Cherry Pie

You're just not going to find too many recipes like this on my blog. What kind you wonder? Ones with cooked fruit. I just don't like cooked fruit. However, I had bought a bunch of cherries for my daughter and searched Pinterest for some recipe possibilities to make these for her. Cherry pie was one of the winners, and apparently it was pretty darn good, at least according to my mom and daughter! I found a number of pie filling recipes: Homemade Cherry Pie Filling, Super Simple Cherry Pie Filling, Homemade Cherry Pie Filling, Homemade Cherry Pie Filling, and Fresh Cherry Pie Recipe, and the following is what I ended up with.

4 cups cherries (pitted and rinsed)

1/3 cup water

1 1/3 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

2 2/3 tsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 unbaked Pie Crusts

First thing you must do is remove the pits from the cherries. My daughter took on this task while I worked on some other recipes. Found a tip at one website about using a decorator tip to push the pits out. It worked pretty good for us. No matter how you do it though, it's going to be messy. If you intend to cook with fresh cherries a lot, there are pit removers that you can purchase.

In a saucepan combine cherries, water, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and lemon juice. 

Heat over medium heat until boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in almond extract. Pour into pie crust.

Top pie with second crust however you wish. I went with the basket weave for this one.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degree and bake for 45-50 minutes more until crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

French Silk Pie

I love chocolate. I especially love creamy rich chocolate. This French Silk Pie recipe I found on Pinterest is to die for. The espresso powder just intensifies the chocolate flavor unbelievably. I didn't even share this dessert with my coworkers! It was that good. I used my own Pie Crust recipe rather than using a store bought crust, and it's worth the little bit of extra work.

4 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated ugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs, room temperature
1/4 tsp espresso powder
1 fully pre-baked 9-inch pie shell (homemade or store-bought)
3 cups whipped cream
1 chocolate bar, roughly chopped or shaved or melted into chocolate curls

Heat chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second intervals, stirring between, until completely melted. Set aside and let cool for about 10 minutes until it is room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. When melted chocolate has cooled, gradually add it to the butter/sugar mixture.

 

Beat the mixture on medium-low speed until thoroughly combined. Add vanilla and beat until combined.

Switch to the whisk attachment. Add one egg, and beat for 5 minutes on medium speed. Repeat with remaining three eggs, beating the mixture for an additional 5 minutes after each egg. (20 minutes total.) Take the time to do this right. This will give this French Silk Pie its silky fluffy texture.

Pour the filling into a baked pie shell in a pie plate, and use a spatula to spread out the top evenly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until chilled before serving.

Top with desired amount of whipped cream, then garnish with chocolate shavings or curls. I took the cheat here and topped mine with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. It. Was. Good!

Chocolate Meringue Pie

I think that, next to apple pie, there is nothing more American than Chocolate Meringue Pie. And nothing quite so tasty. They are somewhat temperamental to make though... I learned that many, many years ago when I tried to make my first one. To put it nicely... it was a disaster. Runny, flat meringue, just blecht. Put a few years on me, add a little more patience, and this attempt was an amazing success. I found this recipe on Pinterest - Aunt Julia's Chocolate Pie. I just made one tiny tweak - I added a teaspoon of ground espresso, which helps intensify the chocolate flavor. I also used my own Pie Crust recipe, but you can use whichever you like.

1 baked pie crust

1 cup sugar
2 cups milk (calls for whole, but I used 2 percent)
3 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp ground espresso
3 large eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
2 Tbsp confectioners' sugar

Separate eggs. I placed the whites in a large bowl and put those in the refrigerator to chill for the meringue. I left the yolks in half the egg shell until ready to add to the mixture. I also put the whisk attachment into the freezer to chill before making the meringue. In a bowl, combine 1 cup of milk, flour, and cocoa powder and whisk thoroughly to combine. In a saucepan, add remaining 1 cup of milk and sugar, and heat over medium-high heat until simmering. Slowly add the milk-flour-cocoa mixture and stir until combined.

Bring to a boil. Add egg yolks one at a time, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil.

Once the mixture comes to a boil, add the vanilla and then remove from heat. Pour the mixture into the baked pie crust and set aside.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. To make the meringue, add the cream of tartar and a pinch of salt to the egg whites. Using a hand-held mixer, whisk on high speed until foamy. 

Sift the confectioners' sugar a little at a time and whisk until the whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks when the whisk is lifted.

Spoon the meringue onto the chocolate filling being sure to spread all the way up the the edge of the crust.

Bake until meringue is golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.

Chess Pie

I can't think of a simpler, more delicious pie than Chess Pie. I can't really say that I know WHAT a chess pie is exactly. It's some type of custard base, and from the research I've done, it seems to be a fairly old tradition. No one knows exactly how it got its name. It just sort of IS. I had never heard of it until I started working at a BBQ restaurant in Athens, Ala., the summer I turned 19 years old. A lady came in to bake pies for the day - chess, chocolate, and coconut were her specialties, I think. It looked pretty good, and so one day I bit the bullet and bought a piece. Oh. My. Gosh. It just melted in my mouth. I had never had anything like it. So several years ago, I decided to search for a recipe. And I found one that just screamed "this is how your grandmother and your grandmother's grandmother made this pie!" I printed it out, and baked my first chess pie. I've always had good reviews over it, and frankly, I'm pretty fond of it myself. I use my Pie Crust recipe for the crust, and it is so flaky and yummy.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 Tbsp white vinegar

1/2 Tbsp vanilla (1 1/2 tsp)

1 Tbsp cornmeal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, heat the butter and sugars over medium heat just until melted.

Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. If you don't, the eggs will cook a little when you add them - you don't really want chunks of "scrambled egg" in your pie! Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Add the eggs - you can add them one at a time and stir after each addition, or if your mixture is cool enough then you can add them all at once. Either way, just ensure the eggs are thoroughly incorporated. Add the vinegar and cornmeal and mix. 

***Do not beat the mixture.***

Pour in unbaked pie crust. Bake for 1 hour. If you have trouble with your crust edges cooking too quickly, then cover them with aluminum foil for most of the cooking, remove 15 minutes or so before cook time is complete. Turn off the oven and let pie rest in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely and set before cutting.

Key Lime Pie

I don't like too many varieties of pies, but the ones that I do... I LOVE! Key Lime Pie is one of my chosen varieties. I had a nice recipe that I've used several times to make it, but I ran across this one (Key Lime Pie) on Pinterest and knew that I had to give it a try. This recipe has only a few ingredients, and the lime zest and fresh lime juice just add a level of yuminess that is difficult to describe in words except... yummmmmmmmm. 

6 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature (I used 7 large eggs)
1/4 cup sugar
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons grated lime zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 to 5 limes) (I used 6)

The blog recipe calls for the crust, filling and decoration to be homemade, but I cheated a little and took the easy route for this first attempt and used a store bought Keebler's graham cracker crust and I really didn't even need the whipped cream, but I have some in the fridge if I decided I needed it.

The first step in this recipe is the zest and juice the lime. It's easier to zest the lime before it's cut and juiced. 

I ended up using about six limes to get the 3/4 cups of juice, and I had a lot more zest than the recipe calls for.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the filling, beat the egg yolks and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 5 minutes, until thick. I don't have an electric mixer, only a handheld, and it worked just fine.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the condensed milk, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour into prepared pie shell and freeze.

Crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Press into a 9-inch pyrex pie pan, making sure the sides and the bottom are an even thickness. Bake for 10 minutes until firm and golden. Allow to cool completely.

Topping

1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Thin lime wedges

For the decoration, beat the heavy cream on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until firm. Spoon or pipe decoratively onto the pie and decorate with lime. Freeze for several hours or overnight.

Note: If you have concerns about raw eggs, combine the yolks with 1/2 cup of the lime juice used in the recipe in a double boiler. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture reaches 140 degrees. Use in place of the raw egg yolks, remembering to add the remaining 1/4 cup of lime juice to the filling mixture along with the condensed milk and zest.

Spinach Pie

This is an absolutely amazing recipe. I mean really, how can it ever be wrong to combine cheese and bacon and spinach? It's reasonable if you're watching your calories (so long as you don't eat half of it in one sitting), and it reheats well for lunch leftovers. I got this recipe from my mom. It's one she's been making for more than 20 years. She clipped it out of a newspaper or magazine, and what I have it a copy of that, so unfortunately, I can't provide proper credit. I think it's probably a Philadelphia Cream Cheese recipe, but I'm not sure. I tweak mine just a little from the original, so I'll give you the straight recipe and then tell you what I did different.

1 9-inch pastry pie shell

1 pkg 8 oz cream cheese, cubed

1/2 cup milk (I use 2%)

1 pkg 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained

1 cup (4 oz) shredded natural Swiss cheese 

3 eggs, beaten

6 crisply cooked bacon slices, crumbled (I used 8-9 slices)

2 tsp chopped onions (I used about a 1/4-1/3 cup)

1/4 tsp salt

dash of pepper

Prick bottom and sides of pie crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Combine cream cheese and milk in saucepan, and stir over low heat until smooth.

In large bowl, beat eggs. Gradually add cream cheese mixture to eggs, and mix well until blended. 

Add remaining ingredients, and mix well. 

Pour into pastry shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until set. If your pie crust edge gets too well done too quickly, a trick you can use is to wrap the edge of the pie with aluminum foil for about 3/4 of the cook time. I left mine on for about 25-30 minutes before I removed it.

Divide the pie and enjoy!!!

The recipe calls for 8 servings, but frankly, that's just enough to tease you. I entered the recipe for the below calorie count for 6 servings.

Quiche Lorraine

I think quiche is one of the most amazing recipe ideas ever. How can you ever go wrong with a pastry pie shell, cheese, eggs, and bacon or some other type of meat. I've got another recipe for a "spinach pie," but we will save that one for another day. Today is for Quiche Lorraine. I found this recipe while searching Pinterest one night, and this was the second time I made it. Here's the link to the original blog post: Quiche Lorraine with Bacon. The first time was pretty tasty, but I decided to add onion and black pepper to it, and this time it was awesome! Next time I make it, I'm going to give myself enough time to make the pie crust from scratch. I think that will take this whole meal up another notch or two.

1/2 pound bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled (about 8 slices or so)

2 cups Swiss cheese, grated

2 Tbsp flour

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 small diced onion

dash cayenne

1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell

Toss the Swiss cheese and flour in a large bowl.

And here, I diverged from the original recipe greatly. To the Swiss cheese/flour, add the bacon, eggs, milk, salt, pepper, onion and cayenne. Mix well. Pour in pastry shell.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes, or until set. Here's a tip for you... I was having problems with the edges of my pie crusts getting too dark and overcooked before the pie is even set. If you take aluminum foil and wrap it over the edge of the crust and remove it about the 40 minute mark it will give you the nice golden color.