Fresh Berry Crumb Pie

I got this recipe from a ward cookbook in Seattle. The easiest way to make a fruit pie!

1 c. hazelnuts or almonds (I always use slivered almonds -- no skins to contend with)
2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter, chilled
1 1/2 T. cornstarch
2 pints fresh berries (I always use raspberries)

Create the crumb crust/topping by spreading the nuts in a pan. Roast at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove to a cloth towel, rub off and discard skins. Grind the nuts finely in a food processor for 10 seconds.

Mix the nuts, flour and 1/2 c. sugar in a large bowl and then cut in the butter until coarse crumbs form. Press 1/2 of the mixture by hand into the bottom and sides of a 8-9" tart pan (or pie plate).

In a separate bowl, mix 1/2 c. sugar and cornstarch and then fold in the berries. Spoon berry mixture onto the crumb crust. Use the remaining half crumb mix to sprinkle over the berry mixture.

Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes or until topping is golden and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Snowcap Lemon Pie

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. lemon juice
3 T. cornstarch + 1 1/2 T.
4 T. butter
1 t. grated lemon peel
3 large egg yolks, beaten
1 c. whole milk
1 c. sour cream
sweetened whipped cream

Mix sugar, cornstarch, butter, zest, juice, egg yolks, and milk together in a saucepan. Stir and cook until thick, about 5-10 minutes. Cool. Fold in sour cream and chill at least 12 hours.

Pour chilled filling into a pie shell and top with plenty of sweetened whipped cream. Garnish with sugared lemon slices, if desired.

Cream Pie

(Just so you know, I had never made just a plain vanilla one before Jill requested it. I usually pour the custard over sliced bananas or mix in shredded coconut, but to each his own!)

mix in a medium saucepan:
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
rounded 1/3 c. flour

whisk in:
3 c. milk (whole is delicious here)

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil. Boil for one minute.

Remove from heat and pour about 1/3 of the mixture into a heatproof bowl with 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten. (I use the Pyrex measuring cup that I used to measure the milk.) You must whisk the egg yolks the whole time you are pouring in the hot mixture.

Immediately pour the egg mixture back into the pan and return to a boil (this will be very fast). Cook for 1 additional minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 4 T. butter and 1 1/2 t. vanilla.

Prepare an ice bath. I plug up one side of my sink and put in lots of ice cubes and about 3 inches of cold water. Place the hot pan in the ice bath. (This cools the custard down more quickly.) Stir every 5 minutes or so to prevent a skin from forming on the custard. When it has reached room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

**To make a delicious chocolate cream pie, increase the sugar to 1 1/2 c., the flour to a rounded 1/2 c., and add 1 1/2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate when you add the milk.**

To assemble the pie, pre-bake a pie crust, let cool, and pour in the chilled custard. Top with a generous amount of whipped cream. Sprinkle with toasted coconut for coconut cream pie, chocolate shavings for chocolate pie. I have tried a lot of different pie crusts, but, truth be told, I am not a crust connoisseur. For me, the crust is just a vehicle for the filling. Lately, I have been using this recipe from the old Betty Crocker cookbook.

For a 9" pie crust:

Mix together 1 c. sifted flour, 1/2 t. salt. Cut in 1/3 c. shortening with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with 2 T. ice water and quickly mix with fingertips. (You don't want to handle the dough too much or it will not be tender and flaky.) Gather the dough together and press firmly into a ball. Roll out into a circle about 1" larger than your pan. Fit pastry loosely into the pan -- avoid stretching to prevent shrinking. Crimp the edges and prick all over with a fork. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pie
Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients
2 cups crushed chocolate cookies (Graham crackers, oreos or chocolate wafers)
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon peanut butter, in all
4 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts (do not omit! unless you don't like a crunchy texture)
2 3/4 cup heavy cream, in all
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine the cookie crust with 1 tablespoon of the peanut butter. Combine the mixture thoroughly and press into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes.

In an electric mixer with a whip attachment, whip the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the remaining 1 cup peanut butter, milk and nuts and whip for 1 minute. Turn the peanut butter mixture into a mixing bowl. Whip 2 cups of the heavy cream and fold into the peanut butter mixture. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and refrigerate for 2 hours or until the pie is set.

In a sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the chocolate with the remaining cream, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from the heat and cool for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove the pie from the springform pan and place on a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pour the chocolate topping over the pie, covering the top and sides completely. Refrigerate the pie for 2 hours or until the chocolate coating is set. (I often leave the pie in the springform pan and just pour the chocolate on top.)