Mince-Nut Tarts au Chocolat

I had a package of mincemeat left over from the holidays and remembered this recipe that I had developed in 1986 for a magazine contest.  It didn’t win, but it’s a delicious little tart.

I used a portion of mincemeat that I made from this condensed package (mixed with water) that makes 1-¾ cups.  I used one cup for this recipe.

Mincemeat made from his package is comparable in taste and consistency to the prepared mincemeat in jars.

• Servings: 6
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• 3 Tblsp.condensed milk
• ¼ cup + 2 Tblsp. chocolate chips
• 1 cup prepared mincemeat
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 6 pastry tart shells (3-½ in. diameter (across top) x ¾ in. deep

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

In small saucepan combine condensed milk and chocolate chips.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chips are melted.

Spread chocolate mixture over bottom surface of tart shells (about 2 Tblsp. per pan).

Divide mincemeat among pans and spread over chocolate mixture.

Sprinkle the top of each tart with chopped pecans.

Bake at 375 degrees F approximately 20 minutes until crust and walnuts are golden brown.

Let cool in pans on a wire rack.

6 servings

Mom’s Good Old Apple Crumb Pie

I loved the Andy Griffith TV show and when Sheriff Taylor talked about “good old apple crumb pie”, I longed to have a slice.  Something about the way he said “pie” made it sound even more delicious.  Remember, he thought maybe that was what Aunt Bee brought for lunch when instead she had brought some of her not-so-good pickles.  And Helen Crump baked one for a picnic.  In honor and in memory of Andy Taylor, Aunt Bee and Helen Crump, here’s my version:

• Servings: 6
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• Pastry for 9-inch single crust pie*

Filling:

• 7 cups tart apples (Golden Delicious or Granny Smith)
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar

Topping
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup butter, cut into cubes

In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and flour.  Using your fingers, mix in the butter until small crumbs are formed.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Peel, core and thinly slice apples.  Place in a large bowl and add cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, flour and sugar.  Mix together and set aside for 10-15 minutes.

Stir apple mixture and spoon into unbaked pie shell.

Top with sugar/flour/butter topping mixture, covering all of the apples.

Place on a flat pan to catch spills and bake @ 375 degrees F for 45 minutes.  Remove to a wire rack to cool. 

Actually, I baked two apple pies because the only kind of pie my son-in-law and two grandchildren will eat is my regular apple pie.  Click here for the recipe.

*My favorite pie crust recipe.

Abby’s Pecan Pie

When I went to work as a secretary in Procter & Gamble’s corporate offices, they were located in the old Gwynne Building on Sixth and Main Streets in downtown Cincinnati.  The 12-story Gwynne Building was completed in 1914 and Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt (wife of Cornelius III) dedicated it to her father, prominent Cincinnati lawyer and Judge, Abraham Gwynne. Procter & Gamble leased the building and eventually purchased it in 1935. The building served as Procter & Gamble’s corporate headquarters until 1956.  When I went to work there in 1950, on the ground floor was a Dow drugstore and an Italian restaurant.   The drugstore was handy for a quick candy bar or soft drink and when the girls got together for drinks after work, they usually chose the Italian restaurant (whiskey sours were a favorite).

The Gwynne Building – P&G’s corporate offices from 1914-1956

On the 12th floor of the building was a huge employee dining room.  I liked to choose a one-person table near a window where I could have a gorgeous panoramic view of the city while I ate the wonderful food that was served.  Maybe because of the Crisco connection, they always offered an array of pies which was excellent.  I had my first taste of pecan pie here and it was memorable.  After I left the company to start my family (most women did not continue working after their first baby at that time), I tried several recipes, trying to duplicate the P&G cafeteria pecan pie.  In the 1970s, I found this recipe in Dear Abby’s column in the newspaper and I thought it came closest to what I was looking for.  It’s been a family favorite ever since – often included with our Thanksgiving pies.  This is an easy pie to make.

• Servings: 6-8
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• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 whole eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/3 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup melted butter (cooled)
• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell (my favorite is here) 
• 1 cup pecan halves and pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, mix together the light corn syrup and dark brown sugar.

Whisk in the eggs, salt, vanilla and cooled melted butter.

Pour into the unbaked pie shell and sprinkle pecans evenly over the top of the filling.

Place on a flat sheet to catch spills and bake @ 375 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack.

