Peppermint Fudgie Brownie Pie

Bittersweet: the first Thanksgiving 
without any daughters at all 
to share the cooking.

But the boys and I will still be making 
her signature chocolate pie

sprinkled with crushed peppermint.

And I'm posting the recipe here just in case she finds she needs it herself. 

Use your favorite unsweetened chocolate:

the better the chocolate, the better the pie:  

I think Madécasse has far and away the best flavor,

sprightly, with an almost citrus tang and smooth rich undertone,

beautifully and fairly made from start to finish in Madagascar.

Using a half batch of Best Pie Crust, partially pre-bake an empty pie shell to the palest light brown.  Don't forget to refrigerate shell  for 30 minutes before baking.

After baked shell is cooling on a wire rack, set oven to 350. 

Meanwhile in a small saucepan, combine and warm over low heat (or a double-boiler), stirring occasionally until melted

• ¾ cup unsalted butter (or 1½ sticks) 
• 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate 

 Remove from heat and let cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together until smooth

• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1½ cups sugar
• 6 Tablespoons flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon real vanilla extract

Then stir in melted chocolate and mix well.

Pour filling into the partially baked shell.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until center is just set.  (Give pie a quick tug to see if it jiggles).

Sprinkle with 

• crushed peppermint stick

Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool to room temp.

  

Maple Walnut Pie

This is one recipe it just doesn't make sense to bother with unless you use the best ingredients.  First, only the freshest nuts, this season's, preferably gathered from a neighbor's tree.  Second, you want real maple syrup, the dark full-flavored Grade B type.  Third, real apple cider vinegar is a lot milder and mellower than the acidulated corn syrup with added artificial flavors that is marketed these days as cider vinegar.  Fourth, beyond that this recipe is easy . . . as pie.  In seven simple steps.

Prepare half a batch of Best Pie Crust.  Roll out and fit pie crust into pie pan.  Preheat oven to 375.

Beat together thoroughly

3 eggs 

1 cup sugar 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/3 cup melted butter 

1 cup real Grade B maple syrup 

1 Tbs real apple cider vinegar 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

Stir in

3 cups very fresh walnut pieces, reserving a few unbroken             halves to decorate the top
1 tsp real vanilla extract

Pour filling into pie shell.  Bake pie 50 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

Delicious warm with good vanilla ice cream.  Delicious cooled with a dab of cream.  Not half bad all by itself the day after.

Thanksgiving Crescent Rolls

I've tried this old family recipe with fresh milk and it just doesn't taste as good. I have no idea why. But I do not argue with results. So the dried milk stays. Every other improving tweak toward whole, fresh and local has been an improvement to my palate: honey for sugar, olive oil for melted shortening. I usually make half a batch of whole wheat and half a batch of white. Our family prefers the white but I almost like the wheat ones better, especially after the big Thanksgiving feast with a little blue cheese spread beneath a moist bit of turkey and dollop of Cranberry Orange relish. Makes 24 large rolls or 48 smaller rolls. 

Reconstitute

2/3 cup dried milk

in

2 cups lukewarm water

Dissolve

½ cup honey
2 Tablespoons dry yeast

in the just barely warm milk.  When yeast becomes active, add

2 eggs, well-beaten

and enough

flour 

to make a medium batter. Beat and let sit until bubbles begin to form.  Beat in

2 teaspoons salt
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

and the rest of

7 cups whole wheat flour (or white) 

and knead until smooth and elastic (10 min in mixer, 15 min by hand). The secret of this dough is the use only enough flour to be able to handle it, almost sticky.

Place in an oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until double in bulk, then punch down well. Let rise again.

When it has again doubled in bulk and is light and airy, divide into two  balls (for large rolls)  or four balls (for smaller rolls). Let rest 15 minutes.

Now the fun part!  Forming the rolls. There is no wrong way and no wrong shape, but it just seems unAmerican in this house to make anything but crescents.  Here's how:

• roll small balls out on oiled countertop with a rolling pin
• cut into twelfths with a pizza cutter or sharp knife
• starting from the fat end of resulting triangles, begin rolling in toward the point
• make sure the thin point is securely underneath the resulting roll
• curve ends of the roll in to make a crescent

Let the rolls rise on greased pans until light.

