Cranberry Pear Crumble Pie

This is a recipe I adapted from Kraft Kitchens.  Their recipe calls for a refrigerated pie crust, but I opted to add a special touch by making a batch of my Maw-Maw's pie crust.  This pie is the perfect balance of sweet and tart and is especially great at Thanksgiving.

Cranberry Pear Crumble Pie

Ingredients:
Your favorite pie crust recipe or 1 ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust (1/2 of 15-oz. pkg.)
24 Vanilla Wafers, crushed (about 3/4 cup)
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup chopped cranberries
3 large fresh pears, sliced (firm pears work the best, I used Bartlett)
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
Whipped Cream (optional)

Directions:
1.)  Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line 9-inch pie plate with crust. Bake 5 to 6 minutes or until lightly browned, then cool.

2.)  Meanwhile, mix wafer crumbs, sugar and butter until well blended.

3.)  Reduce oven temperature to 375ºF. Spread cream cheese carefully onto bottom of crust and sprinkle with half the wafer crumb mixture.

4.)  Combine fruit in large bowl. Add dry pudding mix and cinnamon; toss to coat. Spoon into crust; top with remaining crumb mixture.

5.)  Bake for 35 minutes or until fruit is tender and crust is golden brown. Cool completely. Serve topped with whipped cream if desired.

Dad's Birthday Pie: Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Coconut Icebox Pie

Last weekend was Dad's birthday.  Typically, he's a German Chocolate Cake kind of guy, but as we've been enjoying low carb foods, I found this recipe to be a good substitute for him.  It turned out excellent... particularly the toasted coconut crust and didn't last long once the family cut into it.  The next day dad called me and said, "I just ate a fourth of the pie for dinner."  What a compliment!

For the crust you'll need:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
11 ounces of unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup sugar substitute

For the filling you'll need:
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Hershey's Extra Dark 60 percent cacao), finely chopped
1/4 cup sugar substitute

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a food processor, combine the butter, coconut, and sugar substitute until the mixture forms a ball.  Place into a medium size bowl.

In a 9 inch pie plate, press the coconut mixture onto the bottom and up the sides to form crust.

Bake until the center begins to brown, about 15 minutes.  Transfer the crust to a wire rack to cool completely.

Toasted coconut crust

To make the filling, bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan.  Coarsely chop up the chocolate and place in a mixing bowl.  Pour the hot cream over the chocolate.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is combined.

Pour into the coconut crust and refrigerate until the pie becomes firm.

Sugar Free Strawberry Cream Pie

The past few years, my family has limited their carb intake, so this is a perfect recipe to accommodate everyone.  It was actually inspired by a friend, who makes a sugar free coconut pie.  The idea that crust can be made using egg whites is just awesome when you are cooking for those with dietary restrictions.

For the crust you will need:
4 eggs (separated, you only need the whites)
1/2 tsp vanilla
6 tsp sugar or sugar substitute
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Beat eggs and vanilla until they are frothy.  Gradually add sugar (substitute) and cream of tartar, beat until stiff.  Put in the bottom of a greased pie plate. Bake at 325 until browned.

The crust will look like this when finished.

For the filling you will need:
1 small package of sugar free strawberry jello
1 pint heavy cream
1 8 oz. package Neufchatel cheese
1/4 cup sugar substitute (6 packets)
1 quart fresh strawberries (sliced)

First, dissolve the jello with 3/4 cup boiling water, then add 1/3 cup cold water.  Allow the jello to sit in the freezer just until it begins to reach the gel form (about 25 minutes).

In a large mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream until it is stiff.  Fold in the Neufchatel cheese and sugar substitute.  Fold in the strawberry jello.  Stir in the strawberries, saving some for the top to garnish if you wish.  Pour the mixture on top of the cooled crust.  Keep the pie refrigerated.

Combining the heavy whipping cream and the Neufchatel cheese.

Add the jello and the strawberries.

Pour the filling over the crust, garnish with remaining strawberries, and keep the pie refrigerated.

The Namesake: When Life Gives You Apples, Make Apple Pie

After many, many requests to start sharing my recipes with people, I figure that the easiest way to do so is through a blog.  This will also give me some sort of a place to save recipes that I would like to use again... and even those that could use some tweaking when I make them again.  If I had to define my cooking style, it would be a girl cooking on a budget, but at the same time focusing on using as many fresh foods as I can.  My shopping cart is always 75% full of produce.  I do occasionally do some baking, mainly for special occasions, but my main focus is on creating a well rounded meal each day of the week, rarely resorting to food from a restaurant.

My first dish to be featured is actually where the namesake of my blog comes from.  Like I mentioned before, baking is not my strength, but my Maw-Maw is, in my opinion, is the most amazing baker I know.  Her pies are to die for, not necessarily because of the filling, but the flaky perfection of the crust.  When I set out to make my very first pie from scratch, I knew that I had to attempt to master the art of the crust.  The key... everything being chilled, including the pie plate.

Below, is a picture of the completed dough ball ready to be put in the refrigerator before rolling it out.  For perfect flaky crust, sift 1 1/3 cups flour and 1 tsp. salt together.  Cut in 1/2 cup cold shortening.  Add iced water, one tablespoon at a time until the dough forms a ball.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Next peel, core, and chop the apples.  I used 9 gala apples that I paid $3 for... as mentioned, great deals like this one.

For the filling, I was dealing with picky eaters who do not enjoy crisp apples, so I prepared the apples in a pan along with the filling.  If you prefer crisp apples, wait to put them in the crust, pouring the filling on top.  In a pan, start with 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 3 tbsp. flour, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1 tsp. nutmeg.

Now back to the amazing crust.  I made the mistake of not doubling up on my crust recipe, as I should have done in order to have enough for a full top crust.  However, I improvised by weaving the top crust instead.  Roll the dough ball out and place onto the cold pie plate.

Pour the warm pie filling into the crust.

Weave the crust over the top, or your second batch of dough if you'd rather have a covered pie.  Sprinkle with a little sugar and cinnamon.

Have your oven preheated at 450 degrees F.  Bake the pie on the middle rack for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350, baking for another 30 to 45 minutes.

My first apple pie got great reviews.  However, making it inspired me to use a similar recipe, yet instead of apples, use pears.  Now, I've got the itch to make more crust.