Category: Culinary

• 6 cups about 1½–2 pounds, sweet, ripe peaches, halved, pitted, sliced and chopped
• ¼–½ cup sugar; to taste
• A pinch of fresh ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• ⅓ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
• 1 double-crust pie
• ½ tablespoon butter
• 1–2 teaspoons sugar, for on top of the pie
• Egg Wash: 1 egg white plus 1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Place the peaches, sugar, nutmeg, lemon juice, salt, flour, and quick-cooking tapioca in a big bowl. Mix lightly until the fruit is coated.

Roll out the bottom dough and place it in a pie pan.

Spoon in the fruit filling and dot with butter cut into little pieces.

Roll out the remaining dough, lay it over the fruit, and cut 5 to 6 vents on top. Trim excess dough from the edges and crimp.

Lightly brush some of the egg white wash over the entire pie, including the edges.

Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. When there are 10 to 15 minutes of bake time left, open the oven, pull the pie out, and quickly and evenly sprinkle the top of the pie with sugar. Close the oven and continue baking for final 10 to 15 minutes, or until you see steady bubbling in the filling coming through the vents.

Remove the pie from the oven and cool completely before serving so the filling can set up, warm peach pie is delicious too.

Pastry for a 9’inch single crust
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups evaporated milk or half-and-half
2 eggs, beaten well
1½ cups mashed, cooked sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9-inch pie pan with crust and then crimp the edges decoratively.

Combine the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Use a whisk to stir them together well. Add the milk and eggs, and stir to mix everything together evenly. Add the sweet potatoes, butter, and vanilla. Mix them together well, stirring them into the egg mixture carefully, until you have a thick, smooth, and evenly combined pie filling.

Pour the filling into the piecrust and place it on the middle rack of the oven. Bake until the edges puff up and the center is fairly firm, wiggling only a little when you gently nudge the pan, 50 to 55 minutes.

Place the pie on a cooling rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Originally Shoofly pie began as a crust-less molasses cake called Centennial cake in 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. In the 1880s, home bakers added a crust to make it easier to eat alongside a cup of coffee in the morning, without plates and forks. Precursors include Jenny Lind cake, a gingerbread cake from the middle of the 19th century.

Ingredients:

• Single Piecrust dough or 1 store-bought crust.

Filling:

• ¾ cup sorghum syrup
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

Topping:

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Dash salt
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

Directions:

• Roll dough to fit a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°. For filling, mix brown sugar, molasses, sorghum syrup, egg, flour and baking soda. Gradually stir in boiling water and then cool.
• Line unpricked crust with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights. Bake on a lower oven rack 15 minutes. Remove foil and pie weights; brush crust with egg yolk. Bake 5 minutes. Cool. Reduce oven setting to 350°.
• In another bowl, whisk together first four topping ingredients. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add filling to crust; sprinkle with topping. Cover edge of pie with foil.
• Bake until filling is set and golden brown, 45-50 minutes. Cool. Serve.

9 inch single pie crust
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten well
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a 9-inch pie pan with crust and then crimp the edges decoratively.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar and flour, mix well. Add the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Stir well to combine everything into a smooth, thick filling. Pour the filling into the piecrust.

Place the pie on the bottom shelf of the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 degrees, and bake until the center is fairly firm, wiggling only a little when you gently nudge the pan, 30 to 40 minutes.

Place the pie on a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature.

Enjoy!

• 1 1/4 cup Zweiback crumbs (Crushed Nilla Wafers May be substituted)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 12 ounces (12 squares) semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup hot coffee with 3 tablespoons almond extract
• 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Whipped Cream (optional)
• Shaved chocolate (optional)
• Almond slices (optional)

Combine Zweiback crumbs and 1 tablespoon sugar.  Butter sides of a springform pan. Shake some of the crumbs around pan to coat sides.  Add melted butter to remaining crumbs, blend well. Press mixture over bottom of pan.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate with coffee over hot, not boiling water. Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating constantly. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat again. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in vanilla and salt.  Beat in melted chocolate until blended. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated 325 degrees oven for 55 minutes. Turn off heat, set door ajar and allow to cool for 2-3 hours. Before serving spread with whipped cream and sprinkle with shaved chocolate and almond slices.

