On Pi Day (3/14) we celebrate with some of our favorite pie recipes.
Caribbean Mud Pie
Wayne Fick made a Caribbean Mud pie for the 2016 Post-Dispatch pie contest. Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com
Christian Gooden
Yield: 8 servings
½ stick (¼ cup) butter
¾ cup brown sugar
3 eggs
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, melted
2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
1 teaspoon rum extract
2 tablespoons rum
1/3 cup shredded or flaked coconut
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup coarsely broken walnuts
9-inch pie shell
½ cup walnut halves for decoration
Whipped cream, optional
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, use a mixer to beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add melted chocolate, instant coffee, rum extract, rum and coconut. Stir in flour and broken walnuts; pour into pie shell. Top with remaining ½ cup walnut halves. Bake 25 minutes. Cool. Top with whipped cream, if desired.
Ellen Trovillion made a Caramel Brown Butter Walnut pie for the 2016 Post-Dispatch pie contest. Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com
Christian Gooden •
Yield: 8 servings
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons salt, divided
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided, plus more for top crust
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into large cubes and chilled until ice cold
¼ cup plus 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water
¾ cup quick or old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
1½ cups coarsely chopped walnuts
3 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup heavy cream, plus more for wash
¾ cup dark corn syrup
¾ cup (1½ sticks) melted butter, browned until golden and nutty smelling
1 tablespoon vanilla
Note: You can use a store-bought pie crust for this recipe. Skip the first 2 steps.
1. Put flour, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar in food processor; pulse a couple of times to blend. Add the chilled butter and pulse 3 or 4 times, leaving some small chunks. Add ¼ cup of the ice water and pulse to blend. Add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough looks like crumbs the size of tiny pearls and sticks together when pressed with fingers.
2. Pour dough onto a large piece of waxed paper and mold into a ball. Split dough in half, roll each into a ball and flatten each into a disk. Wrap each in waxed paper and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Spread oats in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Cook until they look tan and smell nutty, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Spread walnuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until they are crisp, have darkened a bit and smell toasty, about 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
5. Roll out top crust and cut 5 strips with a fluted pastry wheel or knife. Use the rest to form a variety of fall leaves of your choice. Refrigerate until ready to use.
6. Roll out bottom crust and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp edges as desired. Use parchment paper or spray a sheet of foil with cooking spray and place sprayed side down on top of crust. Fill with dried beans or pie weights and blind bake the bottom crust 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights, repairing any tears with a small piece of leftover dough and bake another 10 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and set aside.
7. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the eggs, the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, heavy cream, corn syrup, toasted oats, toasted walnuts, browned butter and vanilla. Pour into the prebaked pie shell.
8. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake pie for 30 minutes. Leave oven on. Lay the lattice across the top corner of the pie surface, working quickly because pie is hot. Lightly brush leaves with cream and sprinkle with granulated sugar, then place leaves decoratively on top, around and overlapping some of lattice. Return to oven and bake 20 to 30 more minutes until knife inserted into outer edge comes out clean and decorative top crust is golden brown.
9. Serve room temperature with softly whipped cream or vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.
Grasshopper pie is one of the recipes from the 1960's. Photo by Huy Mach, hmach@post-dispatch.com
Huy Mach •
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
1¼ cups chocolate wafer crumbs
¾ cup granulated sugar, divided
1/3 cup melted butter
1 envelope gelatin
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup cold water
3 eggs, separated
¼ cup green crème de menthe
2 tablespoons cognac or crème de cacao
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Mix the chocolate crumbs, ¼ cup of the sugar and the melted butter. Press the mixture against the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake 5 minutes and chill.
3. Off the heat, combine in the top of a double boiler the gelatin, ¼ cup of the sugar and the salt. Stir in the water and blend in egg yolks, one at a time. Place the mixture over boiling water, stirring constantly until gelatin is dissolved and mixture thickens slightly, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the crème de menthe and cognac. Chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture has a consistency resembling unbeaten egg white.
5. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry, then gradually stir in the remaining ¼ cup sugar. Continue beating until whites are very stiff. Fold them into the gelatin mixture. Fold in the whipped cream and turn mixture into chocolate crumb shell. Chill until firm.
Foods of the 1940s include Chocolate Cream Pie, as photographed on Wednesday, April 20, 2016. Antique items courtesy of, and available for purchase, at Elder's Ltd., 2124 Cherokee Street in St. Louis. Photo by Cristina M. Fletes, cfletes@post-dispatch.com
Cristina M. Fletes •
Chocolate Cream Pie
Yield: 8 servings
3 eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour or 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk, scalded
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 baked (9-inch) pie crust
2 tablespoons butter
1½ teaspoons vanilla, divided
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slightly beat the egg yolks; set aside.
2. In a medium pot over medium heat, mix together 2/3 cup of the sugar, flour and salt; gradually stir in milk and chocolate and cook until chocolate melts and mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Stir a very small amount into the egg yolks; stir another very small amount into the yolks, and keep adding and stirring until the eggs are hot (you will have added about ¼ of the milk mixture). Gradually pour the yolks back into the thickened milk and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add butter and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and cool slightly; pour through a fine-mesh strainer into baked pie crust.
3. Combine egg whites, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and cream of tartar in a large bowl and beat to stiff peaks. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Spread this meringue on top of the pie and bake until delicately brown, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and then chill in refrigerator.
Adapted by Florence Pikrone from “America’s Cook Book” by the New York Herald Tribune Home Institute, 1943.
The Blue Owl Bakery Coconut Cream Pie
The Blue Owl’s pies are architectural feats, towering high on a plate without toppling. The “dome†for the Blue Owl’s Coconut Cream Pie is almost 3 inches of perfect meringue, soft and sweet and airy. The surprise ingredient is something found in every home baker’s pantry, cornstarch. Photo by Adam Gerdes
Adam Gerdes Photography
Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie to serve 6
For pie
3 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch (see notes)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sweetened coconut
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 9-inch pie shell, baked and cooled
For meringue
¾ cup cold egg whites (from about 6 large eggs)
¾ teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch salt
¾ cup granulated sugar
Sweetened coconut, for garnish
Notes: The Blue Owl’s original recipe calls for 4 heaping tablespoons cornstarch. We tested the recipe with 5 tablespoons cornstarch (measured flat in a measuring spoon). The filling was still delicious but slightly soft, so we recommend 6 level tablespoons.
1. The day before serving, make pie’s cream filling; it helps to gather and prep ingredients before beginning to cook. In a large saucepan, bring milk to about 100 degrees on low heat, it should be warm, not hot.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks. Temper the yolks, that is, whisk about 2 cups warm milk, a quarter cup at a time, into yolks. Whisking continuously, slowly pour yolk-milk mixture into saucepan.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, cornstarch and salt until well-combined. Whisk into saucepan, then increase heat to medium and whisk continuously for several minutes until it begins to bubble and thicken.
4. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in coconut and butter, stirring deeply until filling thickens further.
5. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and coconut extract.
6. Let cool briefly, then transfer to a storage container. Cover with plastic wrap; to avoid a skin from forming, it should touch the top of the filling. Refrigerate filling until ready to assemble pie.
7. Several hours before serving, heat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon coconut filling into baked pie shell; use an offset spatula to form a high dome in pie’s center.
8. Make the meringue. In the large bowl used for a standing mixer, use a hand whisk to whisk egg whites, vanilla, cornstarch, cream of tartar and salt until combined and whites turn frothy.
9. Move bowl to mixer and insert wire whip attachment. Whip whites on high until stiff peaks form. With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly pour sugar into whites, mixing just until combined.
10. Spoon about 2/3 of meringue onto filling; use an offset spatula to arrange meringue so that it touches the crust’s edge and evenly covers the filling. Spoon remaining meringue onto the filling’s dome to form an even higher dome.
