Have a Piece of Pie!

My dad has a friend who is fond of saying he only likes two kinds of pie: Hot pie and cold pie.

I can think of no more perfect example of the American obsession with pie. We flat-out love pie--fruit pie, cream pie, pie that defies categorization (mincemeat? seriously?) and everything in between. Well, in reality we hate the calories, but that is a topic for another hub. This particular hub is dedicated to the celebration of pie--the celebration that stops just short of worship. Think about it. When have you ever brought a home-baked pie to a dinner and were not met with ooohs, aaaaahs or a standing ovation? What goes better with a cup of coffee than a slice of pie? What is a more perfect ending to a perfect meal? And what dessert can one half-way justify by thinking oh well, it contains fruit?

Pies have been my culinary "specialty" for years, and for the purpose of this hub I'm going to cut to the chase and share five of my favorite recipes. Some of these are old standards and some are rather unique but they all share one common denominator: Deliciousness.

Choose Your Weapon...er...Crust

Crust can be made of a variety of materials, from pastry to graham cracker, to crushed cookies and nut mixtures. All of the following recipes use either a graham cracker crust or one of traditional pastry. If you have another favorite crust, feel free to experiment!

Pastry Crust:

If pinched for time, I highly recommend using a Betty Crocker crust mix (in the red box). It provides a generous amount of dough for up to a 10" two-crust pie, and the results are consistently light and flaky. If you prefer to make your own, you will need:

• 2/3 cup of shortening
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 7-8 Tablespoons ice cold water

Mix ingredients with a fork till just blended (try to not over-mix, as that toughens your final product). Actual baking instructions will depend on the recipes below.

Graham Cracker Crust:

You may use either prepared graham cracker crumbs (found in the baking aisle of your grocery), or put graham crackers through your food processor to evenly crush them to crumbs. To make a single graham cracker crust, you will need:

• 1/3 cup of butter melted in mixing bowl
• 1 1/4 cup of finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup of sugar

Mix ingredients well and pat into pie pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 375 degrees for about 5 minutes, or until crust is beginning to become firm and deep gold. Remove from oven and cool.

Dear Abby's Famous Pecan Pie

Anyone who has been even a casual reader of the advice columnist known as Dear Abby knows of her famous pecan pie recipe. Readers request this recipe more often than advice, and she is happy to share it. It's relatively easy. You will need:

• One unbaked pastry crust in a 9" pan (on a well-floured surface roll 2/3 of your dough till thin, place over pie pan and gently work into place). Flute edges, set aside
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten slightly
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cup pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and in large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients except for pecan halves. Pour mixture into unbaked crust. Gently add pecan halves, arranging in an attractive manner. Place pie on a cookie sheet and put into oven. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before serving (or the hot sugary mixture will burn your guests' mouths!). This pecan pie is excellent served with vanilla ice cream. This is a rich pie, so makes 8 serving.

Sugar Cream Pie

This recipe looks deceptively easy, but there is a timing issue for stirring the filling, returning to the oven and taking out in the correct time frame. This is one you can't walk away from, you have to at least check on it now and again. Try this one out wherever you know there will be a crowd of people over 55, they almost all remember a relative who could make it. You will need:

• 1 unbaked pastry crust (using 2/3 of the recipe above, rolled thin on a floured surface and gently eased into a 9" pie pan). Flute crusts as you desire, and set aside.
• 1 pint of whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 Tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix all ingredients with a slow and steady stir. Pour into unbaked shell, and sprinkle with cinnamon and/or nutmeg. Bake at 450 degrees until top is browned. Remove from oven and stir filling well. Return to oven till mixture bubbles (boils), then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake until mixture thickens, about 45 minutes to one hour. If crust begins to brown too fast, cover edges with foil while baking. Remove from oven, and cool at least partially before serving. Pie firms as it cools. If you are not going to eat this pie right away, it needs to be kept in the refrigerator (as do all leftover slices). This is a rich pie that can serve 8-10 people.

