Pies Galore!--March 1, 2018

March's Recipe Club theme was Pies Galore, and there was a lot of pies to go around! Sweet, savory, mini, slab--lots of varieties were shared among the group. 

Karen made "Veggie Pizza Pie." She adapted several recipes for the crust and sauce to get her combination. The pizza has a cauliflower crust and she made a bechemel sauce and a marinara sauce. She would prefer the crust to be a little crisper!

 Sue S. made "German Chocolate Pies," and the filling tastes just like a German chocolate cake!

Sue S. and Bill also brought "Calzones." Who doesn't love a pizza hand pie!? These calzones were filled with traditional pizza ingredients and made with a homemade dough.

Trudy brought "Apple Pie." This is her own recipe, and she brought it right from the oven so it was nice and warm!

Jan whipped up this "Strawberry Cheesecake Pie." She loves this recipe because it is so easy to throw together! It only took her 15 minutes!

Cherryl brought her "Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie." It uses gingersnaps to make the crust which pairs well with the pumpkin flavor!

Sue R. made "Quick Coconut Pie" which is a family recipe handed down from her mother. Since it's an older recipe, it calls for whole milk and oleo, but she used lower fat milk and butter instead.

Mary A. made a delicious and fresh "Strawberry Pie!" This pie can easily be adapted for other fruits and tastes delicious with raspberries, too!

Trudy L. made a "Fresh Strawberry Pie." This refreshing pie has a jello and corn syrup glaze poured over the fresh berries!

Don brought with him a "Cranberry Apple Cherry Pie!" The crust is a bar cookie dough patted down into the the pie plate, which is then filled with delicious dried cranberries, granny smith apples, and cherry concentrate syrup!

Marie brought a savory pie, "Mortadella and Fontina Slab Pie!" She used onion instead of fennel, and felt like it could use more butter on the phyllo dough and more meat inside. It was quite tasty!

Margene made "Cherry Pie!" She used her grandmother's pie crust recipe and her own filling, which uses almond extract. Cherries and almonds go together so well!

Edyta made "Tangy Key Lime Pie!" A light, and refreshing pie full of key lime flavor. Her recipe came from Food and Wine magazine.

Mary W. made "Mini Strawberry Pies!" These handheld pies are simply and easy to make treats, perfect for summer with all the fresh strawberries in season!

Helen made "Butterscotch Pie!" The crust is sweetened with brown sugar and the butterscotch filling is sweet and luscious!

I made "Maple-Pecan-Pumpkin Chiffon Pie!" I made it in stages, and it was a little time consuming, but it tasted pretty good. The filling is nice and creamy, and there is a touch of amaretto that pairs nicely with the pumpkin, pecans, and maple syrup.

The pies were delicious, and there was a good variety to sample! Find some good pie recipes here for Pi Day (3.14)!

There were many great recipes shared and more to try next time! Getting hungry? Join us April 5 at 6:30pm at Franklin Public Library. The theme is The Last Name Meal--Make a dish that begins with the first letter of your last name!

All you have to do to join is cook a dish from the monthly theme, and bring the dish and the recipe to the meeting! It's as easy as pie! See you soon!

Calzones

Ingredients:

• 1 full homemade recipe of pizza crust* or 1 loaf (1 lb.) frozen white bread dough
• 1/2 lb. Italian sausage, crumbled
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 2 tbsp. grates Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, slightly beaten

Directions:

1. If using frozen dough, loosely wrap frozen loaf of bread with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight to thaw. Let stand at room temperature 1 to 2 hours to soften.
2. In medium skillet, saute sausage until browned; add onion and garlic. Saute until onion is tender. Stir in tomato sauce, basil, and oregano. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Cool.
3. Stir in cheeses and whole egg; mix well.
4. Punch down dough if it has started to rise. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Form each in a flattened ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each into 6-inch circle. Place 1/3 cup of filling on half of each round. Fold other half over filling, flattening down a bit as you go and pinch edges together. Press edges with floured fork tines to seal.
5. Place on greased baking sheets and brush with olive oil.
6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown at 450°F.

Submitted by Sue and Bill Stoecker

*NOTE: Sue used Ree Drummond's Pizza Crust recipe, which can be found at The Pioneer Woman or in the book The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl.

Drummond, Ree. "Pizza Crust." The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl. New York: William Morrow, 2009. Print.

German Chocolate Pies

The "German Chocolate Pies" recipe can be found in The Southern Pie Book by Jan Moon.

Submitted by Sue Stoecker

Moon, Jan. “German Chocolate Pies.” The Southern Pie Book. New York, NY: Oxmoor House, 2013. Print.

Veggie Pizza Pie

"Veggie Pizza Pie"

Submitted by Karen Kunzler

The crust and sauce recipes were based on the recipes listed below.

Lee, Katie. “Cauliflower Pizza Crust.” Food Network, https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/katie-lee/cauliflower-pizza-crust-2651381. Accessed 8 March 2018.

Drummond, Ree. “Marinara Sauce.” Food Network, https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/marinara-sauce-recipe-2120483. Accessed 8 March 2018.

“Bechemel Sauce.” Cook for Your Life, https://www.cookforyourlife.org/recipes/bechamel-sauce/. Accessed 8 March 2018.

