Chocolate Cream Pie (Rose Levy Beranbaum)

This is absolutely the best chocolate filling--if it makes it into the pie crust. As a word of warning: don't taste it till you lick the spatula from scraping the filling into the pie crust. Otherwise, you may be tempted to eat it all up! It comes from Rose Levy Berenbaum's The Pie and Pastry Bible.

1 Prebaked 9-inch pie crust
2 large eggs
1/4 cp/24 g unsweetened cocoa, preferably Dutch-processed
3T/28 g cornstarch
3 cp/726 g milk (fat free is fine)
2/3 cp/132 g granulated sugar
pinch salt
6 oz/170 g bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Have ready a strainer set over a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, cocoa, cornstarch and 1/4 cp of the milk until smooth.

In a medium nonreactive heavy saucepan, stir together the remaining 2 3/4 cups of milk, the sugar, and salt. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a full boil. (You only have to stir it once at the beginning.) Whisk 1/4 cup of this hot mixture into the egg mixture. Whisk the egg mixture into the milk mixture. Cook, continuing to whisk rapidly being sure to go into the edge of the pan, until the mixture thickens and pools a little when dropped on the surface. (This will only take a few minutes.)

Remove pan from the heat and whisk in the chocolate and butter. Continue whisking until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. whisk in the vanilla extract. Using a rubber spatula, immediately press the mixture through the strainer and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the cream to prevent a skin form forming. Allow it to cool to room temperature, or refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Pour the chocolate filling into the baked pie shell. It will fill the shell up to the top. Place the piece of plastic wrap back on the surface and refrigerate the pie for at least 3 hours.

You may top this with whipped heavy cream (1 cup/232 g) sweetened with 1 T powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla and stabilized with 1 tsp (?) cornstarch mixed with the sugar. RLB suggests decorating with chocolate curls and raspberries.

Variation: for a less bittersweet, more milk chocolate filling, replace the milk with half-and-half, decrease the sugar to 1/2 cup/100 g, omit the cocoa and increase the chocolate to 10 oz/24 g.

Store refrigerated up to 3 days.

Do not beat the filling vigorously after cooling, or it will break down. That's because of the cornstarch.

If making the pie a day ahead, it is preferable to brush the baked shell with white chocolate to keep it crisp. You will need to melt about 3 oz and will have about 2/3 oz left over. Chill the chocolate-brushed shell until the chocolate has hardened before filling it. (Personally, I'd just melt 2 1/4 oz and pour it all in and spread it around well.)

Cottage Cheese Pie

1/2 cp sugar
2/3 cp cottage cheese
1 1/2 cp milk
3 eggs
Pinch salt
1 T flour
2 tsp vanilla
butter
nutmeg
cinnamon
1 8" unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 400F. Mix ingredients up to and including vanilla and pour into pie shell. Dot with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake at 400F until top is gold, about 20 minutes, reduce heat and bake at 375F till set, ca. 20 minutes longer.

Lemon Meringue Pie

From: _The Perfect Pie_ by Susan G. Purdy

Note: The completed pie should be served the same day it is baked.

Pastry:
9" blind-baked crust or graham cracker crust

Filling:
1 cp granulated sugar
1/3 cp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cp water
Grated zest form 1 lemon (about 1 1/2 T)
1/2 cp fresh lemon juice
4 lg egg yolks, room temp
2 T unsalted butter, room temp

No-Fail Meringue Topping:
1/2 cp granulated or superfine sugar, divided (2 T and 6 T)
1 T cornstarch
1/2 cp water
4 or 5 lg egg whites, room temp
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Prepare the Filling:

1. In a medium-sized heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
2. Whisk in the water, lemon zest, and juice; scrape into the pan corners to incorporate all the dry ingredients.
3. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 7-8 minutes, until the mixture comes to a boil.
4. Whisk constantly while boiling for 1 full minutes, until it thickens, looks clear, and generously coats a spoon.
5. Remove from the heat.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks well, then whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot lemon pudding to warm the yolks (work quickly so the yolks do not poach).
7. Scrape the warm yolks into the hot lemon pudding in the pan, simultaneously whisking hard to blend in the yolk mixture before the eggs overcook.
8. Return the lemon pudding to the stove over the very lowest heat and stir continuously for about 4 minutes, to cook the yolks and ensure a stable pudding.
9. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
10. Leave the pudding in the pan and set it aside.

