Louise's Favorite Rhubarb Custard Pie

Rhubarb Custard Pie:

ingredients :

Pastry for Double-Crust Pie (Aunt Gabby's Recipe)
1 1/2-2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
4 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened chopped rhubarb
2 slightly beaten eggs
2 tablespoons half-and-half or light cream or milk
1/4 cup Milk

directions:

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pastry and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim even with rim.
2. In mixing bowl, combine 1-1/2 to 2 cups sugar, flour, nutmeg, and salt. Add the rhubarb. Gently toss until coated. (For frozen fruit, let stand for 15 to 30 minutes or until partially thawed, but icy.)
3. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and cream. Pour over fruit; toss to mix. Transfer to the pasty-lined pie plate.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining dough into a 12-inch circle and cut slits for steam to escape, trim top crust to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate; fold extra pastry under bottom pastry and flute edge. If you like, make leaf cutouts from pastry scraps and place on pie; brush top crust with milk.
5. To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of pie with foil. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes for fresh fruit (50 minutes for frozen). Remove foil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes more or until top is golden. Cool on wire rack. Makes 8 servings.

Healthy Eater's Individual Apple Raspberry Pie

"An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away!"

Cliche I know but this recipe helps me get some very healthy fruit into my diet in a most pleasant way.

Needs: 

1. Microwave-safe Pyrex ramekin dish
2. Saucer
3. Measuring spoons
4. Paring knife
5. Microwave

Ingredients:

• 1 Apple
• 2 packets Splenda (or other sugar substitute)
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (or tapioca)
• Sprinkles of nutmeg, cinnamon, & ginger (or whatever spices you prefer)
• a few drops of butter extract
• 1/8 cup of frozen (or fresh)raspberries

Prep:

1. Place dry ingredients into bottom of ramekin and mix with spoon.
2. Drizzle with butter extract and berries.
3. Core apple and slice into dish with remaining ingredients.
4. Cover with a saucer and microwave on "HIGH" for 2 minutes.
5. Stir and let set for a few minutes -- dig in.

NOTE: This tastes too good to be good for you!
Okay to substitute any kind of berries or fruits to add variety.

Pecan Pie

Pecan Pie

 Recipe By: Louise

 Serving Size: 8    

 Categories: Pie

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    1-cup           dark brown sugar

      2/3-cup           cane syrup

      ¼ cup           unsalted butter

    3      tablespoons   bourbon

      ½ teaspoon      vanilla

      ½ teaspoon      salt

    4                    eggs

    3      tablespoons   half-and-half

    2      cups          pecan pieces

1                    unbaked 9-inch piecrust

Whole pecan halves

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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large saucepan, melt the brown sugar, Syrup and butter together with the bourbon, vanilla and salt.  Continue

Heating the mixture to the boiling point, stirring frequently.  Boil for 1 Minute, stirring constantly.   

2. Remove pan from heat and let mixture cool.  In A bowl, beat the eggs with the half-and-half until they are light and

Frothy.   

3. Add to the cooled syrup, beating until the mixture is well Incorporated.  Stir in the pecan pieces.  Pour the filling into the pie

Shell.  Top with a layer of pecan halves.  Bake 45 to 50 minutes until a Toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

 

TOURTIERE -- PORK PIE

TOURTIERE -- PORK PIE
By Louise
Categories: Main dish, Meats, Pork, Casseroles
Yield: 16 servings (2 pies)
3 c Mashed potatoes
3 lb Lean pork, ground
1 c Water
1/4 ts Nutmeg
1/4 ts Cloves
1/4 ts Allspice
1 ts Sage
1 tb Salt
1/4 ts Pepper
1/2 c Onion, chopped
Pastry for 2 (2 crust) pies
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1. In a saucepan, combine the ground pork, water, nutmeg, allspice, salt, pepper and onion. Cook over moderate heat for 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking. Remove from heat; add the mashed
potatoes; and mix well. Cool.


2. Fill two pastry-lined plates;adjust top crusts, slashing pastry to allow for the steam to escape as the pies bake. Bake in a hot oven, 400 degrees F., For 40 minutes. Serve hot with gravy.

Graham Cracker Crust

Graham Cracker Crust
by Louise
Categories: Pies
Yield: 8 servings
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Graham crackers (5-1/3 oz) = ground 1+2/3 cup
1/4 c Sugar
1/4 c Plus 2 tb butter or margarine
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1. Melt butter or margarine.
2. Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Firmly press crumb mixture evenly over bottom and sides of a 9-inch pieplate. Crust may be used without baking.
3. OR bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes. Yield: one 9-inch crust.

Pastry Dough Tips for Pies, Tarts, Turnovers, & Pinwheels

Basic two crust pie instructions:

1. Mix dough according to directions -- roll out half of your pastry dough using short, gentle strokes with a rolling pin and stopping often to re-flour the pin and the board. Your dough should be moving all the time. If it’s not moving, it’s probably stuck to the board. Lift gently and add more flour. Dough should be thin and extend about one inch over the sides of your pie plate.

2. Place bottom crust loosely into ungreased pie plate and pat into place. Leave your excess inch of crust in place for now and brush lightly with milk or water. Place your prepared filling into your bottom crust. Dot with butter and set aside.

3. Roll out top crust the same way you rolled out your bottom crust. Place gently over filling leaving another one inch of excess in the diameter. Tuck your one-inch of excess top crust UNDER your one inch of excess bottom crust – all the way around and flute all edges with fingers or a fork.

4. Cut about 4-5 one-inch slits [steam vents] in the top of the pie. Brush with egg-wash [beaten egg thinned with an equal amount of water or milk] or milk before baking for nice golden crust.

5. Bake pie at 450º for 10 minutes, then lower oven temp to 350º and cook for 45-50 minutes longer. Crust should be a golden brown and filling should be bubbling up through the stem vents when done.

 Basic single crust pie shell instructions:

1. Follow #1 directions above.

2. Place bottom crust loosely into ungreased pie plate and pat into place. Fold your excess inch of crust over on itself and flute edges. This gives you an UNBAKED single piecrust usually used for pumpkin and pecan pies. For a BAKED single crust, go to step #3.

3. After fluting the edges on your raw crust, poke tiny holes throughout the entire crust, bottom and sides, with a dinner fork. Brush the entire crust with milk or egg-wash and bake at 350º for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. The BAKED single crust is usually used for cream pies, like chocolate cream or lemon meringue. Tip: bake and freeze a few and when you need a dessert in a hurry, thaw a crust, fill with instant or prepared pudding (chocolate, butterscotch, coconut, etc), top with cool whip and you have a very delicious pie that looks like you slaved over it.

Tart Shells:

1. Follow instructions for the single crust BAKED shell except you will be making smaller rounds and portioning them into muffin cups. Bake according to directions, fill with Steve’s Microwave Fruit Filling, top with Cool Whip and you have a really nifty dessert. Make the above in TINY muffin cups for a great crowd pleaser. Note: if using the tiny tins, I don’t even roll out the dough . . . just portion into tins and mold into place with your fingers before pricking and baking – super simple!

 Turnovers:

1. Cut out a cardboard template – 5” X 5” for regulation size turnovers or 3” X 3” for small turnovers. Mix and roll out dough following my basic two crust pie instructions. Use your template to cut squares of pastry, place a dollop of Steve’s Microwave Fruit Filling on each square, moisten the edges of the pastry with water or milk, fold into a triangle, seal edges with a fork pressed in intervals on the two open sides of your triangle. Poke in a stem vent on the top of your turnover, brush the tops with milk or egg wash, place [leaving an inch of space around each pastry] on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake at 350º for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Pastry Pinwheels:
 I learned how to make these from my grandmother [Memere Lively]. They are a really great way to use up leftover ends and pieces of pastry dough after you finish a day of baking pies, tarts, or turnovers:

1. Gather all pastry dough scraps and press into a ball. Roll out thinly, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, roll up the dough like a jellyroll, starting at one end and continuing until you have formed a log. Slice the log into ½” cookies, place flat side down [like cookies] close together on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350º for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

 Pastry: Savory and Sweet