Holiday Pies

An "Angel of the Hearth" with pie sits atop my stove--

a gift from a former employee.

The warmth of the oven and the smell of bubbling pies add homespun memories to our holiday season.  At Thanksgiving, one of the two pies I always make is a "Deluxe" Pecan Pie with brandy and whipping cream added to the filling--for extra goodness!  For Christmas dinner I make a fruit pie (or two) of local fruit preserved for this purpose--which brings harvest-time color and taste to our Winter table.  This year I made two pies for Christmas--blueberry from our annual berry-picking trip to Rush River Produce Farm and pears from the Fairview Farm (Timm family).

 

My never-fail pie crust recipe for a 8-9" two-crust pie
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup lard
4-6 Tablespoons of cold water
Toss flour and salt together.  Cut in lard with pastry blender until mixture size of tiny peas.  Sprinkle in water one Tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork after each addition, until dough cleans side of bowl and comes together.  Gather dough together with hands and press firmly into a ball.  Roll out on lightly-floured surface.

Deluxe Pecan Pie
Prepare pastry using one half of crust recipe and put pastry into 9" pie pan.  Mix together following ingredients for filling and pour into pastry-lined pan:
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup brandy
1 cup pecan halves
Bake 40-50 minutes at 375 degrees until filling is set and pastry is brown.

Pear Pie
Prepare crust from recipe above and line 8" pie pan with half of rolled out pastry.  Toss together following ingredients for filling:
4 cups sliced pears (peeled and cored)
1/2 cup sugar (use 1/3 cup if using pears canned in sweet syrup)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of ginger
1/3 cup flour
Put filling in pastry-lined pan and top with following:
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons butter, cut in small pieces
Put top piece of pastry on pie, seal and flute.  Cut slits in top.  Wrap edges of pie crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning, and remove foil for last 15 minutes of baking.

Blueberry Pie
Prepare crust from recipe above and line 8" pie pan with half of rolled out pastry. Toss together following ingredients for filling:
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup flour
Put filling in pastry-lined pan and top with following:
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon butter, cut in small pieces
Put top piece of pastry on pie, seal and flute. Cut slits in top. Wrap edges of pie crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning, and remove foil for last 15 minutes of baking.