11. Sprinkle top with coconut flakes.
12. Bake pie for about 15 minutes, until meringue turns golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
13. To serve Blue Owl-style, cut pie into 6 towering slices and serve.
12 ounces frozen whipped topping, such as Cool Whip, thawed
2 graham-cracker or chocolate pie crusts
1. Combined powdered sugar, peanut butter and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add condensed milk and beat until combined.
2. Fold in whipped topping. Divide mixture evenly between crusts; freeze 4 hours or chill 8 hours or until set.
Special request : Mississippi Mud Pie at Panorama at Saint Louis Art Museum. Photographed on Wednesday, March 18, 2015. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan •
Yield: 8 servings
For the crust
1 family-size 19-ounce package Oreo cookies
1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped
For the filling
1 stick (¼ pound) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (see note)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch table salt
1¼ cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 large eggs
For the topping
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 teaspoons finely chopped toasted pecans
Reserved crust crumbs
Chocolate sauce and ice cream, for serving
Notes: For chocolate, Panorama uses a 64 percent cacoa chocolate from Felchlin in Switzerland that melts with special smoothness. We found no retail sources online.
1. Make crust. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Pulse cookies and pecans in food processor until roughly ground; reserve ¾ cup crumbs for the topping. With your hands, press remaining crumbs into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes or until set. Cool completely.
2. Make filling. In a heavy saucepan on medium heat, melt butter and chocolate until smooth, stirring often. Remove from heat, stir in flour and salt until smooth. Stir in sugar, corn syrup and vanilla, return to the stove, stirring continuously, just until sugar melts. Off heat, stir to cool. One at a time, add eggs, whisking until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust and bake until set, about 30 minutes. The top will crack on top; it’s natural. Let cool for 2 hours.
3. Make topping. Beat cream, powdered sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Spread topping across pie, it will be quite thick. Sprinkle with reserved pecan and cookie crumbs.
4. To serve Panorama style, freeze the pie. While still frozen, cut and plate neat slices onto cold rectangular white plates. Let warm until slices are cold but not frozen. Stripe with chocolate sauce and serve with a scoop of ice cream on the side.
Recipe adapted for home kitchens by the Post-Dispatch.
Sugarfire's Signature Pie
Sugarfire Pie (pie name same as restaurant) photographed on Monday, April 13, 2015, at Sugarfire Pie. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Laurie Skrivan •
Yield: 1 pie, 6 servings
For the crust
Vanilla wafers, enough to make 1 ½ cups crumbs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the filling
1 cup granulated sugar
1½ cups dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
¼ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Powdered sugar
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Make the crust. Grind vanilla wafers in a food processor to yield 1 ½ cups crumbs. In a bowl, stir together crumbs and 6 tablespoons butter until crumbly. With your hands, press into a 9-inch metal disposable pie pan. Do not bake.
3. Make the filling. With an electric mixer on low speed to avoid adding air, combine sugars, cornmeal and salt, then egg yolks, cream and vanilla. Add ½ cup butter and mix until fully incorporated.
4. Pour filling into crust. Bake for about 30 minutes until the top is round and puffy. To test for doneness, gently shake the pie: It should be a little jiggly in the center, not at the edges.
5. Let cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
6. To serve Sugarfire Pie-style, sprinkle pie with powdered sugar and cut in 6 to-be-shared slices.
A slice of coconut cream pie is a favorite at the Hawthorne Inn in Labadie, Missouri. Photo by J.B. Forbes, jforbes@post-dispatch.com
J.B. Forbes
Yield: 6 servings
For the crust
6 packs (6 ounces) Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookies
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, melted and cooled
For the pie
3 cups half-and-half
2 small (3.4-ounce) boxes instant vanilla pudding and pie filling
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
½ cup crushed pineapple, drained well
2 cups frozen nondairy whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)
Additional whipped topping, for edge
Toasted coconut, for garnish
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish
1. Make the crust. Heat oven to 350 degrees. With a mini food processor (or a freezer bag and rolling pin), crush shortbread cookies into fine crumbs, you should have about 1 ½ cups of crumbs. In a bowl, combine the crumbs, coconut and butter until wet and sandy. Press wet crumbs evenly into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan, sides first, bottom second. Bake the crust until it turns golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
2. Make the pie. In a bowl, stir together half-and-half and instant pudding mix until thick, then gently fold in the coconut. Let rest a few minutes to thicken. Turn the pudding mixture into the cooled crust, mounding higher in the center.