Pizza Toppers to finish the pizza:

• Mozzarella
• Peppers – thinly sliced
• Mushrooms (par cooked to remove moisture)
• Broccoli – no stems
• Black Olives - sliced
• Sweet onions – thinly sliced
• Basil - chiffonade

Assembly:

1. After the crust is done baking, let cool for a little to room temp – add whatever sauce you want (I did half and half).  
2. For the béchamel side I put the veggies on the sauce and covered with mozzarella; for the marinara side I put the cheese on the sauce and then added the veggies.  Then I applied the basil. 
3. Remove the parchment and bake at 400°F for additional 10-12 minutes.  

*Notes:  There was oregano in the recipes, but since I don’t like it I didn’t put any in.  If there is too much sauce (which there probably will be), it can be frozen.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 qt. strawberries, washed and sliced
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp. corn starch
• dash of salt
• 3 tbsp. white corn syrup
• 1 cup water
• 3 tbsp. strawberry jello

Directions:

1. Mix sugar, corn starch, and salt until smooth. Add syrup and water. Cook until think on medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add jello, stir until dissolved. Cool until room temperature. Pour over strawberries in crust. Refrigerate until set, 1 hour.

Submitted by Trudy LaFond

Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

Ingredients: 

• 1 graham cracker pie crust
• 1-1/2 cups strawberry pie filling
• 1-1/2 cups cold milk
• 2 (4 oz.) pkg. instant cheesecake pudding
• 1 (8 oz.) tub whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

1. Spoon 1/2 cup of fruit pie filling into crust.
2. Pour milk into large bowl, add pudding mixes and beat with a wire whisk for 2 minutes or until smooth (mixture will be thick). Immediately stir in the whipped topping. Spread evenly into crust.
3. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Top with remaining fruit pie filling.

Submitted by Jan Luepke

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

The "Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie Recipe" by can be found at Taste of Home.

Submitted by Cherryl Pergande

Taste of Home. "Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie Recipe." Taste of Home, https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pumpkin-cheesecake-pie. Accessed 7 March 2018.

Mini Strawberry Pies

The "Mini Strawberry Pies" recipe by Jocelyn can be found at Inside BruCrew Life.

Submitted by Mary Whalen

Jocelyn. "Mini Strawberry Pies." Inside BruCrew Life, https://insidebrucrewlife.com/2013/06/mini-strawberry-pies/. Accessed 7 March 2018.

Tangy Key Lime Pie

The "Tangy Key Lime Pie" recipe by Marcia Kiesel can be found at Food & Wine.

Submitted by Edyta Mlot

Kiesel, Marcia. "Tangy Key Lime Pie." Food & Wine, http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/tangy-key-lime-pie. Accessed 7 March 2018.

Cherry Pie

Pie Crust Recipe (a family recipe from her grandmother, Mary Magdalene Ziegler)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sifted flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup cold water with 1 tsp. salt in it

Directions:

1. Sift flour and baking powder together. Cut in shortening and mix until fine and crumbly. Add water and salt. Form dough into ball. Makes enough for 2 shells.

Cherry Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling
• 1 (15 oz.) can dark sweet pitted cherries, drained
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 2 tbsp. butter

Directions:

1. Mix the pie filling, the drained cherries, and almond extract together. Put in either 9" or 10" pie shell. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust. If desired, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
2. Bake at 425°F for 45-50 minutes.

Submitted by Margene McLoughlin

Mortadella and Fontina Slab Pie

The "Mortadella and Fontina Slap Pie" recipe by Stacy Adimando can be found at SAVEUR.

Submitted by Marie Weber

*NOTE: Marie used onion instead of fennel

Adimando, Stacy. "Mortadella and Fontina Slap Pie." SAVEUR, https://www.saveur.com/mortadella-and-fontina-slab-pie-recipe. Accessed 7 March 2018.

Quick Coconut Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Bisquick mix
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. Place all the above ingredients in a blender and blend on low speed for 3 minutes. Pour into a 9" pie plate, let it stand for 5 minutes.
2. Sprinkle top of pie with 1 cup coconut (adjust more or less to personal preference). 
3. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes (until knife inserted in the center comes out clean).

Submitted by Sue Richichi

Maple-Pecan-Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

The "Maple-Pecan-Pumpkin Chiffon Pie" recipe can be found in Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie by Ken Haedrich.

Submitted by Sarah Bublitz

Haedrich, Ken. “Maple-Pecan-Pumpkin Chiffon Pie.” Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie. Boston, MA: The Harvard Common Press, 2004. 497-498. Print.

Butterscotch Pie

The "Butterscotch Pie" recipe by Kelly Jaggers can be found at Tori Avey.

Submitted by Helen Lukaszewicz

Jaggers, Kelly. "Butterscotch Pie." Tori Avey., https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/butterscotch-pie/#wprm-recipe-container-43615. Accessed 5 March 2018.

Apple Pie

Ingredients:

• 3/4-1 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 6-7 cups sliced peeled apples
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Mix lightly through apples. Heap in a 9-inch pastry lined pie pan. Dot with butter. Adjust top crust and flute edges. Cut vents. 
2. Bake at 425°F for 50-60 minutes until crust is brown and apples are tender.

Submitted by Trudy Cleaver