“This is a specialty of the house recipe from the Phoenix Hotel in Lexington, Kentucky.  I begged this from the pastry chef to share with you.  Abigail Van Buren (Dear Abby)”

Servings:  6 to 8.  This is a very rich pie and a smaller piece might be just right for most people, but it’s my youngest daughter’s favorite and she likes a nice big slice.

Procter & Gamble’s current headquarters

Sugar Cream Pie

In the 1970s, my young daughters and I loved a Sugar Cream pie that we could buy frozen at our local grocer.  As the years went by, the pie disappeared from the grocery store and several of my attempts to duplicate it failed.  Then in the 1980s, I adapted several recipes to come up with one that I thought was very close to our old favorite and it won a ribbon at the Ohio State Fair.  I made it again for the two daughters for this week’s Sunday dinner.

• Servings: 6
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• 1 cup whipping cream (1/2 pt.)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• dash salt
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 3 Tblsp. butter, melted
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 9” unbaked pie shell*

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Place a piece of foil or parchment paper in the unbaked pie shell and pour in 2 cups of dry beans.  Bake @ 375 degrees F for 10 minutes to “blind bake”.  Remove foil and beans and let pie set on rack while preparing the filling.  Note:  I keep dry beans in a jar to use in blind-baking pie crust.  The beans can be used over and over again to blind bake, but don’t cook them for other uses.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Combine one cup whipping cream, sugar, flour, salt in medium bowl – whisk until smooth.

Whisk in half-and-half gradually, add melted butter and nutmeg.  Pour into blind-baked pie shell.

Bake @ 375 degrees F approximately 45 minutes.  Pie is done when knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Allow to cool on a wire rack.  Good at room temperature or chilled.  Chill leftovers.

6 servings 

*Click here for my favorite pie crust

Delicious No-Bake Eggnog Pie

At this time of year, we usually have some straggling leftovers and I wanted to make something for Sunday dinner that would use up two cups of dairy eggnog.  I remembered a pie I had made for Christmas in 1985 from an old 1978 Southern Sideboards cookbook.  I adapted it a bit, including leaving out an extra two cups of whipped cream – I felt we had indulged enough over the holidays.  It’s a good dessert with a crunchy graham cracker/almond crust and a smooth creamy filling.  Make the day before serving so the pie can chill at least 6 hours or overnight.

• Servings: 6
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CRUMB CRUST:

• 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup chopped almonds
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup butter, melted

FILLING:

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• ¼ cup cold water
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tblsp. cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 cups dairy eggnog
• 2 Tbsp. rum
• 1 cup whipping cream, whipped
• Freshly grated nutmeg for topping

TO MAKE THE CRUMB CRUST:
Combine graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup sugar, almonds, cinnamon and melted butter in a small bowl.

Press the mixture on the bottom and sides of a buttered 10-inch pie pan (deep).*  Set aside.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
In a cup, sprinkle gelatin over water to soften – set aside.  Mix 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch and salt in top of double boiler.  Gradually stir in eggnog.  Cook over hot, not boiling water, stirring constantly until thickened.

Remove from heat and stir in softened gelatin until dissolved.  Allow filling to cool …

…then fold in rum and whipped cream.

Pour mixture into the pie shell and sprinkle with nutmeg.  Cover and let chill in refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.

*I had a 10-inch pie plate but apparently it wasn’t deep enough.  I poured the leftover filling into two custard cups, covered and chilled for a nice light dessert after the pie is gone.

6 servings 

This has nothing to do with eggnog pie but I couldn’t resist showing you this picture.  It’s not everyone who can look out the back door and see a St. Bernard dog in the snow.  Our neighbor’s dog is usually looking for a shady spot or barking to get back in the house, but today he was in his glory in all that beautiful snow.

Peach Cream Tart

I first made this tart in 1987 from a cookbook called Savannah Collection that I had bought on a recent trip to Georgia.  In my binder, I have it rated “excellent”.

• Servings: 8
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Butter Crust:

• 1-¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ cup cold butter, cut in small cubes
• 2 Tbsp. sour cream

Peach Filling:

• 6 medium size ripe peaches
• 3 large egg yolks
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1/8 tsp. almond extract
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 410 degrees F
You will need a 9-inch tart pan (9 inches across the bottom, 10 inches across the top) with removable sides, ungreased.

To make the crust:

In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt.  Add butter cubes and with your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until it is evenly distributed.

Add the sour cream and work it into the dough with your fingertips until blended.

Roll out crust on a lightly floured board.

Place in pan and press into place.

