Get Cooking!

Recipes, Kitchen Gadgets, Cookbook Reviews, Gluten Free Recipes...

You are here: Home / Archives for pies

pies

Salted Caramel Ice Cream Pie? Yes, Please!

By

Salted Caramel Ice Cream Pie

The Salted Caramel Ice Cream Pie above is all a caramel lover could ever want from life.  It’s an eye-rolling-into-the-back-of-your-head experience with every bite.  Heck, your eyes will probably start rolling before the bite ever reaches your mouth.

The recipe is from a cookbook every pie lover should buy TODAY, Crazy About Pies by Krystina Castella.  (Read my Crazy About Pies Review by clicking the link.)

As you can see, I used a disposable tin pie pan. When I’m making ice cream pies, I always buy the disposable pans. I’m… um… not entirely sure why actually.  I mean, glass pie plates freeze just fine.  It’s just a strange quirk of mine – the good thing about this strange quirk is it’ll never be lonely.  My strange quirks number in the hundreds.

The recipe called for either Vanilla, Caramel, or Dulce De Leche ice cream and each would be out of this world. However, when I was in the ice cream aisle at Kroger, an ice cream called Caramel Praline (Kroger brand ice creams are fantastic, by the way) caught my eye.

Into the cart it went.

Ingredients for Salted Caramel Ice Cream Pie

I actually made two pies and one carton ended up being all I needed.  If your pie plates are larger than my disposable tins, you may need all of one container for one pie.

I’m including the pretzel crust recipe from the cookbook as well, because I’m just that darn cool.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream Pie

A few observations before the recipe:

  • This recipe makes the best caramel topping I’ve ever devoured. It would be excellent as a dip for apples, pretzels, or your fingers. It’d also be excellent drizzled over ice cream or.. well… your fingers.
  • (Duck! Here comes another strange quirk flying in!) I was a little nervous about my pretzel crust “setting,” and few things break my heart more than a pie crust that won’t do its job.  So, I drizzled a little of the caramel sauce over the crust as it cooled.  I had extra caramel sauce, since I was confident the ice cream I was using didn’t need any more caramel mixed in.  I saved the small amount I had left as an ice cream topper extraordinaire.
  • This recipe would be a lot of fun to experiment with. You have the basic, amazing recipe for a pretzel crust and caramel sauce. Let your imagination run wild with different ice cream flavors and even trade out caramel sauce with your favorite chocolate sauce. In the end, however, nothing’s going to beat this pie just as it is.
  • See the picture right above these observations?  The caramel Heaven-ness left in the bottom of the pan is so delicious you’ll want to dive in head first.  Just be sure no one’s around.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream Pie

FILLING:
Vanilla or Caramel Ice Cream (page 256) or 1.5 quarts store-bought vanilla, duce de leche, or caramel ice cream

CARAMEL TOPPING
1 9.5-ounce bag caramels
1/2 cup whole milk

CRUST
Large Pretzel Crust (page 235), baked and cooled

GARNISH
2 tablespoons crushed pretzels
1/4 cup whole pretzels

Makes one 10-invh single-crust pie.

Vanilla Ice Cream, mixed with a streak of caramel and set in a pretzel crust, offers a surprisingly sweet, smooth, buttery, and somewhat salty taste. Prepare the ice cream from scratch or purchase store-bought ice cream and mix in the caramel.

  1. Soften the ice cream until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
  2. Combine the caramels and milk in a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth.  Cool for 5 minutes. If using vanilla ice cream, use a spatula to swirl three-fourths of the caramel mixture into the ice cream.
  3. Spread the ice cream into the crust, then spread the caramel (or the remaining caramel, if using vanilla ice cream) on top. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 3 hours. When ready to serve, top with crushed and whole pretzels.

One more observation: The 3 hours it has to spend in the freezer will be the longest 3 hours of your adult life.

Best Ever Blueberry Pie Recipe from Land O Lakes

By

Best Ever Blueberry Pie Recipe

CRUST INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup cold LAND O LAKES® Butter, cut into chunks
4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

FILLING INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 cups fresh blueberries

Heat oven to 400°F. Combine 2 cups flour and salt in large bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in enough water with fork just until flour is moistened.

