is easy as it uses one roll-and-bake pie crust from the refrigerated section of the market.  Cut a dozen 3-inch pastry circles; it’s enough for 4 sweet pie stacks that look pretty also!  Serve them immediately after stacking them or the crisp pastry rounds will get soggy and your stack will topple.

Appalachian Spiced Apple Stack Pie

Pie circles:

1 roll-and-bake ready-made pie crust

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Filling:

1 package (6-ounces) dried apples

2½ cups water

1 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon allspice

Pinch each: sea salt and ground nutmeg

½ cup cream, whipped, optional

Method:

For pie circles: 

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Roll out crust and cut into 12 three-inch circles.

Place on parchment lined baking sheet.

Prick each circle several times with a fork.

Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and sprinkle a little on each pastry circle.

Bake until golden, about 5 minutes.

Remove sheet to cooling rack.

For apple filling:

Place dried apples in microwave-safe bowl with 1 cup of the water and ½ cup of the apple juice concentrate.

Cover bowl and microwave 10 minutes.

Pour apple mixture into a saucepan, cook over medium heat, gradually adding remaining 1½ cups of the water and ½ cup of the apple juice concentrate as liquids reduce.

Cook until apples are soft and the liquid has reduced, about 40 minutes.

Add the spices and salt; cook stirring often, until liquid has reduced to a small amount of syrup, 10 minutes.

Remove spiced apples from heat.

Place a round of pastry on each of 4 plates.

Spoon some of the apple filling onto each round.

Top each with another round of pastry.

Spoon on more apple filling.

Top with third pastry round.

Spoon a small dollop of whipped cream on top.

These little pies are perfect ~ however you stack ‘em!

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!

Welcome to the world and our family, darling baby Matthew!

Cherry Pie

Move out of the way apple pie!  You’ve lost the #1 spot to cherry pie!

I am totally hooked on cherry pie and am one happy lady when there is a slice of it set before me; I don’t care if it’s made with sweet cherries or tart cherries.  And then add a scoop of ice cream, pure heaven!  Did you know that in Kansas at one time, it was against the law to serve ice cream on cherry pie? 

This cherry pie recipe is one that I’ve made for years and is great filled with sugared up tart cherries, cinnamon and lemon extracts and Kirsch brandy.  This is a simple recipe for a great pie!

We used to have two cherry trees which provided great cherries for jam, pies and more but, they’re long gone now.  So that has left me with the problem of trying to find fresh tart cherries.  They are definitely not sold in grocery stores and I have never seen them in the farmer’s markets around here.

The only ones I have been able to find are canned tart cherries.  I just wish there was a cherry orchard in the vicinity or in Southern Wisconsin!

Cherry Pie

Ingredients:

Pastry for 9-inch, two-crust pie*

1-1/3 cups sugar

1/3 cup flour

2 cans (16 ounces each) pitted red tart cherries, drained or 4 cups fresh or 5 cups frozen

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon lemon extract

1 teaspoon Kirsch, optional

Dash salt

2 tablespoons butter

Method:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare pie crust.

Mix sugar and flour.

Stir in cherries and remaining ingredients, except butter.

Turn into pastry-lined pie plate.

Dot with butter.

Cover with top crust.

Flute and cut slits in the dough.

Bake until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits in crust for 50 minutes to one hour.

*Pam’s note:  pie crust recipe.

It’s cherry heaven, delicious!!!

Blueberry Martini and Cheese Pie

Hallelujah!  Memorial Day weekend is close and what better way to jump start summer than with a refreshing cocktail and some cheese pie!

I’ve done the blueberry pancake thing and the blueberry muffins ~ now it’s time for a mighty blueberry cocktail.  If you favor a fancy martini, here it is; filled with vodka, lemon juice and blue curaçao garnished with a skewer of fresh blueberries. 

Curaçao, say “cure-ah-so” is named for the Caribbean Dutch West Indian Island.  It’s a liqueur made with dried sour orange peel, a method popularized on that little island.  The blue coloring is for added flair.  Berry drinks bring out the kid in us all ~ you just might like this so much that you’ll end up making it by the pitcher!

