Pumpkin Pie (without Evaporated Milk!)

Yes, it can be done.  You can make a perfect pumpkin pie even if you don't have that can of Evaporated Milk!  Although it's in every pumpkin pie recipe on the back of every can of pumpkin, you really don't need the evaporated milk.  This delicious pie came out tasting exactly the same, even better the recipe is for two 9-inch pies.  So enjoy one for your family, then be a kind neighbour and send the other next door and ease some of their holiday stress.

VIRGINIA PUMPKIN PIE
from The Southern Hereitage Pies and Pastry Cookbook

2 (16-ounce) cans pumpkin
2 cups sugar (I always use Truvia or Stevia in the Raw)
4 eggs, seperated
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pastry (recipe follows)

Combine pumpkin, sugar, egg yolks, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl.  Beat at medium speed of an electric mixer 1 minute or until smooth.

Beat egg whites (at room temperature) until soft peaks form.  Fold hites into pumpkin mixture.  Pour equal amounts of filling into prepared pastry shells.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool before slicing.  Yield: two 9-inch pies.

PASTRY
2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk

Combine flour and salt; mix well.  Combine oil and milk (do not stir).  With a fork, stir in liquid to moisten dry ingredients.  Divide dough in half; shape into two balls and chill.

Roll each portion of dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.  Place in two 9-inch pie plates; flute edges.  Prick bottoms and sides of shells.  Bake at 475 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool.  Yield: two 9-inch pastry shells.

Printable Recipe

Happpily submitted to Culinary Evolution over at The White Blue Sky.

Enjoy!

from The Parent's Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 10, 1919

Recipe: Apple Pie & Crust Recipe

This pie was light and delicious with lots of apples and only a portion of the sugar found in regular apple pies.  I wanted to make a more healthful pie and found a good recipe in my Cooking Light Cookbook.  This was so quick and easy that I'll be making it all the time.  I called my mum as soon as it came out of the oven as she's famous for her apple pies and I knew she'd be delighted that I'd made my first one.

PIE CRUST

from Everyday Food Magazine June 2010

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) col unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

3 to 5 Tablespoons of water (I used 3 each time I made a crust)

In a food processor, pulse flour, salt, and sugar until combines.  Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.  Sprinkle with 3 Tablespoons ice water.  Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 2 Tablespoons water, 1 Tablespoon at a time).  Do not overmix.  Form dough into a disk (I use my glass stovetop as it makes a good non-stick surface - must be cold), wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to overnight).

Last step when the dough comes together.

APPLE PIE

from The All-New Complete Cooking Light Cookbook
 
8 cups thinly sliced peeled Braeburn apples (about 8 medium - I used Johnathan apples)
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
 
1 large egg white
1 Tablespoon sugar (I used sugar in the raw)
 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  To prepare filling, combine apple and lemon juice in a  large bowl.  Combine 2/3 cup sugar and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl.  Sprinkle sugar mixture over apple, toss well to coat.
 
Fit dough into 9-inch deep dish pie plate (I used a quish dish) allowing dough to extend over edge.  Spoon filling into dough, brush edges lightly with water.
 

Place top dough over filling.  Press edges of dough together.  Cut 4 slits into top of pastry using a sharp knife.  Brush top and edges of pie with egg white, sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon of sugar.
 

Place pie on a baking sheet, bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees (do not remove pie from oven), and bake an additional 40 minutes until golden.  Cool on a wire rack.

 

Printable Recipe

 

Happily submitted to the Make-It-From-Scratch Carnival #167.  Lots of inspirational recipes all made from scratch!

Enjoy!

from the book "I Want To Read!"

by Betty Ren Wright

illustrated by Aliki

1970, Western Publishing Co.

Recipe Bomb: Zucchini Lemon Pie

I think this pie is supposed to be a more healthful lemon pie but it comes out mushy with way too much lemon flavour.  I did substitute 1 of the 2 cups of zucchini with applesauce which may have affected the flavour as cinnamon from it probably didn't mix well with the lemon.  I was really thrown off by the texture though, as it's like lumpy baby food.


I love the cookbook this recipe comes from "Rodale's Naturally Great Foods Cookbook" by Nancy Albright.  It's jam packed with made-from-scratch original recipes.  The book says "The best foods to use and how to use them in over 400 original recipes".  Published in 1977 the book is broken down by specific ingredients and even has a section of teas for healing.

Click on picture to enlarge.

The crust on this pie was fantastic (if I do say so myself!).  I found the recipe in the June 2010 issue of Everyday Food magazine and made at least 6 this weekend alone as I was delighted with how easy it was.  I will post this recipe this week.

ZUCCHINI LEMON PIE
from "Rodale's Naturally Great Foods Cookbook" by Nancy Albright

1 8inch baked pie shell
2 cups zucchini
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon butter
6 Tablespoons honey
4 Tablespoons cornstarch
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1 Tablespoon honey, warmed to a thin consistency

Make pie shell according to preferred recipe.

Peel zucchini, cut into thin slices, pour into electric blender with water and puree.  There should be 2 cup zucchini mixture.  Heat this in a large saucepan along with butter and honey.

Combine constarch, salt and lemon rind and juice, mix well and stir into hot zucchini mixture.  Cook stirring constantly, until thickened.

