Tart Cherry Pie

I always make the fruit pies I’ll serve on Thanksgiving well ahead of time.  When I was competing in county and state fairs, I found I could bake a fruit pie and freeze it.  Then the night before I needed it, I could take it out to thaw and the next morning crisp it in a 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes with basically no change in the original pie.  I had to do it this way for the Ohio State Fair because of time restrictions plus a 2-hour drive and I continued to win ribbons.  I’ve used the technique since the early 1980s to get a jump on holiday baking.

This morning, I baked two apple pies which will go in the freezer after they have cooled, and I was remembering other Thanksgiving pies I have made through the years.  For the 20 years we lived in Blue Jay on the Ohio/Indiana border, I had the benefits of a front yard full of fruit trees.  In July, there was one old tree that produced a huge amount of tart cherries.  These snapshots from 1991 show my son and his family who were visiting from St. Louis and helping me by picking some cherries.

The little girl with the pail graduated from college last year and the baby is now a sophomore in college.  Time flies.

I froze a lot of cherries but to have the very best pie for Thanksgiving, I made one while the cherries were fresh off the tree – my husband’s favorite.  Here’s the recipe:

TART CHERRY PIE

• Pastry for 9″ double crust pie
• 4 cups fresh tart cherries, pitted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tblsp. quick tapioca
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 2 Tblsp. butter
• 1 Tblsp. milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

In a large bowl, mix together the cherries, sugar, tapioca, salt, and almond extract.

Fit bottom crust in a 9″ pan, pour filling into crust and dot with butter.  Place top crust on pie, crimp edges and brush with milk.  Cut vents and place on a larger flat pan to catch spills.

Bake @ 375 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.

Cool pie completely on rack.  Serve to a hungry family or wrap and place in a two-gallon ziplock bag.  Place in the freezer until needed.  For best flavor, use within 6 months.

I only wish I had one of those fresh cherry pies in the freezer for this Thanksgiving and my husband here to enjoy it.

A good piecrust recipe

My favorite apple pie recipe

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie for Mother’s Day

I like to cook and my daughters don’t, so I’m the one who fixes dinner for every holiday, including Mother’s Day.  Our traditional meal is Chicken Parmesan with bowtie pasta, homemade garlic bread and Strawberry Rhubarb Pie (with apple pie for my son-in-law and grandson).

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE

• Pastry for 9″ two-crust pie (see my Sure-Fire crust recipe)
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 Tblsp. quick cooking tapioca
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• One pound of rhubarb cut into 1/2″ pieces (3 cups)
• 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 Tblsp. butter
• 1 Tblsp. milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Line a 9″ pie plate with half of the pastry dough.

In a large bowl combine the sugar, tapioca, salt, nutmeg, rhubarb and strawberries.  Mix gently and let rest for about 20 minutes.

Turn the fruit into the pastry-lined pan.

Dot with butter.  Roll out remaining pastry dough for top crust.  Place top crust on fruit, crimp edges and brush with milk.  Place pie pan on a larger sheet to catch spills and bake @ 375 degrees F for 45-50 minutes until crust is nicely browned.  Cool on a wire rack.

In 2004, I made an apron to enter in the Warren County Fair (Lebanon, Ohio) and it won a blue ribbon.  It’s a simple cobbler style apron with snowball blocks and vintage fabric showing mothers hard at work.

On the pocket is the old adage … “A mother’s work is never done”.

Every year, I wear the apron to serve Mother’s Day dinner and thank heaven that it’s true a mother’s work is never done, even when all of the children have grown and left home.

Rustic Pear Tart with Butterscotch Sauce

This is one of our favorite Sunday dinner desserts.  I have a note in my recipe binder, “Used this dessert to salvage an otherwise mediocre meal”, and it’s been used for many years since then to either salvage or complement a meal.

RUSTIC PEAR TART

• 3 medium ripe, firm pears (I’ve had good luck with Bosc, D’Anjou and Bartlett)
• 6 Tblsp. chocolate chips (I like Ghiradelli milk chocolate)
• Pastry for a single 9″ pie

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Peel pears, cut each one in half and make a one-inch hollow in the center, being careful not to cut all the way through.  Cut a sliver off the bottom so the pear half will balance well.

Divide the pastry into six portions.

Roll each portion approximately 6″ in diameter.  Place a prepared pear on each circle.  Place 1 Tblsp. of chocolate chips in the hollow of each pear.

