Bill Smith’s Atlantic Beach Pie

For the crust:

  • 1 1/2 sleeves of saltine crackers (about 6 ounces or 60 crackers)
  • 1/ 2cup softened unsalted butter
  • tablespoons sugar
For the filling:

  • One14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice or a mix of the two
  • Fresh whipped cream, for garnish
  • Coarse sea salt, for garnish
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. Crush the crackers finely, but not to dust. You can use a food processor or your hands. Add the sugar, then knead in the butter until the crumbs hold together like dough. Press into an 8-inch pie pan. Chill for 15 minutes, then bake for 18 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. note: crust took at least 15 min more to become golden, set on convection bake at 375.
  3. While the crust is cooling (it doesn’t need to be cold), beat the egg yolks into the milk, then beat in the citrus juice. It is important to completely combine these ingredients. Pour into the shell and bake for 16 minutes until the filling has set. The pie needs to be completely cold to be sliced. Serve with fresh whipped cream and a sprinkling of sea salt.

Pecan Pie from 12tomatoes.com

PIE SHELpecan-pieL

  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, divided into 1/4″ pieces
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, frozen and cut into small pieces
  • 1 large egg white, chilled, and thoroughly mixed with ice water (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1/8 teaspoon water

FILLING

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/2packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup maple syrup, grade B.
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups whole pecans, toasted, and chopped into small pieces, plus extra whole pecans for topping
  1. For crust, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt in a blender or food processor. Scatter butter and shortening over the dry ingredients and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse cornmeal (about 15 seconds).
  2. Move the mixture to a medium bowl,and using a rubber spatula, fold the egg white mixture into the flour mixture until the dough sticks together.
  3. Shape the dough into a ball with your hands, then flatten into a 4-inch disk.
  4. Dust the dough lightly with flour, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  5. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 13″ circle and transfer to a 9″ pie pan.
  6. Press the dough into the corners and sides of the pan, then trim the edges of the dough to make a 1/2″ overhang. Tuck the overhanging dough under so the folded edge is flush with the rum of the pan, and crimp or flute the edges.
  7. Chill the shell in the fridge until firm (about 1 hour).
  8. Prick the sides and the bottoms of the shell with a fork and line the entire shell with aluminum foil, pressing the foil firmly against the shell, then prick the foil with a fork.
  9. Preheat the oven to 400F.
  10. Bake the shell for 15 minutes, pressing down on the crust midway through the baking to flatten any puffing.
  11. Remove the foil after 15 minutes, and bake another 10 minutes until the bottom begins to color. Remove from the oven, and brush the sides and bottom with egg yolk, and return to the oven for about another minute until the yolk glazes over.
  12. Remove from oven and let cool while preparing the filling. Lower the oven temperature down to 275F.
  13. While the oven cools, set up a small pot of boiling water, and melt the butter for the filling in a large, microwave safe bowl.
  14. Mix in sugar and salt until the butter is absorbed.
  15. Beat in eggs, then maple syrup and vanilla extract, and rest the bowl over the boiling water, stirring until the mixture is shiny and warm to the touch.
  16. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the chopped pecans.
  17. Press the pecan mixture into the warm shell, then bake in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, press the unchopped pecans into the top of the pie with a spatula, then bake for another 30 minutes.
  18. Let the pie cool after baking for at least 4 hours.
  19. Serve the pie with whipped cream or ice cream.

 

Ann Marotto’s Fresh Tomato Pie

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  • FOR THE PASTRY
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • FOR THE FILLING
  • About 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
  • 2 to 3 large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced thick and evenly
  • 1 cup grated low-fat Swiss cheese
  • About 8 basil leaves, stacked, rolled and cut crosswise into very thin slices (julienne; about 2 tablespoons)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Kosher or coarse sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Have ready an ungreased 9-inch pie plate or fluted quiche

For the pastry: Combine the ingredients in a large bowl and, using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut the mixture until it comes together as a smooth dough, with the butter well incorporated. Form the dough into a ball, flatten it slightly, wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. note: play around with this maybe use food processor for butter and flour and then add cottage cheese and pulse, don’t think mine dough was incorporated enough.