Bake at 375° 12-18 minutes.  Brush the tops of the rolls lightly with olive oil while still hot.

Jello Wassail Salad

A recipe from Grace Alleman, one of the old ladies

in my first grown-up neighborhood.

She called it Spice Island Jello 
and served it with a sour cream topping.

I am unashamedly fond of it.

 

1 (15½ -oz) chunked/ crushed pineapple, unsweetened

3 Tablespoons real apple cider vinegar

12 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

2 packages (3-oz) orange jello

(1 can ginger ale, optional)

1 can (11-oz) mandarin oranges, drained

1. Drain pineapple, reserve pineapple juice.
2. Add to pineapple juice enough water (or ginger ale*) to make liquid equal 3¼ cups. *(If using ginger ale, add after boiling, not before.)
3. Combine measured juice, vinegar, and spices in saucepan.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Strain and discard spices.
4. Dissolve gelatin in hot liquid.
5. Chill until thickened.  Stir in pineapple.

  Arrange oranges in bottom of a 5-cup mold.  Pour jello into mold.Chill until firm about 4 hours.

Apple Pie (with three variations)

The first pie I ever made was apple pie with streusel topping.

I still like it.

And I had always thought I hated apple pie.

The secret is: good apples. Fresh. Tart. Mix and match.

crust:

2 cups chilled flour

1 teaspoon salt

⅔ cup chilled leaf lard or shortening

2 Tablespoons chilled butter

¼ cup ice water (+1 teaspoon – 1 Tablespoon more if needed)

filling:

3 Tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest (optional)

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon salt 

⅔ cup sugar

6+ cups tart apples, peeled, cored, wedged

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

1 ½ Tablespoon butter

1. prepare crust: Sift together flour and salt.
2. Combine lard and butter.  Cut ½ of lard mixture into the flour mixture with pastry blender until it has grain of cornmeal.  Cut remaining half coarsely into the dough until it is pea size.
3. Sprinkle dough lightly with ice water, pushing wetted dough away to one side of bowl as you sprinkle.  When you can gather dough into a ball, stop handling it.
4. Refrigerate until 1 hour before use: allow it to come to room temperature.  Pinch off just enough dough for one pie shell and press it into approximate shape needed.  Roll as lightly and as little as possible.
5. prepare filling:  Preheat oven to 425°F.
6. Whisk together flour, zest, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and sugar.
7. Gently toss with apples and lemon juice until well-coated.
8. Place in layers in pie shell.  Dot with butter.
9. Bake pie 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, about 40 minutes more.
10. Cool pie to warm or room temperature on a rack, 2 to 4 hours

variations:

1st.    Autumn Apple:

Make ½ crust recipe.  For top crust, cut leaves and acorns from left-over dough with cookie cutters.  Scatter over top of pie, overlapping as desired.  (If desired, paint with beaten egg tinted with food-coloring in autumn colors.)

2nd.    Streusel:

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
6 Tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
6 Tablespoons flour (or rolled oats)

1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

3rd.   Cheesy Apple:

Substitute 1 teaspoon of fennel or anise seed for other flavorings.  After baking, sprinkle 1 cup shredded sharp cheese and place briefly under a broiler to melt.

Yummy Jello Salad

My Grandma Hannah made this every Thanksgiving.  
In memory of her (and because it is YUM)  I make this too.

jello:

2 package (3-oz) lemon jello (or a 6-oz)

2 cups hot water

1½ cups cold water (or 7-Up)

1 cup drained pineapple (save juice)

3 bananas, cubed

mini-marshmallows, to cover top

1.       Mix jello and water according to package directions. 

2.       Thicken slightly in refrigerator, then add fruit and marshmallows.

topping:

1 cup pineapple juice

½ cup sugar

1½ Tablespoon flour
1 beaten egg

1 cup whipped cream

¼ cup grated sharp cheddar (or chopped nuts)

1. Heat pineapple juice.  
2. Add sugar, flour, and egg.  Cook until thick, stirring constantly. 
3. Chill.  Fold in whipped cream. Spread over jello. 
4. Top with grated cheese (or chopped nuts).
5. EAT.

