berry pie

This pie is one of my favorites that I made this fall. It was my first lattice-top pie and it was fun to make that pattern. I like that about pie: it's easy to decorate.

Ozark Mountain Berry Pie

Taste of Home

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, optional

dash salt

1 cup blueberries

1 cup strawberries

3/4 cup blackberries

3/4 cup red raspberries

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

pastry for double crust pie

2 Tbsp. butter

1. In saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in berries. Add water and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until mixture just comes to a boil.

2. Line a 9 inch pie plaste with bottom crust; trim pastry even with edge. Fill with berry filling and dot with butter. Roll out remaining pastry; make lattice crust. Trim, seal, and flute edges. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until crust is golden. Cool on wire rack. Store in refrigerator.

banana cream pie

This one would be great with a graham cracker crust too.

Banana Cream Pie

Betty Crocker

Pastry for one crust pie

4 large egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups milk

2 Tbsp. butter or stick margarine, softened

4 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sweetened whipped cream

1. Bake pastry for one crust pie.

2. Beat egg yolks with fork in medium bowl; set aside. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in 2 quart saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.

3. Immediately stir at least half of the hot mixture gradually into egg yolks, then stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Cool filling slightly. Slice 2 large bananas into pie crust; pour warm filling over bananas. Press plastic wrap on filling to prevent a tough layer from forming on top. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until set.

4. Remove plastic wrap. Top pie with whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate cooled pie until serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

French Silk Pie

Sorry for the break, but we were out of town for a few weeks. Back to pie-making! Yesterday I made my favorite pie so far. When I was little we lived outside Kansas City, Kansas and I remember my parents going on dates to eat at KC Masterpiece and picking up pies from Tippins. The one kind of pie I remember them bringing home was a french silk pie. I found a recipe for that and tried it last night. It was really, really good and pretty easy. I think I'll make it one of my traditional pies this time of year.

French Silk Pie

Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book

1 baked pastry shell

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces (6 ounces)

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

2 beaten egg yolks

3 tablespoons creme de cacao or whipping cream

1 cup whipped cream

chocolate curls, optional

1. In a medium heavy saucepan combine 1 cup whipping cream, chocolate pieces, butter and sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat. Gradually stir half of chocolate mixture into beaten egg yolks. Return egg mixture to chocolate mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is slightly thickened and begins to bubble (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat. (Mixture may appear to separate.) Stir in creme de cacao. Place the saucepan in a bowl of ice water, stirring occasionally, until the mixture stiffens and becomes hard to stir (about 20 minutes). Transfer to medium mixing bowl.

2. Beat cooled chocolate mixture with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Spread filling into baked (and cooled) pastry shell. Cover and refrigerate pie for 5-24 hours. To serve, top with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate curls.