Sweet Potato & Cream Cheese Pie

Ingredients:
3 cups mashed roasted, sweet potatoes or yams
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients until will mixed. Stir in egg. Pour into a prepared pie shell, it is excellent with sweet potato chip pie crust. Smooth surface with the back of a spoon or spatula. Bake 20 minutes.

My thoughts:

I apologise for the slightly odd picture, I was a bit under the weather when I made this pie and didn't take many shots but it was so good, I really wanted to share it with you all. As you might know, I am not a big fan of sweet potatoes for dinner but I am happy to eat them in desserts. I am a bit picky though; I hate when I bite into a sweet potato pie and it is either way too sweet or just tastes like mashed sweet potatoes. Not an issue here. It is creamy but not terribly rich or cheesecake-y and sweet potato-y without being heavy. The perfect midwinter dessert.

Change - {Apple Pie}

Straining to hold loosened flip flops to my frigid souls, the chilled toes beneath me are working overtime to combat the effects of the weather. Peachy tones have long-since camouflaged themselves in white, left unable to escape the daggers of the bitter wind over my skin. It's hard not to wear sandals on a day like today. It certainly looked like summer outside my windows this morning.I feel

Tropical Fruit Ice Box Pie

Ingredients:
2 3/4 diced fresh pineapple
2 cups diced kiwi
3/4 cup diced mango
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon butter

1 9-inch graham cracker crust


Directions:
In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of the mixed fruit, half of the juices and the sugar to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch and remaining juice, set aside. After the mixture comes to a boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook 2 additional minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining fruit and the butter. Pour into the prepared pie shell. Refrigerate for about 5 hours or until set. Best served the day it is made.

My thoughts:

I am all for eating locally grown fruits and vegetables but there is something about tropical fruits that just screams summer to me. Luckily the the fruit I can get are super fresh and lush. This pie is pretty lush itself. It is also on the juicy side, so it really is best the same day you make it. It is tasty the next day but the crust does get a little soggy overnight. Honestly, though, I don't think you will have any problem finishing this pie off in a single day! It is fresh and fruity and I love the slightly crunch the kiwi seeds provide. It just tastes like summer!

Blackberry and Black Pepper Ice Box Pie

Ingredients:
5 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
juice and zest of 1 lemon


1 9-inch graham cracker crust


Directions:
In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of the blackberries, pepper, lemon juice, zest and the sugar to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch and water, set aside. After the blackberries come to a boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook 2 additional minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining blackberries and the butter. Pour into the prepared pie shell. Refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours before serving.

My thoughts:

Our blackberry bush has been a strong producer this year! We have been getting berries steadily for about a month now. Last we got a lot but in mid-August which is the more typical blackberry season here. Not that I am complaining! Fresh berries are expensive even in season so to get some free is amazing. We have a thornless bush so the harvesting isn't too harrowing. But even freshly picked berries don't have the longest life so I came up with this pie to use up a bunch. The black pepper was my husband's idea and it was a good one. It added a spicy note that really played off the tart-sweetness.

Remember - {Strawberry Rhubarb Pie}

I don't remember much about her, I think solemnly as I gently tousle the impressive leaves clouding my sight. My palms are buried deep in my sleeves as I search, crouched low to the ground and tossing my hair occasionally to sweep aside my growing bangs to simplify the hunt. Ruby red or bright green; thick or thin; I'm presented with a plethora of choices. But which would she pick?I remember

Myth - {Blueberry Pie}

Gingerly lacing my fingers through straps and gently grazing sleeves, my efforts allow aging hangers to slide from left to right over their track in the closet. Not without a bit of coercion however, as the winter months have not been kind to the strain placed on the metal bar. Packed to capacity - and then some - spring and summer clothing bulges this way and that, slipping from a hanger here

Blackberry Meringue Pie

Ingredients:

for the pie crust:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup cold butter, cut into 1 inch chunks
3-4 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon lime zest

for the filling:
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup blackberry juice
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt

for the meringue:
4 egg whites
2 tablespoons sugar
1 pinch cream of tartar


Directions:

for the pie crust:
Preheat oven to 350. Place the butter, flour and zest into a food processor. Add water one tablespoon at a time and pulse just until mixture sticks together. Form the dough into a ball then roll out on a floured surface. Place in a pie plate and prick with a fork. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden. Cool before filling. Turn the oven up to 375.

for the filling:
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, water, blackberry juice and zest. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar/juice mixture. Whisk the eggy mixture into remaining sugar mixture in the pan. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Pour filling into the baked pie crust.


In a large metal bowl (preferably one attached to a stand mixer), beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add the sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust. Bake for 10 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.

Fully cool the pie before slicing.

Note: I made the blackberry juice by forcing the berries through a sieve using a whisk. Taste it and if the juice is very sweet, reduce the sugar by a few tablespoons.

My thoughts:

Blackberry yields are still high every day and I have been scrambling for ways to use up the delicate berries before they turn. I've never made a meringue pie before but am completely comfortable with egg whites and making curd so I thought I'd give it a shot. I am glad I did. It was really easy and the results were fabulous. The blackberry flavor is deliciously strong, a perfect foil for the fluffy and slightly sweet meringue.

