Peach Raspberry Pie

Ingredients

¼ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Pastry dough for double crust (double this recipe here)

1 large egg

1 tablespoon milk

2 pounds peaches (or enough to mostly fill your pie)

½ pint raspberries (about 1 cup)

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough to a 1/4-inch-thick circle, about 13 inches in diameter. Gently place dough in bottom of pie dish.

2. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together egg and milk to make a glaze; set aside. Combine peaches, raspberries, sugar, and flour. Pour into pie dish. Dot with butter.

3. Roll out the remaining dough to the same size and thickness. Add an extra tablespoon of flour if the peaches are very juicy. Brush the rim of the crust with the egg glaze. Place the rolled-out dough on top, trim to 1/2 inch over edge of pan, and crimp the edges with a fork or your fingers. Brush the top with the egg glaze and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 30 to 40 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping, if desired.

Notes: This recipe is an adaptation of Martha Stewart's Peach Raspberry Pie recipe. I used fresh raspberries and peaches that we had picked at a local farm. The pie turned out really tasty, and looked beautiful with the glaze on top. Martha suggests chilling the dough before you add the filling, and then chilling the assembled pie before baking. I didn't do these steps, and it turned out just fine.

Single (9-inch) Pie Crust

Ingredients:
1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. shortening
3 Tbsp. cold water

Directions:
1. Combine flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender (or you can use 2 knives using a cris-cross method) until all flour is blended and pea-sized chunks form.
2. Sprinkle with water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Toss lightly with a fork until dough forms a ball.
3. Press dough between hands to form a 5-6" "pancake." Roll dough into a circle on a lightly-floured surface. Trim circle to 1 inch larger than upside-down pie plate.
4. Fold dough into quarters. Unfold and press into pie plate. Fold edge under and flute.
5. For recipes using a baked crust, heat oven to 425 degrees. Prick bottom and side thoroughly with fork to prevent shrinkage. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. For recipes using an unbaked pie crust, follow directions given for that recipe.

Notes: This a very easy pie crust recipe. I have used others and have frequently been frustrated with trying to get the right consistency. Follow this recipe and you will have a perfect crust. It can be found in the Old-Fashioned Bake Sale cookbook.

Blackberry-apple Pie with Pecan Crumb Topping

Ingredients:
1 pastry for a single crust pie
3/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 1/2 c. fresh blackberries
2 1/2 c. apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

Topping
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 c. pecans, chopped
3 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add fruit and gently stir until blackberries and apples are well coated. Set aside and allow the fruit to sit for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare pastry dough (if making your own) and roll out on lightly-floured surface. Place in 9-inch pie pan. Set aside.
3. To prepare topping, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add nuts and butter, using a fork or pastry blender to completely incorporate the butter with other ingredients.
4. Once fruit has stood for 20 minutes, spoon filling into pastry-lined pie pan. Place foil around the edge of the pastry to prevent from getting too brown. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Spread topping over filling, being sure to evenly cover the top. Continue baking for another 20-25 minutes, or until crust and top are golden brown and filling begins to bubble. Cool on wire rack. Serve as is, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or with a dollop of whipped topping.

Notes: This is a hybrid of this recipe and this one, along with my own adjustments. I love how it turned out! Very tasty! I like the textural and flavor combination of the apples and blackberries. I would recommend putting the pie pan on a baking sheet to keep your oven clean. The filling will probably bubble over a bit.

Pie Crust

Ingredients:
2 C. sifted flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 C. shortening/lard
5 to 7 Tbs. cold water

Directions:
1. Sift flour and salt together.
2. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until pieces are the size of small peas.
3. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon water over mixture at a time, gently tossing with a fork after each addition.
4. Repeat until all is moistened. Form into a ball.
5. For double crust, divide in half.
6. Flatten on lightly floured surface. Roll from center to edge until 1/8 inch thick.

Notes: One recipe equals a double-crust pie. For a single-crust pie shell, fit pastry into pie pan; fold under and flute edges. Prick bottom and sides well with a fork. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 can (29 oz.) pumpkin
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 cans evaporated milk
2 9" unbaked pie shells

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients in order given.
3. Divide evenly into pie shells.
4. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 45 minutes or until knife inserted into center of each pie comes out clean.
6. Let cool.
7. Garnish with whipped topping.

Frozen Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
1 C. canned pumpkin
2/3 C. corn syrup
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 C. coarsely chopped walnuts
3 1/2 C. Cool Whip, thawed
1 prepared 9" graham crust
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:
1. Combine pumpkin, corn syrup, spices, and nuts.
2. Fold in Cool Whip.
3. Spoon into crust.
4. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
5. Before serving, let stand 15 minutes at room temperature.