Beat egg yolks and add a little of the hot mixture to them, stirring, then stir this back into zucchini mixture, and cook for approximately 1 more minute.  Remove from heat and pour into baked pie shell.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Make meringue by beating egg whites until stiff and adding the warmed honey, gradually, during the beating process.  Pile meringue on top of filling, covering it completely.  Leave a rough surface on the meringue so it will brown more attractively.

Bake in preheated oven for approximately 5 minutes until meringue is golden brown.  Cool and serve.

Printable Recipe

Enjoy!

from "The Little Tiny Rooster"

by Will and Nicolas

1960 Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc.

Recipe: Lemon Cloud Pie

This pie is as delicious as it's name.  Lemony, cold and refreshing and not too sweet.  The whipped cream is folded right into the lemon custard which gives it a nice airy texture.  This pie is divine.

LEMON CLOUD PIE
from Moms Who Think

1 9-inch pie crust, baked
1 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
⅓ cup lemon juice
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
4 ounces cream cheese, softened, cubed
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Topping:
½ cup whipping cream, whipped

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Stir in water, lemon juice, and egg yolks. Mix well. Stir constantly while cooking over medium heat until mixture thickens.  Add cream cheese and lemon zest to mixture, and stir until cream cheese is melted and mixture is smooth.

In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold into lemon mixture.

Spoon filling evenly into cooled pie shell and chill at least 7 hours or overnight. Serve with additional whipped topping over filling.

Printable Copy

Enjoy!



from the book "The Children's Hour - Best Loved Poems"
1953 Spenser Press

Recipe: Maple-Nut Pie & Pie Crust Recipe

A little slice of Canadian goodness for you :)  If you like sweet rich pies, then this is for you - and me!  The pie has a creamy texture stuffed with nuts.  It's so rich that a tiny slice will satisfy.

I got this Maple-Nut Pie recipe from Better Homes and Gardens, September 2008 issue.  But first, I didn't have any refridgerated pie crusts so I had to make one from scratch - eeeek!  This is why I try not to buy convenience foods, as it forces me to figure out how to make them. 

So, with an anxious bead of sweat on my brow, I went to Martha Stewart's site and found this recipe for Pate Brise (Pie Dough).  I lugged my bulky food processor out of storage and crossed my fingers that I'd make it correctly this time (I've bombed quite a few pie crusts already).  Ta da!  It actually turned out beautifully!

This pie crust was so sucessful that I think I'll make a bunch of them this week and freeze them.  Then I'll have my own "convenience pie dough" and won't have to buy any more.  Genious!

MAPLE-NUT PIE
from Better Homes and Gardens, September 2008

1 Recipe Single-Crust Pie Pastry, or 1 rolled refrigerated unbaked piecrust (1/2 of a 15-oz. pkg.)

1-1/2 cups pure maple syrup
3 eggs
6 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. light rum (optional) (I didn't do this)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
Rum raisin or vanilla ice cream (I didn't do this)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Prepare pastry and line 9-inch pie plate. Prick bottom and sides of pastry with fork. Line pastry with double thickness of foil. Bake 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 5 minutes more or until crust is lightly browned cool. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F.

In saucepan bring maple syrup to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 12 minutes or until reduced to 1 cup.

In medium bowl beat eggs with electric mixer on medium to high speed until thick and lemon colored, about 5 minutes.

The cooked maple syrup gets hard FAST!  Do the final steps quickly.

In large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated and brown sugar; beat to combine. Beat in reduced syrup and eggs (careful as syrup gets hard in a flash & may harm your mixer!). Fold in walnuts, vanilla, rum, and nutmeg. Pour into prebaked crust.

Those are huge globs of the maple syrup mix but melted when baked.  Whew!

Bake pie on baking sheet in lower third of oven 35 minutes or until set around edges; cool. Serve with ice cream. Makes 10 servings.

For a printable version of this recipe go here.

Enjoy!  Sarah

Happily submited to Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays over at New Nostalgia (I love this blog) as I FINALLY figured out how to make my own pie crusts.  No more store-bought convenience pie crusts for me :)


A Child's Book of Poems
Pictures by Gyo Fujikawa
1969 Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, New York

Recipe: Gingery Apple Crumb Pie

Yes, it's as good as it sounds and with the good price of apples lately it's a great way to use them.  I found this recipe in Real Simple, November 2009 issue.  I love how the ginger flavour comes through and the crumbly, yet soft, topping taste together.  It's a step-up from regular apple pie and is perfect for when you have company.

GINGERY APPLE CRUMB PIE
Adapted from Real Simple magazine, November 2009, page 290

Basic Flaky Piecrust or 1 store-bought piecrust, fitted into a 9-inch pie plate
1/2 cup cup cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 pounds apples (about 5; such as Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Empire), peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (I used minced ginger from a jar)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Set an oven rack in the lowest position and heat oven to 375º F. Place the pie plate on a foil-lined baking sheet.

In a food processor, pulse the butter, ¾ cup of the flour, and ¼ cup of the sugar until large clumps form (I just did this by hand with a pastry blender). Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large bowl, toss the apples, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and the remaining ½ cup of sugar and tablespoon of flour.

Transfer the apple mixture to the crust, sprinkle with the crumb topping, and bake until the top is golden and the apples are tender, 55 to 60 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
 
Get a printable copy of this recipe here.

Enjoy!  Sarah