Pie of the Month Club: Banana Cream

It's March already!  Tomorrow is the first official day of spring and this year our spring has come WAY early.  It was in the 70s yesterday and today!  Normally there's a lot of snow on the ground and we're hunkering down for at least another month.

What better way to celebrate an early spring than tropical fruit?  This month's pie choice is Banana Cream.  This is not to be confused with the Southern delicacy called Banana Pudding.  That is in a class by itself.

Has anyone made any of the pies that I've posted about?  I've made them all and we've enjoyed every one of them.


Banana Cream Pie 
(This recipe is from my 1956 Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book.  They added "De Luxe version" over the recipe.  We shall see.  We shall see.)


For the Filling:

1 9" baked pie shell with high fluting
2/3 cup sugar
3 T cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Cups
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 T butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 large bananas

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in sauce pan.  Gradually stir in the milk.  Cook over med. heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.  Boil 1 min. Remove from heat.  Gradually stir at least half of hot mixture into the egg yolks.  Then blend into hot mixture in saucepan.  Boil 1 min. more, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and blend in the butter and vanilla.  Allow to cool.

Slice bananas and layer 1/2" deep in pastry shell before pouring in cooled filling.  Bake at 400 for 8 to 10 min.

If whipped cream topping is used, garnish with a ring of sliced bananas.

Pie of the Month Club: Chocolate Cream

Source

Figures we'd hit all the cream pies (my favorites) when I'm trying to be good about my diet!  I will have a bite, but the rest will have to be taken care of by the men in my family.  I guess they're up for the job!

This pie is from my 1955 Good Housekeeping Cook Book.  It is NOT a mousse-type pie, but rather dense and pudding-like.  The source for the picture had a recipe that was similar, but the one I'm using has less sugar.  Here's the recipe:





Chocolate Cream Pie

Baked 9" pie shell
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 to 2/12 squares unsweetened chocolate, cut up
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 T butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In double boiler, combine 1/4 cup sugar, chocolate, flour, and salt.  When chocolate is melted, beat with egg beater until smooth.  Gradually stir in milk.  Cook, stirring until thick.  Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 10 min. longer.  Beat egg yolks with 1/4 cup sugar; stir in a little sauce; add to rest of sauce in double boiler.  Cook, stirring, 2 min., or until mixture mounds when dropped from spoon.  add butter, vanilla; cool.  Start heating oven to 350.  Turn filling into shell.  Bake 12 to 15 min.

Top with 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped; sprinkle with shaved chocolate.

Pie of the Month Club: Custard

The month I've been waiting for! I am not a fan of berry pies. My husband and son have enjoyed their pies without having to share with me. But not this time!

This month I will be making a Custard Pie, the recipe from my 1956 edition of Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book. The picture above is not mine (see source), but it looks tasty like I hope mine will be!




Custard Pie (Rich, satiny smooth custard baked right in the crust.)

4 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 2/3 cups scalding hot milk *
1 tsp vanilla

* Use part cream for an extra rich pie.

Make pastry for one-crust pie. Line pie pan. Build up high fluted edge.

Beat eggs slightly with rotary beater. Then beat in remainder of ingredients. Pour into pastry-lined pie pan. Bake just until a silver knife inserted 1" from side of filling comes out clean. The center may still look a bit soft but will set later. Caution: Too long baking makes custard "water." Serve slightly warm or cold.

Temperature: 450 (hot oven) for 15 min., then 350 (mod. oven) to finish.

Time: Bake 25 to 30 minutes.

Note: Can be baked at 425 for same time.

REALLY COOL NOTE IN COOK BOOK (I may use this tip):

Slip-Slide Custard Pie

Follow the recipe above--EXCEPT bake crust and filling separately. Pour filling directly into ungreased pie pan of SAME size as the one in which the crust is baked. Set pan in shallow pan of hot water. Bake just until a silver knife inserted 1" from side of filling comes out clean. The center may still look a bit soft but will set later. When lukewarm, slip the baked filling into cooled baked pie shell. Allow to settle a few minutes before serving.

Temperature for custard: 350 (mod. oven)

Time: 30 to 35 minutes.

Pie of the Month Club: Cranberry Pie

Source for Pic

This month's pie will be Cranberry Pie.  The pie pictured is not my pie--it's a stunt double for the pie I WILL be making. I've linked the picture to its source, but I'm not using their recipe. Instead I will be using one from my 1956 edition of Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book. I plan to make it on Saturday and we will include it with our Christmas meal since it's red and all. (We also plan to make a Key Lime pie, so we'll have red AND green!)

Cranberry Pie (from down Cape Cod way)

Mix in saucepan:
1 1/2 to 2 cups sugar (I'm going to go for the full 2 cups.  They are, after all, cranberries.)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt

Add:
3 cups halved cranberries
1/2 cup water

Bring slowly to a boil, and boil gently 5 minutes, stirring constantly. 

Remove from heat and blend in:
1/2 tsp. almond flavoring.

Pour into pastry-lined pie pan.  Cover with top crust which has slits cut in it.  (The picture above shows a center hole.  That's kind of cool.  I may do that.)  Bake until crust is nicely browned.  Serve slightly warm.