On a lightly floured surface or between two pieces of wax paper, roll out the dough slightly larger than the pie plate or quiche pan and press the dough into the plate or pan. Prick the bottom with the tines of a fork, cover loosely and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Line the pie shell with aluminum foil and pour ceramic pie weights or dried beans evenly on the foil. Bake for 8 minutes, then carefully remove the weights or beans and the foil, and bake for 2 minutes. (At this point, the crust will not be fully baked.) Cool.

For the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brush the bottom of the cooled pie shell with a thin, see-through coating of the mustard. Layer the tomato slices, Swiss cheese, basil and parsley, seasoning each layer lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Scatter the mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over the top; bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve warm.

 

Strawberry Pie from shortstopblog.com

1 quart (about 2 pounsp26ds) fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
juice of 1/2 lemon or 2 tbsp.
1 unbaked pie crust
1/2 cup whipping cream, optional

Wash strawberries and hull (removing the green tops and core). Chop 1/2 of the berries with into small pieces then whirl with emersion blender

Place chopped berries into a sauce pan and begin to cook over medium heat. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl; add to pan with crushed berries. Add lemon juice and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat.  cool 10 min or so.

Cut remaining strawberries into halves and mix with the cooked mixture.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place pie crust into 9″ or 10″ pie plate. Flute edges. Prick with fork all over, about 40 times. Place piece of foil inside pie crust, lightly pressing around inside bottom edges of crust. Fill with dried beans. (The beans allow the pie crust to remain its shape.)

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and remove beans and foil. Return to oven and bake for 5 minutes until edges are golden brown.

Pour strawberry mixture into baked pie shell. Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or until pie is set. (May require overnight to fully set.) Serve topped with whipped cream, if desired.

http://www.shortstopblog.com/2010/04/its-time-best-fresh-strawberry-pie.html

Caramelized Onion and Butternut Squash Tart from food52.com

  • ab355b42-4d20-4439-b905-c7f9e0d8a340--unspecifiedrecipe pastry dough (see below)
  • large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
  • tablespoon olive oil
  • large yellow onions, halved and sliced
  • tablespoons unsalted butter
  • eggs
  • ounces crème fraîche
  • ounces Gruyère, grated
  • ounces Parmesan, grated
  • teaspoon sea salt
  • teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4sprigs thyme
  1. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, thyme sprigs, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring to mix. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until dark golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove thyme stems.
  2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450° F. Toss butternut squash with olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and spread out on baking sheet. Bake until browned and very soft, stirring once, about 40 minutes.
  3. Reduce oven heat to 350° F. Roll dough out until thin and press into a well-greased 10-inch tart pan. Prick all over with a fork and bake in oven 10 minutes.
  4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, crème fraîche, gruyère, Parmesan, and black pepper.
  5. Spread caramelized onions in bottom of tart and top with butternut squash. Pour gruyère mixture over the squash, making sure to spread it evenly throughout the tart.
  6. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 30 to 40 minutes.
Pastry Dough

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • stick butter
  • tablespoons ice water
  1. Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pieces and freeze for 10 minutes.
  2. Mix flour and salt in food processor or large bowl.
  3. If using food processor, add butter and mix until mixture resembles small pea-sized balls. If mixing by hand, work quickly, mixing the butter in with your hands until it forms small pea-sized balls.
  4. Add in ice water and mix just until dough forms and comes together. Form into disk, wrap in plastic, and place in fridge for 20 minutes.

