NO WEEP MERINGUE

We love lemon meringue pie, but since we are "empty nesters" it takes us several days to eat the pie, and by then my meringue starts to "weep" a clear liquid that makes everything.......well, we throw it away when that happens.

Recently, I found a recipe online for a "No Weep Meringue" and it truly is, just that, it doesn't weep!! Not only does it taste excellent, but the pie has been in the fridge for three days now and not a DROP of liquid has appeared!! 

For the life of me I can't remember where I found this recipe, so I apologize to the original author. Where has this recipe been all my life!?!?!?

NO WEEP MERINGUE

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cold water

Bring this to a boil (whisking all the time) and cook until it gets very thick.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool to lukewarm.

In a large glass or stainless steel bowl (NO PLASTIC) beat three egg whites until they are thick and foamy (they shouldn't hold a peak yet).

With mixer on high, add 6 tablespoons sugar (one tablespoon at a time) beating well in between each addition. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract + a pinch of salt and beat until stiff and glossy.

With mixer running, add the lukewarm cornstarch mixture and beat on HIGH for 3-4 minutes.

Spread on filled and cooled 9" lemon pie.  Bake at 350° for about 10 minutes or until meringue peaks begin to turn golden.

Keep finished pie in fridge.

CHERRY CHEESECAKE PIE

Last week, Debbie, over at Mocha Me, posted a raspberry cream cheese pie that sounded quick, easy and tasty. It had a chocolate crumb crust, a layer of fresh raspberries, a baked cream cheese filling and a chocolate drizzle.
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On the day I wanted to make the pie, we were snowed in with a foot of new snow so I had to improvise on some of the ingredients. The final result was excellent and I will be making this versatile recipe often, thank you Debbie!!

I didn't have raspberries, so I substituted some frozen dark sweet cherries and made a cooked filling to go under the cheesecake layer. I'm sure you could use almost any fresh, canned or cooked fruit under the cheesecake layer (it is a very user friendly recipe).
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CRUST
1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
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Mix all ingredients and press into a 9" pie plate (no need to grease) and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes (I let mine cool for about 10).
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FRUIT LAYER
2 cups of fruit (I used frozen dark sweet cherries cut in half).
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon almond extract
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Cook the fruit & sugar together until it is tender (the fruit will make its own juice). While its simmering, stir in a slurry of 1 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water. Simmer until juices are very thick, remove from heat and stir in extract. Pour into bottom of crumb crust and set aside.
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CREAM CHEESE LAYER
4 ounces of cream cheese (room temperature)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
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Beat the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together, add the lemon juice, vanilla and egg and beat until smooth. Pour over the fruit layer. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let pie cool on a rack for about 30 minutes before you chill.
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GLAZE
Mix ¼ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips with ¼ cup heavy whipping cream and heat (over low heat) until the chocolate melts. Drizzle over baked pie. Chill pie for several hours.




NOTE: When chilled, this cuts beautifully.

PEANUT BUTTER CLOUD PIE

If you like peanut butter, this pie is a little taste of heaven on earth. It is super easy to make (even easier if you use a ready made Oreo crust). It is the perfect ending to any meal; it is not heavy at all and it is absolutely delicious frozen.

CHOCOLATE GRAHAM CRUST
1¼ cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup melted butter
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Mix ingredients and press into a 9" pie plate. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes then cool completely before filling.
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FILLING
8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups heavy whipping cream
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Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until well mixed; add the peanut butter and vanilla and beat on high until very well mixed and light in color.
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In a large bowl, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Gently spoon the peanut butter mixture into the whipped cream and gently fold the two together until well combined.
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Pour into baked and cooled pie shell. Chill for several hours or speed chill in the freezer for about 3 hours.

NOTE: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature for this recipe. If you don't have room temperature cream cheese, you can put it in the microwave for 10-13 seconds (take the wrapper off first).

NOTE: Everyone I have ever served this to has raved about it. I hope you give it a try. I think next time I make it for a potluck, I'm going to double (or triple) the recipe and make it in a big sheet pie.

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NOTE: I like to serve this after it has been in the freezer for 3 hours. If you leave it in the freezer overnight, take it out about 15 minutes before serving.

FUDGE CREAM PIE

I decided to try this chocolate pie recipe because it looked so simple. You do not have to temper the eggs, no complicated steps and multiple bowls to deal with. It is super quick, super easy and produces a super thick chocolate filling. It was a huge hit for the chocolate lovers at our house!!

 9" baked pie crust
1¼ cups white sugar
2 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
4 egg yolks
2 one ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In medium saucepan, combine sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. In a medium bowl, beat milk and egg yolks until smooth. Gradually stir the milk mixture into the saucepan that has the sugar mixture in it. Cook over medium heat (stir constantly) until the mixture comes to a full boil. Boil and stir for a minute or two or until it's very thick.
Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate, butter and vanilla until the butter is melted. Pour into baked pie shell.
Place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the hot filling (this will prevent a skin from forming on the pudding). Chill overnight. Top with whipped cream and chocolate curls.

