one crust or two?

Prepared by Gayle Lewis | Photos by Jodi Miller

What’s your favorite fruit pie? There’s nothing more American than apple pie, but Americans may argue about their favorite flavor. Satisfy your sweet tooth naturally with fruit pies. Fruit pie can be made any time of year with in-season fresh fruits or frozen fruits. Fresh fruit should be washed, peeled and sliced before mixing in a pie and frozen fruit should be thawed before mixing.

 

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Raspberry Pie
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
½ of 3-ounce box raspberry gelatin
1 pint raspberries (fresh or frozen)
9-inch pie crust, baked

Stir cornstarch and sugar together in a small saucepan; add water. Bring to boil over medium heat to thicken. Remove from heat, stir in raspberry gelatin. Let cool. Stir in raspberries. Pour into baked crust. Refrigerate until solid. Top with cool whip.

 

Submitted by Joy McClarren, Bucyrus

Plenty O’ Pie Crust
5 pounds flour
3 pounds Crisco
1 teaspoon salt
3½ cups milk
3½ teaspoons vinegar

In a very large bowl, mix flour and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two butter knives, cut the Crisco into the flour mixture until crumbly. In a small bowl, combine milk and vinegar. Add liquid to crumbled dough, mixing with hands to create soft pie dough. Divide into 15 single pie crusts. Wrap individually in baggie or plastic wrap. Will store in freezer for several months.

 

Submitted by Sannie Swartz McClarren, Iberia

Sour Cherry Pie
20-ounce bag frozen, unsweetened pitted tart cherries, thawed (4 cups)
1 to 1¼ cups sugar (depending on your preference)
¼ cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
pastry for 2 pie crusts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine sugar and cornstarch in medium saucepan. Stir in cherries and cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in butter and extracts. Line a 9-inch pie plate with crust. Fill with cherry filling. Adjust top crust, cutting steam vents. Brush top with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 40 to 45 minutes. Cool before cutting.

 

Submitted by Janet Cassidy, Delaware


Apple, Pear Crumb Pie
Crumb Topping:
¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces and chilled
²/³ cup chopped walnuts

Mix well together using a pastry blender until crumbly.

Filling:
2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
1¼ cups ripe pears, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons Minute tapioca
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare 10-inch unbaked crust. In large bowl toss together apples and pears. In smaller bowl, mix together sugar, sour cream, tapioca and cinnamon. Gently stir mixture into apples and pears. Spoon into crust. Top with crumbs, mounding slightly. Bake on lined cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake additional 40 to 50 minutes until fruit is tender. If topping browns too quickly, cover completely with foil.

 

Submitted by Nancy Daugherty, Cortland

Bumbleberry Pie
1 cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
pinch salt
1 16-ounce bag frozen mixed berries, thawed
2 slightly heaping cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced thin
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon sugar
pastry for 2 pie crusts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Gently stir in berries, peaches, lemon juice and vanilla. Pour into pie shell. Top with thin pats of butter, add top crust. Crimp edges and sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over the top. Bake for 40 minutes with foil wrapped edges, remove foil for final 10 minutes to brown the edges.

 

Submitted by Jeff McClarren, Gahanna

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie
Crust:
20 Oreo cookies, finely ground
2½ tablespoons melted butter
dash salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
12 squares Dove dark chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place Oreo crumbs, melted butter, salt and vanilla in a 9-inch pie plate. Gently mix with fork. Press mixture firmly on bottom and sides of pan. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until crisp. Cool completely. Drizzle melted dark chocolate over the cooled crust, gently spread with back of spoon.

Filling:
1 3-ounce box strawberry gelatin
2/3 cup boiling water
½ cup cold water and ice
1 8-ounce thawed whipped topping
1½ cups strawberries, chopped

Chop berries; set aside. Add boiling water to gelatin mix; stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Add enough ice to cold water to make 1 cup. Add to gelatin; stir until slightly thickened. Remove unmelted ice. Whisk in thawed topping. Stir in berries. Refrigerate 30 minutes, until thick and will mound. Spoon over chocolate drizzled crust. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Top with chocolate dipped strawberries OR 1 cup sliced berries with chocolate sauce drizzled over the top.

 

Submitted by Alyssa Lewis, New Albany