Wrap the dough up and around the pear and press to seal.  Place tarts on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake @ 375 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes until pears are done and tarts are golden brown.  Remove to rack to cool.

RICH BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup undiluted evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Place brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Continue to cook for 5 minutes.  Add vanilla.

Serve the tart warm or room temperature with a pitcher of sauce to pour over.  Delicious.

A Good Sunday Lunch

I offered to fix lunch for my two daughters and two grandchildren before they headed for the large pool at Coney Island in Cincinnati.  One daughter suggested an oriental style pasta salad would be good and I found one on Allrecipes.  This is my edited version with a few changes.

SESAME PASTA CHICKEN SALAD

• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 8 oz bow tie pasta (Barilla Piccolini)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup Teriyaki sauce
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 3 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• few gratings of black pepper
• 2 chicken breast halves, baked and shredded
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Heat a small skillet over medium high heat.  Add sesame seeds and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted.   Remove from heat and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook for 7 minutes.  Drain pasta and rinse under cold water.  Transfer pasta to a large bowl.

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine canola oil, Teriyaki sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, ginger and pepper.  Shake well.  Pour dressing over pasta and toss to coat evenly.  Gently mix in chicken, cilantro and toasted almonds.

The three adults loved this salad – it was exactly what I was looking for in flavor and I would suggest that you not omit the fresh cilantro.  It just adds so much to the salad.

For dessert, I pulled out a recipe for a pie that my oldest daughter had made for a pie contest at the Hamilton County Fair (Cincinnati) in 1985.  She won an award and as soon as we tasted it, we could see why.  It’s incredibly rich, so plan on at least 8 servings.

NANCY’S CHOCOLATE LIME PIE

• 16 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed (Oreo)
• 2 Tblsp. butter, melted
• 3 egg yolks
• 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
• 2 envelopes of Nestle Choco-Bake pre-melted chocolate
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 3 egg whites
• 7 oz. jar of marshmallow creme

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Crust:

In a 9″ pie pan, combine crumbs with melted butter.  Press onto bottom and up sides of pie plate.  Bake @ 375 degrees  F for about 8 minutes.  Cool while preparing filling.

Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F.

Filling:

In mixer bowl beat egg yolks at high speed about 4 minutes.  Add condensed milk, pre-melted chocolate and lime juice, mixing well.  Pour into prepared crust.

Meringue:

Beat egg whites to soft peaks, gradually adding marshmallow creme, incorporating well and beating to stiff peaks.  Spread over filling.

Bake @ 350 degrees F for 12 minutes until meringue is golden brown.

Chill for 2-3 hours.

Note:  It’s important to chill the pie well and to chill any leftovers to make the pie easier to serve.

The Pie Contest

I didn’t want to enter the county fair pie contest at all.  My experience with pie baking consisted of old-fashioned pies for Sundays and holidays – nothing that was worthy of a contest.  But my oldest daughter insisted and so I got up early on a hot August morning in 1983 to bake a pie for the Hamilton County Fair (Cincinnati, Ohio).  I had a lot of fresh blackberries we had picked in the wild bramble area behind the house and some green apples from the trees in the front yard.  It sounded like a good combination and I baked the pie.  I felt a little dismayed when I saw the juices had bubbled out of the top crust as usual, but cooled the pie, wrapped it in foil and started out for the fairgrounds.

Contest entries were flowing in by the time we got there.  It was an open class contest so there was every conceivable kind of pie – apple, strawberry rhubarb, blueberry, lemon meringue, chocolate cream, a fancy strawberry pie with mint leaf garnish – I was starting to get a little worried.  I didn’t want to embarrass myself with such a low-key entry.  I was only hoping for one of the runner-up baskets of apples with no thought of winning a ribbon.  The pies were being arranged on large tables set end-to-end and at one point I almost went over and removed my entry but my daughter insisted on going through with the ordeal.

It was an interesting experience watching the entrants and their supporters, the judges, the passers by – all in intense heat in an antique building with windows open and an occasional swishing electric fan.  There were 34 entries in all, each one lovely and surrounding my very ordinary-looking pie.  Finally, after about an hour and a half, the winners were announced, beginning with the runners-up – no basket of apples for me.  Then the third place was announced and the second – I was almost relieved that it was finally over – when I heard the blue-ribbon, Best of Show winner called – BLACKBERRY APPLE PIE!  I was astounded and went to the contest director to ask if there could be a mistake.  I couldn’t believe that a Sunday dinner pie had won this contest.

