Sour Cream Raisin Pie

I grew up having this pie for Thanksgiving every year. My Dads' mom made it every year as well. 

1       cup raisins                             

3/4     cup sugar                               

1       cup sour cream                      

3       Tbsp. corn starch                    

2      eggs separated

1     tsp vanilla

1     Tbsp butter

1/2   tsp salt

Add sugar to raisins in a sauce pan.  Barely cover with water and simmer until tender, (it just takes a few minutes).  Add sour cream and bring to a boil.  Thicken with cornstarch that is thinned with cream ( my grandma used cream, my mom used milk so pick which you prefer. I usually use milk).  Add egg yolks and cook 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add vanilla, butter and salt.  Cool.  Pour into a baked shell.  Cover with meringue. 

I grew up with French meringue. I never liked it, but this year I tried a Swiss meringue and it was amazing. Next year I might try an Italian meringue. 

Here's the Swiss meringue recipe. 

4 large eggs, whites only

200g of caster sugar (I used regular sugar because that's what I had at the time)

1 pinch of salt

Bring a pan of water to a gentle simmer

Combine the egg whites and sugar in a metal or glass bowl and place over a pan of water. Gently whisk until the sugar has dissolved or a temperature probe reads 80°C (about 8 minutes). If you don't have a thermometer, you can pinch some of the mixture between your fingers, if you can still feel grains of sugar, it needs a little longer

Remove the bowl from a heat and either transfer to a stand mixer with whisk attachment or use an electric whisk on medium setting to whip up the egg whites into a thick, glossy Swiss meringue

The meringue is now ready to transfer to a piping bag to make it easier to use

Brown Butter Creamy Apple Pie

One of the pies I make every Thanksgiving.

 

Ingredients

Filling

• 1/4cup Butter
• 1/2cup granulated sugar
• 1Egg
• 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1teaspoon vanilla
• 5cups sliced peeled apples (5 medium) : I like a mix of granny smith and honeycrisp

Crust

This is a pillsbury recipe, so they recommend:

• 1crust from 1 package (12 oz) frozen Pillsbury™ Deep Dish Pie Crusts (2 Count)
• But I've made my own crust or used a roll-out pillsbury crust and they've both been fine

Streusel -- I double this and use as much as I want to cover the pie. 

• 1/2cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/4cup granulated sugar
• 1/4cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4cup cold butter
• 
  

• 1
  Heat oven to 400°F. Place cookie sheet in oven to heat. In 1-quart saucepan, cook 1/4 cup butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted and lightly browned. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• 2
  In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the egg with wire whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 tablespoons flour and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in cooled butter. Gently stir in apples. Pour into crust-lined pie plate.
• 3
  In medium bowl, stir together all streusel ingredients except butter. With pastry blender or fork, cut in 1/4 cup butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over apples. Place pie on cookie sheet in oven.
• 4
  Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F, and cover edge of crust with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake 40 to 50 minutes longer or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cool 2 hours.
  

Chocolate Cream Pie

 One of the two pies I make each Thanksgiving. 

Chocolate Cream Pie

1 pre-baked oreo crust
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/3 cup cornstarch
3/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
sweetened whipped cream

Stir together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt in medium saucepan. Gradually add milk and cream, stirring until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil 1 minute.

Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into prepared crust. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface, being careful to remove all air bubbles. Refrigerate 4-6 hours. Top with whipped cream and oreo pieces.

Apple Streusel Pie

1 hour 30 minutes,plus cooling time to prepare serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS
1(9-inch) pie crust
Pie filling:
6 large baking apples,peeled,cored,and sliced,1/2 inch thick
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 large egg
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For streusel topping:
1 stick cold,unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation: is
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Press pie crust into a 9-inch round baking dish.
Prepare streusel topping.Combine brown sugar,granulated sugar,1/2 cup flour,1teaspoon cinnamon,ginger,salt,cubed butter. Mix with clean fingers until crumbly. Set aside.
Mix 1 cup sugar,2 TB flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg,in a bowl.Set aside.
Beat egg,heavy cream,and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined.Add sugar mixture to egg mixture and whisk to combine.Evenly distribute apple slices around pie shell.Pour liquid mixture over top of apples.
Place pie on a baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and evenly spread streusel mixture over top of pie. Return pie to oven and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes. Let pie cool completely before slicing.

Instant Apple Pie

I like pie a la mode. Here's my instant recipe:

Cut up an apple
put a couple spoonfuls of sugar on it
and some cinnamon.
Microwave it for one minute
top with a scoop of ice cream
and Golden Grahams for the crust.

No, it's not a real pie. But is a pie really what you wanted? What you really wanted was to spend time reading about Aztec philosophy, while eating baked apples and ice cream and Golden Grahams.