Triple Fruit Pie

My Mom just loved rhubarb!  It was probably her favorite fruit, and she and my Dad grew it in their large garden in Pennsylvania.  When we moved to North Carolina, she tried repeatedly to grow rhubarb, and had no success!  I can find it occasionally in the grocery stores here in Charlotte, however, only one time during checkout was the clerk able to identify the pink stalks, (he was originally from upstate New York).  Several years ago, when grocery shopping locally with Mom, there was a teenage girl who wrinkled her nose when she picked up the bag of rhubarb by the corner, (like it was poison)!  She apparently had never seen or heard of it.  (We both tried very hard to keep from laughing!)

Since making this recipe for the first time in May, I have experimented with different fruit combinations, most recently with a strawberry - rhubarb version, (3 cups of rhubarb, and 3 cups of strawberries). 

I just love the tartness of this pie, but if you want it to be sweeter, just add more brown sugar. 

Start by making dough for a two crust pie.  For the steps to making this crust from a previous post click here 

Divide the dough in half, and roll out the bottom crust.

In a large bowl add blackberries, raspberries, and rhubarb.  Gently fold in the vanilla, brown sugar, tapioca, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.

Add the fruit mixture to the pie crust.

Roll out the top crust and add to the top of the pie.

Once the top crust is trimmed and sealed, add small cuts to the top crust.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

TRIPLE FRUIT PIE

2 Cups Fresh Blackberries

2 Cups Fresh Raspberries

2 Cups Fresh Rhubarb

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1 Cup Brown Sugar

¼ Cup Quick Cooking Tapioca

¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg

¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon

¼ Teaspoon Salt

Bake @ 400 degrees for 20 minutes the 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Adapted from Best of Country Pies – Taste of Home

Butter Pie Crust

Butter Pie Crust

Recipe Author:  Carolina Food and Fitness

2 ½ Cups Flour

12 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

¼ Teaspoon Salt

2 Large Egg Yolks
¼ Teaspoon Vanilla

6 Tablespoons Ice Water

Yield:  2 crust pie

Maple Pecan Pie

This recipe is based upon one that originally came from my Grandmother.  Her recipe called for light corn syrup, and I decided to substitute maple syrup.  I was a little concerned when I first tried the substitution, because the maple syrup is less thick, than the corn syrup, but it turned out well, and my Dad says it is better than the original! 

Cream together softened butter, and brown sugar.

Add maple syrup (real maple syrup, not the fake stuff), and vanilla, then add eggs, slightly beaten, and mix well.  Finally, mix in the chopped pecans, and pour into prepared pie crust.

If desired, use additional pecan halves for garnish.  Bake in preheated oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Maple Pecan Pie
Recipe Author:  Carolina Food and Fitness

1/3 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1 Cup Maple Syrup
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
3 Eggs, Slightly Beaten
1 Cup Chopped Pecans, plus additional pecans for garnish

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Butter Pie Crust

In a food processor, add flour and salt, and process just until blended.  Add butter, cut into pieces, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  With machine running, and egg yolk and vanilla through the feed tube, and process. Finally, add ice water and pulse just until a dough forms.

Remove the dough from the food processor, shape into a disc, wrap with wax paper, place inside a zip lock back, and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to use, roll out dough on a lightly floured board, and place into a pie pan, and trim edges, (I'm still learning)!

Butter Pie Crust
Recipe Author: Carolina Food and Fitness

1 1/4 Cup Flour

1/3 Teaspoon Salt

6 Tablespoons Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into pieces

1 Large Egg Yolk

1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla

3 Tablespoons Ice Water

Brown Butter Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

My Dad loves oatmeal raisin cookies!  I have tried several different recipes, but was never really satisfied with the results.  I recently tried a recipe for snicker doodles, that browned the butter, so I thought I would try the same technique to improve oatmeal raisin cookies.

Cut the butter into small pieces.

Stir constantly over medium-high heat, until butter has browned like this. Transfer to a separate pan, to stop the cooking, and to speed-up the cooling process.

After the butter had cooled I mixed it with the brown sugar, and the granulated sugar, and beat it until well incorporated.  Add the vanilla, cream, eggs and mix well.

I put the old fashioned oats in the food processor, and pulsed the machine several times, for a finer texture.

In a separate bowl mix together the other dry ingredients, (minus the oats) and beat until just combined. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the oats to the batter.  By hand, stir the raisins into the cookie dough. 

Cover the mixing bowl, and refrigerate the batter for several hours or overnight.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and scoop out approximately 2 tablespoons of dough, and shape into a ball.  Flatten each cookie slightly with your hand.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, and let cool for several minutes before removing from the cookie sheet.

Brown Butter Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Recipe Author: Carolina Food and Fitness

1 cup unsalted brown butter

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons heavy cream

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

½  teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon espresso powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking  powder

3 cups old-fashioned oats (pulsed in the food processor)

1 1/2 - 2 cups raisins

Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes.