Sweet tart pastry (untested)

This recipe is written in ballpoint pen in my Grammy's handwriting. It is dated 1971 and is attributed to "Norfolk". It is a versatile recipe for making tart shells that can be filled with a filling of your choice.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unsifted flour
• 3/4 cup margarine [I'd use butter]
• 2 eggs yolks
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind [lemon zest] (optional)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons ice water

Instructions:

1. Put flour in mixing bowl and make a well in the center
2. Cut margarine [butter] in thin slices
3. Place margarine [butter] slices, egg yolks, optional lemon zest and sugar in the well
4. Work ingredients in well with fingertips until creamy
5. Gradually blend in flour
6. Sprinkle with ice water and knead gently with fingertips just until dough holds together
7. Pull into a ball and flatten slightly to hasten chilling
8. Wrap in paper or foil and chill for several hours
9. Cut chilled pastry into 10 to 12 equal pieces
10. Roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface to 5-inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick
11. Fit in 4-inch scalloped tart pans, pressing pastry well into scallops.
12. Even off edges with thumb
13. Prick bottoms with fork
14. Set pans on cookie sheet
15. Bake in moderate oven (375°F) for 10 to 12 minutes
16. Cool slightly, then carefully turn out on hand and put on cake rack to cool completely
17. Just before serving, fill with berries or fruit, pudding, ice cream or a combination of fillings

Parfait pie (untested)

This recipe is written in ballpoint pen in my Grammy's handwriting. It is dated March 1970 and attributed to Better Homes & Gardens.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fruit cocktail
• 3 ounce package of orange gelatin
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream
• 1 baked 9-inch pastry shell [get the recipe for Never-Fail Pie Crust by clicking here]

Instructions:

1. Drain syrup from the fruit cocktail into a measuring cup
2. Add enough water to the syrup to make the total volume 1 cup
3. In a saucepan, heat diluted syrup
4. Dissolve gelatin in hot syrup mixture then add cold water
5. Spoon ice cream into gelatin mixture
6. Stir until melted
7. Chill mixture for 40-45 minutes until it thicken and mounds when spooned
8. Fold in 1 1/2 cup fruit cocktail
9. Turn into pastry shell
10. Chill until firm (20-25 minutes)
11. Garnish with rest of fruit before serving

Maggie's pumpkin pie (untested)

This recipe appears to be written in Grammy's handwriting (her handwriting looked different when she wrote in fountain pen). It is undated, but I suspect this recipe pre-dates 1941 (the year she got married).

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup steamed pumpkin
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 5/8 cup canned milk diluted with 3/8 cup water [probably unsweetened evaporated milk]

Instructions:

1. Beat egg thoroughly
2. Add sugar mixed with flour, salt and spices
3. Add pumpkin, molasses and milk
4. Stir until well-blended
5. Line a deep pie pan with pastry [get the recipe for Never-Fail Pie Crust by clicking here]
6. Pour in pumpkin mixture
7. Bake in moderate oven (350°F–375°F) [no baking time is given but my own experience has been that a pumpkin pie is done when you can stick a butter knife into the filling and have it come out clean]

Never-fail pie crust (untested)

This recipe is written in ballpoint pen in handwriting belongs to Grammy's daughter Ann. It is noted that this is a recipe for a "double crust", meaning that it will provide enough pastry dough for both a pie shell and a top crust.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup shortening (if margarine is used add 3 tablespoons more)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

Instructions:

1. Mix flour, shortening and salt well until crumbly
2. Add beaten egg, water and vinegar to the crumb mixture
3. Blend until ready to roll
4. If the dough is a bit dry, work with hands to get it to stick together
5. Use the dough as directed for whatever pie recipe you are making

Golden peach pie (untested)

This recipe is written in ballpoint pen in handwriting belongs to Grammy's daughter Ann.

Ingredients:

• 2 1-pound cans sliced peaches
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• dash of salt
• 2 tablespoons margarine [I'd use butter]
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Pastry for 2-crust pie [get the recipe for Never-Fail Pie Crust by clicking here]

Instructions:

1. Drain peaches, reserving 1/2 cup of the syrup (you should have about 2 2/3 cups of peaches)
2. Combine sugar, flour, nutmeg and salt
3. Add 1/2 cup of syrup you reserved 
4. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens
5. Add margarine [butter] and lemon juice
6. Add peaches
7. Pour peach mixture into 9-inch pastry-lined pie plate
8. Moisten edge of pastry dough
9. Add top crust
10. Seal the edge of the dough and flute the edge
11. Cut vents in top
12. Bake at 400°F for 40-45 minutes

Butterscotch pie filling (untested)

This recipe is written in fountain pen. In the upper right corner are the initials "M.H.", so the handwriting may belong to Grammy's paternal aunt Maggie Munce Hansen. I found another copy of this recipe written in Grammy's early handwriting (below).