Serve cake at room temperature.

• 1 unbaked pie shell
• 12 eggs
• 6 cups sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• One lemon, zested
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• 8 ounces melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Keep the unbaked pie shell in the fridge until ready to use, the crust should be nice and cold before baking.

Whisk all other ingredients together, adding buttermilk in at the very end to avoid curdling.

Pour the buttermilk mixture into the cold, unbaked pie shell and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until you get an even jiggle throughout. It should not be too firm, because it continues to cook and set up as it cools.

Allow to cool before serving.

2½ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
8 tablespoons vegetable shortening
½ cup ice water plus 1–2 tablespoons more as needed
Additional flour for rolling out dough

Add all ingredients but the ice water in a large bowl.

Quickly work the mixture together with your hands until the ingredients look like cracker crumbs with lumps the size of peas.

Sprinkle ice water over the mixture and stir lightly with a fork.

Squeeze a handful of dough to see if it holds together. Mix in more water as needed.

Divide the dough in half and make two  discs about 5 inches across.

Wrap the discs separately in plastic wrap and chill for an hour.

Roll the dough until is is approximately 1 to 2 inches larger than your pie pan, brush off the extra flour.

Lay the dough in the pie pan carefully.  Don’t worry if the crust has cracks or even a small hole. Brush a little water where it needs to be patched and glue on the patch piece.

Put the filling in the pie and repeat the process with the other piece of dough.

2½ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
½ teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
½ cup ice water + 1–2 tablespoons more as needed
Additional flour for rolling out dough

Add all the ingredients but the ice water in a large bowl.

Quickly work the mixture together with your hands until the ingredients look like cracker crumbs with lumps the size of peas.

Sprinkle ice water over the mixture and stir lightly with a fork.

Squeeze a handful of dough to see if it holds together. Mix in more water as needed.

Divide the dough in half and make two discs about 5 inches across.

Wrap the discs separately in plastic wrap, and chill for about an hour.

Roll the dough until is is approximately 1 to 2 inches larger than your pie pan, brush off the extra flour.

Lay the dough in the pie pan carefully.  Don’t worry if the crust has cracks or even a small hole. Brush a little water where it needs to be patched and glue on the patch piece.

Put the filling in the pie and repeat the process with the other piece of dough.

Ingredients

• 2½ cups all-purpose unbleached flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (punsalted butter, in tablespoon-size pieces
• 8 tablespoons rendered leaf lard, in tablespoon-size pieces *
• ½ cup ice water plus 1–2 tablespoons more as needed
• Flour for rolling out dough

* Leaf lard is available at most butcher shops, some farmers’ markets, and also Online.

Directions

• Add all ingredients except the ice water to a large bowl.
• Quickly mix the mixture together with your hands or a pastry blender with an up and down motion, until the ingredients appear like cracker crumbs with lumps the size of peas.
• Sprinkle ice water over the mixture and stir lightly with a fork until a handful of dough holds together. Add more water as needed.
• Divide the dough in two and make two discs about 5 inches across.
• Wrap the dough in two plastic wrap packages, and chill for about an hour.
• Take out the dough and allow to warm slightly  until they feel slightly soft to the touch and easy to roll out.
• Unwrap one and place it on a well-floured board or pastry cloth.  Sprinkle some flour on top. Hit the dough with your rolling pin several times. Turn it over and hit the other side.
• Sprinkle more flour onto the dough as needed to keep the pin from sticking, and roll the crust out from the center in all directions.
• Roll the dough until is is approximately 1 to 2 inches larger than your pie pan, brush off the extra flour.
• Lay the dough in the pie pan carefully.  Don’t worry if the crust has cracks or even a small hole. Brush a little water where it needs to be patched and glue on the patch piece.
• Put the filling in the pie and repeat the process with the other piece of dough.

Note: You may add a teaspoon or two of sugar if you prefer a sweeter dough.