Coconut Pie

Coconut Pie from 1890

from ‘Mother’s Cook Book’  by S. M. Gates, 1890 on loan from Patricia Moss

“One half pound grated cocoanut, three-quarters pound of white sugar (powdered), six ounces of butter, five eggs, the whites only, one glass of white wine, two tablespoonfuls of rose water, one tablespoonful of nutmeg. Cream the butter and sugar, and when well-mixed, beat very light, with wine and rose-water. Add the cocoanut with as little and as light beating as possible; finally, whip in the stiffened whites of the eggs with a few skillful strokes, and bake at once in open shells. Eat cold, with powdered sugar sifted over them.”

**Note: Okay, so this recipe is pretty obtuse. It’s from 1890 after all. I made few changes because I wanted to make only one pie, and I don’t have a scale.

The redone recipe is elsewhere on this blog: http://ninedaysofpie.com/?p=126, I made a few minor changes to the revised recipe for future use:

Revised in 2012

2 c. shredded coconut

1 3/4 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. butter

6 oz. white wine

3 egg whites

1 T. rose water

1 1/2 t. nutmeg

1 unbaked pie shell

Directions:

Cream sugar and butter, add wine and rosewater, and 1 tsp. of nutmeg, mix well. Lightly mix in coconut.

In a separate bowl, whip egg whites to stiff peaks, carefully fold into pie mixture.  Top with 1/2 t. nutmeg. Bake in 350 degree oven until browned, lower to 325 and cook until set in center.

Russian Brown Betty, made with rye bread, apples and jam!!!

Russian Brown Betty 

from ‘The Best of Russian Cooking’ by Alexandra Kropotkin, 1964

8 large apples (only 7 fit, and barely in 1 1/2 qt. casserole)

1/2 c. water

1 c. sugar (divided)

1/2 c. raisins

1 t. orange rind

1 t. ground cinnamon

3/4 c. finely chopped nuts

4 c. crumbled dark rye bread

3. T. salad oil (I used butter)

1 t. lemon rind

1/2 t. cloves

dry bread crumbs

4 T. tart jam or jelly

Directions:

Peel and core the apples. Cut them into eighths. Add to the water a half cup of the sugar, the raisins, the orange rind, and cinnamon. SImmer the apples with this mixture until just tender. Add the nuts when apples are tender.

The bread should be at least one day old. Crumble and fry it for 5 minutes in 2 T. of oil.  Add the lemon rind, cloves, and the other 1/2 c. brown sugar.

Brush the inside of a fireproof casserole with the remaining oil. Dust with bread crumbs. Put in 2 cups of the fried bread. Cover with apples and 1 cup of bread.  Spread with jam or jelly. Top with the remaining bread. Bake 1 hour in a medium over (350 degrees). Serve hot or cold with a pitcher of sweet cream.

**Notes: This was interesting, I can’t call it bad it wasn’t, but next time, I probably would not use the jam, I cannot for the life of me figure out a purpose for it, but I noticed man of the pies and desserts in this cookbook use jam or jelly, so it must be a Russian thing. Also, I put this in a 1 1/2 or 2 qt. pyrex casserole dish and it was towering. Be sure to cover it when it gets browned on top. The blueberry jam I used looked pretty ugly once the bread browned, it looked burnt, but was not.

Strawberry Blueberry Pie

Berry pie with collaborative art on top from Shane and I.

from the mind of Amy 

double pie crust recipe

1 1/2 c. strawberries, cut berries in half

1/2 lb. blueberries

2 T. lemon juice

2 T. maple syrup

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. cinnamon

3 T. corn starch (if using frozen, make it 4 T.)

1/2 c. sugar

1 T. butter

Directions: 

In a small bowl combine sugar, spices and corn starch.

In a large bowl pour strawberries and blueberries. add lemon juice and maple syrup and toss. Pour sugar mixture and toss until incorporated.

Pour fruit into pie pan. Dot top of fruit with butter cut into small pieces.

Add top crust, seal edges, and cut slits in top. Brush top with milk or egg wash.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, lower heat  to 350 and bake another 25-30 minutes. If edges start to get too brown, cover them with foil or pie shield.

Cool.

Bourbon Buttermilk - Not for the meek!

Bourbon Buttermilk Pie 

from ‘Heartland: The Best of the Old and the New from Midwest Kitchens’ by Marcia Adams 1991

1 single crust lined in a pie pan

3 eggs

3/4 c. sugar

3 T. flour

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

1 t. vanilla extract

3 T. bourbon

3 T. butter (no substitutions)

grated nutmeg

Directions:

Bake the well pricked pie shell in a 400 degree oven for just 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour and beat again. WIth the beater running slowly, pour in the buttermilk. Add the vanilla, bourbon, and melted butter, blend. Pour the filling into the partially baked pie shell and dust the surface with nutmeg. Bake until the filling just sets, about 20 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the pie in for 10 minutes longer. Remove the pie to a rack, it will continue to set as it cools. (Custard pies should not bake too long or the custard will curdle.)