Kiwi Lemongrass Icebox Pie

Ingredients:
4 cups diced kiwi
4 stalks lemongrass
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
juice of 1 lime
zest of 1 lime

1 9 inch graham cracker crust
cheesecloth + something to tie it shut with
extra kiwi for garnishing


Directions:
Cut off the tops of the lemongrass and discard. Chop up the fragrant bottom half. Place the chunks into a cheesecloth pouch and tie shut. In a medium saucepan, bring 3cups of the kiwifruit, lemongrass, lime juice and zest and the sugar to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar and spread the lemongrass flavor throughout. Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch and water, set aside. After the mixture comes to a boil, remove the lemongrass pouch, stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook 2 additional minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining cup of kiwi. Pour into the prepared pie shell. Top with additional sliced kiwi if desired. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours or overnight before serving.



Note: I really wanted to make this with a mix of green and yellow kiwi but alas, yellow kiwi proved elusive. It would have been pretty!

My thoughts:

Oh, I love icebox pies. I don't make them nearly often enough. They require no baking so they are perfect for the hot steamy days that we have settled into. Since our house is of an icebox era vintage and thus has no air condition (though of course we don't depend on the ice man to help us keep our perishables cool) any sort of baking during the summer months is done at your own peril.

Now, a lot of icebox pies (the most popular being key lime) are creamy and a few are frozen, but I have decided I like the ones that are basically just-held-together fruit the best. Now, kiwi is one of those fruits that reacts adversely to gelatin (it just won't firm up) but it behaves just fine when introduced to a cornstarch slurry. In fact, the resulting pie is so sturdy and since it has to be refrigerated overnight, one could even pack a slice for lunch. Or have it for breakfast if so inclined. Why relegate it simply to dessert? It is 90% fruit after all! One kiwi has more than the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. So that makes this pie practically health food, right?

So, keep your oven off! Let your pies set up in the fridge. Icebox pies are overdue for a comeback.

Heirloom Apple Pie

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds baking apples*, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, cubed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
double pie crust (I used cheddar-black pepper)

Directions:
Mix all of the ingredients together.



Pour into a pie plated lined with a pie crust. Top with a second pie crust and pinch shut. Pierce the top crust with a knife or cut out shapes to vent. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Cool then slice to serve.




*I like to use Stayman-Winesap apples for pies. They are firm, slightly tart, spicy and hold up well to baking.

My thoughts:

This year I bought a bushel of Stayman-Winesaps at the farmers market and knew I'd have to make a pie. My Grandpop always requests an apple pie instead of cake for his birthday and since I loathe pumpkin pie, I always hope for one at Thanksgiving. There is just something very comforting about apple pie.

This is a pretty straightforward apple pie but pairing it with the cheddar-black pepper crust really makes it something special. I don't like super sweet desserts so a savory crust combined with a sweet, spicy apple filling is my idea of pie perfection.

Do You Like Blueberry Pie?

We're so blessed that we have a bunch of blueberry bushes in our backyard  (ha ha, alliteration!), with as many ripe delicious berries as we can eat in the summer months.  Of course, aside from being eaten right off the bush, or used for breakfast in a variety of ways, blueberries have a particularly wonderful use of making great pies.

So that's what I did tonight.  This morning, mom picked blueberries; this evening, I made a pie.

The recipe is titled " So Easy Blueberry Pie," and the title does not lie, my friends.  This pie was a breeze to make, and only has 5 ingredients.  The recipe comes from a little booklet called " A Taste of Blueberries" that the previous owners of our house gave to us and that my mom has cooked with for thirteen years.

So Easy Blueberry Pie

Baked 9" Pie Crust (I like the deep dish)
3 Cups of Blueberries, Plus 1 Cup
2/3 Cups of Water
1 Cup of Granulated Sugar
3 heaping Tablespoons of Corn Starch
Optional: Spices (Cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, ginger, mace, nutmeg, fresh cilantro or mint or basil, vanilla or almond extract)

Place 3 cups of blueberries in the pie shell (which is already baked) and set aside. 
In a saucepan, combine sugar, water, cornstarch, and 1 cup of blueberries for glaze.  Add any spices at this time: I added cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.)
Cook until thick, stirring frequently; approximately 10 to 12 minutes.  (Although the recipe does not specifically say, I had the stove turned to medium heat.  Oh, and don't look away because the glaze thickens up before you know it! Trust me.)
If you are going to add extract (for example, a touch of vanilla extract), stir it in now, so that the flavor doesn't cook out.
Pour glaze over berries in the pie crust, cool, and refrigerate.
Serve with whipped cream and a few berries on top.

A note about the pie crust:  if you use a "deep dish" pie crust, then use 4 total cups of blueberries; but if you use a pie crust of regular deepness, use 3 total cups of blueberries.  Trial and error for ya!

More Blueberry information can be found at this website:  Produce Pete.

