After this food editor received Sherry Gore's gorgeous cookbook Me, Myself and Pie months ago, I've been waiting for the right occasion to share more of her delicious-sounding (and looking) Amish pie recipes with CL.
So with Pi Day happening Saturday, March 14, what better time to dish them?
Alongside more than 100 charming pie creations — including strawberry cream pie, green tomato pie, chocolate whoopie pies and beef pot pie — Gore provides food formulas for savory and sweet crusts, as well as toppings like Dutch crumbs and caramel sauce. She weaves stories of her life and the Amish community throughout the book's pages, too.
Make these gems next week to celebrate Pi Day, and the wonders of an Amish kitchen.
Bodacious Blueberry Pie
For the crust:
Two 9-inch unbaked pastry pie crusts
Ingredients
4 cups fresh blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon butter
1 tablespoon sanding sugar
Whipped cream (optional)
Vanilla ice cream (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash blueberries and remove all stems. Pat berries dry with paper towels. Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a bowl. Add lemon zest. Sprinkle mixture over blueberries. Gently fold mixture together and pour into unbaked pie crust. Top with butter. Cover pie with second crust by fluting the edges or making a lattice pattern. Sprinkle crust with sanding sugar. Bake at 425 degrees for 50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Let cool completely. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Lemon Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
Cookie:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
Lemon cream cheese filling:
6 tablespoons butter, softened
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, lemon juice and vanilla, mixing until blended, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Mix in the buttermilk. Mix in the remaining flour mixture until just combined.
Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cookie comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cool, make the filling. In a bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice until thoroughly blended and smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.
Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down, flat side up, and spread with filling. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Repeat until all cookies are used. These little pies are great when chilled.
Amish Vanilla Crumb Pie
For the crust:
One 9-inch unbaked pastry pie crust
Pie:
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine brown sugar, flour, corn syrup, vanilla and egg in a 2-quart saucepan. Slowly stir in water and cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat and let cool.
Crumbs:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup butter, melted
Caramel sauce (optional)
In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, brown sugar, salt, cream of tartar and butter until crumbly in texture. Pour cooled pie mixture into pie crust and top with crumbs. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees, or until golden brown. Serve as it is or drizzle caramel sauce over top before serving, if desired.
Seafood Chowder Pot Pie
For the crust:
Two 9-inch unbaked pastry pie crusts. For an extravagant pie, use garlic and cheddar pastry crust
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups diced potatoes
1 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 pound crab meat
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and cooked
2 teaspoons chicken base
6 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon or more Old Bay Seasoning
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Using a medium stockpot, cook potatoes, carrots, celery and onion in 4 cups water until soft.
Add the crab, shrimp and chicken base. In a separate pan, melt butter. Stir in flour, cornstarch, half-and-half, milk, salt, pepper and Old Bay. Cook on medium to medium-low heat until thickened, stirring often. Add the flour mixture to the vegetable mixture. Pour into the pie crust. Cover with the top crust and seal the edges. Make several small vents in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
Chocolate Marshmallow Pie
For the crust:
One 9-inch baked chocolate cookie or one 9-inch baked pastry crust
Ingredients
30 large marshmallows
3 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate
1/2 cup milk
1 cup whipped cream
1 cup whipped cream (optional)
Chocolate shavings (optional)
Directions
Heat marshmallows, chocolate and milk in a double boiler until melted. Remove from heat; cool. When mixture has cooled, fold in 1 cup whipped cream. Pour into baked pie crust. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings, if desired.