Spiced Plum Pie

I have to admit I was a little grossed out by the idea of plum pie (despite little Jack Horner's experience). It just wasn't "normal". But the first time I tasted it, I was hooked, as has been  everyone else who tries it. Bring this pie to a gathering, and enjoy watching skeptics sign lifetime membership papers. To make this pie, have:

• One pastry crust, divided into two sections, one being 2/3 of the dough and one 1/3. On a well-floured surface, roll the 2/3 dough amount into a thin bottom crust and work gently into a 9" pie pan. Set aside.
• 6 peeled, pitted and thinly sliced purple plums
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 Tablespoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine and mix well all ingredients except butter. Pour into prepared bottom crust, and dot with the butter. Roll remaining crust and either place over filling as a solid, vented top crust or cut into strips and weave a lattice crust. Sprinkle crust with sugar. Place pie on cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes to one hour, till filling bubbles for about 5 minutes. Cover crust with foil if it begins to brown too quickly. Allow to cool at least an hour before serving. Serves 6-8. This pie is delicious with a scoop of ice cream sprinkled with cinnamon.

German Sweet Chocolate Pie

I've never been a fan of pie that tastes like chocolate pudding in a crust. There just seems to be nothing to them. But this is a different story! This is my kids' most requested pie, and they know pie.  To make:

• Begin with a prepared (and cooled) graham cracker crust, recipe above (9" pie pan). Then have on hand:
• 1 4-ounce package German Sweet Chocolate, broken into small chunks
• 1/3 cup of milk
• 3 ounces softened cream cheese
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 8-ounce tub of thawed whipped topping such as Cool Whip
• One plain chocolate bar (for curls)

Microwave chocolate chunks in 2 Tablespoons of the milk on high till chocolate is almost melted, approximately 2 minutes. Stir till chocolate is completely melted. Beat in cream cheese, sugar and the rest of the milk until well-blended. Refrigerate mixture for at least 10 minutes. Stir in whipped topping gently until blended. Take care to not "whip" as the volume of filling will reduce. Spoon into crust and top with chocolate shavings. Freeze until firm, 2 to 3 hours. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 1/2 hour before slicing. Probably should make 8 servings, but my kids always wanted it cut into 6.

Shaker Lemon Pie

If you like lemon pie, try this one on for size! This is not a creme pie, this is a FRUIT pie. Some versions of this recipe call to leave the rind on the lemons, but as much as I like "tart", I personally find that to be too much. A simple recipe with impressive results:

• Pastry crust above, 2/3 of which is rolled thin on a well-floured surface and worked into a 9" pie pan. Set aside
• 2 large lemons, (peeling and white rind removed) and sliced paper-thin. Discard seeds.
• 2 1/4 cups of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs, well-beaten

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix lemon slices, eggs, sugar and salt, and pour into bottom crust. Roll remaining pastry for top crust, cutting to vent. Flute edges and sprinkle crust with sugar. Place pie on a cook sheet, and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake another 45 minutes, covering crust with foil if it browns too quickly. Allow to cool at least an hour before serving. This is a very tart pie, so can be cut in 8-10 servings.

Bonus--Dolly Dobbins!

 A couple of the recipes above will leave you with a small amount of unused pie crust. When my grandmother had leftover crust, she would roll it thin, and cover generously with butter or margarine. Then she sprinkled sugar and cinnamon on the butter, and rolled the crust jelly-roll style.  Taking a serrated knife, she cut 1/4" slices from the roll, and baked in a hot oven for about 10 minutes or until they began to turn golden. She called these "cookies" Dolly Dobbins, and to this day they are some of my dad's favorite cookies.

While pie does not afford many health benefits, there is something to be said for the social aspect of sharing a slice with a cup of coffee and a good friend. As Saturday Night Live Jack Handy puts it, "When you die if you get a choice between regular heaven and pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it's not...mmmmmm boy!"