3. Gently fold pineapple into whipped topping and spread across the top of the pie filling. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. To serve Hawthorne Inn-style, pipe additional topping along the outer edge of the pie for decoration, then sprinkle with toasted coconut. Cut into 6 pieces and plate with fresh mint leaves on the side.
1. Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan; set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl; set aside.
2. In another bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed of a hand mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one until smooth. Add half the dry ingredients, all the buttermilk and then the remaining dry ingredients, beating after each addition until just combined. Pour into pan; smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack; let cool completely.
3. Make the filling: Pour the milk into a 4-quart pot. With a sharp knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise in half and use the blade to scrape out all the tiny seeds. Place these into the milk, along with the vanilla bean pods, turn the heat to medium high and heat until it is just about to boil.
4. While the milk is heating, whisk together in a medium bowl the yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt. When the milk is just about to boil, whisk perhaps a tablespoon of it into the yolk mixture. Keep whisking and add a little more and then a little more until you can pour the milk in a thin stream, whisking all the time. Remove and discard the vanilla bean pods. Once all the milk has been blended with the yolk mixture, return it to the pot. Heat on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens to the consistency of thin mayonnaise.
5. Remove from the heat and whisk in cubes of butter, one at a time, adding each new cube after the last has been incorporated. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Use immediately or press plastic wrap over the surface of the filling and refrigerate for up to 3 days. If you refrigerate it, stir before using.
6. Make the glaze and assemble cake: Place chocolate in a bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan over high heat; pour over chocolate and let sit 1 minute. Slowly stir chocolate and cream until smooth and shiny; set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Using a serrated knife, split cake horizontally into two layers so that the top layer is slightly smaller than the bottom. Spread chilled filling over cut side of bottom layer and cover with top layer. Pour and spread chocolate glaze evenly over cake, letting it drip down the side of the cake.
7. Refrigerate cake until glaze is set, at least 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature.
Note: You could use a store-bought Oreo-cookie crust and store-bought whipped cream if you choose, but the taste will suffer.
1. For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Place cookie crumbs in a medium bowl and add melted butter. Stir until all the crumbs are evenly moistened. Pour into a 9-inch round pie pan. Use the heel of your hand, a tart tamper or the bottom of a drinking glass to press the crumbs from the center outward into an even layer across the bottom of the pan. Use your thumbs to press the crumbs up the side of the pan and level them at the rim.
2. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. This crust may be stored at room temperature, covered in plastic wrap.
3. For the filling: Bring 2 inches of water to a low boil over medium-low heat in a medium saucepan. Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk by hand to blend. Place the bowl over the simmering water (the bottom of the bowl must not touch the water) and whisk constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Heat until the mixture reaches 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and the eggs look light in color and texture. To check the temperature, remove the bowl from the heat so the mixture doesn’t overcook while you’re waiting for the thermometer to register. If the mixture has not yet reached 160 degrees, wash the thermometer (to prevent contamination from bacteria the next time you take the temperature), dry it, and then put the bowl back over the water and continue to whisk. This step can take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes, so be patient. Each time you check the temperature it will take longer to heat.
4. When the eggs reach 160 degrees, remove the bowl from the saucepan (keep water simmering) and beat on high speed for 3 minutes.
5. While the eggs are beating, place the butter, cream and chocolate in a medium bowl and set the bowl in the saucepan over the simmering water. Let it sit for 1 minute, then gently stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and wipe the bottom of the bowl dry.
