Pie, Pie, Pie!!!

It's now officially summer time. And, to me summer means enjoying, sweet, juicy watermelon, fresh sweet corn on the cob, and back yard barbecues. Of course, after all that you need an awesome dessert to finish with and what is more perfect than pie. I can't think of anything more delicious than a warm piece of pie with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Today I'm going to share two pie recipes with you. First, my mom's amazing lemon meringue recipe and also a bonus, easy blackberry pie recipe. Both are extremely delicious. There's just something about home-made pie. When you take the time to make one for someone, it makes them feel really special and loved. I think that's what summertime is really all about- family and loved ones gathering together, enjoying each other's company and great food. 











Pie Pastry Recipe- tastes great and couldn't be simpler to make. If you want to make both pies, you will need to increase the amounts in this recipe by three. One pastry for lemon meringue and 2 pastries for the blackberry pie. 

1 cup flour
1/3 cup shortening
pinch of salt
ice water 
*[the ice is absolutely crucial! The ice cold water allows steam to release during the baking process. The steam forms tiny air pockets and creates a light, flaky texture which is exactly what you want. This is the secret to making a great pie crust.] 

Directions:
Cut shortening into salt and flour with pastry cutter until pea size.

Add 3-4 tablespoons of ice water and form a ball with the dough. Place on a floured counter and roll into circle to fit pie pan.  Once placed in pie pan, poke holes in dough using fork to let steam escape during baking process. This eliminates large air bubbles in pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Mom's Lemon Meringue Pie    

For the lemon filling:
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
3 Tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups hot water
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

For the meringue topping
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 Tablespoon sugar

Directions:
for the filling
In a sauce pan, mix sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt. Gradually add hot water, stirring constantly. Cook and stir over high heat until mixture comes to boiling. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks, then return to hot mixture. Bring to boil and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add butter and lemon zest. Slowly add lemon juice, mixing well. Pour mixture into pie pastry. Make meringue topping

for the meringue:
Beat egg whites with vanilla and cream of tartar until soft peaks form (soft peaks will sort of flop over when held upside down on a beater). Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff and glossy peaks form and all sugar is dissolved (stiff peaks will stand straight up when held upside down on a beater). Spread meringue over hot filling, sealing the edge of pastry. Bake at 12-15 minutes or until meringue is golden. Cool completely. 

Easy Blackberry Pie

Link to original recipe

Ingredients: 

for the blackberry filling:

3/4 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon cornstarch

pinch of salt

2 lbs fresh or frozen blackberries

1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt, blackberries and lemon juice. Fold together, gently. Pour into prepared pie pastry. Cut 2 Tablespoons butter into small squares and place all over top of the berries. Cover with a top crust, either a solid piece with a slit or a lattice, which ever you prefer. Brush the top crust with beaten egg and sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Serve hot or cold. 

*A lattice top is a weaved design using strips of cut pie dough. It has a "criss-cross" look when you're finished. I like to use this when making fruit or berry pie, because it allows the filling to be easily seen. This way it is easy to tell what flavor the pie is if you're serving it to guests*

In Honor of July 4th: Patriotic Goodies!!

Happy 4th of July!!! Here's a couple of my favorite red, white, and blue recipes to help you celebrate. They are great for packing on the go which makes them perfect for snacking on while watching fireworks. 

Red, White, and Blue Cupcakes (recipe from Betty Crocker)

Ingredients:

for the cupcakes
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening or butter
1 2/3 cup sugar
5 egg whites
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk

for the frosting
6 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 to 4 tablespoons milk

Directions

For the cupcakes:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a paper baking cup in each of 24 regular size muffin cups. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat shortening with electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/3 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping bowl occasionally. Beat 2 minutes longer. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture, about 1/3 of mixture at a time, and milk, about 1/2 at a time, beating until just blended. Divide batter evenly among muffing cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans; place on cooling racks to cool. Frost with desired frosting. 

For the frosting:
In a large bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk. Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting is too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar. Generously frosts 24 cupcakes. 
Use patriotic sprinkles, picks, and sugars to decorate. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

(one of my very favorite dessert recipes of all time! - Original recipe)

Ingredients:

for the cookie cake:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips OR about 1 cup of chocolate chunks.

for the icing:

see above frosting recipe for cupcakes -just double it if making both cupcakes and cookie cake

For this cookie cake, I divided the frosting into thirds and used food coloring to make the red and blue seen in the photo. 

Directions:

Cream together butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, add flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips or chunks. Dough will be thick. Chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper into the bottom of a 9" or 10" cake pan to help the cookie not stick. Spread the dough out into the cake pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool for a couple minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired with lots of frosting in patriotic colors and sprinkles.