November – Perfect Pumpkin Pie
This is my favorite pumpkin pie, big, not too sweet and full of pumpkin. I developed the recipe for the 11” deep dish porcelain pie plate that we used to make, so you will need to take this into account. If you don’t have a large, deep pie plate and you are using a 9” pie plate, why don’t you use a small pie plate too? This way you can have a pie for the “grown-ups’ table” at Thanksgiving, and a special pie for the “kids‘ table”, too. Or you can have a nice big pie for your family and a...
Read MoreOctober – Crustless Cranberry-Walnut Pie
As soon as the cranberries appear in the grocery stores, I stock up so that I can make this delicious pie often. Actually, it can’t truly be classified as a pie, but I’m not sure what else to call it. It is quick and easy to make, and delicious. 2 cups washed cranberries ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts 1 ¼ cup sugar, total ½ cup melted butter, cooled somewhat 2 eggs 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon almond extract additional butter for pie pan Butter your pie pan liberally, then pour in the washed cranberries. ...
Read MoreSeptember – Classic Apple Pie
I was fortunate enough to grow up with a twin sister. Though we are very different, we did almost everything together, including making apple pies. She is more meticulous than I, so she always made the crust, and I have very fast hands, so I always peeled and cored the apples for the filling. This is our tried and true recipe. 1 recipe Basic Pie Crust 6 or 7 large tart apples – Jonathan, Cortland, Northern Spy, Granny Smith, MacIntosh all are good juice of 1/2 a large lemon ½ cup sugar, or a bit more,...
Read MoreAugust – Blackberry Pie
Blackberry Pie (or Blueberry or Raspberry) – I learned to make Blackberry Pie because my grandfather loved it so. It was his favorite, and since I adored him, I proclaimed that anything he liked, I loved. Picking the berries with him made it all the more special. I had wooden quart boxes to pick in to, but he had a little metal pail with a bale that he could hook to his belt so that he could use both hands. He liked his pie hot and soupy. I have added a little corn starch to the recipe to thicken the...
Read MoreJuly – Peaches & Cream Pie
This is an unusual open faced peach pie made with vanilla laced cream. It is delicious hot from the oven or well chilled. ½ recipe Basic Pie Crust 8 peaches or so, depending on their size ½ cup light cream ½ cup sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 Tablespoons flour Pinch of salt Make up half of the Basic Pie Crust recipe and roll it out in a 13” circle. Line your pie pan with the dough. Crimp the edges, forming a ridge around the rim of the pan to hold in the juices. Peel and...
Read MoreJune – Cherry Pie
Tart cherries, the first of the summer fruits, make one of the prettiest pies of all. It is absolutely delicious hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, the perfect pie á la mode, but it’s great all but itself at any temperature. 1 recipe Basic Pie Crust 1 1/2 quarts fresh tart cherries or 1 quart frozen tart cherries 1 1/2 to 2 cups sugar, depending on the tartness of the cherries 3 Tablespoons corn starch 1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional) 3 Tablespoons cold butter. Line your pie plate with one half...
Read MoreMay – Rhubarb Custard Pie
When we started making our 11” porcelain Ibis Pie Plates back in 1979, we sold them at a number of craft fairs. We put out a stack of free recipe cards in our display for “Knock-Your-Socks-Off Rhubarb Custard Pie”, figuring that anything this good should be shared. The result was that we sold a lot of pie plates, and single-handedly started a run on rhubarb in Worcester, Massachusetts. This is the famous recipe. Note: You will need to use a large pie plate. The 11” Ibis Pie Plate that we used to make is...
Read MoreApril – Lemon Meringue Pie
In 7th grade, all of the girls in my school had to take Home EC and all of the boys got to take Wood Shop. I resented this, since I had been cooking as long as I could remember, and at 13, I thought I knew everything that my poor teacher had to show me. In spite of my generally poor attitude, I did learn things in that class. One of them was this recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie. Though I have tried a number of different recipes over the years, this remains my favorite. ½ recipe Basic Pie Crust 6 Tablespoons...
Read MoreMarch – Key Lime Pie
This lovely pie is sweet, tart and very rich. Cut it into thin wedges with a cold, wet knife when you serve it. ½ recipe Basic Pie Crust 2 ¼ cups sweetened condensed milk from 2 cans 3 egg yolks ¾ cup plus 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice 4 teaspoons grated lime...
Read MoreFebruary – Strawberry Yogurt Pie
This pie has many virtues. It is light, delicious, has very little sweeteners in it and is actually nutritious. This is the rationalization I use as I serve myself a big slice for breakfast. Strawberry – Yogurt Pie is a beautiful dessert for Valentine’s Day. ½ recipe Basic Pie Crust 1 ½ cup plain whole milk yogurt 1 cup small curd cottage cheese (not fat free) 1 pint strawberries ¼ cup mild honey ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Line a medium bowl with an 18” square of clean, white Indian gauze or with...
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