Deep Dish Triple Cherry Pie

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt
1 T. butter, softened
1 jar tart dark cherries, drained
1 jar red cherries (see NOTE below)
1 jar bing cherries, (NOTE: reserve all liquid plus enough from red cherries for 1/2 cup juice)
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. almond extract
2 t. lemon juice
1 pastry for double crust 9 inch pie

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Drain cherries, reserving 1/2 cup juice as noted
3. Combine sugar, cornstarch flour and salt
4. Combine cherry juice, vanilla and lemon juice
5. Add to dry ingredients, mixing well
6. Add cherries and mix well again
7. Add butter and let stand for 15 minutes
8. Pour cherry mixture into pie crust and finish top with lattice crust
9. Bake for 50-55 minutes until golden and bubbly

Easy Fresh Cranberry Apple Tart

Fresh Cranberry Apple Tart

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh cranberries

2 med gala apples, peeled and chopped

1 c. raw almonds, chopped

1 1/4 c. brown sugar

2 T. all-purpose flour

1/2 T. cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg

3 T. orange juice

2 egg whites, beaten

1 uncooked pie crust

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425.  In a medium sized bowl mix all ingredients together.  Pour into an unbaked pie shell.  Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes.  Until crust is golden and you see the juices bubbling.  Let it cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.  Merry Christmas!

Double Layer Pumpkin Pe

INGREDIENTS

4 oz (1/2 of 8 oz package) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, Softened
1 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 tub (8oz) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
1 HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust (6oz)
1 cup milk
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
2 pkg. (4servings size each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

MIX cream cheese, 1 Tbsp. milk, and the sugar in a large bowl with a wire whisk until well blended. Gently stir in half of the whipped topping. (I accidentally skipped this step and everyone loved it.) Spread onto bottom of crust.

POUR 1 cup milk into large bowl. Add pumpkin, dry pudding mixes and spices. Beat with a wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. (Mixture will be thick.) Spread over cream cheese layer.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until set. Top with remaining whipped topping just before serving. Store leftover pie in the refrigerator.

Lemon Meringue Pie

This is my Husband's absolute favorite pie.  Being Father's Day I decided to tackle it.  I have always been nervous to make one, I don't know why, it just seemed daunting to get the meringue the right consistency.  This recipe was super easy and made a delicious pie!  Definitely going to make it again real soon.

**Note** The lemon dropped on the side of the pie was an accident turned into a "garnish".  Ha!

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2-3 lemons, juiced and zested, depending on the size
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
• 4 egg whites
• 6 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.
3. To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 298 | Total Fat: 10.3g | Cholesterol: 110mg

Recipe taken from: Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie

Posted by: Tracy

Strawberry Margarita Pie (non-alcoholic)

Well, it was good. Not really a strawberry margarita taste, but kind of. I didn't want to use alcohol because my kids wanted to eat it. Maybe next time we will do a grown up one and see if it tastes more like the drink.

Your favorite pie crust - baked and cooled.

1 1/4 qt. strawberries, sliced and divided.

3 T. cornstarch

1/2 c. sugar

2 T. margarita mix

Splash of orange juice

1/4 t. vanilla

Put a layer of fresh sliced strawberries on the bottom of the pie. Mash 1 qt. of strawberries and cook with sugar, cornstarch, margarita mix and orange juice. Stir constantly until the liquid turns clear. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir. Pour over fresh strawberries in pie crust and chill overnight or in the freezer for at least 4 hours. Top with whip cream if desired.

Posted by: Tracy

Sweet Potato Pie

Source: Baking Illustrated Cookbook
Rating: 5 stars
Difficulty: Moderate
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 pie crust, partially baked
2 lbs. sweet potatoes (about 5 small to medium)
2 T. unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs, plus 2 yolks
1 cup sugar
1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 t. salt
2 - 3 T. bourbon
1 T. molasses (optional)
1 t. vanilla extract
2/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Follow the directions for partially baking the crust until light golden brown. Remove the baked crust from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, prick the sweet potatoes several times with a fork and place them on a double layer of paper towels in a microwave. Cook at full power for 5 minutes; turn each potato over and continue to cook at full power until tender, but not mushy, about 5 minutes longer. Cool 10 minutes. Halve a potato crosswise, insert a small spoon between the skin and flesh and scoop the flesh into a medium bowl; discard the skin. Repeat with the remaining sweet potatoes; you should have about 2 cups. While the potatoes are still hot, add the butter and mash with a fork or wooden spoon; small lumps of potato should remain.

Whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl; stir in the bourbon, molasses (if using), and vanilla, then whisk in the milk. Gradually add the egg mixture to the sweet potatoes, whisking gently to combine.

