Joan Sain’s Pecan Pie

I phoned a friend this week. We have not seen one another for 20 years, but the subject of this pie came up one more time. She recently had made it for friends in Colorado, and again had raves. It reminds us both of the cook who first served it to us. We miss her, but we both agreed that it is the best Pecan Pie that we had ever had. I have given it to you before, but it’s worth repeating…

3 eggs 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter 1 cup dark Karo syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup pecans

1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter to soften, add sugar gradually. Add Karo and salt, beat well, add eggs one at a time. Stir in pecans. Bake in unbaked pie shell at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Chocolate Pie

This is a family favorite, from 1958, delish and so easy.

1 cup whole milk 1 1/2 squares bitter chocolate 1 cup sugar 2 1/2 tablespoons flour 1 slightly beaten egg 1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Scald milk; add bitter chocolate and stir until melted. (it will be grainy) Sift together flour and sugar and add to above. Add slightly beaten egg. Boil till thick. Add 1 tablespoon butter and one teaspoon vanilla. Chill

Turn into a baked 9 inch pie shell

Chill in refrigerator

Top with sweetened whipped cream, and curls of chocolate that can be made by holding a room temperature square of Chocolate firmly and scraping the edge as if you were peeling a potato

Chill till ready to serve. It does not get too firm.

If you use Cool Whip the kitchen troll will come and rob your house.

Lattice Crust Peach Pie

Ok, this came from the July issue of Gourmet 1985. It came with a glorious photo that prompted me to make it then…I added the Liquor and broke the sugar down to a proportion of white and brown..I have only made it twice, since lattice is kind of a pain, (but fun to do).

In visiting the Northfield Farm Market today there were some peaches!…so, it’s time!

Obviously, it was published before the advent of food processors, you could use yours if you have one, ..I could never find all the parts and I gave mine away…now I’m thinking of buying another one. (Gemini’s change their mind all the time)

400 degrees for 25 min reduce to 350 for 25 or 30 minutes more

Dough: Note the lemon juice. 3 cups flour 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup cold lard, cut into bits 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup water

Combine the flour and the salt in a bowl. Add the lard, and blend the mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Sir in the combination of lemon juice and water, adding more if it does not just form a dough, and knead the dough lightly to distribute the lard. Divide the dough into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other, and chill it, wrapped in wax paper, for 30 minutes.

Filling

3 Lbs peaches peeling and sliced

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice or to taste

1 Tablespoon of Grand Marnier

5 tablespoon flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt Pinch mace Sprinkle of cinnamon

Small pinch of cloves

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into bits

In a large bowl toss the peaches with the lemon juice and Grand Marnier. In a small bowl combine well the flour sugars salt and spices. Add the mixture to the peaches, and toss the mixture until it is combined well

Roll out the larger ball of dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, fit it into a 10 inch pie pan, and trim the edge leaving a 1/2 inch overhand. Chill the shell while cutting the dough for the lattice crust. Roll out the other ball of dough 1/8 inch thick and with a knife or a fluted pastry wheel cut out 3/4 inch strips of the dough. Transfer the strips to a baking sheet and chill them for 5 minutes or until they are just firm enough to work with. (If the strips get too cold they will be brittle and break)

Spoon the filling into the shell, mounding it slightly in the center, dot it with the butter, and arrange the lattice strips on top. *You start at one side, overlapping. alternating and weaving the strips as you go, securing the strips on only one side, so that you can lift as one will go under then over the next. You will need the longer strips in the middle.

Wash for top

beat one large egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water

After cooling

1/4 cup apricot preserves

Trim the ends of the strips flush with the overhang of the shell and brush some of the egg wash between the ends of the strips and the overhang, pressing the dough together. Turn the edges of the dough under, pressing them against the side of the pan and brush the dough with some of the remaining egg wash. Bake the pie on a baking sheet lined with foil to catch any drips in the lower third of a preheated 400 degree oven for 25 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake the pie for 25 to 30 minutes more or until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Let the pie cool on a rack for 30 minutes, and brush the filling with the preserves, heated and strained through a sieve.