Prepare the Meringue Topping:

1. In a small saucepan, stir together 2 T of the sugar, the cornstarch, and water until the cornstarch dissolves.
2. Stir constantly over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture bubbles up into a boil; it will immediately start to thicken and look almost clear.
3. Quickly remove from the heat and set it aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 350F.
5. Place the egg whites in a large absolutely grease-free bowl.
6. Add the salt and cream of tartar.
7. With the mixer on medium speed, whip the whites until foamy.
8. Gradually add the remaining 6 T sugar while beating continuously.
9. Whent he whites look thick and foamy, increase the speed to high and whip unitl they look smooth and satiny and you begin to see beater tracks on the surface. When the mixer is turned off and the beater is lifted, the foam should make a soft, slightyly droopy peak.
10. Add the vanilla, turn the mixeron to medium speed, and begin beating in spoonfuls of the cooked cornstarch mixture fro tehsmall pan.
11. Beat on high a little longer, until the whites are smooth, satiny, and hold very stiff peaks. Don't overbeat or meringue will become grainy or broken.

Putting It All Together:

1. Rewarm the lemon pudding by stirring it over very low heat just until it is almost hot to the touch; it must be hot enough to poach the surface of the meringue that will rest on it.
2. Spoon the hot pudding into the pie shell.
3. Add about half the meringue, spreading it out onto the edges of the crust to seal it and prevent shrinking.
4. Pile on the remaining meringue and shape medium-high swirls with the back of a big spoon.
5. Bake at 350F for 12 to 15 min, or just until the meringue swirls begin to look golden brown.
   
6. Cool on a wire rack, and serve at room temperature.
   
7. Refrigerate leftovers--if there are any!
   

Ruth Lawrence's Blackberry Pie

Ruth Lawrence's Blackberry Pie
Source: From Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds to Basic Apple, It's as Easy as Pie by Susan G. Purdy (I've checked out several books by her and she seems quite good.)
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Cooking the berries ahead of time is a bit of trouble but worth it!

She says that the vinegar is supposed to soften the seeds. I've heard that this is folklore, but...who knows? She also says that these pies can be frozen unbaked and then taken out of the freezer and baked while still frozen and taste great:
--don't cut air vents in top crust
--wrap pie airtight in freezer-weight material (I like to stick things in freezer bags when I can b/c they're reusable--a great tip I got from my old aunts is to double bag everything in the freezer)
--don't forget to label!
--to bake:
--set pie in lower third of a 450F preheated oven for 20 min
--after the first 10 min, cut steam vents in the top crust
--after 20 min, lower heat to 350F, raise pie to oven center and cover pastry edges w/ foil or protector if browning too fast
--continue baking an additional 40-45 min or until pastry is gold brown
--if you want to glaze pie top, apply egg glaze and a sprinkling of sugar before setting pie in oven
--cool on a wire rack

I've never done that but if you've got a bush, you might get a lot of berries!
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Baking time: 425F for 10 min; 350F for 40-45 min
Berry-cooking time: 5 to 7 min
Makes one double-crust 9-inch pie

Unbaked pastry for a 2-crust, 9-inch pie
Egg glaze: 1 egg beaten with 1 T water
4 cups fresh blackberries, picked over and quickly rinsed
1 1/2 to 1 2/3 cp granulated sugar (depending on the sweetness of the berries and your taste)
1/2 tsp cider vinegar
3 T cornstarch
1 T quick-cooking tapioca

1. Prepare the pastry, roll it out, and line the pie plate. Trim a 1/2-inch pastry overhang. To moisture-proof the lower crust, brush with egg glaze. Chill the crust in the fridge while you prepare the filling. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine berries, sugar, vinegar and cornstarch, and add 2 T water (to prevent scorching). Mash the fruit very slightly with a potato ricer or spoon in order to start the juices flowing. Set the pan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, just until the mixture nears the boiling point. (You don't want to overcook cornstarch.) Remove from heat and cool completely. Stir in tapioca.

3. Add the cooled fruit to pastry-lined pan. Brush egg glaze over the edge of the lower crust. Roll out top crust and fit over pie. Trim a 3/4-inch overhang. Fold the top edge under the bottom crust overhang and pinch them together to seal, making a raised rim all around. Flute the edge. Cut vent holes in top crust.

