Pies! Pies! Pies!
Thanksgiving 2012
This year our family hosted another pie party at our home in Catalina. I made 2 pies for the party- a Pumpkin Cream pie and a Raspberry Cream pie. D. was home from college to spend Thanksgiving with us and she made an apple pie. For Thanksgiving day, my sister, G.S., and her family joined us. We made a few more pies to eat for dessert. I made a traditional pumpkin pie and a cherry pie as well as another apple pie using D's crust recipe. At the last minute, G.S. taught me how to make a cream pie from scratch and we made a peanut butter chocolate cream pie. In order to remember all these great recipes in case I ever want to use them again, I've decided to copy them all down here. I'll try to write down the references where I found the original recipe, but all have been tweaked a bit to fit our family's tastes. So enjoy your pie!
Pumpkin Cream Pie
from: tastykitchen.com
crust:
1 1/2 package Graham Crackers (about 15 cookie sheets)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
filling:
1 3oz. box cook and serve vanilla pudding
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 cup (overflowing ) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream (additional)
2 Tbs brown sugar
Whipped cream (or Cool Whip)
extra graham cracker crumbs for garnish
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grind graham crackers in a blender. Add powdered sugar and melted butter and process until totally combined. Press into the bottom and sides of a pie pan until nice and firm. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until "set". Remove from oven and cool completely.
In a medium saucepan, mix dry pudding mix with half-and-half and cream. Add spices. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly and thick. Remove from heat. Add pumpkin and stir to combine. Place lid on the pot and set aside to cool for 20 minutes, then place in the refrigerator to completely cool.
Mix 1/2 cup heavy cream and brown sugar. Beat until very light and fluffy. Fold in cooled pumpkin mixture until combined. Pour into cooled crust. Cover and refrigerate a few hours or overnight. Spread whipped cream over top and sprinkle on graham cracker crumbs to garnish.
Raspberry Cream Pie
From: tastykitchen.com
25 whole Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
4 Tbs butter, melted
1 (generous) cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
3 Tbs sugar
2 containers (6 oz) raspberry yogurt
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup heavy whipping cream
extra raspberries for garnish
To make the crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Crumble cookies in a blender. Stir in melted butter until all combined. Pour into a regular pie pan and press crumbs into a firm crust on the bottom and sides. Bake for 3-4 minutes to set. Cool completely.
Place raspberries on a plate or in an empty pan. Smash with a fork, then sprinkle on 3 Tbs sugar. Stir together and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine raspberry yogurt with pudding mix. Beat on low until combined. Pour in heavy cream and whip on low for 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Turn mixer on med-high speed and beat for 2 minutes, or until mixture is thickened. Fold in raspberries until just combined. Pour into cooled crust and spread evenly. Freeze for 2 hours or until very firm. Cut into slices and top each slice with cookie crumbs, dollops of whipped cream and extra raspberries. Keep in the freezer, allowing time to thaw before serving.
Apple Pie
Easy Pie Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cooking oil
3/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs sugar
2 T cold milk
Dump flour in an ungreased pie plate. Add the oil, salt, and sugar; stir well. Pour in the milk, and mix with a fork into a stiff dough. Press into the shape of the pie plate. For fruit pies bake at 350 degrees F for 3-5 minutes before adding the filling. For cream pies bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned, and let cool before adding the filling.
Filling:
2 cans of apple pie filling cinnamon
Dump apple pie filling into crust. Sprinkle cinnamon on the top.
Topping:
Crumble together 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 T flour, 1/4 cup oatmeal and 1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional).
Cut 1/4 cup cold butter into the sugar mixture. Sprinkle on top of the apples. Bake pie at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 325 degreed F and bake for 30-40 minutes more.
Cherry Pie
Never-Fail Pie Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup shortening or butter
2 1/2 Tbs cold water
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 egg, slightly beaten
In a mixing bowl, blend flour, salt, and shortening. Use a pastry blender to cut shortening into flour. combine water, vinegar, and egg; blend into the flour mixture. Shape into 2 balls and refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze to use later. Flatten 1 ball of dough and roll into a circle on waxed paper. Place in the pie plate by lifting the dough with the waxed paper and turning it upside down into the plate, then peel off waxed paper. Fit the dough to the plate, shaping the edges as desired. Prick bottom with fork tines. For fruit pies bake at 475 degrees F for 3-4 minutes. For cream pies, bake for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool.
Filling:
2 cans cherry pie filling
cinnamon
Dump cherry pie filling into crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs flour
1/4 cup cold butter
Crumble topping ingredients together to resemble small crumbs. Sprinkle on top of cherries. Then bake in 475 degrees F oven for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 325 degrees F and bake for 30-40 minutes longer. Top with ice cream or whipped cream before serving.
Pumpkin Pie
crust: Use either easy pie crust or Never-fail pie recipe above.
filling:
From: King Arthur Flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional)
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups (or one 15-ounce can) pumpkin
- 1 cups light cream or evaporated milk
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| Chad Taste-Tested the Pumpkin Pie for us :) |
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugars, flour, salt, and spices.
2. In a large measuring cup, beat together the eggs, pumpkin, and cream or evaporated milk. Whisk into the dry ingredients. For best flavor, cover and refrigerate the filling overnight before baking.
3. Lightly grease a 9" pie pan that's at least 1 1/2" deep. Roll the pie dough out to a 13" circle, and transfer to the pan. Crimp the edges above the rim; this will give you a little extra headroom to hold the filling when it expands in the oven. Refrigerate the crust while the oven preheats to 400°F.
4. When the oven is hot, place the pie pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell.
5. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the filling is set 2" in from the edge. The center should still be wobbly. Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a rack; the center will finish cooking through as the pie sits.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cream Pie
Crust: use directions for graham cracker crust above, or use a purchased graham cracker crust.
Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup + 2 Tbs corn starch
1 tsp salt
4 cups of milk
Cook in a large saucepan on med heat stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, then boil for 1 minute longer. Will be thickened. Meanwhile, put 4 egg yolks in a mixing bowl and stir with a fork. Pour 1/2 of the milk mixture into the yolks and stir to blend, then pour it back into the saucepan and blend into the remaining milk mixture.
Divide the cream into 2 parts. In one part add 3/4 cup peanut butter and mix well. In the other part add unsweetened cocoa powder (about 1/4 cup) and mix well.
Pour the chocolate cream into the crust. Then pour the peanut butter cream on top of the chocolate. Refrigerate for several hours before serving. Serve with whipped cream.
