Pie Recipe #5 - S'Mores Pie

To have that second piece of pie is to have "s'more pie"! If you enjoy an ooey-gooey S'more, a slice of this pie will give you that same graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow enjoyment.

Ingredients:Crust: 9 graham cracker boards, 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted. Chocolate filling: 2 egs, at room temperature, 3/4 cup 2% milk, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces, 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder. Marshmallow topping: 2 egg whites, 2 tablespoons corn syrup, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, pinch of salt, 1/3 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Instructions: Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Break graham crackers into food processor and run until fine crumbs are formed. Transfer crumbs to a bowl and mix in brown sugar and melted butter. Press mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until crust is slightly brown. Cool 10 minutes.

Chocolate filling: Reduce oven to 325 degrees. Beat eggs in a small bowl; set aside. Combine milk, cream, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and add vanilla, chocolate and cocoa powder; stir until combined and smooth. Stir about 3/4 cup of the chocolate mixture into the beaten eggs; stir chocolate-egg mixture back into saucepan and mix well. Pour filling into cooled crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is set and glossy (do not overbake or it could bubble and crack). Cool completely on a wire rack.

Marshmallow Topping: Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Combine egg whites, corn syrup, sugar and salt in a metal bowl large enough to sit on top of the saucepan (or use a double-boiler pan). Whisk constantly in bowl over water until suar is dissolved and eggs have reached 160 degrees, about 3-5 minutes (do not overcook, as the eggs could scramble). Pour mixture and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a wire whisk and beat on high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Heat broiler. Spoon Marshmallow Topping on cooled pie, leaving a 1-inch margin from edge. Broil until topping begins to brown, 1 minute.

"Family Circle" February 2012, pg. 153, Meredith Corporation, NY.

"As easy as pie!"

Pie Recipe #4 - Lemon Meringue Pie

A tangy and sweet middle topped with clouds of meringue makes a pretty delicious pie. You could skip the meringue and use whipped topping as an alternative.

Ingredients: 9-inch baked pie shell, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 1/2 cups water, 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten (use egg whites for the meringue), 3 tablespoons margarine or butter, 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 2 drops yellow food coloring, if desired. Meringue: 3 egg whites, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, 6 tablespoons granulated sugar or brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

Instructions: Refer to Pie recipe #1 for pie crust ingredients, cutting in half. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. After rolling out crust and placing in pie plate, poke the bottom and sides several times with the tines of a fork. Bake in preheated 450 degree oven until lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and lower temperature to 400 degrees.

Separate eggs into 2 bowls; set whites aside. Lightly beat egg yolks.

Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Gradually stir at least half of the hot mixture into egg yolks. Return egg yolk mixture back to hot mixture in saucepan and mix well. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter, lemon peel, lemon juice and food coloring, if desired. Pour into pie shell.

Prepare Meringue: Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in medium bowl until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat. Beat in vanilla. Spoon onto hot pie filling. Spread over filling, carefully sealing meringue to edge of crust to prevent shrinking or weeping.

Bake 8-12 minutes or until meringue is delicate brown. Cool away from draft. Immediately refrigerate any remaining pie.

"Betty Crocker's 40th Anniversary Edition Cookbook", Prentice Hall, NY, 1990.

"As easy as pie!"

P

Pie Recipe #3 - No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

This recipe truly is "easy as pie". No oven required and no pastry-making involved. Purchase an already-made oreo cookie pie crust or chocolate pie crust, mix a few ingredients and pop in the freezer for a few hours.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened, 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, 1/2 cup milk, 1 cup whipping cream, whipped or cool whip, thawed, 1 9" pie crust, oreo or chocolate, crushed oreos (optional).

Instructions: In large mixing bowl beat together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk; beat until smooth. Fold in whipping cream. Spoon into crust; cover and freeze until firm, 2-3 hours.

Before serving, remove from freezer for a few minutes and sprinkle top with crushed Oreo cookies.

Submitted by Megan5 on allrecipes.com.

"As easy as pie!"

Pie Recipe #2 - Banana Cream Pie

"B" is for "Banana" as in "Banana Cream Pie".

Ingredients: 9-inch baked pie shell, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 cups milk, 4 egg yolks, slightly beaten, 2 tablespoons butter, softened, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla, 3 bananas, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped, (or Cool Whip).

Instructions: Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Prepare pie shell as directed in Pie Recipe #1 cutting recipe in half. After placing pie crust in pie plate and fluting trimmed edges, poke several holes in crust with the tines of a fork. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. As crust cools, prepare pie filling.

Place egg yolks in small bowl and beat slightly; set aside.

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir at least half of the hot mixture gradually into bowl of egg yolks; mix well. Pour egg mixture back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute more; remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Press plastic wrap onto filling in saucepan and allow to cool to room temperature.

Slice 2 bananas into pie shell. Pour filling over bananas. Refrigerate until serving time. Make whipping cream and spread over cooled pie. Top with banana slices.

"Betty Crocker's 40th Anniversary Edition CookBook", Prentice Hall, NY, 1990.

"As easy as pie!"

Pie Recipe #1 - Deep Dish Apple Pie

Of course the first pie of the new year had to be apple. This recipe I've used for years, don't know its origin, and have changed a couple of things over the years. Making pie pastry can be daunting, but after a few times you can be a pro. One of the secrets is to not handle the dough any more than necessary and to let it rest in between rollings.

Ingredients: Pastry: 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt (I prefer sea salt, but any will do), 1 cup shortening, 1/2 cup cold water (original recipe called for milk, but I use water). Filling: 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (I use a tad more), 4-6 apples (I prefer Granny Smith), thinly sliced, 1/4 cup butter. Topping: 1 tablespoon milk, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Instructions: Make pastry: Place 1/2 cup water in a 1 cup container with a few ice cubes; set aside. Butter the bottom and sides of your favorite pie dish (I received a new, pretty, red one for Christmas). In large mixing bowl sift the flour and salt together. Add shortening and using a pastry blender mix until blended. Add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition with a fork until well blended. Form into 2 balls and allow to rest on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes.

Using a floured rolling pin roll out one ball at a time, 5-6 rolls, then allow to rest for a few minutes (5-10). Roll again, 5-6 times, rest again. Continue until reaching the diameter of the pie pan plus some overhang. Leave it to rest (pie dough gets tired :))as you roll out the other ball of dough.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl mix granulated sugar, flour, and cinnamon until well blended. Stir in thinly sliced apples until coated with mixture; set aside.

Fold one rolled-out pastry in half and in half again, very carefully. Place in prepared pie dish and unfold, forming bottom crust. Place half of the apple mixture atop bottom pastry; thinly slice half of the butter randomly over apples. Add remaining apples and remaining butter. Fold other rolled-out pastry same as the first and place gently on top. Unfold, covering all apples.

With a sharp knife, run around pie plate exterior, trimming excess pastry. Using index finger of one hand and thumb of other hand, make ruffle design on edge of pie, or use fork tines to press top and bottom doughs together.

Brush top of pie with the milk and sprinkle with the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Cut small slits in top of pie in desired design; this allows steam to escape.

Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes before lowering temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking for 35-40 minutes or until apples are tender when poked with a fork. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Serve either warm or cold with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.

"As easy as pie!"