Temperature: 425 degrees
Time: Bake 30 to 40 minutes.

Pie of the Month Club: Southern Sweet Potato Pie

This month's recipe is from this 1956 PICTURE cook book. I like this book. It has pictures!  It also lays things out step-by-step with a starter recipe followed by many variations. 
This pie is a good example. I haven't made it yet (today, perhaps?), but the "starter recipe" is for Pumpkin Pie. Beneath that are four variations:

1) New England Squash Pie
2) Southern Sweet Potato or Yam Pie (Yam. Makes me laugh every time I say it.)
3) Autumn Pumpkin Pie
4) Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream

You just follow the original recipe and make the changes according to the chosen variation.

As my husband chose the Sweet Potato version, I will list that recipe. (Once I've made it I'll come back with a taste report.)

Southern Sweet Potato Pie

1 3/4 cups strained mashed cooked sweet potatoes (I'm going to use canned)
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 T butter, melted
Single crust for 9" pie

Preheat oven to 425. Beat ingredients together with rotary beater and pour into pastry-lined pan. (Tip from book: "For crispness, have bottom pastry a little thicker than 1/8".)

Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until a silver knife (Oh No! I have the fake stuff from Costco!) inserted 1" from side of filling comes out clean. The center may still look soft but will set later. Serve slightly warm or cold.

Next Month is Cranberry!

Pie of the Month Club: Superb Cheese-Apple Pie

Have I got a pie for you! I made this once before (but I can't find that I blogged about it). It came from my Gem of a Cookbook and it was absolutely divine!

I never understood the whole cheese-with-pie phenomenon that I encountered when I moved Up North until I tasted this recipe. It just does something magical to the whole flavor. This will be October's offering.

Superb Cheese-Apple Pie

3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 T flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1 C grated cheese (I used cheddar)
5 C prepared apples
2 tsp. lemon juice
3 T heavy cream

Start heating oven to 425. Place a crust in the bottom of a 9" pan.

For the filling: Combine sugar, flour, salt, 2/3 C cheese; sprinkle lined pie plate with half of mixture. Heap apples on top; sprinkle with lemon juice, rest of sugar mixture, then remaining 1/3 cup cheese and cream. Adjust top crust.

Bake at 425 40-50 minutes, or until filling is tender, crust nicely browned. Especially nice served warm.

The apples are coming from a bushel that my husband brought home from a neighbor's trees. They're a mix of sweet and tart apples. Since I will be using about 6-8 apples for the pie, the rest of the bushel are awaiting their purpose in becoming apple sauce, apple juice, and a bit of apple butter, if I'm up to it!

Tomorrow afternoon will see my kitchen in full-production mode. Since it's Sunday, I'll have to fend off more than one set of fingers attempting to taste everything! My son will have to share his usual solitary position with my husband. Seniority may reign, but my husband IS a generous man.

Pie of the Month Club

A while back I did a post about men and their preference for all things pie. (Click HERE to read.) My husband fits that profile 100%. I've known that for decades, but recently I found out that I did not know the full-extent of that pie love.

A month ago we had a thing at the church and I volunteered to make an apple pie. My husband teasingly said something along the lines of my making pies for OTHER people, but not for him. I countered with the fact that I had made one for him about six months ago. He nodded but I could tell there was more. I said, "Exactly how OFTEN should I make a pie so that you feel that your pie needs are met?" "Once a month" was the answer. Twenty-six years of marriage and I thought I was providing all the pies that were desired. There's always something new to learn about one another in a relationship.

A few days later I quizzed him on his choices and our own personal "Pie of the Month" club was formed. I plan to use my vintage cookbooks and use seasonal foods (fresh when possible) to bring pie bliss to my husband's palate. This is his list of requests beginning September 2011:

September: Raspberry (recipe below)
October: Superb Cheese-Apple
November: Southern Sweet Potato
December: Cranberry
January: Custard
February: Chocolate Cream
March: Banana Cream
April: Black Bottom
May: Lemon Meringue
June: Strawberry Glace
July: Strawberry Rhubarb
August: Coconut Cream

The man wants pie?  The man will HAVE PIE! (Are you craving pie, yet?)

September's flavor is Raspberry. Below is the recipe I will be using. My husband prefers LESS sweet to more (another reason why he's thin and in shape) so I will use the smallest amount of sugar called for. It comes from my 1956 edition of Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book. It has pictures! For people who struggle to cook well, pictures are very, very nice.

Fresh Raspberry Pie

1 go 1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 cups fresh berries (We're picking them tomorrow!)
1 1/2 tbsp. butter

Make pastry for two-crust pie for 9" pie pan.
Mix the sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Lightly mix through the berries. Pour berries into the pastry-lined pie pan and dot with the butter. Cover with top crust which has slits cut in it. Bake until crust is nicely browned (425 degrees) and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. (About 35-45 minutes.)

Here's what I hope mine will look like when it's finished:

Next month's selection will be Apple, picked right off the trees. Stay tuned.