Blueberry Martini

Ingredients:

About 30-40 small blueberries

3 ounces vodka

1 ounce Blue Curaçao Liqueur

2/3 ounce lemon juice, or more to taste

Several blueberries on a cocktail pick for garnish

Method:

Muddle the blueberries in a cocktail shaker.

Add the vodka, curaçao and lemon juice.

Fill shaker with ice.

Shake vigorously to help the blueberries release more color and flavor.

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a chilled martini glass.

Add blueberry garnish.

2 servings

Cheese Pie

Ingredients:

½ pound sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

½ pound white Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup mayonnaise

1 small onion, minced

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Several drops Tabasco sauce

Method:

Spread cheese in a glass pie plate.

Mix the remaining ingredients and place on top of the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Serve with crackers.

Cheers!!!

Chocolate Kahlúa Cream Pie

Kahlúa is a well-known Mexican coffee-flavored liqueur. It is sweet and dense with a distinct taste of coffee, from which it is made. 

Chocolate, Cream, Cinnamon

Cabannes and Ryman

This chocolate pie uses Kahlúa for its deep rich coffee flavor, along with chocolate and cinnamon wrapping up into a decadent, creamy dark chocolate pie filling.  It is made even more delicious by being smoothed out over a chocolaty pecan crust, then covering it all with whipped cream that’s loaded with even more Kahlúa.  
 

Another great thing about this chocolate pie is that it may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.  What could be easier and more delicious?  This pie could make a chocoholic out of about anyone, it’s heavenly!

Chocolate Kahlúa Cream Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs

¼ cup pecans, ground fine

½ stick butter, melted and cooled

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons cornstarch

4 large egg yolks

2 cups milk, scalded

3 tablespoons Kahlúa

2 ounces unsweetened dark chocolate, chopped

For the topping:

2/3 cup well-chilled heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon Kahlúa

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine well the wafer crumbs, pecans, butter, 2 tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon.

Pat mixture into 9” glass pie plate and bake for 10-12 minutes until set.

In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 2/3 cup sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks and whisk in the milk, scalded.

In a heavy saucepan, bring the custard to a boil over moderate heat, whisking and simmer it, whisking for 2 minutes.

Whisk in the Kahlúa and chocolate until the mixture is smooth.

Pour into pie shell, smoothing the top.

Chill the pie with its surface covered with plastic wrap for at least 6 hours.

Make the topping:

In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters beat the cream until it holds soft peaks, beat in the sugar and Kahlúa and beat topping until it holds stiff peaks.

Spread the topping over the pie.

Serve

This pie will delight all you chocolate lovers!

Mom’s Rhubarb and Apple Pie

Its spring, time for rhubarb!

Who said pie is just for dessert?  I highly recommend eating pie for breakfast!  Guess it may be a little indulgent but pie is at the top of my food list and it has to be nutritious with having all the food groups ~ flour, fruit, fat; right?  The problem is, sometimes it doesn’t last in this house for much more than a breakfast or two!

Recipes for rhubarb and strawberry pie are plentiful but, have you ever tried a pie of rhubarb and apples?  You are in for a great sweet treat if you’ve never eaten it!  Mom baked many rhubarb pies and I especially think this one is great with the apples.  I love the way the sour rhubarb mingles with the sweet apples, providing great texture also. 

The earliest records of rhubarb go back to 2700 BC in China, where it was cultivated for medicinal purposes.  It reached Europe in the 1600’s and finally Benjamin Franklin brought rhubarb seeds to the North American east coast in 1772.  It really was not widely used until the 1800’s when it became a popular ingredient in, you guessed it ~ pies!

Now, tell me:  do you eat pie for breakfast?

Mom’s Rhubarb and Apple Pie

Ingredients:

1½ cups rhubarb, diced

1½ cups apples, peeled and diced

¼ cup flour

1 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

Pastry dough for 2 crust 8” pie*

Method:

Prepare pie dough and line bottom of 8” pie pan.

Dust rhubarb and apples with flour.

Mix with sugar and salt.

Place fruit mixture on pie dough in pie pan.

Dot with butter.

Place lattice crust on top of pie filling.

Bake in hot oven, 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30 minutes until golden.

Set on wire rack to cool.

*Pie crust recipe here

There’s nothing better than a slice of a home-baked pie with fresh fruit!