ONLINE EXTRA — PIE RECIPES: Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie . . . Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cream Pie . . . Ginger-Pear Hand Pies, etc,

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

CRUST:

2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) very cold unsalted butter, diced

½ cup very cold vegetable shortening, diced

¼ cup ice water

1/4cup vodka

FILLING:

1½ pounds rhubarb, cut into ¾-inch-long pieces (about 5 to 6 cups)

2 cups sliced strawberries

1½ cups sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, plus 1 tablespoon orange juice

Coarse salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash

Sugar for sprinkling (optional)

To make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, place the flour, sugar and salt; pulse to combine. Add the butter and shortening pieces. Process just until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons vodka, and pulse to combine. Continue adding vodka and water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together and is slightly tacky but sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

To make the filling: Mix together rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, orange zest and juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt.

To finish the pie: On a floured surface, roll out one dough disk so it’s 1/8-inch thick and will fit in a 9-inch pie plate. Place the dough in the pan, pour in the filling; dot top with butter. Refrigerate while making top crust.

Roll remaining disk to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into at least 10 inch-wide strips using a fluted pastry cutter.

Lay 5 strips across pie. Fold back every other strip, and lay a horizontal strip across the center of the pie. Unfold folded strips, then fold back remaining strips. Lay another horizontal strip across pie. Repeat folding and unfolding strips to weave a lattice pattern. Repeat on remaining side.

Trim bottom and top crusts to a 1-inch overhang using kitchen shears and press together to seal edges. Fold edges under, and crimp as desired. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the pie from the refrigerator. Brush crust with egg wash, and sprinkle generously with sugar. Place a foil-lined baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch juices, and bake pie on middle rack for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking until filling is vigorously bubbling in center and bottom crust is golden, about 1 hour. (Tent loosely with foil after 1 hour if crust is browning too quickly.) Transfer pie to a wire rack, and let cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 639 calories, (48 percent of calories from fat, 34 grams fat (15 grams saturated), 77 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 12 milligrams sodium, 66 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams fiber.

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cream Pie

2 cups whole milk

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/3 cup water

1½ teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1½ teaspoons vanilla

1 fully baked pie shell

Whipped cream, chocolate shavings, to garnish

In a medium pot, scald milk over medium heat.

Combine sugar, cocoa, water and salt in a large pot. Whisk until smooth. Set the pot with the sugar-cocoa mixture over moderately high heat and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate; whisk until thoroughly melted.

Place the cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk in enough of the hot milk to make a slurry, then whisk in remaining milk.

Pour the milk into the chocolate mixture, then return to moderately high heat. Cook the pudding until it reaches a boil, stirring with a heatproof spatula and making sure to continuously scrape the bottom of the pan. Allow to boil for one minute, still scraping the bottom of the pan.

Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Immediately pour the pudding into a pan and press plastic wrap snugly against surface. Refrigerate for several hours.

When the pudding is cold, spoon it into the baked pie crust. Garnish with freshly whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Refrigerate until serving time.

Ginger-Pear Hand Pies

CRUST:

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

¼ cup cold vegetable shortening, in small pieces

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

¼ to ½ cup ice water

FILLING:

2 large eggs

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

2 ripe, firm pears, such as Bosc, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice

½ cup unsalted butter

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and scraped

2 tablespoons finely grated, peeled, fresh ginger

Confectioners’ sugar

In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar and salt until combined. Add butter and shortening; pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 times. Combine vinegar and ¼ cup ice water. Drizzle evenly over mixture; pulse just until dough comes together, adding more water if necessary.

Pat dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic and chill until firm, 1 hour or up to 1 day.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough ¼-inch thick. Cut 12 5-inch rounds. Gently press rounds into cups of a muffin tin, making pleats around edges and gently pressing to seal. Chill or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. For filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and granulated sugar until thick and pale yellow. Whisk in lemon juice, then flour and salt. Set aside. Place pears in another medium bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat butter, vanilla bean and seeds and ginger over medium-high heat until butter foams and browns, about 5 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine sieve over pears. Stir egg mixture into pear mixture.

Divide batter among pie shells. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack, 30 to 40 minutes. Unmold; let cool completely. Just before serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Yield: 12 pies.

Lattice-Top Blueberry Pie

PATE BRISEE:

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

¼ to ½ cup ice water

BLUEBERRY FILLING:

7 cups (about 2 pounds) fresh blueberries, picked over and rinsed

½ cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Fine sanding sugar

Make the pate brisee by pulsing flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles corn meal, with some larger pieces. Drizzle ¼ cup water over the mixture and pulse just until the mixture begins to hold together. If the mixture is too dry, add more water, a tablespoon at a time, and pulse.

Divide dough in half and flatten into disks. Wrap well in plastic and chill until firm, 1 hour or up to 1 day.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out a disk of dough to a 13-inch round, about 1/8-inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate.

