Famous Apple Pie

What do you get when you find a bag of these:

 You get my famous apple pie!!  I love this time of the year because I get to make my wonderful baked creations and I don't have to feel guilty about  them.  I love to feel cozy in my house and have the smell of something wonderful baking in the oven.  I am not always excited about the mess I create, but it cleans up!!  Well since our visit to an apple orchard a week or so ago, my family has been asking if I can make my apple pie.  Of Course today was a very snowy day and I chose to spend my morning making a pie.  AHHHH!!  Relaxation.

 My pie starts with 8 cups of apples, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 cup or so of brown sugar. 

 Roll out the pie crust and place in your pan.  Do not flute the edges if you are topping your pie with another crust!

Add your apples, dot with butter if you want to and top with the second crust.

Now trim the edge to 1/2 inch over the pie plate and crimp the edges.  Cut a slit in the top of your pie and bake at 400 degrees for 30 mins. and then turn down oven to 375 degrees and bake for another 30 mins. or until pie bubble in the center.  That is how you know it is finshed.

Great Summer Custard Pie

This has to be one of my favorite pies I have ever made. It is a very simple, but elegant pie. Top it with a little bit of whipped cream and it is sinful. If you are looking for a great pie that will be perfect for late summer entertaining this is it!!

Lemon Custard Pie
Crust Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups pastry flour
8 tbsp butter
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
2 ½ -3 ½ tbsp. ice water
1 ½ tsp cider vinegar
Crust preparation
All ingredients need to be cold. Place flour, salt, baking powder in food processor. Pulse 6 times. Place butter in to flour mixture and pulse until butter is the size of peas. Add water and vinegar until mixture just comes together. Take out of food processor bowl and place on plastic wrap and form into a disc. Chill for at least 30 mins. Roll out crust and place in 9 inch pie plate.

Pie:
½ cup light cream
1/3 cup sugar
5 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
¾ tsp lemon extract
½ tsp vanilla
1 -2 tsps finely grated
lemon zest
Partially prebake shell at 400 degrees for 10 mins. Reduce oven to 325 degrees. Gently whisk the light cream, sugar, egg yolks together in a medium size bowl. Add the heavy cream extracts, and lemon zest. Whisk again, briefly, just until blended. Pour into cooled pie shell. Bake for 30 mins. Reduce oven temp to 275 degrees continue to bake until center is just barely set. 20 mins. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours prior to serving.

Fair almost here!!!

Next week the State Fair is upon us!!! This means for myself that I will be entering a few items. I am entering some cinnamon rolls, a pasta salad, and cookies. That being said, I am trying to find the best recipes this week. Many of the recipes I use are family favorites that I try and make just a little bit better by adding different spices of flavorings to enhance the flavor. In honor of the fair I am going to post a few of my favorite winning recipes as a countdown to this years fair to get me into the mood of baking.

Cherry Sour Cream Fudge Pie

Crust Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups pastry flour
8 tbsp butter
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
2 ½ -3 ½ tbsp. ice water
1 ½ tsp cider vinegar

Filling Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup sugar

Topping Ingredients:
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup canned cherry sauce


Crust preparation:
All ingredients need to be cold. Place flour, salt, baking powder in food processor. Pulse 6 times. Place butter in to flour mixture and pulse until butter is the size of peas. Add water and vinegar until mixture just comes together. Take out of food processor bowl and place on plastic wrap and form into a disc. Chill for at least 30 mins. Roll out crust
Heat oven to 350°F. Line 9-inch pie pan with pastry; crimp or flute crust. Set aside.

Melt 3/4 cup butter in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 3/4 cup sugar and 6 tablespoons cocoa. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes.

Stir in flour. Beat in egg yolks by hand, one at a time, until well mixed. Stir in 2 tablespoons water.

Beat egg whites in small bowl at high speed, scraping bowl often, until foamy. Continue beating, gradually adding 1/4 cup sugar, until soft peaks form. Gently stir chocolate mixture into egg whites just until mixed.

Pour filling into prepared pie shell. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes.

Stir together sour cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in medium bowl. Spread over warm pie; top with spoonfuls of cherry pie filling. Bake for 5 minutes.

Drizzle with ice cream topping, if desired. Serve warm or refrigerate until serving time.

 

Back to School

Boy oh boy!!  The summer has flown by.  I only have a couple weeks of summer fun left and then my daughter starts back to school.  I am so not ready for school to start this year.  I am still having fun with my summer.  The first plans I have are to enter some foods into the state fair.  Then a few days later school begins.  SO, for a great summer recipe or back to school recipe try this bumbleberry pie.  It was a great surprise I found while on vacation.  I even managed to obtain the recipe from the lady who made it at the great coffee shop I stopped at.  The name itself intrigued me, but the taste was so wonderful.  Turns out bumbleberry pie is just a mix of berries in the pie and not a specific type of berry.

Bumbleberry Pie

Ingredients


5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups shortening

3/4 cup cold water

1 egg

1 tablespoon vinegar

4 cups apples - peeled, cored and chopped\
2 cups fresh blueberries

2 cups fresh raspberries

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cups white sugar

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons tapioca

1 egg yolk, beaten

2 tablespoons water

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk together 3/4 cup water, egg, and vinegar. Stir into flour until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough into 4 balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight. Roll out dough portions to fit a 9 inch pie pan. Place bottom crusts in 2 pie pans. Set aside top crusts.

3.In a large bowl, combine apples, rhubarb, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and lemon juice. Mix together 2 cups sugar, 2/3 cup flour, and tapioca; gently toss with fruit mixture. Divide into 2 pastry lined pie pans. Cover with top crusts; trim and crimp edges. Brush tops with egg wash (1 egg yolk beaten with 2 tablespoons water). Cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to vent.

4.Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until filling is bubbly in center and top is golden brown.

Yield:  2 9 inch pies