Bekah Kate’s Weblog

Best Icebox Pie - Margarita Lime Pie - Maggie Hanson

Graham Cracker Crust: 1 3/4 cups (12 whole crackers) graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, big pinch of salt, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly butter your choice of pie pan and set aside. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well with your fingers. Add the butter and incoporate well, mixing first with a fork, then with your hands, rubbing thoroughly to form evenly dampened crumbs.

Spread the crumbs evenly and loosely in the pan, pressing them into the bottom and up the sides. Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes. Place on the center oven rack and bake for 7 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack completely before filling.

Or just use a store-bought graham cracker crust and follow the directions to prebake!

Pie Filling:

1/4 cup tequila, 3 tablespoons triple sec, 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin, 4 large eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, finely grated zest of one lime, 1 1/4 cups cold heavy whipping cream.

Combine the tequila and triple sec in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and set aside to soften.

Combine the eggs, sugar, lime juice,  lemon juice, and lime zest in a small, heavy, non-reacitve saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking more or less nonstop, until the mixture thickens, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and blend in the tequila and triple sec mixture, whisking to dissolve the gelatin. Scrape into a large bowl, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until the mixture is cool to the touch, stirring occassionally.

When the custard is cool, using a chilled medium sized bowl and chilled beaters, beat the cream with an electric mixer until it is stiff but not grainy. Fold about one third of the cream into the custard, using a large rubber spatula. Add the remaining whipped cream and fold until the filling is evenly combined. Scrape the filling into the cooled pie shell and smooth the top. Place in the freezer for 4 hours or overnight. If the pie gets very firm from an extended stay in the freezer, place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes prior to serving. Garnish each piece with a sugared lime candy if desired.

Most Unusual Pie - Apricot Pie - Fay Gilmore

Pie Crust: 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, 2/3 cup vegetable shortening, 1/4 cup cold butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 6-8 tablespoons cold water.

Place flour, shortening, butter, suagr, and salt in a food processor. Pulse very lightly until the misture looks like coarse granules. Pour into a bowl and with a spoon or fork, mix in water one tablespoon at a time unitl it lightly forms a ball. Divide the ball in half, wrap both in plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour. Roll out each piece individually between pieces of plastic wrap to make the bottom and top crusts.

Place apricots and 6 cups of water in a saucepan and simmer 45 minutes to an hour until soft, lightly breaking up apricots with a spoon. May need one more cup of water towards the end. If so, simmer 5-10 minutes more to incorporate the water. Remove from heat and measure. Stir in one lessw tablespoon of tapioca than measurement of apricot sauce, the sugar, lemon juice, and nutmeg. Pour into the bottom crust. Place the second crust on top and seal the edges. Sprinle sugar on top and bake 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees. Turn down the heat to 375 degrees. Continue baking 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Apricot Filling: 12 oz. Dried Apricots, 6 cups water, plus one more cup, give or take, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar, 4-5 tablespoons tapioca, 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg.

Best Fruit Pie - Cranberry Lattice Top - Kat Guerrin

Crust: Cut 2/3 Cup butter into 2 cups of flour. In a small bowl, beat together 1 egg and 1/4 cup cold water. Add egg mixture to flour mix. Toss until moistened. Divide in half, forming two balls, one for the top and one for the bottom. Using a 9 or 10 inch pan with a removable bottom, press one ball into the bottom and up the sides. For the top crust, roll out the second ball and cut into strips for the lattice top after the pie is filled. After placing the lattice strips, brush with a beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with sugar.

Filling: In a saucepan, stir together 3 cups of cranberries, 12-16 quartered dried apricots, 1 1/4 cups sugar, and 1/2 cup water. Cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring occassionally for 15 minutes. Add 1/3 cup amaretto liqueur and simmer for 15 more minutes. Fill pie shell, add lattice strips brushed with egg yolk, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until the crust is a golden brown and the filling bubbles.

Cool and serve at room temperature. Serves about 10.