Divide dough in half. Shape each half into ball; flatten slightly. Wrap 1 ball of dough in plastic food wrap; refrigerate. Roll out remaining ball of dough on lightly floured surface into 12-inch circle. Fold into quarters. Place dough into ungreased 9-inch pie pan; unfold, pressing firmly against bottom and sides. Trim crust to 1/2 inch from edge of pan.

Combine sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, nutmeg and cinnamon in large bowl; mix well. Gently stir in blueberries. Spoon blueberry mixture into prepared pie crust.

Roll out refrigerated ball of dough on lightly floured surface into 12-inch circle. Place dough over filling. Seal, trim and crimp or flute edge. Cut 8 to 10 slits in crust. Cover edge of crust with 2-inch strip of aluminum foil.

Bake 35 minutes; remove foil. Continue baking for 10 to 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust.

Cool pie 30 minutes; serve warm. Store refrigerated.

Recipe Tip
If fresh blueberries are unavailable, substitute frozen blueberries and increase baking time by 15 minutes.

Click here to view a video demonstration of how-to-make this recipe.

Land O Lake Cookbooks

Crisco Apple Pie Recipe

By

Apple Pie

Apple Pie Art Print

Buy at AllPosters.com

CRISCO APPLE PIE RECIPE

Crisco Pastry for 2-Crust Pie (or 2 store bought crusts)
6 large cooking apples
3/4 cup sugar
2 TBS flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 TBS butter

Line a 9 inch pie dish with pastry Pare, core, and slice apples. Place the apples in the pastry-lined pie dish.

Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon – sprinkle over the apples. Dot with butter (very, very important!). Place top crust over apples and gently cut slits in the top crust for the steam to escape. Seal the edges carefully, trying to keep a neat pattern of uniform “pinches.”

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

APPLE PIE RECIPE VARIATIONS:
Dutch Apple Pie
Add 1/2 tsp nutmeg to sugar mixture in the apple pie recipe above. Combine with apples and 1/2 cup whipping cream. Proceed as directed above, but rather than just topping the apple mixture with the other crust – cut the crust into strips and create a lattice top for the pie. When using a lattice top crust, be very careful not to overcook the pie. A dark brown lattice crust is nothing short of a pie-tastrophe.

Cheese Apple Pie
Substitute 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese for the cinnamon. Proceed as you would for the basic pie recipe.

TIPS:

  • Use a Pie Crust Shield to keep the edges of your crust from becoming darker than the rest of your crust. Personally, I don’t like the crumbled aluminum foil technique – too cumbersome – but if it works for you, go for it. Just protect those edges!
  • Whatever you do, if at all possible, serve your apple pie with great vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.
  • For the absolute best pie crust – as in the kind that refuses to fail, you’ll need to know only one recipe: Classic Crisco Pie Crust

Magic Dough 18x24.5-in. Pastry Mat

If you bake a lot of pies, you’ll love the Magic Dough 18×24.5-in. Pastry Mat, pictured above. This dough mat has lots of features! It’s thin, flexible, lightweight and has an exclusive anti-slip backing so it stays in place on your countertop. It has a nonstick surface, so it easily releases dough (no flour needed) and anti-bacterial construction. Measurement equivalents are printed right on the mat. When your work is done, simply roll it up, slip it back into its storage tube (included) and put it away.

Now tell me that’s not too cool for school.

The recipes used in this post are a few of my favorite “golden oldies.” They’re from a wonderful little cookbook in my cookbook collection from 1973: “Crisco’s Favorite Family Foods Cookbook.” It’s been in our family forever. My grandmother gave it to my mom, then she passed it along to me. I absolutely cherish the heirloom cookbooks and recipes in my collection. If you have any floating around your family, take it from me – you’ll want to hang onto and protect them.

They’ll mean more to you as the years go by.  As a bonus, a lot of classic recipes simply can’t be beat!

Butterscotch Pie Recipe

By

PIE FILLING:
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
4 TBS cornstarch
2 cups milk
2 TBS margarine
1 tsp vanilla

MERINGUE:
3 egg whites
7 TBS sugar
3 TBS marshmallow creme

Mix brown sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue) and milk.  Cook on medium heat until thick, add vanilla and margarine. Pour into a baked pie shell.

Meringue: Beat egg whites, then add sugar and the marshmallow creme.

Cover the pie with the meringue and bake in oven at 375 degrees until browned.

