By By Lisa Tindell
I certainly try to keep my promises. Since I promised recipes for sweet pie fillings, that's what I plan to give you this week.
After taking a brief opinion poll here at the office, the consensus is that a lemon icebox pie seems to be the top vote getter as favorite pie. Some of us even declared such a love for this luscious dessert that we prefer it to cheesecake. I know, that does seem impossible to some folks, but it is true for some of us.
I found a recipe for the classic lemon icebox pie. Some food analysts may sneer at the recipe since it calls for eggs that aren't cooked. However, if your liver is in good shape, it shouldn't be a health problem.
Lemon Ice Box Pie
1 (9-inch) pie shell
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
One-half cup lemon juice
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick pie shell with a fork and bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool. In a medium mixing bowl blend egg yolks and condensed milk. Stir in lemon juice. Heat this mixture in a double boiler, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens. Pour into piecrust and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
Of course you can either whip the egg whites to make a meringue or use whipped topping to finish off this wonderful pie.
For another easy pie, this one is pretty good. It is a low-fuss pie with cooking the pudding mix being the only fussy part about it.
Fruit Cocktail pie
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
1 (15.25 ounce) can fruit cocktail
1 (4.6 ounce) package non-instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups milk
1 pint heavy cream
Drain fruit cocktail, reserving 1 cup of juice. In a saucepan, prepare pudding according to package directions, using 2 cups milk and 1 cup reserved juice. Remove from heat and stir in the drained fruit cocktail. Pour into baked piecrust and let set at room temperature until cooled.
Then place in refrigerator until serving time. Place glass bowl and mixing beaters in freezer. Just before serving, whip up the heavy cream in the frozen bowl. Do not add sugar, and do not over whip. Spoon on top of pie and serve.
If you don't mind making a little more fuss when cooking a pie for your dessert, this next recipe is really good. Everyone should have a good chocolate pie recipe in their collection.
This one, although a little more trouble, is certainly worth the work.
Chocolate Cream Pie
1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 and one-half cups white sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
One-half cup unsweetened cocoa powder
One-half teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
1 tsp. butter
1 and one-half tsp/ vanilla extract
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
In a large mixing bowl, cream together egg yolks and sugar. Mix in cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt. Add milk and stir gently. Pour mixture into a large saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until boiling. Remove from heat. Stir in butter or margarine and vanilla extract. Cool slightly, then pour mixture into pastry shell. Chill before serving. Garnish with whipped topping.
Don't forget to share your recipes with me. I love to hear about what's going on the kitchens around the area. If you have an idea or a recipe that you'd like to share with our readers, I'd love to pass it along. You can drop by our offices at 407 St. Nicholas Ave. or give me a call at 867-4876. If you'd like to email the recipe, I'll get it if you send it to lisa.tindell@brewtonstandard.com.
Until next week, Happy Cooking.
Contact news writer Lisa Tindell at 867-4876 or by e-mail at lisa.tindell@brewtonstandard.com.