Elle's Kitchen: The Summer of Pie²

Peach Crumble Pie

 

 

It is a beautiful summer day here in

the American Midwest.  A gorgeous

blue sky, temps in the 70's and pie

in our future.

 

 

Everytime I leave or enter my little

village, I pass the farm stand and this

week they have had peaches ~ I knew

they would have to be the pie this week!

 

 

The easiest way to remove the skin

from peaches is to submerge a few

in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds.

Then plunge them into a bowl of ice water.

 

 

The skins will peel right off ~ no waste!

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 unbaked 9'' deep dish pie shell

 

Filling:

5 cups peeled and sliced ripe peaches

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 tabl. cornstarch

1 tabl. lemon juice

grated zest of 1 lemon

 

Topping:

2/3 cup flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 teas. cinnamon

1/4 teas. salt

6 tabl. cold butter, cut in 1/4 '' pieces

 

 

Preheat oven to 375º F.

 

Place peaches in a large bowl, add sugar,

corn starch, lemon juice and lemon zest.

Set aside.

 

In a medium bowl, combine flour,

brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt.

 

Scatter the butter over this mixture and

use a pastry blender to combine.  You can

finish crumbling it with your hands if

necessary, you want it to be crumbly.

 

 

Place peaches in the pie shell and

press down to make it even.

 

 

Sprinkle crumb mixture over the top

and gently press to cover the peaches.

 

Bake on the center rack for 50 - 55

minutes until the top is golden brown

and the filling is bubbling.  If the top

starts to get too brown you can place a

piece of foil over it.  Cool on a wire rack.

 

We are having a pie party tonight and I'm

thinking this will be perfect a la mode.



Elle's Kitchen: The Summer of Pie²

Pina Colada Pie

 

It is hotter than Hades in this part of

the world right now.  I wish I could be

 on a beach in Mexico but that won't

happen for another few months.  So, I

thought we would have a cool and

fruity pie today.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

2 cups Pecan Sandies, crushed (about 16 cookies)

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups cream of coconut, divided

2 large eggs

1 cup whipping cream

 

Preheat oven to 350º F.

 

  Stir together the cookie crumbs,

shredded coconut and melted butter.

 

 Press firmly onto the bottom and up the sides

of a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Bake 9 to 12

minutes, or until lightly brown. Remove to

 a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

 

Meanwhile, stir together your sugar and

cornstarch in a small saucepan; add in

crushed pineapple (and juice). Stir constantly,

and allow mixture to come to a boil. 

Cook for 1 minute or until thickened.

 

Remove from heat and allow to cool,

 approximately 20 minutes.

 

With an electric mixer, beat cream

cheese until smooth. Add in 1 cup

of cream of coconut and beat at low

 speed until just blended. (Chill the

 remaining 1/2 cup of cream of coconut

 until ready to use.) Add eggs,

1 at a time, until just blended.

 

 

Spread your cooled pineapple mixture

over the bottom of your crust.

 

Next, spoon cream cheese mixture over

the pineapple mixture.

Bake at 350º F for approximately 40 minutes,

or until set. Cool completely on a wire rack. 

Cover and chill 4 hours.

 

Beat your whipping cream until foamy. Add

 remaining 1/2 cup cream of coconut and

continuing beating, until soft peaks form. 

Spread over your pie, and garnish with 

 toasted coconut.

 

 

1. .

Elle's Kitchen: The Summer of Pie²

Cherry Pie

 

 

I have a confession...  I only made this

pie to test the decorative top crust.  I don't

like cooked fruit, I love to eat fresh fruit.

Except, in buckles, crumbles, cobblers, grunts

or, as I have learned from my friends in The

Social Table, sonkers (that was a new one to me).

Oh yeah, combine cooked fruits with some butter,

oats and brown sugar and I love it!

 

 

Back when I was known in my hometown as

The Girl Who Liked Old Stuff, I would scour

garage sales, rummage sales, church jumble

sales, often competing with my friend Melissa

to discover great finds.  This was one of those

finds, in a nondescript little tin were these

adorable cutters.  I used a few of these to make

the pattern in the top crust.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

2 pie crusts

1 beaten egg white

2 cans cherry pie filling

(I used one of dark cherries and

one of no sugar cherries)

Sugar

 

 

Preheat oven to 425º F.

