Cherry Pie

Notes from MW: I buy Oregon brand "Red Tart Pie Cherries in Water" (not the bing cherries) to do this recipe. It takes two cans to make a pie. Also, since this recipe is made for fresh or frozen cherries, you don't want to cook the liquid out of the cherries like it says. I put one can with all of it's liquid into the pot and then reserve the liquid from the other can and add part of it to the pot if needed. So here's how I would tell if I needed it: The mixture should be pretty soft, think of turkey gravy with cherries in it. It with thicken some more when you bake it.

4 cups fresh or frozen tart cherries (or canned)
1 to 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 tablespoon almond extract (optional)
Your favorite pie crust or pie dough recipe for 2 crust pie
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, to dot
1 tablespoon granulated sugar, to sprinkle

Place cherries in medium saucepan and place over heat. Cover. After the cherries lose considerable juice, which may take a few minutes, remove from heat. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together. Pour this mixture into the hot cherries and mix well. Add the almond extract, if desired, and mix. Return the mixture to the stove and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool. If the filling is too thick, add a little water, too thin, add a little more cornstarch.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Use your favorite pie dough recipe. Prepare your crust. Divide in half. Roll out each piece large enough to fit into an 8 to 9-inch pan. Pour cooled cherry mixture into the crust. Dot with butter. Moisten edge of bottom crust. Place top crust on and flute the edge of the pie. Make a slit in the middle of the crust for steam to escape. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

Williams-Sonoma Basic Pie Pastry

Notes from MW: I have used this recipe many times and it is very reliable. As it says below, if you like the taste of butter, substitute some butter for shortenening. Basically, what I've found is that the more butter you add the better the pastry chef you have to be because it makes the dough more tempermental. If you are unsure, just make it with all shortening and you'll probably have a better experience. I have also tried both the food processor and hand methods and they both work fine, just follow them closely.

Notes from WS: Crisp and flaky, this crust is good for custard, chiffon and fresh-fruit pies. For successful pastry making, keep these three tips in mind: Take care not to overblend the fat and flour, add enough water so the dough can be rolled out easily (better a bit too much water than not enough), and handle the pastry no more than necessary. Overblending, adding too little water and handling the pastry too much can make a crust tough. If you like the taste of butter, use it in place of shortening, or try a combination of butter and shortening, which will produce a firmer crust than one made with shortening only. Pastry made with butter must be refrigerated for at least 1 hour before being rolled out.

For a 9-inch pie shell:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 to 4 Tbs. cold water

For a 9-inch double-crust pie:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
6 to 7 Tbs. cold water

Hand Method: Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and toss together. Add the shortening. With your fingertips, 2 knives or a pastry blender, blend the ingredients together, working quickly, until you have a mixture of tiny, irregular flakes and bits about the size of coarse bread crumbs. Sprinkle on the water, 1 Tbs. at a time, stirring gently with a fork after each addition. Add just enough water for the dough to form a rough mass. With floured hands, pat the dough into a smooth disk (or into 2 disks, one just slightly larger than the other, if you are making a double-crust pie). The dough is now ready to use. It is not necessary to refrigerate the dough before rolling out (unless you included some butter), although for convenience it may be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Food Processor Method: Because the food processor works so fast, it is very easy to overblend pastry. Follow these instructions carefully, and your piecrust should turn out perfectly. With the steel blade attached, place the flour, salt and shortening (in one lump) in the work bowl. Process with 15 rapid on-off pulses; the mixture should look light and dry and resemble tiny, irregular flakes and crumbs. Add 2 Tbs. of the water (4 Tbs. if you are making a double-crust pie) and process in 5 rapid on-off pulses. Add 1 Tbs. of the water (2 Tbs. for a double-crust pie) and process in 3 rapid on-off pulses. Stop and feel the dough (taking care not to touch the blade); it should be just damp enough to mass together. If necessary, add more water by teaspoonfuls, processing for just an instant after each addition. The total mixing time is less than 1 minute, and the dough should not form a ball; it should remain a rough, shaggy mass. With floured hands, pat the dough into a smooth disk (or into 2 disks, one just slightly larger than the other, if you are making a double-crust pie). Use immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. (If pastry contains butter, refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling out.) Rolling Out the Dough: Roll out the dough on a floured surface (using the larger piece for the bottom of a double-crust pie) until it is about 12 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick, or about 2 inches wider than the top of the pie dish. Try to keep the dough as round as possible. Transfer the rolled-out pastry to the pie dish. Pat the pastry in around the edges to fit the shape of the dish. If you are making a double-crust pie, roll out the remaining pastry for the top crust and set it aside on waxed paper.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library Series, Pies & Tarts, by John Phillip Carroll (Time-Life Books, 1992).

Chocolate Pudding Pie

Chocolate pudding pie is a tradition in my family. We usually do the Jello version but I came across this recipe from Williams- Sonoma's website before Thanksgiving and I am convinced that it is worth the little bit of extra work. You can use chocolate chips if you don't have your block of Ghirardelli lying around. I also put it in a regular pie crust (not shown in the picture) because that's how my mom always made it. I am sure it is good with the Oreo cookie crust too though.

For the filling:
2 1/2 cups milk
5 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped into slivers
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cookie crumb crust, made with chocolate cookies (or pie pastry like I use)

For the topping:
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Chocolate curls for decorating

Directions:

To make the filling, in a heavy nonaluminum saucepan over low heat, warm together the milk and chocolate, whisking until the chocolate is melted; the mixture will be speckled.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow. Add the cornstarch and salt, then the vanilla, and whisk until well blended. Slowly pour the warm chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly until well blended. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until it thickens and begins to bubble slowly, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth, about 1 minute.

Pour the filling into the crumb crust and smooth with a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface, and refrigerate until completely cold and firm, 2 to 3 hours.

To make the topping, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed or a whisk, beat together the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream on top of the pie. Decorate with chocolate curls. Refrigerate until ready to serve, but let the pie stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving to take the chill off. Makes one 9-inch pie; serves 8.

Cool 'n' Easy Strawberry Pie

Gotta love that name, right? This one was a big hit with my husband's family on Easter. I used a Oreo cookie crust rather than a graham cracker crust like it says. I also doubled the recipe for our large group and made it in a 9x13 Pyrex dish with the crust just on the bottom and it worked well. It sets up nicely so you can cut it into squares. This recipe is from the Jello website. They have lots of yummy looking dessert recipes ending in "pie."

2/3 cup boiling water
1 pkg. (4-serving size) Strawberry Flavor Gelatin
Ice cubes
1 tub (8 oz.) Whipped Topping, thawed (Lite tastes fine)
1 cup chopped, fresh strawberries
1 graham cracker (or Oreo) crumb crust
1 cup sliced, fresh strawberries

STIR boiling water into dry gelatin mix in large bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add enough ice to cold water to measure 1 cup. Add to gelatin; stir until slightly thickened. Remove any unmelted ice.

ADD whipped topping; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in chopped strawberries. Refrigerate 20 to 30 min. or until mixture is very thick and will mound. Spoon into crust.

REFRIGERATE 6 hours or overnight until firm. Top with sliced strawberries. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Photo is from jello.com

Chiffon Pumpkin Pie

1 ½ c milk
1 6oz jello instant vanilla pudding
1 c canned pumpkin
1 t pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ t ginger, ¼ t nutmeg, ¼ t clove)
1 c whip cream or cool whip

Beat all ingredients on low speed until smooth. Put in already cooked pie shell. Chill for at least 3 hours.