I had my picture taken for the newspaper holding my pie and blue ribbon in one hand and the Best of Show rosette and an engraved brass tray in the other. 

Then, my daughter and I got to carry all this plus a half-bushel of apples through a very crowded Saturday afternoon fairgrounds midway to the parking lot.

I entered this pie in a lot of other contests after that and it always won for me, but I never again had the thrill that I had that hot August day when I WON THE PIE CONTEST!

BLACKBERRY APPLE PIE

• Pastry for two-crust 9″ pie (See recipe here)
• 3 cups blackberries
• 1 cup peeled & thinly sliced green apple
• 3 Tblsp. quick-cooking tapioca
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 Tblsp. butter
• 1 Tblsp. milk
• 1 Tblsp. sugar mixed with 1/8 tsp. cinnamon for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

In large bowl combine berries, apples, tapioca, 1 cup sugar, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.  Mix well and allow to set while preparing pastry.

Turn berry mixture in a pastry-lined 9″ pan.  Dot with butter, adjust top crust, cut vents and flute edges.  Brush top with milk and lightly sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture.  Set pie pan on a larger flat pan to catch spills.

Bake @ 375 degrees F for 45-50 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

A remake of the pie some years later with the coveted rosette.

Grandma’s Chocolate Pie

In the World War II days when gas was rationed, cars were kept running many times by wishful thinking, and the drive from Cincinnati to Dayton, Ohio, was a two-hour journey over country roads, our family made the trip several times a year to visit my paternal grandmother.  My little sister and I called her “Grandma-up-Dayton” and looked forward to leaving our inner city apartment behind and spending some time in rural Vandalia, just outside of Dayton.  I have a feeling our visits were unplanned most of the time with my father coming home from work on a Friday and suggesting we run up and see his mother.  I can still see Grandma standing at the door of her little house, wearing a dark dress and white apron, peering out into the twilight to see who had pulled onto her property on a secluded country road.  As we got out of the car, she would smile broadly and say, “Oh, it’s Johnny!”, acknowleging in that exclamation that it was Johnny, his wife and two little girls.  

Many times as we came into the house she would say that she had just made a few chocolate pies.  She worked as a cook in a high school cafeteria during the day and came home at night to bake a few treats. 

Cooking at all wasn’t easy in her small kitchen.  There was a large table, some chairs, some cabinets against the wall and a coal/wood burning kitchen stove.  Grandma must have had an ice box of some kind, but I don’t remember seeing it.  There was an outside door that led to a slope and the water pump.  On a stool by the door was an enamel washpan and towel so we could wash up in stone-cold water after making the long trek down the slope and on down the path to the outhouse.   There was a 3-foot tall metal lard can in the kitchen which I used as my chair when I was there.  There was a small window near the stove and tin cans were tossed out and onto a dump in back of the house.  No actual garbage was thrown away – scraps were given to the chickens – so the dump wasn’t really dirty.  Sometimes my little sister and I would wander around through the dump looking for different can labels and seeing brands that we didn’t get in Cincinnati.  We had to be careful – the real danger was in picking up a can with the rough sawtooth edge that the old can openers used to make.

There was various framed artwork on the kitchen wall, but the one I always loved was one in sepia tone of chubby pigs leaning on a fence with a frame that had tiny metal pigs running along the bottom.  At some point Grandma gave me the picture and I had it hanging in my dining room for a good while.  Finally, the frame came apart and the picture was damaged, but I still have it and enjoy seeing those cheerful little pig faces.

Grandma always had cream on hand to whip and add to the big slices of pie which already had a 2″ layer of meringue.  She was an excellent cook and to taste a freshly-made chocolate pie in that little country kitchen is a lasting memory.

I don’t have the recipe for Grandma’s pie but my version won a ribbon at the Ohio State Fair in 1987.

RICH CHOCOLATE PIE

• 9″ baked pie shell (see here for recipe)
• Two one-oz squares of unsweetened chocolate
• 1-1/2 cups milk, divided
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs, separated
• 2 Tblsp. butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar (for meringue)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla (for meringue)
• 6 Tblsp. sugar (for meringue)

FILLING:

Combine chocolate and ONE CUP OF MILK in 2 qt. heavy saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until chocolate is melted.  Stir in brown sugar.