 

Creamy Cashew Veggie Pot Pie from lunchboxbunch.com

pot-pie-creamy-veggie 23sqsqsqVeggie Filling:

*note that the amounts of the veggies are easy to modify and switch out as needed. You just want about enough veggies to fill up your pot pie serving dish
3/4 cup petite peas, organic (frozen)
1 large carrot, diced
1 small potato, peeled/diced (I used a sweet white yam, but you could use a plain white Russett potato or even a sweet potato) – about 1 1/4 cups when chopped
1/2 cup chickpeas, drained/rinsed (canned)
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, diced

spices/oil for veggie saute:
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
a few dashes of black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
a few pinches of cayenne (optional)
(Any other dry spices/seasonings you would like to add)

Cashew Base:
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups soaked raw cashews
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
2 Tbsp white miso paste (adds saltiness and subtle flavor)
additional salt if needed (if you do not use miso paste, you should add some salt)
a few pinches of cayenne (optional)

Crust:
1 cup white flour, organic
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil (use refined if you do not want any coconut flavor at all, unrefined will have some coconut flavor)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp lemon juice
4-6 Tbsp warm water
a squeeze of orange juice (brush top of pastry with it, or squeeze over top)

*note: if you use a casserole dish or something with a larger opening space than my dish, you will need more crust to cover, so you may need to double my recipe

My dish: measures 9½ inches in diameter; holds 3.88 quarts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Yes! At the start because this goes so fast!)

2. Add you cashews (about 1 1/2 cups before the are soaked) to a large bowl and cover with very hot water. The hottest setting on your tap. Add a pinch of salt and allow to sit while you do the veggie prep. (note: If you have time and plan ahead, soak the cashews for even longer – 4+ hours is great. This will help ease the blending process just a bit. This is advised if you are not using a high speed blender.)

3. Prep all your veggies. Set aside.

4. Add you potatoes to a deep skillet and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cover with lid. Reduce heat a bit and allow to cook until a tested potato is tender, but not mushy. Drain the water and set potatoes aside with other veggies.

5. Drain your cashews and add 2 cups of the soaked cashews to your blender. If you have any extra cashews you can thrown them in as well or toss them in whole with your veggie mix. Add the veggie broth, miso, sauce spices and acid. Blend from low to high until smooth and creamy. This may take a minute or so. Set aside. (Adjust salt and seasonings if desired.)

6. In that same skillet, add your oil and when the oil is hot add in the carrots, beans and mushrooms. Saute for a few minutes until cooked down. Then add in the peas and potatoes and saute until peas thaw a bit. Over medium heat.

7. Pour the base sauce over top the veggie saute and toss until all the veggies are well coated. Turn heat to high and saute for another 1-2 minutes so that the flavor of the nutty sauce develops a bit.

8. Pour the heated veggie filling into your pot pie serving/baking dish. Set aside.

9. Quickly mix up your dry ingredients for your crust. Then using your hands, mash in the coconut oil. Then one tablespoon at a time, add in the water. Mixing with every new spoonful. Keep adding until your dough in kneadable yet still moist. When this occurs, knead a bit then roll out on a floured surface. This does not to be perfect at all! I very quickly pressed and rolled out my dough (as you can tell by the crumbly state after baking). Add to top of your serving dish and slice a few vent lines in top. Lastly, squeeze a bit or orange juice over top – or brush pastry lightly with it. It gives a subtle orange tint that beats an “egg wash” any day!

10. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve after about 20 minutes of cooling. Store in fridge and reheat as needed. Eat within 3 days. This dish probably freezes quite well, but I have not tested freezing yet.

Nutrition estimate based on 6 servings per recipe (per serving below)

Pumpkin Pie-four ingredient vegan

pumpkin-pie-201129
1 1/4 cups raw soaked cashews
1 cup maple syrup
1 can organic pumpkin puree (16 ounces) (or use fresh puree)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
a bit of grated nutmeg

optional: 1/2 tsp salt to taste (depends how much salt you soaked your cashews in)

ingredients notes: using high quality spice is helpful. Also, I prefer grade B maple syrup for its rich amber tones and caramelized flavor – but grade A works too.

One standard vegan pie crust.