**Notes: This was a decadent and flavorful pie. Shane commented several times on the strong bourbon flavor, I used Four Roses Bourbon for it since Shane and I had gone to the distillery on our year long road trip.

This book has many amazing recipes, photos and history and I look forward into delving into it more!

Pear Cranberry Pie

Pie art collaboration #1 by Shane and I. Cranberry/Pear Pie.

From ‘The Fruit of the Spirit’ by the First Baptist Church of Littleton, Colorado, 1999

2 c. cranberries

1/3 c. water

3 T. quick cooking tapioca

1 c. sugar

Pinch of salt

3 c. fresh pears

2 T. butter

single pie crust

Directions:  

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. One 9-inch pie pan with pie shell (you may use Pillsbury already made).

Put cranberries and water in pot. Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes until skins “pop”. Add cornstarch, sugar, salt and pears. Mix well and cool. Turn into pie plate and dot with butter.

Make crumb crust and sprinkle on top ( half cup flour, quarter cup of sugar, quarter cup of butter) mix until crumbs. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower heat to 350 and cook 30 minutes longer until brown cool.

**Notes: I really appreciate that they “allow” you to use pillsbury pie crust – how very churchy!  Also, how they add more ingredients for the crumb crust that are not on the list of ingredients. I added 1 T. lemon juice, and used cornstarch instead of tapioca. I also used a top crust instead of the crumb topping. Shane is not a fan of crumb toppings.

Chickpea Curry Pie 

Curry Chickpea Pie, I liked the crust, but the pie was a bit bland.

From ‘The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook’, 2000

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup millet

2 large eggs

3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

8 ounces broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups shredded green cabbage

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 tablespoon curry powder

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

8 ounces small white potatoes, quartered

1/3 cup red lentils

1/2 cup canned chickpeas, drained

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions: 

Boil 2 cups of water. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add millet, and saute until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add another tablespoon butter and the boiling water to millet; return to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, 25 minutes. Transfer millet to a bowl to cool slightly; tent with foil to prevent from drying out. When cooled, stir in eggs, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and parsley.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath. Add broccoli to boiling water, and blanch for 20 seconds, until bright green. Transfer to ice-water bath to cool. Drain, and set aside.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add cabbage; cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and curry; cook 2 minutes. Pour in 2 cups water, and using a wooden spoon, scrape up any brown bits on bottom of pan. Add carrots, potatoes, lentils, and chickpeas, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir in broccoli; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place the stew in a 1 1/2-quart ovenproof casserole; cover with millet mixture. Dot millet with remaining tablespoon butter; place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Kale and Sausage Tart

From: http://www.food52.com/recipes/10249_sausage_and_kale_dinner_tart 

TART SHELL

Kale and Sausage Pie, yep forgot to take a photo until it was almost too late!

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. unsalted butter, chilled

1 pinch salt

3-4 T. ice water

Directions: 

Cut the butter into small cubes.

Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until butter is pea-sized.

Slowly drizzle water through the top of the food processor while pulsing. You have added enough water when dough sticks together when pressed.

Remove dough from processor and press gently into a disc.

Wrap disc in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Remove dough from refrigerator and unwrap.

Place disc on a lightly floured board.

Roll dough into a circle 12 inches in diameter.

Place dough in 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom.

Dock dough with a fork.

Lay parchment paper or foil over dough and fill with beans or pie weights.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Blind bake the tart shell (with pie weights) for 20 minutes. Then remove parchment and weights and bake an additional 5 minutes until the crust begins to brown.

Remove from oven and set aside on cooling rack.

SAUSAGE AND KALE FILLING

1 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

2 cups onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 pound Italian sausage

1 bunch kale (a large bunch), stemmed and roughly chopped

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips

1 egg

1/4 cup ricotta (or another soft cheese like feta or goat cheese)

salt and pepper

Directions:  

Heat oil and butter in pan on medium heat. Add onion and garlic and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until onions are soft and light brown. Season with salt and pepper. Remove onions from pan and set aside.

Increase heat to medium and add sausage to pan. Brown sausage and break into small pieces. Remove sausage from pan and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of oil from pan.

Add kale to pan. Pour white wine over kale. Scrape any bits from the pan and cover. Cook 3-5 minutes, until kale is wilted. Season with salt and pepper. If kale is still very wet, cook uncovered for a minute or two. The overall mixture should be fairly dry. Remove kale to a large bowl.