Blind-bake the crust by placing parchment paper or foil on top of the crust and filling with a pound of dry beans.  I put the beans in a jar and use the same ones over and over for blind-baking.  Don’t cook the beans as a vegetable after baking this way.

Bake @ 410 degrees F for 10 minutes, remove parchment paper and beans, and continue baking for another 5 minutes.  Remove to a rack while preparing filling.  Crust should be set but not brown.

REDUCE OVEN HEAT TO 350 DEGREES F

To make the filling:

Peel peaches.  To remove peel easily, drop the peaches into very hot water and allow to stand for 1-2 minutes.  Remove and allow to drain and cool.  The peel will slip off easily.  Remove pits and cut in ½ inch thick slices.  Arrange slices in circle on top of crust,  and then make a second layer of peaches.

Combine egg yolks, sour cream, almond extract, sugar and flour and whisk until smooth.  Pour yolk mixture over peaches.

Bake @ 350 degrees F until set and pale golden color – about 1 hour.  Cover with loose foil tent if color gets too dark.  Cool on wire rack.

While still warm, glaze with the following:

• ½ cup peach jam (I used my homemade Missouri Peach Preserves)
• 1 Tblsp. Water

Heat the jam and water in a small saucepan until mixture begins to boil.  Strain to remove any large pieces of fruit.

Brush glaze while still warm on top of warm tart.

Allow tart to cool on rack.  Remove sidewall of pan.

Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.

Serves 8 

Here are some more good recipes using peaches:
Fresh Fruit Kuchen
Banana Peach Bars
Fresh Peach Clafouti

Celebration Peach Cobbler

Peach Lasagne

Missouri Peach Preserves

My Fresh Peach Pie

Fresh Peach Crumble Pie

Prize-Winning Blueberry Peach Pie

Fresh Peach Muffins

My Fresh Peach Pie

I first made this pie in 1987 for the Ohio State Fair and it won 3rd place.  I call it My Fresh Peach Pie because at the time I used what I thought would make a good pie and later found it’s pretty much the basic recipe.  With ripe peaches from the local farm market, it’s simply delicious.

• Servings: 6-8
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• 5 cups sliced peaches (6-7 medium peaches, peeled and pitted)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. almond extract
• Pastry for 9 inch two-crust pie (Here’s my favorite recipe)
• 1 Tblsp. butter
• 1 tsp. milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

To peel peaches easily and without waste, drop them into very hot water and let stand for about one minute.  Remove from water and let drain and cool for 5 minutes.  The skin will slide right off.

Peel peaches, remove pits and slice in ½ inch slices.

Place peach slices in a large bowl and add sugar, flour, salt and almond extract.  Let stand for 10 minutes or while preparing crust.

Place the crust in a 9 inch pie plate and fill with the peach mixture.  Dot with butter …

…and place top crust over filling.  Seal and crimp edges, brush with milk and cut small vents in top crust.

Place on a large flat pan to catch spills and bake @ 375 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Servings:  6 to 8 

Tart Cherry Cobbler

Back in the 1980s we had a small house on about 2 acres of ground, almost every inch filled with something good to eat that my husband had planted.  We all loved the tart cherries and had to join in and pick quickly before the birds got them.  I used netting for a while, but got too upset when a bird got caught in it, although we were always able to set it free without injury.  Instead, we just kept an eye on the tree and tried to beat the birds to the harvest.

Eleven years ago, we had to leave the two acres and all its bounty behind and since then I’ve had no luck in finding fresh or frozen tart cherries – only the small cans of discolored fruit for an annual President’s Day pie.  But recently, my online friend, Darlene, mentioned on her blog that she buys tart frozen Morency cherries at her Meijer store in Columbus, Ohio.  I couldn’t wait to check out the freezer section of my Cincinnati area store, and, sure enough, they carry a 24-oz. bag.

• Servings: 6
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The Cherry Filling

• 24-oz. bag of frozen tart cherries, thawed with juice
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tblsp. quick cooking tapioca
• Pinch of salt
• 1 Tblsp. butter
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract

The Cobbler Dough:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

To make the filling:

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, mix the cherries, juice, sugar, tapioca and salt.  Cook until mixture begins to boil, stirring occasionally.  Boil for another minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and almond extract.  Pour cherry mixture into a 10-inch or 1-1/2 qt. ungreased  baking dish.