In a large bowl, toss together the berries, ½ cup sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and lemon juice. Pour into pie plate, piling it in the center.

Roll out remaining disk of dough, as you did in step 1. Cut dough into inch-wide strips using a fluted pastry wheel. Brush pie edges lightly with water. Carefully arrange the dough strips on top, weaving to form a lattice. Trim dough to a 1-inch overhand. Fold edges under and crimp with a fork.

Whisk the egg yolk and cream to form an egg wash. Brush over dough strips and pie edges. Generously sprinkle with sanding sugar. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake the pie atop a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet until crust begins to brown, 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until crust is deep golden brown and juices bubble, about 55 minutes more. (If crust browns too quickly, tent it with foil.) Cool completely on a wire rack.

Blackberry Pie

CRUST:

2½ cups flour

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into large cubes

Ice water

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

Cut in the vegetable shortening using a pastry cutter, two knives or a fork, just until the shortening is reduced to the size of large peas.

Stir in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the ingredients come together to just form dough, about 4 tablespoons ice water.

Press the contents together into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough at least 1 hour to give it time to relax and chill.

FILIING AND ASSEMBLY:

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup sugar, plus extra for dusting the top of the pie

5 tablespoons flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough

1 pound blackberries

2 tablespoons lemon juice

PREPARED CRUST:

Water for brushing the dough to seal the crust

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the salt, sugar and flour. Gently stir in the blackberries, then drizzle over the lemon juice and gently stir to combine. Set aside the bowl while you shape the crust.

Remove the crust from the refrigerator and roughly divide in half (make one half slightly larger for the bottom crust). Wrap and refrigerate the smaller half of dough while you roll out and fill the bottom crust.

On a well-floured board, roll the dough to a diameter of about 13 inches; the dough will be very thin and fragile. (It might help to roll the dough on a large sheet of floured parchment or wax paper. The dough then can be more easily lifted and inverted over the pie dish.)

Gently lift and center the dough over a 9-inch pie dish; if the dough cracks, simply press the crack together to seal, or patch with a little leftover dough. Press the dough into the pie dish, making sure to remove any air bubbles from underneath the dough.

Fill the pie shell with the fruit filling. Brush the edge of the dough lightly with water (this will help the top crust adhere to the shell).

Remove the remaining dough from the refrigerator and roll in the same manner as the bottom crust to a diameter of 10 to 11 inches; this will be the top crust. Gently center the dough over the filling. Tuck the edges of the top crust around the bottom crust to seal the pie, pressing the two dough halves together, using your fingers to crimp the edge.

Sprinkle a generous coating of sugar over the top of the pie, then slit the top crust to create vents.

Bake the pie in the center of the oven until the crust is lightly golden and set, and the filling is bubbly, about 1 hour.

Cool the pie before serving.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 504 calories, 5 grams protein, 63 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 26 grams fat (6 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 28 grams sugar, 108 milligrams sodium.

Apple Caramel Pie

CRUST:

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

¾ cup Crisco

Dash of salt

¼ cup milk or more as needed

FILLING:

6 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

2 medium red apples such as Gala, Jonathon or Macintosh, peeled, cored and sliced

½ cup flour

¼ cup sugar

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

12 Kraft caramels, unwrapped

3 tablespoons butter, in small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To make the crust: In a large bowl, mix together all the crust ingredients using two butter knives. The less use of your hands the better for flakiness. Knead the dough slightly and divide in two. Roll out each one to fit a 9-inch glass pie pan.

Spray a glass pie pan with fat-free cooking spray and place one crust.

Place the apples in the pie crust.

In a small bowl combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle all around the apples.

Place the caramels throughout the sliced apples. Dot the apples with the butter pieces. Place the top crust on top of apples. Seal the edges and crimp.

Cut slits in the top crust to vent. Brush the top crust with milk.

Bake for 45 minutes or until crust is browned and apples are tender. Check by inserting a skewer into the apples through one of vents. Remove from oven and cool before serving.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 533 calories, 34 percent of calories from fat, 20 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 89 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 271 milligrams sodium, 12 milligrams cholesterol, 5 grams fiber.

Concord Pie

Favorite crust for a 9-inch double crust pie

4 cups of Concord grapes

½ cup sugar

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

2 to 4 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 tablespoon milk, optional

½ teaspoon sugar, optional

Slip pulp out of the grape skins and reserve skins. Place the pulp in a large pot over medium heat and cook until the seeds fall to the bottom. Remove from the heat and press the mixture through a sieve to remove remaining seeds. Discard the seeds.

In a large bowl, combine the pulp and the skins with sugar, lemon juice and tapioca. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Roll out half the dough for a bottom crust and place in the bottom of the pie pan. Roll out the remaining dough for the top crust.

