Pie Recipe #26 - Upside-Down Banana Split Pie with Easy Fudge Sauce

Whether it's upside down or right side up, it will make no difference in this yummy chocolate scrumptiousness! Similar to a banana split minus the ice cream with the addition of chocolate pie crust and chocolate custardy filling equals a chocolate high. Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/3 cup shortening, 1/3 cup butter, 6-7 tablespoons cold water, 4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 3 cups milk, 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped, 5 egg yolks, beaten, 1 tablespoon butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla, sweetened whipped cream, sliced bananas, maraschino cherries. Fudge Sauce: 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup milk or half-and-half, 2 teaspoons vanilla or instant coffee crystals or espresso powder. Instructions: For crust: In large bowl stir together flour, cocoa, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Using pastry blender, cut in shortening and 1/3 cup butter until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water into mixture; toss with fork. Push moistened dough to side of bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until all dough is moistened. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Divide dough in half; form each in a ball. Cover and refrigerate one ball. On lightly floured surface, flatten remaining ball. Roll from center to edges to a 12-inch circle. Transfer to 9-inch pie plate. Gently fit into plate, avoiding stretching. Trim edges. Line with double layer of foil. Bake pastry 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes more, until dry. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Cool completely on wire rack. Reduce oven to 325 degrees. For chocolate filling, in 2-quart saucepan stir together sugar and cornstarch. Stir in milk and unsweetened chocolate. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Slowly stir 1 cup hot chocolate mixture into beaten yolks. Pour chocolate-egg mixture into hot filling in pan. Bring just to boiling; reduce heat. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Cool 10 minutes. Meanwhile, on lightly floured surface, flatten remaining dough. Roll from center to edges to a 12-inch circle. Pour warm filliing into baked pastry shell. Place unbaked pastry over filling, pressing edges to seal. Trim pastry to edge of pie plate. Gently prick top of pastry with a fork. Bake 25 minutes, until crust is firm and dry. Cool 1 hour on wire rack. To serve, invert serving plate on pie. Turn pie upside down. Remove pie plate. Just before serving top with sweetened whipped cream, bananas, cherries, and some of the Easy Fudge Sauce. Or, to serve just a few slices, top each slice with the whipped cream and toppings. Cover and store remaining pie (without toppings) in the refrigerator up to 2 days. Individual slices can be reheated in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Makes 12 servings. Easy Fudge Sauce: In small bowl mix together brown sugar and cocoa powder; set aside. In heavy saucepan melt butter with milk. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, just until mixture bubbles around edge of pan. Add sugar-cocoa mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, 1-2 minutes, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth and thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla or coffee crystals. Serve at once. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 1 week. Reheat in microwave, stirring every 15 seconds until warm. Makes 1 1/2 cups. "Better Homes and Gardens" magazine, February 2012 issue, Meredith Corporation, 2012, pg. 132. "As easy as pie!"

Pie Recipe #25 - Cherry Cream Pie

Plump sweet cherries floating in a sea of whipped cream lying on a bed of sweetened cream cheese with a bottom and edge of nutty crust. Ingredients: Crust: 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup finely chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup butter, softened, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar. Filling: 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened, 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped, 1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling. Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the flour, walnuts, butter and brown sugar. Transfer to a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring once. Set aside 1/2 cup of crumbs. While warm, press the remaining crumbs into a greased 9 inch pie plate, firmly pressing onto the bottom and up the sides. Chill for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and almond extract until smooth. Spread over bottom of crust. Whip the whipped cream until stiff; gently fold into the pie filling until combined. Spread mixture over cream cheese layer. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Presented by Carol Wencka, Greenfield, WI in the 2012 "Taste of Home Annual Recipes", Reiman Media Group, LLC, Greendale, WI, 2011. "As easy as pie!"

