Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking

Chapter 10

Pies

A woman sits in a chair, sewing.

PUMPKIN PIE

  • 1½ cups mashed cooked pumpkin
  • 1½ cups rich milk
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • pastry for 9" shell
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. ginger
  • ¼ tsp. cloves, powdered
  • ¾ tsp. salt
  • 2 tblsp. butter, melted

Place all ingredients in a bowl and beat well with a rotary egg beater. Chill and pour into an unbaked pie shell. Bake in hot oven (450-f) for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to moderately slow oven (325-f). When surface of pie filling turns light brown, test by inserting a silver knife. If it comes out clean the pie is finished baking.

LEMON CUSTARD PIE

  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 lemon
  • 1½ cups milk
  • 1 pie shell

Mix 2 tablespoons of flour with ½ cup sugar and a pinch of salt. Beat 2 egg yolks. Add the juice and grated rind of 1 lemon. Then add flour and sugar continuing to beat. Stir in 1½ cups milk and lastly fold in 2 egg whites beaten stiff, but not dry. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake in hot oven, 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate 350 degrees and bake 15 minutes more.

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH SOUR CHERRY PIE

  • 1 qt. fresh sour cherries
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • ½ cup flour
  • pie crust

Mix flour and sugar and pitted cherries in a bowl. Fill unbaked pie crust with the cherries. Put on a top pie crust, vented and bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes. Reduce to moderate and bake for 20 minutes more.

RIVEL (CRUMB) PIE

  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter and shortening mixed

Mix or “crumb” the above ingredients together with the hands to form small lumps or rivels. Strew the rivels into a prepared pastry shell and bake in a hot oven (400-f) for 30 minutes. Some spread 2 tblsps. of molasses over it before baking.

SOUR CREAM RAISIN PIE

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup thick sour cream
  • 3 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 2 cups raisins, ground
  • 1 unbaked pie shell

Combine all ingredients and turn into uncooked pie shell. Bake in hot, 450 degree oven 15 minutes, and then reduce to 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

CREAM RASPBERRY PIE

After lining a pie plate with pie crust, fill it with red raspberries. Cover it with granulated sugar and with an upper crust, but rub the edges of both upper and lower crusts with butter, so they will not stick together. Then when pie is baked make a cream filling with:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • vanilla

Cook this and when cool, add the whites of three eggs stiffly beaten. Lift the upper crust of the pie and pour in this cream filling. Replace the crust and sift with powdered sugar.

PASTRY HINT

When making a fruit pie, put lower crust in the oven 5 minutes and bake while you are rolling out the top crust. Then put in filling and put on the top crust. The undercrust will not be soggy.

MONTGOMERY PIE

For the syrup part:

  • ½ cup molasses
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tblsp. flour
  • ½ lemon, juice and rind

Combine above ingredients and pour into a 9 inch, unbaked pie shell.

For the topping:

  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1½ cups flour

Blend butter and sugar, add egg and beat well. Add milk and the sifted dry ingredients a little at a time. Spread topping over mixture in the pie shell. Bake in moderate oven (350-f) for 40 minutes.

APPLE CRUMB PIE

  • 6 tart apples
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup butter
  • ¾ cup flour
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • pastry for 9" shell

Pare apples and cut into thick slices. Mix half the sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over apples. Put into unbaked pastry shell. Blend the flour, the remaining sugar and the butter and work into small crumbs, with your fingers. Sprinkle the crumbs over the apples. Bake in hot oven (425-f) for 10 minutes then reduce to moderate (350-f) and bake for 35 minutes more. Serve with cheese.

BLACK WALNUT PIE

  • 4 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 1 cup black walnuts, chopped
  • 1½ cups water
  • 1¼ cups dark corn syrup

Make crust for 2 pies and line medium size pie plates. Sprinkle the walnuts over the crusts and then mix in the filling. The eggs must be well beaten before adding the sugar gradually. Then fold in flour, corn syrup and 1½ cups of water. Bake in very hot oven for three minutes and then reduce to medium for 30 or 40 minutes.

FUNERAL PIE

  • 1 cup seeded raisins, washed
  • 2 cups water
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 1 egg, well beaten
  • juice of a lemon
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
  • pinch of salt

Soak raisins 3 hours, mix sugar, flour and egg. Then add seasoning, raisins and liquid. Cook over hot water for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the mixture is cool, empty into pie-dough lined pie plate. Cover pie with narrow strips of dough, criss-crossed and bake until browned.

COTTAGE CHEESE PIE

  • 1½ cups cottage cheese
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 tblsp. flour
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 2 cups milk
  • ¼ tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. lemon rind grated
  • pie crust

Combine cottage cheese, sugar, flour, salt, lemon rind and spices. Add beaten egg yolks and mix thoroughly. Add milk gradually and stir smooth. Fold in beaten egg whites and pour into 9 inch, pastry lined pan. Bake in moderate (350-f) oven, 1 hour.

APPLE BUTTER PIE

  • ½ cup apple butter
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1½ tblsp. cornstarch
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 cups milk
  • Pastry for 9 inch crust and strips for top

Combine apple butter, beaten eggs, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon and mix well. Add the milk gradually to the mixture and blend well. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Top with “lattice” made from ½ inch wide strips of crust. Bake at 350-f, 35 minutes.

CURRANT AND RED RASPBERRY PIE

Fill an unbaked pie shell with currants and red raspberries. Sugar generously. Add the top crust and bake for 30 minutes. This is unusual and very delicious.

SCHNITZ PIE (Dried apples)

  • 1 lb. of schnitz
  • 1 orange, rind and juice
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 tblsp. cinnamon
  • prepared pie crust

Cover Schnitz with water and soak over night. Add orange rind and juice and more water if necessary. Boil until soft, then put through colander and add sugar and cinnamon. Pour into pastry lined shell, dot with butter, cover with top crust or lattice strips. Bake in hot oven (450-f) for 10 minutes. Reduce to 350-f bake 30 minutes.

RHUBARB PIE

  • 3 cups diced rhubarb
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 3 tblsp. flour
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 tblsp. lemon juice
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 1 9-inch pie shell

Cut rhubarb into small pieces and arrange in an unbaked pie shell. Combine the sugar and flour, add egg yolks and lemon juice. Stir into a smooth paste. Pour this mixture over rhubarb. Cover with meringue made from the egg white. Bake in a hot oven (425-f) for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to (325-f) and bake for 30 minutes.