Fill the shell with the grape mixture and cover the pie with the top crust. Seal edges and crimp. Prick several holes in the top of the crust or cut vents. If desired, brush the top crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Place the pie on the lower rack in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 and bake for about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool completely before serving.

Cook’s note: You may want to put the pie on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. This pie can bubble over.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 331 calories, 43 percent of calories from fat, 16 grams fat (4 grams saturated), 45 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 246 milligrams sodium, no cholesterol, 1 gram fiber.

Pear Pie

STREUSEL:

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats

½ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FILLING:

3 pounds Anjou or Bartlett pears (5 or 6 medium), peeled and cored, cut lengthwise into 8 wedges and then crosswise into ½-inch slices (about 7 cups)

1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2/3 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¾ cup dried tart cherries, coarsely chopped

1 prebaked single piecrust

Position a rack in the center of the oven, set a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 350.

For the streusel: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar and salt. Using your fingers, blend the butter into the flour mixture. The mixture will be moist. Set aside.

For the filling: In a large bowl, toss the pears with the lemon juice. In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the sugar mixture to the pears and toss well to combine. Stir in the cherries.

Mound the filling into the piecrust. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the pear mixture, pressing the streusel between your fingers into small lumps as you sprinkle.

Put the pie on the heated baking sheet and bake until the pastry is golden-brown and the filling is bubbly and thickened at the edges, 55 to 65 minutes. Rotate the pie halfway through baking, and if the pastry or streusel browns before the filling has thickened, loosely cover the top or edges of the pie as needed with a pie shield or a sheet of aluminum foil.

Transfer to a rack and cool completely before serving. The pie can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 630 calories, 34 percent of calories from fat, 24 grams fat (15 grams saturated), 101 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams protein, 260 milligrams sodium, 60 milligrams cholesterol, 7 grams fiber.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

GRAHAM CRACKER COCONUT CRUST:

¾ cup graham cracker crumbs

¾ cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

¼ cup finely chopped pecans

2 tablespoons sugar

FILLING:

½ cup white sugar

1 envelope (about 1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

3 eggs, yolks and whites separated

¾ cup whole milk

1 cup canned pumpkin

WHIPPED CREAM WITH CANDIED GINGER:

1½ cups well-chilled heavy cream

3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

½ to 1 teaspoon ground ginger

¼ cup finely chopped candied ginger

To prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix together all the crust ingredients and press evenly on the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake until golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

In the top of a double boiler, mix the sugar, gelatin, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Gradually stir in the egg yolks and milk. Heat over rapidly simmering but not boiling water, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the pumpkin. Refrigerate covered until partially set, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the egg whites in small mixer bowl until stiff. Whisk refrigerated gelatin mixture in large bowl to remove lumps. Fold ½ cup of beaten egg whites into gelatin mixture; fold in remaining egg whites. Pour into prepared crust. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

To make the topping: In a mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Sprinkle in the confectioner’s sugar and ground ginger and beat until stiff. Fold in candied ginger. Refrigerate until ready to serve pie.

Spread evenly over pie or add a dollop to each piece before serving.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 254 calories, 53 percent of calories from fat, 15 grams fat (8 grams saturated), 26 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 236 milligrams sodium, 99 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams fiber.

Best-Ever Pumpkin Pie

Crust for a single-crust deep-dish pie

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs

¾ cup heavy cream

1/3 cup whole or 2-percent milk

2 tablespoons bourbon or rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle. Ease into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and press gently into the bottom. Trim the overhang to ¾ inch all around. Turn edges under and crimp or flute as desired. Prick the bottom and sides several times with a fork. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place foil in the bottom of the crust and fill with pie weights, or dry beans. Bake until golden around the edges, 14 to 18 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and set crust aside.

Whisk together the pumpkin, sugars, flour, salt and spices. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the cream, milk, bourbon or rum and vanilla. Pour into the baked shell.

Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and continue baking until the custard is set and a knife inserted two-thirds of the way to the center comes out clean, 35 to 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Sweet Potato Pie

Crust for 2 single-crust pies

About 2 medium-size sweet potatoes

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, separated

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2/3 cup (10 2/3 tablespoons) butter, melted and cooled

1 2/3 cups milk

Roll out crusts and place in 2 pie pans. Trim overhang and turn under. Crimp or flute as desired.

Peel sweet potatoes and cut into chunks. Place in a pan with water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain. Mash sweet potatoes and press through a ricer or colander to remove fibers. Measure 2 cups of mashed sweet potato (set aside any extra to use for another dish).

Combine mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, spices, salt, beaten yolks, vanilla and melted butter. Mix thoroughly. Add the milk and stir well.

Beat the eggs whites until frothy and stir into the batter. Pour the batter into the crusts. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes, until crust is lightly browned and center barely jiggles when shaken.

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