Although the original title of the recipe says "pie", it appears that this recipe is for a "no bake" pie filling. No instructions for the pie crust are provided. I don't know if it is supposed to be put into a graham cracker pie crust or pre-baked pie shell. Until we test this recipe, we won't know for certain unless someone in the family remembers eating this recipe years ago.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup canned milk [probably unsweetened evaporated milk]
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 eggs, well-beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Instructions:

1. Cream butter and sugar
2. Add flour, milk, water and well-beaten eggs
3. Put in double boiler and cook until thick
4. Add vanilla
5. Cool

Boysenberry pie filling (untested)

This recipe is written in pencil in a handwriting I don't recognize. This recipe seems incomplete but is decipherable enough to the experienced baker that it can be followed. No pie crust recipe or baking instructions for the pie are included.  Get the recipe for Never-Fail Pie Crust by clicking here

Ingredients:

• 1 can boysenberries [no exact measurement is given]
• 1/2 sugar [no exact measurement is given but it is probably 1/2 cup]
• 1 teaspoon lemon [probably lemon juice]
• pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons corn starch

Instructions:

1. Boil berries, sugar and salt
2. Mix corn starch with water in a separate bowl
3. Add corn starch mixture to berries and cook until clear

Banana cream pie (untested)

This recipe is written in fountain pen in what appears to be Grammy's early handwriting. In the upper right corner it says "Maggie's". Maggie Munce Hansen was Grammy's paternal aunt.

A notation at the bottom of the recipe notes that pineapple can be used instead of bananas. I've never heard of pineapple cream pie, but I'm intrigued.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 heaping tablespoons corn starch
• 2 eggs, separated
• 3 bananas*
• 1 tablespoon butter
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar (for meringue)
• 1 cold pre-baked pie shell [get the recipe for Never-Fail Pie Crust by clicking here]

Instructions

1. Boil milk
2. Add salt and sugar, stirring constantly
3. Add butter
4. Add corn starch moistened with a little cold water
5. Add egg yolks
6. Let custard mixture cool
7. Slice bananas and place on the bottom of the cold baked pie shell
8. Pour cooled custard mixture over bananas into pie shell
9. Cover with a meringue made of the egg whites and 2 tablespoons of sugar [no instructions are provided but egg whites are probably beaten until they form stiff peaks and then sugar is gently folded in] Click here for a detailed recipe for Eight-Minute Meringue
10. Bake in a moderate oven (350°F–375°F) until set and brown

*Pineapple may be used instead of bananas [no amount is given]

Applesauce chiffon pie (untested)

This recipe is written in ballpoint pen in my Grammy's handwriting. It is dated September 1975 and attributed to "Alta Hall".

Technically, this is a "no bake" pie, although it does require stovetop cooking of the applesauce filling in what appears to be a makeshift double boiler setup.

Ingredients:

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• 1 1/4 cup thick applesauce
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 9-inch graham cracker crust
• Whipped cream and/or graham cracker crumbs for garnish

Instructions:

1. Soften gelatin in water
2. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks
3. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, applesauce and milk to beaten yolks
4. Cook applesauce mixture over hot water for about 15 minutes or until mixture thickens [this appears to be similar to a double boiler set-up]
5. Remove from heat
6. Add gelatin mixture and stir until it dissolves
7. Cool
8. Add lemon juice
9. Beat egg whites until frothy
10. Gradually add remaining sugar to egg whites, beating until stiff peaks form
11. Fold egg whites into applesauce mixture
12. Chill until it mounds a little when dropped from a spoon
13. Spoon into pie shell and chill until firm
14. Serve garnished with whipped dream or graham cracker crumbs

All-American apple pie (untested)

This handwritten recipe may have been written by Grammy's daughter Ann. I think I recognize Ann's handwriting from the note on the back that has a helpful hint regarding the apples. It reads:

A note to you:
If you rinse your apples after you peel them and then slice, they'll be good and damp so the sugar stuff will stick!
Happy eating!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
• 5 cups thinly sliced apples (5-6 large apples)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Pastry for double-crust pie [get the recipe for Never-Fail Pie Crust by clicking here]

Instructions:

1. Combine sugar, spices, salt and lemon juice
2. Add apples and toss to mix
3. Roll out pastry
4. Line pie pan
5. Trim overhang
6. Roll pastry for top
7. Put half of the apples in the pan
8. Dot with butter
9. Add remaining apples
10. Moisten rim of the dough with water and place the top crust
11. Trim
12. Seal rim by pressing together and flute the edge
13. Cut vents in top
14. Bake at 400°F for 50-60 minutes

Sunkist Orange Pie Filling and Eight-Minute Meringue

Click on image to view larger

This recipe is one of a set of gorgeously illustrated vintage Sunkist recipes I found in Grammy's recipe box preserved in nearly pristine condition. Feel free to download the image so you can print it out and use it in your kitchen.