Sprinkle the bottom of the warm pie shell evenly with the brown sugar. Pour the sweet potato mixture into the pie shell over the brown sugar layer. Bake on the lower-middle rack until the filling is set around the edges but the center juggles slightly when shaken, about 45 minutes. Transfer the pie to a wire rack; cool to room temperature, about 2 hours then chill before serving.

Posted by Debi

Apple Pie (reg. & sugar-free)

6-8 good size Jonathon or a good baking apples
1/2 c. water
2 T. butter
1 c. sugar (if sugar-free use 1 c. Splenda)
2 T. flour (heaping!)
2 t. cinnamon (or more or less to your tasting)

Slice apples into a large sauce pan. Add the water to the pan and cook over medium heat until the apples are tender but not too soft. (they will bake the rest of the way in the oven)
Add butter.
In a bowl mix sugar, flour and cinnamon together then add it to the apples and stir.

Pour your filling into an unbaked pie shell then top with a second pie dough crust on top. I then use an egg/milk wash over the entire pie.

Bake at 350 until your pie dough is golden brown.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I've never made this before, but it's one of Tom's favorites. Since it's raining (the perfect time to bake) I decided to bake this one for him.

Difficulty: Easy
Preparation: 30 minutes
Baking Time: 1 hour
Rating: TBD

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 c. sugar, divided
3 tbsp. cornstarch (arrowroot instead)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 c. rhubarb, cut into 1/2" pieces
2 c. sliced fresh strawberries
1 tbsp. butter
Pastry for double crust pie

DIRECTIONS:
In large mixing bowl stir together sugar, cornstarch, salt and ground nutmeg. Add rhubarb pieces and sliced strawberries, toss gently to coat fruit. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare and roll out pastry. Line a 9 inch pie plate with half of the pastry. Trim pastry to edge of pie plate. Pour fruit mixture into pie plate. Dot with butter, place pastry on top of filling. Cut slits in top to allow steam to escape seal and flute edge. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

ADDED NOTE: After slicing this pie, I discovered it was too runny - the juice didn't thicken at all! I pulled out my favorite baking book: Baking Illustrated (which I should have done in the first place) and discovered this is a very common problem with this pie because the rhubarb and strawberries both retain a large amount of liquid. So here's what they recommend:
Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the rhubarb and 1/4 cup of the sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until the rhubarb has shed most of its liquid but is still firm, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large plate and refrigerate until cool. Instead of cornstarch they suggest using 3 Tablespoons of arrowroot - for better flavor. Also make sure to vent the top crust at least 8 times to allow the extra moisture to escape. The pie tasted wonderful

Posted by Debi

French Chocolate Silk Pie

This recipe has been a favorite in our family since Tom and I were first married back in 1979. I got it from the Orlando Sentinel that published it from Mack Meiner's Country Store. This was a wonderful restaurant that used to be located on 17-92 just passed Virginia Drive. They had the best BBQ and the best Peanut Butter Pie! This recipe works for both their Chocolate and Peanut Butter versions. Try them both together for a great Peanut Butter Cup Pie.

Difficulty: Moderate, if you make your own crust. Easy otherwise.
Stars: 5, of course!
Prep Time: 30 minutes


INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter, softened (not melted)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted, or 2 Tablespoons peanut butter (creamy)
1 baked pie crust

DIRECTIONS:
Beat butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in sugar gradually until fluffy. Mix in chocolate and vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating 5 minutes after each addition.

Spoon into shell. Chill overnight. Top with whipped topping.

Makes 1 (9 inch) pie.

Posted by Debi

I Have a Craving...

For Chocolate Silk Pie!

There is even a pie crust waiting in the freezer... :)

Big Mama's Peach of a Pie

 

Difficulty: Moderate
Prep Time: 45 minutes (including scratch pie crust)
Rating: This is my grandmother's recipe - 5 stars all the way!

INGREDIENTS:

3 large. peaches, peeled and sliced
3 large. nectarines, peeled and sliced
¾ cup Sugar
4 T. Cornstarch
Dash Salt
¼ t. Nutmeg, freshly ground
½ cup Sour Cream
1 9” Double Pastry, unbaked


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 450. Prepare fruit and place in large bowl. Set aside.

2. Mix together all dry ingredients and stir until lumps disappear. Add the sour cream and cream together until well blended. Pour creamed mixture over fruit and stir to coat well.

3. Pour all into prepared unbaked pastry shell. Roll out remaining dough and place over fruit and vent.

4. Place pie in oven for 10 minutes and then reduce oven temperature to 350 for 45 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Posted by Debi Walter