Toss cooked kale with cooked sausage and onions. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Toss mixture with basil, egg, and ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon sausage and kale mixture into cooked tart shell. Be sure to evenly cover the bottom of the tart shell. Bake the tart on a baking tray for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove tart from oven when the filling is set and the tart shell is nicely brown. Cool tart slightly on a wire rack. Slice and serve with a big green salad.

Wagon Wheel Apple Pie (with Cheddar Cheese Crust)

Wagon wheel apple pie with cheddar cheese crust!

from ‘The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Cooking’, 1983 by the Editors of Our Favorite Recipes Press

Filling:

5 Washington apples

1/2 c. rasins

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

2/3 c. packed brown sugar

1 T. flour (I used corn starch)

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. mace

1/2 t. grated lemon peel

1/8 t. salt

2 T. lemon juice

1 T. butter

milk

Pastry: 

2 c. flour

1 t. salt

1/2 c. butter

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c. cold water

Directions: 

Assemble pie pastry, by cutting butter into flour and salt, when crumbly add cheese and then water in small amounts until the dough is able to be kneaded into a smooth ball.

Combine raisins and walnuts in a small bowl, set aside.

Combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, mace, lemon peel and salt in separate bowl. Line pie pan with half of cheese pastry, roll the other half out and cut into 10 1/2 wide strips.

Pare apples, core and cut into thin slices. Arrange half the apples into pie pan, sprinkle with half the raisin mixture and half the sugar mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle apples with lemon juice. Dot with butter. Twist pastry strips to make spoke wheel top, finish edge by fluting with fingers. Brush strips with milk. Bake in 425 degree oven for 30 – 45 minutes or until tender and browned. Cover pie with foil if crust brown before apples are tender. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.

**Notes: I have had cheese melted in Apple pie and it is usually unremarkable, but baking it in the crust was AMAZING!  Nicely browned cheese. This was so good!

Easy to make, Pineapple Pie

Pineapple Pie 

Adapted from ’200 Successful Pie Recipes’ by Lulu Thompson Silvernail, 1947

1 20 oz can crushed pineapple

1 c. sugar

3 T. cornstarch

4 eggs

2 T. light corn syrup

2 T melted butter

1 T. vanilla extract

1 unbaked pie shell

Directions: 

Beat eggs in large bowl until well blended.

Mix in undrained pineapple with sugar, cornstarch, corn syrup, melted butter, and vanilla.

Stir well and pour into pie shell.

Bake at 450 degrees until crust is browned (about 20 minutes) and then lower heat to 350 and bake until pie filling is set (another 15 – 20 minutes).

**NOTES: I started to use Lulu’s recipe, but she has let me down so many times now, so I ad libbed a bit and this pie came out delicious! It was surprisingly good and light, and even with all that sugar, it wasn’t too sweet.

Flemish Beef Pie (forgot to take a picture sooner). Complicated but delicious!

Flemish Beef Pie Carbonnades

from ‘Pot Pies: Forty Savory Suppers’ by Beatrice A. Ojakangas, 1993

Filling: 

4 lbs. lean beef stew meat, in 1 1/2 inch cubes

1 T. vegetable shortening

2 garlic cloves, halved

1 T. flour

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

2 bottles (12 oz each) dark beer

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

3 T. dijon style mustard

3 bay leaves

1/2 t. thyme leaves

2 T. butter

4 large onions sliced into 1/4 inch rings

8 carrots cut into 1/2 inch cubes

4 T. cornstarch

Whipped Potato Crust

2 lbs. potatoes peeled and halved

2 T. butter

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. freshly ground pepper

2 egg whites

1/2 to 3/4 c. milk heated

2 T. butter melted for top of pie

Directions:

Pat the beef dry. Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the garlic and about 1/3 of the meat. Brown the meat over high heat stirring constantly. Remove the meat to a dutch oven or deep casserole. Brown the remainder of the meat in batches. Sprinkle the browned meat with the flour and pepper. Add about 1 c. of beer to skilled and bring to boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Add vinegar, mustard, bay leaves and thyme. Pour the liquid over the meat mixture with another 1 1/2 c. beer.

Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add theta onions to the meat and heat to simmering. Cover and cook over low heat until the meat is tender, about 2 hours. Add the carrots during the last 30 minutes of cooking. When the meat is done blend an additional 1/4 c. of the beer with the starch. Stir into the stew and cook until thickened, 3 -5 minutes. (You can prepare the pies to this point up to three days in advance and rewarm the stew to finish the pie.)

For the crust, put the potatoes in a saucepan and add salted water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and transfer to large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until potatoes are smooth. Beat in melted butter, salt and pepper. Gradually beat in the hot milk until potatoes are light and fluffy. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry, then gradually fold the whites into the potatoes.

Preheat the broiler. Reheat the stew, if refrigerated. Transfer stew to a broiler proof dish. Spoon the potatoes into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe the potatoes on top of the stew. Drizzle with the melted butter and broil 6 inches from the heat until lightly browned, and serve immediately.