Shepherd's Pie (week of Nov 30 - Dec 6)

If you think this is just warmed up leftovers, you're forgetting that dinner is 75 %  presentation.

I made this crowd-pleaser twice - the second time I was out of leftover mashed potatoes so rolled out some pie crust and made a pot pie with only a top lid.

Butter a covered casserole and preheat to 350°. Layer in casserole:

• Cooked dressing
• Mashed plain baked sweet potatoes
• Turkey
• Gravy
• Mashed potatoes

Dot with:

• Butter

Bake until top is golden. Great served with Orange-Cranberry Relish.

PLUS Grandma's School Lunch Dressing and Orange-Cranberry Relish (week of Nov 23-29)

Grandma's School Lunch Dressing

Those must have been some mighty fine school lunches back in Grandma's day. This is a heavier stuffing than some - especially if made from homemade whole-grain bread. I like the moistness and the savory vegetables. Best if the bread crumbs are crushed or cubed quite small.

Slice thinly and toast in a warm oven enough bread to make:

• 2 quarts of breadcrumbs

Remove from oven and cube and partially crush the dried-out bread.
Cook over medium heat, until transparent:

• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cups carrots, shredded
• 2 cups celery, chopped

Mix vegetables and breadcrumbs with:

• 5 - 6 Tablespoons fresh sage, chopped (1¾ teaspoons dried)
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup milk or broth
• Salt to taste

Bake at 300° for 1½ hours or until good and hot.



Orange-Cranberry Relish
a marriage of Epicurious' uncooked relish and the one in Thanksgiving 101 by Rick Rodgers with additions from my Mom.

This relish was the surprise hit of this year's Thanksgiving dinner. 

Good with roasted turkey. 

Great on turkey sandwiches with a little blue cheese

softened with cream cheese the next day.

Cut into quarters and pick out seeds from:

• 4 - 5 satsumas (or 1 medium orange), including rinds

In a food processor, combine one-part satsuma pieces with one-part of

• 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

until the fruit is evenly chopped.

Mix in:

• ½ cup walnuts, finely chopped (and the fresher the better, walnuts go rancid dismayingly fast.)
• 1 cup orange marmalade.

Pie in the Sky: Best Pie Crust + Ginger Pear Pie + Danish Cherry + Ohio Lemon (week of Nov 23-29)

What would Thanksgiving be without pies?

Significantly less festive, if you ask me.  

Pumpkin, of course, is a classic and expected.  

But here are the three pies I most dote on:

Ginger Pear, Danish Cherry and Ohio Lemon.

(The lemon pie is best started
the day before you plan to bake it.)

Best Pie Crust
I used to like the pastry recipe in Joy of Cooking best of all.  That was until my husband bought me Sweety Pies by Patty Pinner for my birthday (clever purchase that) full of womanish wisdom and some of the most delicious pies ever.  I've combined the best of both my best-loved recipes and here is my go-to pie crust recipe.  The secret to pie crust is to be impatient, imprecise and haphazard -- which comes naturally to some of us.  Just move quickly and roughly and not at all thoroughly.  You want to handle the dough as little as possible:

for one 9-inch double crust:

Sift together

• 2¼ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt

Measure and combine

• ¾ cup chilled lard
• ¼ cup chilled butter (which is the same as 4 Tablespoons, or half a stick)

and then cut the fats into the flour until it all has the texture of a bowl of peas.

Sprinkle in, one tablespoon at a time

• 2½ - 3 Tablespoons ice-cold heavy cream or evaporated milk

Keep the dough as dry as possible -- tossing until it holds together when lightly pressed.  Gather into a flattened ball and refrigerate, tightly covered in plastic wrap (30 minutes - overnight).

