Chocolate Cream Pie

Make this pie. Seriously.

Chocolate Cream Pie
serves about 8/adapted from this recipe

Here’s what I used:

Crust

• 26 Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers (crushed)
• 5 tablespoons butter (melted)
• 1/4 cup sugar

Filling

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 egg yolks
• 3 cups whole milk
• 5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 2 tablespoons butter (softened)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Here’s what I did:

Crust

1. Mix cookie crumbs, melted butter and sugar until combined.
2. Pour crumbs into a 9 inch pie plate and spread along the bottom and sides.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 – 15 minutes.
4. Set aside and let cool completely.

Filling

1. Mix together sugar, corn starch, salt and egg yolks in a heavy sauce pan.
2. Slowly pour in milk – whisk while you pour.
3. Bring mixture to a boil over medium head, whisking the entire time.
4. When mixture begins to boil, reduce heat and whisk for another minute.
5. Melt chocolates and add to the custard mixture, along with butter and vanilla.
6. Cover mixture with a bit of parchment paper, and cool for about two hours.
7. Pour cooled mixture into the pie crust and chill for about six hours (overnight works).
8. Right before serving, make some whipped cream and top pie….crumble a few cookies on top for good measure.

Peach Pie

As I was thinking about what I wanted to make for Thanksgiving, I asked a very special (very cute) friend what he wanted. He immediately replied, peach pie. Huh. Peach pie? Yes, he said – peach pie (with an eye roll). So, I made a peach pie – in November. Even though I used canned peaches, the pie turned out to be pretty tasty. I recommend this recipe, and I will definitely try a fresh peach pie next summer.

Peach Pie
serves about 8/adapted from this recipe

Here’s what I used:

• Crust for a 9 inch pie (top and bottom)
• 2 thirty ounce cans of sliced peaches
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon butter

Here’s what I did:

1. Drain peaches thoroughly and pour into large bowl.
2. Add sugars, flour and spices and mix gently with a large spatula.
3. Place the bottom crust in a pie plate and pour peach mixture on top.
4. Cut the butter into several pieces and place on top of peaches.
5. Add second crust and seal edges – don’t forget to vent the top crust.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for about 4 5 – 55 minutes.

Butternut Squash Pie

In my last CSA pick up of the season, I received a gigantic butternut squash. This veggie was insanely enormous. Instead of roasting and eating it for days, I decided to take half and make a pie in honor of Halloween. I’ve never made butternut squash pie before, and found a pretty basic recipe online. The end result was simple, light and delicious. I added a few pecans on top for a crunchy texture to the smooth pie. After a piece of this treat, I was ready for tricks with a scary skeleton, Buzz Lightyear, a group of amazing adults and a cooler full of beer.

Butternut Squash Pie
Serves about 8/adapted from this recipe

Here’s what I used:

• 1 1/2 cups cooked and pureed butternut squash (about half a large squash)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon butter (melted)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 9″ pie crust (chilled)
• whole pecans to top as desired (not necessary but a great addition)

Here’s what I did:

1. Mix together squash puree and sugar until combined.
2. Add in eggs, milk, spices, salt, flour, butter and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour filling into the pie crust and top with pecans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 – 50 minutes or until top of pie is set.
5. Cool before serving.

Boo!

Turnip Pie

This is not the most appealing pie on the planet, but man is it good. This was inspired by two things – 1) a recent parsnip pie story and 2) the fact that I had a bunch of turnips from my CSA and wasn’t sure what to do with them. I really had no idea where to start, so I literally googled “turnip pie.” I was amazed at the options available. This is a bare bones, ‘simple is best’ pie. I hope to get more turnips soon so I can experiment with the flavors. Also, this was a big hit with a four-year old and a man who is wary of things like turnip. I love to make them smile so to me, this was a success.

Turnip Pie
serves 8 – 10/adapted from this recipe

Here’s what I used:

• 1 cup cooked and mashed turnips (I used hakurei turnips)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 eggs (beaten)
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 9″ pie crust (um, I bought this. Do not judge me….I live in a cube and it is, on average, 190 degrees in here during the summer.)

Here’s what I did:

1. Wash and cut up the turnip – throw it in some water and boil until tender.
2. Let the turnip cool for a minute, and then mash (I actually used my blender to get a smooth consistency).
3. Mix together the mashed turnip, sugar and spices in a large bowl.
4. Add the eggs, flour and milk and mix thoroughly.
5. Pour into pie crust and bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until the top of the pie has set.
6. Let cool completely before cutting.

Sweet Potato Pie

For my second of three Thanksgiving dinners, I wanted to make a yummy, familiar pie. I had a bunch of sweet potatoes that needed to be used ASAP, so my fate was sealed. I looked at a few recipes and mixed and matched the slight variations of spices. I’ve never made a sweet potato pie and I have to say it was delicious. What made this pie even better, though, was sharing it with my fantastic family. They rock my world and remind me what I’m really thankful for this holiday season.

Sweet Potato Pie
makes 2 pies

Here’s what I used:

• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes (this is about 2.5 potatoes)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 small can evaporated milk (about 5 oz.)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 pie shells, unbaked

Here’s what I did:

1. Mix butter, potatoes, sugar, and evaporated milk until well blended (you can use a large spatula and mix by hand, but I used Lucy).
2. Mix in vanilla, beaten eggs, and cinnamon.
3. Pour into two pie shells.
4. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until the top of the pies are golden and set.
5. Top with whipped cream and eat it!

Pie!

This past weekend I had a fun fall day full of apple picking and farm animal ogling with friends at Honey Pot Hill Orchards in Stow. While there were no cows or sheep, we still had a great day and came home with a ton of apples. I had way more apples that one human should have in a 150 sq. ft. apartment, so I decided to make a pie for our weekly dinner date. I used a basic crust recipe and improvised for the filling. One of my goals this season is to perfect my crust making skills… not wholly accomplished in this instance, but I think I’m close. I wasn’t too adventurous with this one. I want to experiment by using butter in addition to shortening in the crust, adding a bit of sugar, crystallizing the top of the pie, taking over the world, etc.

Pie!
serves 8

Here’s what I used:

Filling

• 5 apples, medium to large
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar (saw the addition of cider vinegar in a random recipe and wanted to try it)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Crust

• 1 ¼ cup flour
• ½ cup vegetable shortening (this scares me a lot but ‘tevs)
• Pinch of salt
• 4-5 tablespoons cold water

Here’s what I did:

Filling

1. Peel, core and slice apples (keep them in a bowl with water and the lemon juice until you are ready to mix the remaining ingredients).
2. Drain apples and mix with the sugar, cinnamon, flour and cider vinegar.

Crust

1. Measure flour and salt into a mixing bowl and cut in the shortening with a pastry mixer.
2. Add cold water, one tablespoon at a time.
3. Chill dough for 20 – 30 minutes before rolling (I used this time to make the filling).
4. Remove dough from fridge and separate into two pieces.
5. Roll on floured surface to desired size (my pie plate is 9 inches).
6. Place bottom crust into plate and fill with apple mixture.
7. Place top crust over filling.
8. Decorate like crazy (or at least cut two small air vents in top of pie).
9. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until brown and bubbling and amazing.
10. Top with some ice cream if you so choose and eat it!