4. Set pie in lower third of preheated oven and bake 10 min. Reduce heat to 350F, raise pie to center of oven and bake an additional 40-45 min, or until pastry is golden brown. Check pie after about half the total baking time and add a foil edging or protector to keep crust edge from overbrowning. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

Aunt Angie's Pie Crust

This is the recipe Angie used to make three pie crusts. When I asked if they were for 9" pies, she got really disgusted with me for asking, as if there were any other size, so I think that's what they're for. Actually, I think she got disgusted that I would ask such a silly thing because from her perspective, you use as much as you need and either freeze the rest or make something else (like cinnamon roll-up-thingies) with the left-overs.

3 cups flour
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 tsp salt
7-8 T ice water

I just wanted to note that I'm putting this here for anyone who wants it, but I personally prefer a shorter dough made from a combination of butter and shortening :-)

Aunt Anna's Butterscotch Pie

Filling
1 cup dark brown sugar (198g)
3 T cornstarch (24g)
2 T flour (16g)
1/4 tsp salt (2g)
3 eggs (separated)
2 2/3 cups whole milk
1 tsp vanilla
6 T butter
(1 9" pre-baked pie crust)

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt in pan. Whisk together egg yolks and milk. Slowly whisk wet ingredients into dry ones. Cook on stove top on medium till thick, stirring constantly. After mixture gets thick, cook for at least 5 minutes longer, continuing to stir. (I'm not sure about that, really, since Aunt Anna said to just use my imagination about how long to cook it!) Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and butter. Pour into pie shell.


Meringue
Boil and let cool:
1 T cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
2 T sugar

Beat till stiff:
3 egg whites

Add cornstarch sugar water slowly.
Beat some more.

Slowly add:
6 T sugar

Beat a bit more.

Spoon onto pie filling.
Bake at 350F, 12-15 minutes or till lightly browned.

Pie Crust

(Jim Fobel's Old-Fashioned Baking Book)

Makes 2 9" crusts

2 1/4 cp (270g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cp (5 oz/144g) shortening (I like to use butter-flavored Crisco if I'm not going to have time to refrigerate the dough.) or 6 T each shortening (72g) and butter (3 oz) (refrigerate dough for at least 1/2 hour)
5-6 T ice water

I always cut the fat into the flour in two parts--the first part until it resembles cornmeal and the second part till there are pea-sized bits of shortening/butter left. In adding the water, it helped me greatly when I finally realized that pie crust should be on the dry side and biscuits on the wet side. Sprinkle 3 T of ice water over the flour mixture and then mix using a lifting motion with a fork. Sprinkle 2 more T of water and continue lifting motion till the liquid seems well-distributed. Set the fork aside and use your hand to pull the mixture together into a ball, squeezing very gently. Sprinkle a bit of water, using as little as possible, onto any dry flour mixture under the ball of dough or inside it if it is coming together yet falling apart at the same time. The object is to get the dough into a ball using as little water and squeezing as possible. Divide the mixture into two equal portions and place each on a piece of plastic wrap. (I keep mine in the fridge and use them over and over in my effort to be environmentally-friendly.) Flatten each ball into a disc about 5" in diameter, pull up the plastic wrap around it and place in the fridge.

Less-Sweet Pecan Pie

Simply Recipes
http://www.simplyrecipes.com

2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T molasses
2 T melted butter
2 T flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked, chilled for an hour if freshly made, defrosted for 10 minutes if frozen

Preheat oven to 375F. Spread pecans along the bottom of the pie shell. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over pecans. The pecans will rise to the surface of the pie.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until the filling has set. About 20 minutes into the cooking you may want to use a pie crust protector, or tent the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil to prevent the pie crust edges from burning.

Remove pie from oven and let cool completely.

Bridget's Mock Pumpkin Pie

3 cp (735 g)  sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed (I boil them in a bit of water.)
2 cp (460 g) butternut squash, cooked and mashed  *
4 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cp half & half
1 heaping T flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
2 unbaked 9-inch pie crusts

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. In a very large bowl whisk the wet ingredients together.
3. In a small bowl whisk the dry ingredients together.
4. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
5. Pour the mixture into the pie crusts, dividing evenly.
6. Bake 15 minutes at 425F. Reduce heat to 350F. Bake until a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

*Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Cover a half-sheet pan (or cookie sheet with edges) with foil and lightly oil it. Place squash cut side down. Bake at 350F for 30-45 min or till soft when pierced with a fork. When cool to the touch, peel and puree in a food processor or mash by hand.