6. Add the chocolate mixture to the eggs, lower the speed to medium, and beat until there are no streaks of egg visible. Scrape down the bowl and beat in the vanilla extract. Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, making sure that any streaks of egg are blended into the chocolate. Scrape the filling into the prepared pie crust and smooth the top. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
7. For the topping: Whip the cream and sugar into firm peaks. Spread evenly over the top of the pie. Serve with raspberries or a raspberry coulis, if you wish.
Strawberry whipped cream pie, photographed in 2014. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com
Robert Cohen •
Yield: 8 servings
1 pre-made pie crust
1 quart strawberries (about 1 pound)
½ cup powdered sugar
1 cup water
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Red food coloring, optional
Whipped cream
1. Bake pie crust according to package instructions.
2. Take 3 cups of the strawberries, remove the tops, slice the berries in half, and stir together with the powdered sugar. Mix well. Let stand 1 hour to sweeten.
3. Slice the remaining 1 cup of berries and bring to a light boil in the water for 2 minutes. Strain, reserving the water, and mash the softened berries through a sieve (strainer) into a bowl.
4. Return the strawberry juice to the water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. While waiting for it to boil, thoroughly mix together the granulated sugar and cornstarch. When the strawberry water boils, add the sugar-cornstarch mixture and simmer, stirring constantly to eliminate lumps, until clear and thick. Add a drop or two of food coloring, if desired.
5. Place sweetened strawberry halves in the baked pie crust. Pour the glaze over them, and refrigerate overnight to set. Top pie with whipped cream before serving.
This Sept. 11, 2017 photo shows a skillet apple cranberry pie in New York. This dish is from a recipe by Sara Moulton. (Sara Moulton via AP)
Sara Moulton
Yield: 6 servings
Fresh or 12 ½ ounces store-bought pie dough
2 ½ pounds mixed apples (your choice, but avoid apples that fall apart like McIntosh), peeled, cored and sliced ¼-inch thick
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup fresh apple cider
½ cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 heaping tablespoon granulated sugar
Vanilla ice cream for garnish
1. Roll out the crust on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch round, transfer to a round platter and chill, covered, for 45 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and let soften slightly at room temperature for 15 minutes.
2. While the dough is chilling, in a medium bowl toss together the apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, salt and cinnamon. In a 10-inch skillet melt the butter over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium and add the apple mixture and the cider. Cook, tightly covered, stirring frequently, until most of the apples are tender but still hold their shape, 12 to 15 minutes.
3. Transfer the apples with a slotted spoon to a rimmed sheet pan, leaving all the liquid in the skillet, and spread the apples out in one layer. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until it is reduced to a few tablespoons and is quite syrupy. Add the reduced syrup and the cranberries to the apples and stir well. Let the apples and the skillet cool.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the bottom rack in the lower third of the oven.
5. When the apples have cooled, transfer them back to the skillet, smoothing the top. Carefully lift up the dough round that has softened on the counter and place it over the apples, letting the edges hang out over the rim of the skillet. Ease the dough down, pressing it in gently where the apples meet the skillet. Trim the crust with a pair of clean scissors so that it is flush with the top rim of the skillet and fold the edges of the dough back in on top of the remaining dough to form a rim. Reroll the dough scraps, cut out several leaf shapes and place them in the center of the dough. Brush the crust evenly all over with the cream and sprinkle with the sugar.
6. Bake the pie on the lower rack of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving, garnish with the ice cream.
Pie Dough
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (180 grams)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water
1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and the salt, add the butter and, working quickly with your fingertips or a pastry blender, mix the dough until most of mixture resembles coarse meal, with the rest in small (roughly pea-sized) lumps. Drizzle 2 tablespoons ice water evenly over the mixture and gently stir with a fork until incorporated. Gently squeeze a small handful, which should hold together without crumbling apart. If it doesn’t, add more ice water, ½ tablespoon at a time, stirring two or three times after each addition until it comes together.
2. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. With the heel of your hand, smear the dough in a forward motion on the work surface to help distribute fat. Gather the smeared dough together and repeat the process. Form the dough into a disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before rolling it out.
Apple Custard Pie photographed on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017, in St. Louis. Photo by Chris Lee, clee@post-dispatch.com
Post-Dispatch
Apple Custard Pie
Yield: 8 servings
1 pie crust
2 sticks butter
1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 semi-tart apples, such as Granny Smith, Baldwin, Cortland or Idared
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pierce inside of pie crust all over with a fork, line with parchment paper or foil and weigh down with pie weights or dry beans. Bake until crust is a light golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove pie weights and parchment. Keep the oven on.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. If using a vanilla bean, split the bean lengthwise with a sharp knife, spread each half open and use the knife to scrape out the seeds from both sides into the melted butter; add the vanilla bean pod halves.
3. Continue to cook, swirling the pan often, until the butter foam subsides and it becomes golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside 10 minutes to cool.
4. Whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract, if using. If using vanilla bean, remove the pod halves from the butter. Slowly add all the butter to the egg-sugar mixture, whisking constantly. Add the flour and salt and whisk until smooth.
5. Peel and core the apples; slice into ¼-inch slices. Arrange them in a slightly overlapping circle around the edge of the pie crust, with a few slices in the center when the outer ring is complete. This may not take all of the apples. Slowly pour the filling over the apples, giving it time to seep down into the crevasses between the slices. Add enough filling to come within ¼ inch of the top of the crust. This may not take all of the filling.
6. Bake until the apples are a deep golden brown and the filling is set in the center, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer pie to a wire rack and cool for 2 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Crispy Peanut Butterscotch Pie, with fat-free, sugar-free, instant pudding mix, sugar-free (or fat-free) frozen whipped dessert topping and just one tablespoon of honey for six servings. photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
Hillary Levin
Yield: 6 servings
¼ cup natural (no sugar added) creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
1½ cups oven-toasted rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies (more optional)
1½ cups frozen sugar-free or fat-free whipped dessert topping such as Cool Whip, thawed and divided
Ground cinnamon, optional
1. Combine peanut butter and honey in a medium microwave-safe bowl; microwave at high power for 30 seconds; stir until mixture melts. Stir in rice cereal. Using waxed paper, press cereal mixture into bottom of 8-inch round cake pan.
2. Prepare pudding mix according to package directions for pudding, using 2 cups of milk. Fold in 1 cup of the whipped topping. Spoon pudding mixture into prepared pan. Cover and freeze until firm.
3. Let pie stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving. Spoon remaining ½ cup whipped topping over each serving. If desired, sprinkle with ground cinnamon and additional cereal.
Recipe by Oxmoor House Healthy Eating Collection, via myrecipes.com
Slimmer Coconut Cream Pie
Slimmer Hawthorne Inn Coconut Cream Pie on Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. Photo by Johanna Huckeba, jhuckeba@post-dispatch.com.
Johanna Huckeba
Yield: 6 servings
1 pie crust, see note
3 cups whole milk
2 small (3.4-ounce) boxes instant vanilla pudding and pie filling
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
½ cup crushed pineapple, drained well
2 cups frozen nondairy whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish
Note: If you make your own pie crust, you can add 1 cup of sweetened flaked coconut to the mixture to make it Hawthorne Inn style. Doing so will add 65 calories, 4 grams of fat, 40 milligrams of sodium and 5 grams of sugar to each serving.
1. Bake pie crust according to the directions on the package or your favorite recipe. Allow to cool.
2. In a bowl, stir together milk and instant pudding mix until thick, then gently fold in the coconut. Let rest a few minutes to thicken. Turn the pudding mixture into the cooled crust, mounding higher in the center.
3. Gently fold pineapple into whipped topping and spread across the top of the pie filling. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 6 pieces and plate with fresh mint leaves on the side.