Blueberry Ginger Ice Box Pie

Ingredients:

5 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1 inch knob fresh ginger, grated
juice of 1/2 lemon
zest of 1/2 lemon


1 10 inch graham cracker crust*



*You can make your own graham cracker crust or you can cheat and use a prepared crust like I did- it was on sale for only $1. Frankly, I find that when it comes to a plain graham cracker crust it is a rare occurrence for someone to be able tell the difference between a homemade and store bought anyway, so when they are on sale, I stock up. Prepared crusts are great for when you (like I am today) are taking pies to parties-you don't have to worry about getting your pie plate back.

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of the blueberries, the ginger, lemon juice and zest and the sugar to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch and water, set aside. After the blueberries come to a boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook 2 additional minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2 cups of blueberries and the butter. Pour into the prepared pie shell. Refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours or up to one day before serving.

My thoughts:

How much do I love ice box pies? So named because they require no baking and set up in the refrigerator (the ice box), they are perfect for summer. This blueberry pie shows off the flavor of the blueberries with a minimum of fuss-there isn't even a top crust to compete with the fruit. I actually like this version of blueberry pie more than the traditional lattice crust way for just that reason-more blueberry flavor. The ginger adds just a tiny bit of spice- a sort of refreshing side note to the blueberries' sweetness.

Ginger Spiced Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:
3 sweet potatoes or yams, peeled, boiled and mashed
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

pecan halves for decoration

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine sweet potato, ginger, sugar, vanilla, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, condensed milk and butter until will mixed. Taste for seasoning, adjust as needed. Stir in egg. Pour into a prepared pie shell, it is excellent with pecan pastry pie crust. Smooth surface with the back of a spoon or spatula and decorate with pecan halves. Bake 20 minutes.


Spring this recipe!

My thoughts:

I personally don't care for sweet side dishes and thus rarely serve sweet potatoes in any form. In this pie, however, the sweetness makes more sense and is tempered by the spice of the ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. It is also a wonderful alternative to pumpkin pie around the holidays.

Coconut Key Lime Pie

Ingredients:
14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk (fat free is fine)
3 egg yolks
2/3 cup toasted coconut
1/3 cup key lime juice*
2 1/2 teaspoons key lime zest
9 inch round coconut crust or graham cracker crust

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300. In a large mixing bowl, using your electric mixer, beat the egg yolks, lime juice and zest until the eggs are creamy. Slowly add condensed milk and toasted coconut and mix until well combined. Pour into crust and bake 15 minutes or until the pie is "set" and no longer feels liquid to the touch. Cool on wire rack, refrigerate.



*Note: For an authentic pie, you need the juice of fresh key limes. Using a juicer is the most efficient way to extract the most amount of juice from tiny key limes limes. If you have to use bottled juice, make sure it is from actual key limes (the juice will be a pale yellow) and not just (Persian) lime juice with citric acid added to make it tart. Of course, you could just use regular lime juice but then it won't be a "key lime pie".

My thoughts:

I am lucky to live near several great grocery stores. This results in my having access to fresh key limes several times a year. My husband loves key lime pie so I came up with this recipe for him. I basically used the same recipe I usually use to make key lime pie and added coconut to it. I also baked it in a homemade coconut pie crust instead of a graham cracker crust. I bet some people reading this will think that it would be coconut overload to have coconut in the pie and into the crust, but I assure you, it isn't. The amount of coconut in the pie is just enough that it ties the flavors of the pie together.

Chocolate Pie

Ingredients:
8 oz Cool Whip, thawed
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup dutch process cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

8 inch chocolate graham cracker crust


Directions:

In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and sugar. Add milk, vanilla, and cocoa and mix until smooth. Slowly fold in Cool Whip. Pour into crust and freeze at least 2 hours or over night until thoroughly frozen.

My thoughts:

I am a little ashamed to admit that I made a dessert using Cool Whip- it's really not my style at all- but it is so good! Very chocolate-y and creamy. It's a a refreshing warm weather dessert but my mom actually makes something similar at the Thanksgiving for people (like me) who do not like pumpkin pie. Any occasion can be made better with chocolate.

Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie

Ingredients:
14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk (fat free is fine)
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup key lime juice*
2 1/2 teaspoons key lime zest
9 inch round graham cracker crust

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300. In a large mixing bowl, using your electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and zest until the eggs are creamy. Slowly add condensed milk and mix until well combined. Add key lime juice and mix to combine thoroughly. Pour into crust and bake 15 minutes or until the pie is "set" and no longer feels liquid to the touch. Cool on wire rack, refrigerate.



*Note: For an authentic pie, you need the juice of fresh key limes. Using a juicer is the most efficient way to extract the most amount of juice from tiny key limes limes. I was able to yield 1/3 cup of juice from only 10 (2 inch diameter) limes using my juicer. If you have to use bottled juice, make sure it is from actual key limes (the juice will be a pale yellow) and not just (Persian) lime juice with citric acid added to make it tart.



My thoughts:
Who knew key lime pie was so easy to make? It's one of my husband's favorites so when I saw fresh key limes in the store, I couldn't resist. The bag came with a recipe, but I upped the amount of zest and juice it called for to yield a more tart pie. It came out as well if not better than the pies I've had from places that specialize in key lime pies.