Lemon Meringue Pie

This is perhaps the all-time favorite of the whole family. The buttery, salty crust with the tart lemony filling and the sweet billowy meringue: perfect. Prospective children-in-law must love it too in order to qualify.

Mom says: "I make it like the Joy, except I don't." Here is how she makes it.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Bake a nine inch pie shell.

Sift into a 2 or 3 quart saucepan:

1 1 /2 c sugar

6 T cornstarch

1/4 t salt

Gradually blend in:

1/2 c cold water

1/2 c fresh lemon juice

When smooth add, blending thoroughly:

3 well-beaten egg yolks

2 T butter

Add:

1 1/2 c milk

Bring mixture to a full boil, stirring gently. As it begins to thicken, reduce the heat and allow to simmer slowly 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in 1 t lemon zest or about 1/4 t lemon oil. Preheat oven to 325 or 350. Pour it into the pie shell and cover with meringue:

2 egg whites, whipped till frothy

add: 1/4 t cream of tarter

Whip till stiff but not dry; peaks should lean over slightly. Beat in 1 T at a time:

3 T sugar or 4 T powdered sugar and 1/2 t vanilla.

Pie should bake for 10-15 minutes.

Eat it that same day.

Banana Cream Pie

Basically a vanilla pudding, perhaps stiffer. Mommy "probably from the Joy."

Then just layer it in a blind-baked pie crust with bananas, one or two, depending on your taste. Put whipped cream on it and serve it.

Mom's Grandma Atkin made this, and she served it when the pudding was a little bit warm and the whipped cream was cold.

Maple Cream Pie

This year, everyone at home got jurisdiction over two pies. Mine were maple cream and coconut cream, so I was pretty happy.

Maple Cream Pie

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

1 1/2 c cream

4 eggs, well-beaten

1/2 c maple syrup

dash salt

Topping:

1 c heavy cream

1/4 c maple sugar

Scald cream. Combine eggs and maple syrup and VERY slowly pour cream into egg mixture, stirring vigorously. Add salt and pour into an unbaked crust. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes and 350 for 30 minutes. After it is cooled, top with whipped cream mixed with the maple sugar.

Pecan Pie

Mommy wouldn't make this this year because it is "too sweet." It is rather sweet but I like it. This recipe is modified from one published in the Deseret News back in the day.

Pecan Pie

1/4 c butter

1 c light corn syrup

1 c brown sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

1/2 t lemon juice

1 t vanilla

1/2 t salt

1 1/2 c whole pecans

cinnamon

unbaked pie crust

Brown butter in saucepan till golden brown-- don't burn. In separate bowl, add corn syrup, sugar, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, salt. Roll pecans in cinnamon, coating well, and arrange in bottom of pie crust. Pour mixture over pecans. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then 325 for 45-50 minutes.

Coconut Cream Pie

A tremendous favorite of mine; I tried to make it once my first year of med school and the filling did not set up. It was pretty good deeply chilled (frozen and thawed a little). Main values are for a 9" shell; parenthetical values are for a 7"? shell.

3/4 c sugar (1/2 c)

4 T cornstarch (2 T + 2 t)

1/4 t salt (1/4 t)

2 1/2 c milk (1 2/3 c)

3 beaten egg yolks (2)

3 T butter (2T)

2 t vanilla (1.5 t)

1 c coconut (2/3 c)

Put sugar and salt in 2 1/4 c milk and eggs. Scald while stirring. Mix starch into 1/4 milk; stir this in to the rest. Stir and cook till it coats a spoon and looks translucent. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 10 minutes. In the shell, you can top this with whipped cream or a meringue. It is fun to sprinkle toasted coconut on top.

Grandma's Baked Philly Pie

Cream:
2 8-oz packages cream cheese
1/2 c sugar
1/2 t vanilla

Add and blend:
2 eggs

In 1 cup of the above batter, stir in:
1/2 c canned pumpkin
1/2 t cinnamon
dash cloves, nutmeg

Layer batters in a 9" graham cracker crust. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Grandma's Cream Cheese Pie

I think I need to ask Mom some questions about this one.

9" Graham Cracker Crust:
1 1/2 OR 1 c crumbs
6 OR 4 T melted butter
1/4 c OR 3 T powdered sugar
1 OR 1/2 t cinnamon

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 c sugar
lemon flavoring
8 oz Cool Whip

Mix. Chill.

Topping:
3 T cornstarch
1 pkg unflavored gelatin
1/4-1/3 c sugar
1 3/4 c fruit juice
dash salt
dash citric acid

Pie!

This is actually the whole reason for this blog-- how many times have I asked for the recipe for pie pastry, scrawled it on a scrap, and discarded/lost it directly? Perhaps a dozen. So here it is, set out in 2008's version of permanence. Mom claims to make it exactly as instructed by Better Homes and Gardens.

Pie Pastry

Single Crust

1 1/2 c sifted all purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 c shortening
4 to 5 T cold water

Double Crust

2 c sifted all purpose flour
1 t salt
2/3 c shortening
5 to 7 T cold water

Sift flour and salt. Cut in shortening till pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle water over, 1 T at a time, tossing mixture after each addition. Form into ball. Dough should rest for a while at this point, either in the refrigerator at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap. Flatten on lightly floured surface; roll 1/8 inch thick from center to edge.

But what about using it? I thought I'd compile in the same entry Mom's methodology for actually assembling pies-- including 'recipes' for some basic fruit pies.

Assembling a single-crusted pie

Roll out the pastry, and lay it in a pie plate. Trim the edge to a Mommy's finger's side's width from the edge of the plate. Turn it up under itself and crimp it between your fingers to form a beautiful edge. A personal instructional session is recommended. To blind-bake the crust, take a piece of foil and press it in the pie plate BEFORE laying the pastry in the pie plate. Remove it. Carefully fit the shaped foil into the assembled pastry. Fill it full of dry beans or other approved weights. Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes. Take out pie and foil, prick the crust with a fork, bake for 10 more minutes.

Assembling a double-crusted pie

Cut ball of pastry in half (see below for exceptions). Roll out half of the pastry, and lay it in a pie plate. Trim the edge to a Mommy's finger's side's width from the edge of the plate. Fill the pie. Roll out the second half of the pastry and lay it on top. It's easier to lay it on top if you fold it in quarters before putting it on the pie and then unfolding it. Cut a design on it if that suits your fancy. Trim the top crust a finger's width wider than the bottom crust. Fold the overhang of the top crust around the overhang of the bottom crust and crimp it. Again, personal tutorials are recommended. Bake such pies at 400 F for 30 minutes; turn the heat down to 350 F and bake for 35 minutes. Unless of course you have some other sort of filling that wants a different baking time.

Apple Pie

1 c sugar
4 T flour
2 t cinnamon
dash nutmeg
dash salt

Stir it over your apples. If you have many many apples, Make a bigger top crust than you otherwise would. This is the exception I mentioned above.

Peach Pie

Peach pie needs 1 T more flour than apple pie; Mom uses half as much cinnamon and often adds ginger.

Blackberry Pie

Use 2 pounds of blackberries. Use half as much cinnamon than apple pie. Mom says, "the issue of how much thickener to use is largely a matter of taste. Some people like their pies juicier, and some people like their pies stodgier. Also it depends on the juiciness of the fruit. So, yeah, you'll probably want extra flour in a blackberry pie."
If you use frozen fruit, bake it longer in the second half-- an additional five minutes or so.

Rhubarb Pie

Use 2 pounds of rhubarb. Make like apple pie.