1. Soak about one cup of raw cashews in about 2 1/2 cups of water in a large bowl. Add about 1/2 – 1 tsp of salt to the bowl – mix to dissolve. The salt allows the water to absorb more efficiently into the cashews and also adds some salt for your recipe

2. Soak this cashew bowl overnight in the fridge. You want well-soaked cashews so that your pie mix blends up perfectly creamy. I soaked my cashews for about 18 hours. At least 8 is optimal. Don’t soak for more than two days or the cashews can get grimy in my opinion.

3. The day of your actual pie making allow at least 3 hours from the time you start to the time you wish to serve the pie. I like a cool time of at least 2 hours.

4. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

5. Drain the water from your cashews. They should be very soft to bite and a slight purplish dark hue. This is normal. Add 1 1/4 cups of cashews to your food processor – or even better, a Vitamix or high speed blender.

6. Add pumpkin to blender. Next, add in the maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice. Blend on low -> high for about 3-5 minutes until the mixture is completely creamy. If your mixture is a bit thick for some reason – you can add in a few teaspoons of either water, maple syrup or even non-dairy milk. After blending, do a taste test and add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt if needed. I added in about 1/3 tsp extra salt. But taste before adding.

7. Pour your mix into a par-baked vegan pie shell, doc crust, add al foil and pie weights bake for 15 min, remove foil and weights and bake for additional 10-15 min).

8. Add filling and bake pie at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Then reduce to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes – or until the edges look fluffy and a darker caramel orange tone. Use a toothpick in center if unsure. The tooth-picked filling should come out slightly wet – but very thick and dark. It is important to remember that your pie will firm up significantly upon cooling and chilling in the fridge.

9. Remove pie from oven. Cool on counter for at least 30 minutes. Then place in fridge until ready to serve. At least 2 hours cooling and/or chilling time is my preference. A warm pie will be tasty, but still a bit “wet” to slice.

10. I serve chilled with a swirl of my vegan coconut whip on top!!

Coconut Cream Pie from Janet Morrissey

download1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon coconut extract

2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/4 cups chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon coconut extract

Whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, egg yolk, and flour in medium bowl.
Bring milk and coconut to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat.
Gradually add hot milk mixture to egg mixture, whisking constantly.
Return to same saucepan; cook until pastry cream thickens and boils, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes.
Remove from heat. Mix in vanilla and coconut extracts.
Transfer pastry cream to medium bowl.
Press plastic wrap directly onto surface to prevent formation of skin.
Chill until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Transfer filling to crust. Cover; chill overnight.

Toast coconut in heavy small skillet over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Cool completely.

Beat cream, sugar, and coconut extract in medium bowl until peaks form. Spread whipped cream all over top of filling. Sprinkle evenly with toasted coconut. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Serve cold.

Our favorite key lime pie from epicurious

56389684For the crust:

  • 11 (2 1/4×4 3/4″) graham crackers
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the filling: 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 7 tablespoons fresh key lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For the topping:
1 cup chilled heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Make the crust:  Place rack in the center of oven and preheat to 350°F.

Pulse graham crackers, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor until fine crumbs form. With the motor running, drizzle in melted butter and process until well-combined. Transfer mixture to pie pan and press into bottom and up sides with a flat-bottomed measuring cup.

Bake crust until golden brown and set, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

Make the filling and bake pie:  Whisk condensed milk and yolks together in a large bowl. Add key lime and lemon juice and whisk until well-combined (mixture will thicken slightly).

Pour filling into crust and bake until center is just set, about 15 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool completely (filling will set as it cools), about 1 hour. Transfer to refrigerator and chill until cold, at least 1 hour.

Make the topping:   When ready to serve, whip cream with a whisk or electric mixer to very soft peaks. Sprinkle sugar over cream and continue whipping until it holds stiff peaks. Dollop cream in center of pie (leaving at least a 1″ border of visible pie filling) and serve.

Do Ahead  Pie (without topping) can be made, loosely covered, and chilled for up to 2 days.