Tom’s Cheery Cherry Cherry Berry Pie Recipe for the Win

By

Below is the outstanding recipe for Professional entrant Linda Hundt’s APC/Crisco National Pie Championship 2009 Best of Show pie, Tom’s Cherry Cherry Cherry Berry Pie. The annual event will be held this year April 23-25, 2010.

Tom’s Cheery Cherry Cherry Berry Pie Recipe

by Linda Hundt

Crust:
One and one-half cups of flour
One-quarter tsp baking powder
One-half tsp salt
One tsp sugar
One-half cup Crisco shortening

Mix all ingredients in a stand mixer on medium speed swiftly until crust appears “pea like.” Carefully sprinkle ice cold water in crust mix until it just starts to be fully moistened and gathers together. Pat into disc, wrap and refrigerate for at least one half hour. Roll out on floured surface and make and crimp pie crust. Freeze until ready to use.

Filling:
Four and one-half cups Montmorency tart cherries –frozen
One cup sugar
One-quarter cup cornstarch
One-half tsp real almond extract
One tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
One-half tsp orange zest
One-half cup dried Michigan cherries
One and one-half cups of frozen blueberries

Combine frozen cherries, dried cherries, sugar, cornstarch. Stir constantly on med-hi heat until boiling. Add blueberries. Boil for one minute or until thickened. Add almond extract, lemon juice and zest. Pour blueberries in bottom of pie shell and pour cherry mixture over them.

Crumb Topping:
One cup sugar
One cup all purpose flour
One-quarter tsp salt
One stick butter softened

Mix together all crumb topping ingredients by hand or a pastry blender until crumbly.

Cover filling with crumb topping. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 45 minutes to one hour or until filling is bubbling over crust.

Credit: The American Pie Council. Follow The American Pie Council on Twitter and Facebook for all things Pie!

Celebrate National Pie Day with an Award Winning Peanut Butter Pie Recipe

By

It’s not just Saturday. It’s not just UK plays basketball this afternoon day. It’s not just another exciting NFL weekend. Today is National Pie Day! To kick things off with a taste of peanut butter, below is the 2009 APC/Crisco National Pie Championship Best of Show pie by Amateur entrant Phyllis Szymanek.

Peanut Butter Pie

By Phyllis Szymanek, Toledo, OH

Crust:
1 1/3 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers
2 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup melted butter (unsalted)

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until blended; pour into a 9” pie dish sprayed with Crisco cooking spray. Press into the bottom and sides; bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool.

Peanut Butter Filling:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup Jiff creamy peanut butter
3 TBS softened butter (unsalted)
¼ cup chopped peanuts (save small amount for garnish)

Mix first three ingredients in a small bowl. Spread into the bottom of cooled pie shell and sprinkle with peanuts.

Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
3 TBS corn starch
1 TBS Pillsbury All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups milk
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
3/4 cup Jiff Peanut Butter
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
6 small (.55 oz) frozen Peanut Butter Cups, chopped

In medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt over medium heat. Gradually stir in milk until smooth; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in one cup of hot filling into the beaten egg yolks. Return all to saucepan, stirring constantly. Return to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and peanut butter. Let cool, fold in 5 chopped peanut butter cups. Pour into cooled pie shell. Garnish with whipped topping and remaining chopped peanut butter cups and remaining chopped peanuts.

From The American Pie Council (APC):
This year, the APC is encouraging pie lovers to show their “pie-triotism” by sharing a pie with a hero in their life. Whether it’s baking or buying a pie for a member of the military or their family, the local fireman, teacher or your parent, the gift of pie is a sincere gesture of kindness. APC members are also offering coupons on to make buying or making a pie more affordable, as well as offering their own special pie day activities. For details, go to www.piecouncil.org or friend us on Facebook.

The APC/ Crisco® 2010 National Pie Championships are April 23-25 at the Omni Championsgate Hotel in Celebration, Fla. Commercial, Professional, Amateur and Junior Chef pie makers will compete throughout the weekend. The Great American Pie Festival sponsored by Crisco® is held in conjunction with the championships, April 24 and 25 at Lakeside Park in Celebration and is free and open to the public.

* Special thanks to the American Pie Council for use of the picture as well as the amazing recipe!

Important Links:

Follow the American Pie Council on Twitter

Friend the American Pie Council on Facebook