**Notes: I took many, many liberties with this long and complex recipe, some on purpose, some by not reading the recipe so well, but all things considered, it still was delicious, and a perfect hearty meal for election night!

Zucchini Pie 

Zucchini Pie

from ‘The Best From Family Heart Kitchens: A Guide to the Alternative Diet’, 1985

Crust:

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 c. flour

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. warm water

1 T. yeast

Filling:

4 c. zucchini, unpeeled, thinly sliced

1 c. onion coarsely chopped

1 T. butter

2 T. parsley, chopped

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. black pepper

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. basil, dried

1/4 t. oregano, dried

2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

3 egg whites

2 t. dijon mustard

Directions: 

Dissolve yeast in water, stir in flours and salt. Knead dough for 5 minutes, until smooth. Let rise for about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large skillet cook zucchini and onion in butter until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in parsley and seasonings.

In a large bowl mix egg whites and cheese, add vegetable mixture and stir.

Transfer raised dough to an ungreased 9×13″ baking dish. Press over bottom and up sides to form crust. Spread crust with mustard. Pour vegetable mixture in and spread evenly.

Bake for 25- 35 minutes. Cover with foil for last 10 minutes if crust is getting too brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

**Notes: This was a little bit bland, so I would up the spice a bit in the future, it was also much better when we reheated the next day for lunch.

Fudgy Pecan Pie

Fudgy Pecan Pie, needs some work.

from ‘An Art to Cooking: Life in these Cotswolds’ from the Officer’s Wives Club of the Royal Air Force, UK, 1968 – 1987. Recipe by Victoria A. Dozier

1/2 c. butter

4 eggs

3 T. light corn syrup

1/4 t. salt

3 squares unsweetened chocolate

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 unbaked pie crust

1 1/2 c. pecans

Directions: 

Melt butter and chocolate in double boiler. Cool. Beat eggs until lit. Beat in remaining ingredients. Add chocolate mixture and nuts. Mix thoroughly. Pout into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Top should be crusty and filling like custard. Top with ice cream to serve.

**Notes: This was less like a pecan pie and more like a brownie. It almost seemed gritty, though the flavor was good. Next time I would go for a cup of the corn syrup, and cut back on the sugar by about the same amount. I will try it again though.

A slice of Peach Blueberry Pie, I had to use frozen fruit since tis not the season.

Peach Blueberry Pie 

from the mind of Amy 

double pie crust recipe

1 lb. peaches

1 lb. blueberries

2 T. lemon juice

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. ginger, ground or fresh

3 T. corn starch (if using frozen, make it 4 T.)

1/2 c. sugar

1 T. butter

Directions: 

In a small bowl combine sugar, spices and corn starch.

In a large bowl pour peaches and blueberries. add lemon juice and toss. Pour sugar mixture and toss until incorporated.

Pour fruit into pie pan. Dot top of fruit with butter cut into small pieces.

Add top crust, seal edges, and cut slits in top. Brush top with milk or egg wash.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, lower heat to 350 and bake another 25-30 minutes. If edges start to get too brown, cover them with foil or pie shield.

Cool.

Apple and Sausage Pie 

Sausage Apple Pie, I would like to tweak this one next time, if there is a next time.

From: http://www.pepinheights.com/apple-info/recipes/index.php/recipes_main/show/4  

4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter‚ cut into small pieces

1/2 c. flour

1/2 pound sweet sausage

1 T. butter

1 apple – peeled, cored, and diced

2 egg yolks

1 egg

1 cup heavy cream

salt

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine butter pieces with the flour and a pinch of salt
Mix with fingertips until butter is almost entirely incorporated (mixture should be the consistency of bread crumbs
Add 1-2 Tbsp cold water to bind
Refrigerate for 30 minutes

Remove the sausage from it’s casing and crumble‚ saute over medium heat‚ drain
In a separate skillet, heat 1 Tbsp butter and saute the apple until just softened.
Combine egg yolks and egg with cream and a pinch of salt.
Roll out dough and press into a 9″ pie tin.
Place sausage in bottom of pie.
Arrange apple on top of sausage and distribute cheese evenly over apple.
Pour the egg mixture over everything.
Bake for 50-60 minutes‚ until pie is somewhat firm.
Cool for a few minutes, but serve warm.

**NOTES: So I think there is a spot where some instruction is missing in this recipe. It never explains what to do with the flour, butter, salt part that you add water to.  I can only assume now this was to be the crust, but what a small or thin crust it would have been!?!?!  I added it to the egg mixture, and it turned the pie into a sort of loose wet biscuity concoction. I would like to reproach this one at some other time. Also, I doubled the sausage and I grilled the sausages so they remained in their casing.