Ingredients for pie filling:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Grated rind from 1 Sunkist orange
• 1 cup Sunkist orange juice
• Juice of 1/2 Sunkist lemon
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 egg yolks, beaten light

Instructions for pie filling:

1. Mix sugar, flour, salt, and grated rind
2. Add fruit juice
3. Cook in double boiler for ten minutes, stirring until thickened, and afterward, occasionally
4. Add butter and beaten egg yolks
5. Cook two minutes
6. Cool
7. Put in a pie crust that has been baked on the outside of a tin pie plate
8. Prepare meringue (see below)

Ingredients for Eight-Minute Meringue:

• 3 egg whites
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/6 cup granulated sugar
• Grated Sunkist lemon rind [lemon zest]

Instructions for Eight-Minute Meringue:

1. Beat egg whites with egg-beater until stiff
2. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating vigorously
3. Fold in granulated sugar
4. Add lemon zest to flavor

Instructions for finishing pie:

1. Cover pie filling in pie crust with meringue mixture (see below)
2. Bake for 8 minutes in a moderate oven (350°F-375°F)

Mystery of Grammy's Pumpkin Chiffon Pie recipe solved

About twenty years ago, I discovered a recipe for Pumpkin Chiffon Pie written in my Grammy's handwriting and made it as part of a homemaking class on recipes using pumpkin (I also taught how to make your own pumpkin pie filling from fresh pumpkins). It was a lighter and fluffier recipe than any pumpkin pie I'd tasted before, seeming quite chic and sophisticated.

It wasn't until today that I discovered the possible source of that recipe. As I thumbed through a well-used copy of "Aunt Chick's Pies" by Netti Pendleton McBirney (1940), I found some clues. In the index, I found penciled checkmarks next to only three recipes--one was for Pumpkin Chiffon Pie. I also found my Grammy's handwriting in the margins of page 4 of the pamphlet (as well as speckles of white flour from her kitchen stuck to page 3, still white and looking very flour-like).

What I'm finding wonderful about this fairly succinct recipe pamphlet is the breadth of knowledge it contains. It covers all the basics about pie crusts but also covers the basics of tarts, fried pies, filled cookies, doughnuts, ravioli, sweet dessert pies and savory meal-in-a-crust pies. If you want a traditional recipe for Christmas mincemeat pie, it's in here. If you want the recipe for "Southern Sweet Potato Pie", it's got that too. There's a whole section covering just custard pies (that's where you'll find a recipe for "Peanut Butter Pie").

In addition to a list of all the necessary tools you need to make pies from scratch (see photo below), there are specific instructions on caring for a non-stick pastry canvas just like I watched my mom use for years (keep in mind this was written in 1940 and my copy is a reprint from 1944 so there is at least one racially insensitive statement about Japan in this section).

The opening page has an interesting couple of paragraphs under "War Time Pastry" that give us a peek into what it was like for cooks at that time. Here's a transcription of the text:

"Metals are gone so I can no longer sell you a blender. However one of these days this fight is going to be over. In the meantime if you have no blender use the recipe for Hot Water Piecrust given below. It is just as good a piecrust. It has a slightly greasy feeling as you handle it which I do not like especially but the results are worth working for.  

"Fats will be scarce no doubt, therefore use your own ingenuity patterned on what I will tell you below, using bacon fat, chicken, turkey, goose, or any other fat you may have on hand, especially for biscuits and meat pies. The government is after only that fat for which you have no use."

Just from the excerpt above, I'm thinking many of the recipes could be adapted for survivalist conditions, off-the-grid cooking, or outdoor camp-kitchen conditions (possibly even a dutch oven). Let me know if any of you test any of the recipes in any of those ways. I'd love to know if my hunch is right.

I've scanned the entire pamphlet and 

made it available in a pdf file to view or download 

Click here to see it

"Magic Chocolate Pie" recipe (with a free evite)

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My previous post featuring lemon meringue pie may have made some of your mouths water, but I know that chocolate lovers really don't salivate for anything that isn't chocolate. So for all you chocolate lovers out there here it is...

  "Chocolate pie"!

Like my previously featured watercolor painting, I found my inspiration in a vintage Borden recipe booklet I picked up at my local antique shop. It was full of technicolor photographs of delectable desserts including a yummy looking recipe for "Magic Chocolate Pie". I don't know how "magic" it is, but it sure looks full of chocolate-y goodness.

Want to make this pie for your own holiday gathering? Well, here's the original recipe in all its glory (click on the image below to see it larger).

Lemon meringue pie recipe (and a free evite)

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Have you noticed that there's always at least one person in every family that wants lemon meringue pie for dessert no matter what the holiday? That's who I had in mind when I painted this vintage-inspired watercolor illustration of a slice of homemade lemon meringue pie.

I found my inspiration in a vintage Borden recipe booklet I picked up at my local antique shop. It was full of technicolor photographs of delectable desserts including the slice of pie that was the inspiration for this painting.

Want to make this pie for your own holiday gathering? Well, here's the original recipe in all its glory (click on the image below to see it larger).