PINEAPPLE SQUARES - THE PERFECT POTLUCK DESSERT

The great cooks over at Mennonite Girls Can Cook posted this recipe a few days ago. Their original recipe was for a 9" x 13" pan (I made a pie). It was a little soft for a pie, so next time I'm definitely making the 9"x13", but man-o-man is it delicious!!! It is super simple to throw together and it keeps beautifully in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. If you have a potluck, family gathering, or company coming this weekend, I hope you give this recipe a try; it will be a big hit with everyone from the little guys to Grandpa!! CRUST
2½ cups graham cracker crumbs (see note)
½ cup melted butter
(I added ¼ cup of white sugar)
Mix and press into a 9" x 13" baking dish and bake at 350F for 12 minutes then cool.
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PUDDING LAYER
1 box vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
Cook per box directions and spread over cooled crust
NOTE: I used a 3.4 ounce of instant pudding
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PINEAPPLE CREAM LAYER
1 large can of crushed pineapple drained well
2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons white sugar
Whip the cream, vanilla and sugar together until you get stiff peaks. Fold in the pineapple (I squeezed it dry with my hands) then spread the pineapple-cream over the pudding layer. Chill in the fridge for several hours before serving.
NOTE: The original recipe on the MGCC site, said to reserve ¼ cup of the graham cracker crumbs to sprinkle over the top of the pineapple cream layer (for decoration).

PEACH PIE and a QUESTION ABOUT CURRY POWDER

Our fall is revving up...the Alaska State Fair is underway and it is the absolute end of our growing season (we will have frost in less than two weeks). What does all that mean? It is finally cool enough to bake to my hearts content, which makes me a happy camper.
Hubby is the pie eater at our house and he likes thinner pies as opposed to deep dish pies, so I started baking his pies in a two piece tart pan. At first I resisted, but soon discovered that the tart pan not only makes a prettier pie, but they are also much easier to serve (no pie plate corners to maneuver around when your cutting that first piece).

CRUST
2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup ice cold butter
6-8 tablespoons ice water
Place the flour, salt and cold butter (cubed) into a food processor and pulse a few times until you get fine crumbs. Pour this mixture into a bowl and add 6 tablespoons of ice water. If the dough is too dry, add more ice water (1

tablespoon at a time) until the dough hangs together in a ball. Divide your dough in to two pieces (top crust + bottom crust). Wrap one piece in plastic and put it in the fridge. Dust your counter with flour and roll out the other piece of dough to an 1/8" thickness. Place it in the pie plate (or tart pan). Do not stretch the dough. Place this bottom crust in the fridge while you make the fruit filling.

PEACH FILLING
5 cups of fresh peaches (peeled and sliced)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
Mix the sugars, cinnamon, flour, salt and peaches (gently) until everything is moistened. Stir in vanilla extract. Remove bottom crust from the fridge and "paint" the INSIDE surface of it with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water ). This will help keep the bottom crust from getting soggy while baking. Pour the fruit filling into the bottom crust and dot the filling with small pinches of cold butter.

Roll out the top crust...place it on top of the fruit and pinch the edges (if you are using a pie plate) or run your rolling pin across the edges if you are using a tart pan. Cut a vent hole in the top pie crust. Brush egg wash over the surface of the pie and sprinkle with white sugar. Bake in a PREHEATED 450 oven for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 for 30 more minutes. Remove pie from oven and cool at least 3 hours before cutting.

NOTE: When I bake a pie in a standard pie plate (especially glass pie plates) I spray the plate with just a little cooking spray. This helps when it comes time to remove the pie, especially if some of the juices have found their way under the crust. This is not necessary with the two piece tart pan.
NOTE: Mix dough as quickly as possible (when using your hands) so that you don't warm up the butter.
NOTE: When you paint the inside bottom crust with the egg wash, be careful not to get too much of it up by the top edge of the tart pan (or the crust will get glued to the pan).
NOTE: Put a cookie sheet under your pie pan while it is in the oven just in case you have spill overs.

CURRY POWDER QUESTION: I have been looking at some recipes that use curry powder. I have zero experience with curry powder and a quick check on the Internet confused me even more. I guess there are many kinds of curry powders (hot, sweet, etc.). What should I watch for when purchasing curry powder. I want to try a chicken salad recipe that just says " 1/2 tsp. curry powder"...what do I buy? Any suggestions or helpful hints would be appreciated.

CARAMEL PECAN PIE

This sinfully rich and heavenly caramel pecan pie will be a hit at your next potluck, trust me! Baked in a shortbread type piecrust, it is perfection. I like to chop the pecans fairly small so that it is easier to slice (and easier for kids to eat). It is the perfectly sweet ending to any special meal.

36 Kraft caramels (individually wrapped kind)
¼ cup butter
¼ cup milk
½ cup white sugar
3 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans
9" Shortbread pie crust (recipe below)

In a saucepan with a heavy bottom, heat caramels, butter, and milk over low heat (keep stirring) until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
Stir together sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt; add melted caramel mixture gradually. Stir in chopped nuts and pour into unbaked piecrust. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool until filling is firm.

SHORTBREAD PIE CRUST: In large electric mixer bowl, mix 1 cup flour (spoon into cup and level off), ½ cup butter flavored Crisco, 1 teaspoon sugar and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Mix until crumbly. While mixer is running, add 2 tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon of beaten egg and ¾ teaspoon white vinegar. Beat until dough forms a ball. Use fingers to press dough into 9” pie plate (and up the sides). I use a two-piece 9” tart pan.