To make the cobbler topping:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Cut in the shortening until well distributed.  With a fork, stir in the milk.  Drop batter by tablespoonful onto the top of the piping hot cherry mixture.*  Place baking dish on a flat pan to catch spills and bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 25-30 minutes until topping is golden brown.  Remove baking dish to a wire rack to cool.

Best when eaten warm with whipped cream/topping or ice cream.

Servings:  6 

*I never had a lot of luck with cobblers until I read in an old Farm Journal cookbook that the filling should always be piping hot when the batter is spooned onto it.  This tip always works for me.

My President’s Day Pie

Blackberry Cobbler and a Berry-Loving Dog

Rusty likes blackberries.  It came as quite a surprise to me.  We had gotten Rusty from the shelter in 1999 when he was four months old.

At the time, we lived on two acres in a rural area on the Ohio/Indiana border called Blue Jay.  One day, I was preparing blackberries and looked down to see Rusty staring expectantly at me or rather, at the plump blackberry in my hand.  I had never given a tart, wild blackberry to a dog before, but that’s what he seemed to want.  He loved it.  Luckily, I had buckets of berries picked from our wild thicket in the backyard, so he got a fair share of our bounty.

I took Rusty with me when I went out to pick berries – not always a good thing for me.  I had taken off my straw hat for a minute and looked around to see this.

I wasn’t happy that my hat was all gnawed around the edges.

I scolded him a little, but not enough to warrant this sad reaction.

A year later, I wrote a piece for a web site about Rusty and his favorite fruit.

BLACKBERRY TIME IN BLUE JAY –  Rusty, our year-old hound, seems to know when the blackberries are ready for picking.  He takes off toward the back yard on a brisk trot, straining at his leash  – past the asparagus bed and rhubarb, along the border of the vegetable garden, down to the very edge of the property where the wild blackberries grow.  Rusty plucks off all the berries he can reach, always choosing the choice center berry, ignoring the thorns that prickle his nose.  We still have plenty of dark, lustrous berries to carry back to the house in our graniteware bucket to cook up into summertime treats such as Blackberry Cobbler.

That was the last summer I could put on my tattered straw hat and take Rusty down to the blackberry patch.  My husband’s condition worsened and we had to move to a property I could manage alone.   David has been gone for over 7 years, but Rusty is still with me, an elderly 12-year-old, and I still get some blackberries at the farm market and make that good Blackberry Cobbler from a recipe found in an old Farm Journal Pie cookbook.

BLACKBERRY COBBLER

• Servings: 6
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¾ cup granulated sugar
1 Tblsp. cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
4 cups blackberries
1 T butter
½ tsp cinnamon or ¼ tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and continue to boil for one minute, whisking constantly.   Remove from heat and gently stir in the blackberries.

Pour this mixture into an ungreased 10” x 6 x 2 inch baking dish or a 1-½ qt casserole.

Dot with butter and sprinkle with spices.

DOUGH:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tblsp. granulated sugar
1-½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup shortening
½ cup milk

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

Stir in the milk.

Drop spoonsful of dough over the hot fruit filling.

Bake in a 400 F degree oven about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling.  Cool slightly on a wire rack.

Serve in bowls with cobbler juices.  Best when served warm.

6 servings 

Rusty still gets an occasional ripe blackberry tossed his way.

Celebration Peach Cobbler

This recipe comes from two sources – the fruit portion is from a Crisco flyer, American Pie Celebration, and the cobbler topping is my favorite from Farm Journal’s Complete Pie Cookbook.  The Farm Journal stresses dropping the cobbler dough onto piping hot fruit.

• Servings: 6
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Fruit Mixture

• 4 cups sliced fresh peaches
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 T cornstarch
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg

Cobbler Topping:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 1-½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
• ½ cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Have a 9-inch square baking pan or 2-quart baking dish at hand.

To Make Fruit Mixture:
In a large saucepan, combine peaches, sugar, water and cornstarch.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook, stirring constantly for one minute.  Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg.  Pour into a 9-inch square baking dish or a 2-quart baking dish.

To Make Cobbler Topping:
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Blend in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Stir in the milk to make a soft dough.

Drop tablespoons of cobbler topping over surface of piping hot fruit mixture.

Bake @ 400 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown.

6 servings.  Serve in bowls with cobbler juices. 

This is a wonderful cobbler served warm.  I try to time it so it’s coming from the oven  to  cool for 20 minutes or so while we’re eating dinner.  It’s a lovely dessert  plain or topped with a little cream or whipped topping.