When you're ready to roll it out, divide into two balls (keeping the other ball wrapped and refrigerated until you're ready for it).  Sprinkle a little flour on your pastry cloth and on the cotton sleeve covering your rolling pin.  Press into a small, flat disk and then roll out from the center to the edge, all the way around the disk.  Roll until you have a uniform circle a little larger than the pie pan, about ⅛ - ¼inch thick.

for 5 double crusts (if you're making multiple pies like we do):

11¼ cups flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
2½ teaspoons salt
3¾ cup chilled lard
1¼ cup chilled butter (which is the same as 20 Tablespoons or 2½ sticks)
5-6 Tablespoons ice-cold cream or evaporated milk

***to prebake crust***
 which you'll want to do for many custard pies and meringues

• Roll out crust and line pie pan.  Flute the edges, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.   
• Preheat oven to 425.  
• Line the formed crust with parchment paper and sprinkle parchment with pie weights or dry beans.  
• Bake until the fluted edge begins to turn a very light brown, 8-10 minutes.
• Reduce oven to 350.
• Remove weights and parchment.
• Bake crust another 5-10 minutes until golden brown.  (Depending on whether you'll be putting the crust back in the oven to cook when filled.)
• Cool pan on a wire rack.  

Ginger Pear Pie
adapted from Epicurious "Pear Pie with Maple and Ginger"

Whenever whenever I make this pie, someone asks for the recipe.  There is just something so perfectly balanced about the lemon with the maple with the ginger with the pear.  If you are using very ripe pears you may want to increase the amount of tapioca to soak up the extra juice.

Prepare pie dough (top & bottom, recipe above). Line pie pan with dough. Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in bottom ⅓ of oven and preheat to 375°.

Peel, quarter, core, then cut into ⅓”thick wedges:

• 3 pounds firm but ripe Bosc or Comice pears

Toss in large bowl with:

• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 3 Tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca (less if pears are quite firm)
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon minced crystallized ginger
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Transfer filling to crust. Place top crust. Cut several slits in top to allow steam to escape during
baking.

Place baking sheet on bottom rack to catch any juices that may bubble over .

Bake pie on center rack until crust is golden brown and juices bubble thickly, tenting pie with foil if crust browns too quickly, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Transfer pie to rack and cool. Serve pie slightly warm or at room temperature.

Danish Cherry Pie

Inspired by recipes for cherry soup and other Danish desserts, I made my own subtly spiced cherry filling to honor family heritage and take the place of the humdrum, over-sweetened canned cherry filling. The varied amounts in flavorings depend on how flavorful the fruit you use - so taste as you go along. You may substitute an undrained bottle of home-canned black cherries for the 2 cans of cherries - in which case you would not add any additional sugar.

Line pie pan with dough (recipe above).

Combine in medium saucepan - DO NOT DRAIN:

• 1 can Oregon Pitted Red Tart Pie Cherries
• 1 can Oregon Pitted Bing Dark Sweet Cherries
• 1½ Tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
• ½ - 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 2 drops - ½ teaspoon almond flavoring
• sugar to taste, if necessary (less than 1 cup - I use none)

Let sit 10 - 15 minutes.
Bring to a simmer and cook until fruit begins to thicken.
Transfer filling to crust. Dot with:

• 2 Tablespoons butter

Cover with lattice. Bake 10 minutes at 450°, then reduce heat to 350° and bake about 40 minutes longer or until golden brown



Ohio Lemon Pie
from Joy of Cooking, "A very tart Shaker favorite."

I love this pie! 
But do use the whole amount of sugar - 
speaking from experience - it's still very tart!

Grate and reserve the yellow peel from:

• 2 large lemons

With very sharp knife remove the white inner peel from the lemons and cut them into paper-thin slices. Remove seeds.
Combine in a bowl the lemon slices, grated peel, and:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

let stand 2 to 24 hours—the longer the better.

Preheat oven to 425°. Line a pie pan with dough (recipe above), brush lightly with butter or give a light sprinkling of flour.

Add to the lemon-and-sugar mixture:

• 4 well-beaten eggs

Stir well. Pour into pastry-lined pan and cover with top crust.
Bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325° and bake about 45 minutes longer.
Cool pie before serving.