Combine REMAINING MILK with flour in a small cup, mixing until smooth.  Gradually stir the milk/flour mixture into the chocolate mixture.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.

Beat 3 egg yolks slightly, stir a little of the hot mixture into the yolks, blending well.  Stir yolk mixture into hot mixture.  Cook over LOW heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes.  Turn into baked shell.  Cover with meringue and brown in 325 degree F oven for approximately 10 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.

MERINGUE:

Beat 3 egg whites with cream of tartar and vanilla until soft peaks form.  Add sugar, a small amount at a time, and continue beating until mixture forms stiff peaks but is not dry.  Spread on top of pie, sealing to edge of pastry. 

 

We usually just stayed overnight and headed back home the next day.  My father was always irritated that Grandma loaded up our car with food but Mother was so grateful for the canned blackberry jam, produce and boxes of candy bars bought at the school kitchen.  I remember one time Grandma sneaked in a full chocolate meringue pie for our trip back home.  Along the way, one of our tires went flat and since my father was never prepared with a spare, my mother, sister and I waited for an hour or so in the car along the side of the road for him to come back with the patched tire.  We were getting hungry and here was this beautiful pie, but we didn’t have a knife to cut it.  Then, my mother thought of the car key, wiped it off carefully and used it to slice up the pie to eat out of hand.  Nothing ever tasted better.  My oldest daughter was always intrigued by this story and wrote her own blog version of it. 

I inherited my grandma’s love of cooking and baking pies is one of my favorite pasttimes.

President’s Day and Cherry Fudge Pie

For my 70th birthday (5 years ago), my daughters gave me all kinds of collectibles and memorabilia dated 1932.  This handkerchief was one of them – commemorating George Washington’s birth. 

I like to get it out for display each year on President’s Day.  And what better way to celebrate the occasion than a cherry pie.  In 1985, I was trying to come up with a unique idea for an Ohio State Fair cherry pie contest.  My oldest daughter suggested something with chocolate in it.  I developed this recipe incorporating chocolate and although it didn’t win the contest, it became a family favorite.

At that time, we had a country home with fruit trees – apple, pear, plum and one little cherry tree that produced huge amounts of fruit.  Pitting the cherries took forever but they were wonderful.  I never see fresh tart red cherries in our local markets but the canned cherries also make a delicious pie. 

CHERRY FUDGE PIE

• Pastry for two-crust pie

Fudge layer:

• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tblsp. sweetened condensed milk , not evaporated
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cherry filling:

• 3-1/2 cups fresh tart cherries or two 14-15 oz. cans of tart cherries, drained (Note:  not cherry pie filling)
• 3 Tblsp. Minute tapioca
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2 Tblsp. brandy
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

In small saucepan stir condensed milk and chips over low heat until chips have melted.  Stir in vanilla.  Set aside.

In medium mixing bowl, place cherries, tapioca, salt, brandy, almond extract and sugar.  Stir to blend.

Place pastry in 9″ pie pan.  Spread chocolate mixture over bottom surface of crust.  Pour in the cherry mixture.  Dot with butter.  Add the top crust, brush lightly with milk and cut vents.  Set on a flat pan to catch spills.  Bake @ 375 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes. 

Cool on a wire rack.  Makes one 9″ pie. 

My Sure-Fire Pie Crust

 

My first job in 1950 was as a secretary in Procter & Gamble’s corporate offices in downtown Cincinnati.  As a new employee, I received a large picnic basket full of P&G products, a leatherette box with the P&G logo filled with chocolates and my favorite item of all, a Crisco cookbook – New Recipes for Good Eating, copyright 1948. 

I first heard about Crisco in high school home ec classes.  My mother, always on a strict budget, used lard (and made wonderful pies), margarine or bacon grease.  Occasionally, she’d buy a tiny one-pound can of Crisco for me to make a special dessert.  After I was married in 1952, also on a strict budget, I still managed to find the money for Crisco.  I started cooking in earnest and literally wore out the cookbook.  The pages are dog-eared and stained – and some of them are missing.

About 50 years later, I happened to find the same cookbook in pristine condition in an antique market.  Apparently, its owner didn’t cook as much as I did, or she was neater.