 

Press one of the pie crusts in a 9'' glass

pie plate.  Brush bottom and sides with

egg white.

 

 

Combine the 2 cherry fillings if using

different types.

 

 

Fill the bottom crust with the 2 cans

of filling.

 

 

Cut the top crust with small decorative cutters

in the center of the crust.  Center cut crust over

pie plate and carefully place over cherries.  Fold

bottom crust over top and flute the edges with

your fingers.  I used my finger to add egg white

around the openings in the crust, you can't use

the brush or the cherry syrup will get on the crust.

You can use the brush to coat the edges with egg

white, sprinkle lightly with sugar.

 

 

Package the small pieces that you cut out and

place in the freezer, you can use them for another

pie.

 

 

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until crust

is golden brown.  I added a crust shield

after 20 minutes so the crust would not

burn.

 

 

As you can see the crust does not look as

great as it does in a magazine...  Some of

the filling bubbled up through the holes in

the top crust.  Let's hope it tastes good!

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Elle's Kitchen: The Summer of Pie²

French Tart

 

 

Yes, I know it is the Summer of Pie,

but this tart is so pretty and so tasty

I had to include it.  You will need:

 

tart shell, see below

pastry cream, see below

strawberries, sliced

kiwi, sliced

blackberries

2 tabl. apricot jelly

 

 

Crust Ingredients:

 

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup ground walnuts or pecans (pulse

nuts in food processor with a little powdered

sugar)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teas. salt

9 tabl. very cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 egg yolk

 

 

Place flour, nuts, sugar and salt in

processor and pulse until combined.

Scatter butter over mix and pulse until

butter is coarsely cut in.

 

 

Break up the yolk and add a little at

a time, pulsing with each addition.

Then process at 10 second intervals

until the dough clumps and curds.

 

 

Turn the dough out onto a flat surface

and knead just to make sure everything

is incorporated.

 

 

Butter a 9'' fluted tart pan with a removable

bottom.  Press dough along the sides and bottom

of pan, reserve a small piece in case you need to

patch the crust after baking.  Freeze the crust for

at least 30 minutes. 

 

Preheat oven to 350º F.

 

Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil

and place buttered side down on the crust, press

into crust to fit.  Place on a baking pan and bake

for 25 minutes.  Remove the foil, if the crust has

puffed, press it down with the back of a spoon.

Now bake for another 8 minutes without the foil.

Cool to room temperature.

 

 

Pastry Cream Ingredients:

 

2 1/2 cups milk

4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 teas. vanilla

2 tabl. butter, cut into bits

 

 

In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil.

 

 

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, whisk the

egg yolks with the sugar and cornstarch.

 

While whisking, add 1/4 cup of the hot milk

to temper the eggs.  Slowly pour in the rest

of the milk while whisking.  Over medium heat,

whisk until mixture comes to a boil.  Keep whisking

for 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat.

 

 

Whisk in the vanilla.  Let sit for 5 minutes, then

whisk in the bits of butter until incorporated and

the pastry cream is smooth. 

 

 

Scrape the cream into a bowl and place a

piece of plastic wrap on top of the custard

as shown.  Refrigerate until cold.

 

 

Pour pastry cream into the shell. 

 

 

Arrange fruit as shown.  Melt the jam

and brush over fruit. 

 

Enjoy!

 

Sorry I was so late with this post.  We have

houseguests and we have been having so

much fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Elle's Kitchen: The Summer of Pie²

Strawberry Pie

 

 

We are just at the end of Strawberry

season in our neck of the woods and

I had to be sure to include a Strawberry

Pie in this year's Summer of Pie!

 

 

Ingredients:

baked pie crust, cooled

strawberries, stemmed

8oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

2 tabl. raspberry liqueur

apricot preserves

 

 

Mix cream cheese, confectioner's sugar,

and raspberry liqueur until well mixed.

 

 

Spread cream cheese mixture in

bottom of pie shell.

 

Top with strawberries as shown.  Melt

a bit of the apricot preserves in the microwave

and brush on top of the berries to make them

glisten.

 

 

Chill and serve.

 

Enjoy!