Pie Recipe #24 - Apricot Almond Galette

A "galette" is a free-form pie meaning it doesn't need a pie plate. The pastry is wrapped around the fruit and nut center leaving the middle unwrapped to show off its pretty ingredients. Ingredients: Dough: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1/4 cup cold shortening, 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, 2 1/4 teaspoons cider vinegar, 4-6 tablespoons ice water, more if needed. Filling: 1 1/2 pounds apricots, 2-4 tablespoons granulated sugar, depending on the sweetness of the apricots, 1 teaspoon almond extract or 2 tablespoons almond liqueur, 3 tablespoons sliced almonds, 1/3 cup raspberries, if desired (I used blueberries), 1 egg, beaten, 1 tablespoon coarse sugar. Instructions: Dough: Using a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt and sugar until thoroughly combined. Add the shortening and pulse until incorporated (dough will look like moist sand). Add the butter and pulse just until the butter is reduced to small, pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle the vinegar and water over the mixture, and pulse a few times to form the dough. Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until it comes together in a single mass. Mold the dough into a disk roughly 6-8 inches in diameter. Cover the disk tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. Filling: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut each apricot into 6-8 wedges, discarding pits. Combine the apricots with the granulated sugar and almond extract in a work bowl and toss well to mix. Place the chilled dough on a flat surface lined with a lightly floured sheet of parchment. Roll the dough into a rough circle about 15 inches in diameter and a generous 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough (still on the parchment) to a baking sheet. Gently stir in the sliced almonds and raspberries (blueberries, in my case) with the apricots. Spoon the apricots into the center of the dough. Fold the outer 3 inches of the dough circle toward the center to make a packet, leaving the inner 4 or 5 inches of apricots uncovered (the assembled galette will be about 9 inches in diameter). Lightly brush the pastry with the beaten egg, then scatter the coarse sugar over the apricots and pastry. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the apricots are softened, about 45 minutes. Start checking the galette after 30 minutes, and loosely cover the fruit with a sheet of foil if it colors too quickly. Cool the galette 15-20 minutes before slicing. I found this in our local newspaper "The Mercury News", Thursday, June 7, 2012 (they got it from "The Los Angeles Times". "As easy as pie!"

Pie Recipe #23 - Snowdrift Coconut Cream Pie

Coconut, coconut, and more coconut is what this pie is made of. Crust of graham cracker crumbs and coconut, a thin layer of white chocolate, creamy coconut filling and to top it all off, whipped cream with the flavor of coconut. Ingredients: 2 cups flaked coconut, 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup butter, melted, 2 cups milk, 1 cup flaked coconut, 6 egg yolks, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons white creme de cacao, 1 tablespoon butter, 4 ounces white baking chocolate, 1 tablespoon whipping cream, 2 cups whipping cream, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon white creme de cacao (optional). Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fo crust: combine 2 cups coconut, graham cracker crumbs, and melted butter in bowl. Press onto bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes; cool. For filling: In large saucepan, combine milk and 1 cup coconut. Bring just to simmering, stirring occasionally. In large bowl, combine egg yolks, granulated sugar, and flour. Beat with electric mixer on medium-high speed until combined. Slowly stir about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into yolk mixture. Return yolk mixture to saucepan. Bring to boiling, stirring often. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons creme de cacao and 1 tablespoon butter. Cover surface o filling with plastic wrap; cool. Meanwhile, in small saucepan, cook and stir white chocolate (broken into pieces) and 1 tablespoon cream over low heat until melted. Spread onto bottom and sides of piecrust gently. Chill until firm. Pour filling into crust. Cover and chill for 2-4 hours. For topping: In chilled medium bowl, beat 2 cups whipping cream, powdered sugar, and if desired, 1 tablespoon creme de cacao until stiff peaks form. Spread topping over filling. (If pie isn't served all at once, top only the pieces to be served with topping. Chill remaining topping and pie separately.) I garnished the top of each piece with some of the crust crumbs that remain when you slice each piece. bhg.com "As easy as pie!"