My favorite recipe in the book was for “Crisco’s Sure Fire” two-crust 9″ pie.  Over the years, I changed the ingredients a little bit and developed a technique that worked well for me, although it’s not the method that the cookbook or any home ec class ever recommended.  I’ve won ribbons at countless pie contests with this crust, including the Ohio State Fair, plus pie has always been the dessert of choice for my family for the past 55 years.  Here is my version of the recipe and the way I mix the ingredients.

MY SURE-FIRE PIE CRUST

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup Crisco vegetable shortening
• 1/3 cup ice water

In a medium size mixing bowl, place the flour and salt.  Note:  I measure the flour by dipping the cup into the canister and then leveling it off.  Stir flour and salt with a fork to mix.  Add 3/4 cup Crisco shortening and cut in.  I use my hands so I can feel the texture and know by now when it’s just right.  Pour the ice water (always use ice water) into a dry measure 1/3 cup to the top and pour into flour mixture (don’t use a liquid measuring cup).  Using a fork, stir the mixture in circles until it forms a ball.  Divide the dough in half and roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface with short, light strokes, rolling from the center to the edges to about 12″ diameter.  To keep the dough from sticking, I pick it up, turn it over and reposition, dusting very lightly with flour when necessary.  I also continually wipe the rolling pin of any dough that’s sticking.  With everything you do, use the lightest touch possible.  It’s also possible to roll out the dough between sheets of waxed paper.

Place the dough in a pie pan and trim the edges.  Continue with the filling you choose and the top crust.  Bake according to your recipe’s directions.

The recipe can be used for one two-crust 9″ pie or two one-crust 9″ pies.  I never double the recipe and I never make half a recipe.  If there’s any pastry left over, I put it in a plastic bag and keep it in the freezer until I’m ready to use it. 

Old Fashioned Plum Streusel Pie

Purple plums are readily available and make a delicious pie.  Since the plums only need to have the pits removed and don’t have to be peeled, they are an easy fruit to work with and produce outstanding results.  This was our dessert today for Sunday dinner. 

 PLUM STREUSEL PIE

• 4 cups sliced, unpeeled purple plums
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel
• One 9 inch unbaked pie shell

Topping:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 3 Tblsp. cold butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F 

In a large bowl combine the plums, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, salt, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, lemon juice and lemon peel.  Toss to mix and let stand for a few minutes to blend.

Place the fruit in an unbaked 9″ pie shell.  Mix the topping ingredients together, cutting in the butter/margarine, and sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the top of the fruit.

Place the pie on a large flat pan or cookie sheet to catch spills and bake @ 375 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes.  Cool on a rack.

Streusel Concord Grape Pie

About 20 years ago, this pie won a ribbon at a large pie contest at the Hamilton County Fair (Cincinnati, Ohio).  This was when we lived on a couple of acres in a rural area and I had large 5-gallon buckets of Concord grapes setting all over my kitchen.  I made as much jam and jelly as I needed, then made this pie.  If there were still grapes left, I would make the filling and put it in the freezer for later use.  Eventually, the grapes were wiped out by some disease and ever since I’ve searched the produce aisles and farm markets of the area for Concord grapes, with no luck.  Last week, I was amazed to see plastic containers of these wonderful grapes in my grocery store.  I couldn’t wait to make another pie for our Sunday dinner.

My best memory of this pie is taking it to a large square dance federation potluck dinner party where normally the buffet line led through the entrees, salads, etc., and then after eating the meal, the guests would go to the dessert table.  In this case, 8 men went directly to the dessert table and cleaned out the grape pie.

STREUSEL CONCORD GRAPE PIE

Unbaked 9″ pie shell

4-1/2 cups Concord grapes

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup flour

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/8 tsp. salt

Oat Streusel:  Combine 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup flour.  Cut in 1/4 cup butter to distribute evenly.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Wash grapes and remove skins by pinching at end opposite stem.  Place pulp in a small saucepan and bring to a boil; cook several minutes until pulp is soft.  Put through strainer or food mill while pulp is hot to remove seeds.

Mix strained pulp with skins.  Stir in sugar, flour, lemon juice and salt.  Place grape mixture in pastry-lined 9″ pie pan.  Sprinkle on Oat Streusel.  Place on large flat pan or cookie sheet to catch spills.  Bake @ 375 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes.  Cool on rack.

Note:  Removing the skins from the grapes takes about 15 minutes but is not difficult or overly messy.  A word of caution – if you don’t have a food mill, removing the seeds with a strainer is labor-intensive.  It’s worth all the work to me – the flavor of the grapes is unbelievable.