Apple Rhubarb Strawberry Banana Crunch Pie
You be the judge of what to include in this combination seasonal fruit and berry pie. Adventurous? Use them all! Unsure? Then drop one or two and increase the amounts of the other fruit or berries to compensate. Have fun with this one! - ce

Seasonal fruit and berries:
2 c. sliced apples
2 c. fresh rhubarb (peeled and sliced into 1/2" pieces)
1 c. whole strawberries
1 c. sliced bananas

Crumb pie crust:
2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened

Sugar and spice and everything nice:
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. sifted unbleached flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger

Preheat oven to 425° F. Grease sides and bottom of a 10-inch pie pan. In mixing bowl combine oats and brown sugar. Cut in butter and mix until crumbly. Place about two-thirds of the crumb mixture into the pie pan and press firmly onto bottom and sides of pan. Chill it. Reserve remaining one-third of crumbs for later use. Combine sugar, flour and spices in a large bowl. Add fruit and berries and mix thoroughly. Place coated fruit and berry mixture on top of crumbs in pie pan. Layer remaining crumbs over fruit and berries. Bake for 10 minutes in preheated 425° F oven. Turn temperature to 350° F. Bake for 30 minutes more or until golden brown. Serve warm.

I'm admittin' tastes are diff'runt, I'm not settin' up myself
As the judge an' final critic of the good things on the shelf.
I'm sort o' payin' tribute to a simple joy on earth,
Sort o' feebly testifyin' to its lasting charm an' worth,
An' I'll hold to this conclusion till it comes my time to die,
That there's no dessert that's finer than a chunk o' raisin pie.
- From “Raisin Pie” by Edgar Guest

Dutch Apple Raisin Pie

1 1/2 c. raisins
1 c. apple juice
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 T. lemon juice
4 c. pared and diced apples (4-6)

Pastry for 2 crust 9-in. pie
1 lightly beaten egg and sugar (optional)

In large saucepan, boil raisins and apple juice until liquid is almost absorbed, about 5 to 7 minutes. In small bowl, mix sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Stir into raisin mixture with lemon juice and apples. Turn into pastry lined pie pan. Cover with top crust, cutting holes for steam to escape. If desired, brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 350° F and bake 45-55 minutes longer, or until pastry is golden brown. Serve warm.

Summer Fruit and Berry Pie in Coconut Pie Shell

Coconut Pie Shell:
1 c. coconut, shredded
1/2 c. wheat germ
1 T. honey
1 T. oil

Combine ingredients. Press into a 9-inch pie pan. Chill then fill.

Fruit and Berry Filling (also known as 9-Minute Fresh Fruit Pie, Courtesy of Flora's Recipe Hideout):

4 c. of Blueberries, or halved Strawberries, or peeled and sliced Peaches, or peeled and sliced Pears
2 T. Cornstarch
2 T. Water
1/2 c. Corn syrup
2 t. Lemon juice
1 c. Heavy cream

In covered blender, blend 1 cup of fruit at high speed 30 seconds. In 2 quart saucepan, mix cornstarch and water until smooth. Add mashed fruit, corn syrup, and lemon juice. Stirring constantly, bring to boil over medium heat and boil one minute. Turn into bowl, cover surface with waxed paper. Cool one hour. Fold in remaining fruit. Spread cream onto bottom and sides of pie crust. Fill with fruit mixture. Chill 3 hours or until set. Serves 6-8 people.

Tewksbury Apple Pie

Adapted from The New York Times Heritage Cook Book by Jean Hewitt (Bonanza Books, 1980).

5-6 tart green apples, peeled and thickly sliced
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 c. bourbon
1/2 c. butter
2/3 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. flour

Preheat oven to 350° F. Peel, core and thickly slice apples. Place slices in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Pour bourbon over the apples. Combine remaining ingredients. Spread over apples and bake one hour. Serve hot garnished with whipped cream. Serves six.

“Church picnics, usually held on the riverbank, were an opportunity to gorge on fried chicken, potato salad, and apple pie. The men pitched horseshoes, the women knitted and talked, the youngsters fished, and everyone recovered from the meal.” -- Dwight D. Eisenhower

A Presidential Favorite: Mamie's Deep Dish Apple Pie Recipe

“On the table were hot biscuit, ham, pork, and green beans, apple-sauce, blackberry preserves, cucumbers, coffee, plenty of milk, honey, and apple and blackberry pie. Here we had our first experience, and I may say new sensation, of "honey on pie." It has a cloying sound as it is written, but the handmaiden recommended it with enthusiasm, and we evidently fell in her esteem, as persons from an uncultivated society, when we declared our inexperience of "honey on pie." "Where be you from?" It turned out to be very good, and we have tried to introduce it in families since our return, with indifferent success.” - Charles Dudley Warner, On Horseback

Apple - Raspberry Pie
Katie’s creation for an Easter dessert!

6 cups sliced apples (different kinds can be used, I included one Rome, one Hosui pear, and the rest Jonagolds)
2 cups thawed and drained frozen raspberries
1 cup sugar
5 T. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
dash nutmeg

Mix these ingredients together and put in a good unbaked pie shell. Put crust on top..... (the usual pie instructions). Remember to poke/cut small holes in top crust to let steam escape. Bake for about 50 minutes at 375°.

Pear Pie
This is a really yummy pear pie recipe. The pears stayed a beautiful, creamy white color even after cooked in the pie. I made it with nice ripe green bartletts. ke

Pastry for 9 inch 2-crust pie
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. mace (optional)
5 cups pared and sliced fresh pears
half a lemon
2 tablespoons butter

Heat oven to 375° F. Prepare pie crust and place bottom crust in pie pan. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over pears as you're slicing them so they don't turn brown. Stir together sugar, flour and mace and mix with pear slices. Put these in pie pan and place small chunks of butter on top. Cover with top crust, seal edges and cut slits in it to let the steam escape. Bake for about 45 minutes, turning the pie periodically if your oven heats unevenly so the edges are evenly browned.

Raspberry Pie

5 cups fresh raspberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice

Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and allspice. Mix with raspberries. Line 9-inch pie pan with pastry. Fill with raspberry mixture. Cover with top crust. Seal edges and cut slits for steam to escape. Bake at 400° F for approx. 50 minutes or until done. [pie crust recipe]

“Alas! the supper, served in a room dimly lighted with a smoky lamp, on a long table covered with oilcloth, was not of the sort to arouse the delayed and now gone appetite of a Reformer, and yet it did not lack variety: cornpone (Indian meal stirred up with water and heated through), hot biscuit, slack-baked and livid, fried salt-pork swimming in grease, apple-butter, pickled beets, onions and cucumbers raw, coffee (so-called), buttermilk, and sweet milk when specially asked for (the correct taste, however, is for buttermilk), and pie. This was not the pie of commerce, but the pie of the country,--two thick slabs of dough, with a squeezing of apple between. The profusion of this supper staggered the novices, but the drovers attacked it as if such cooking were a common occurrence and did justice to the weary labors of Mrs. Egger.” - Charles Dudley Warner, On Horseback -

Schnitz 'n Raisin Pie

Pastry for a two-crust pie
1 c. dried apples (schnitz)
1 c. raisins
2 1/2 c. water
3/4 c. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 t. cinnamon or nutmeg
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. butter

Prepare pastry for a 9-inch pie. Stir together ingredients for filling,and turn into pastry-lined pie pan. Trim overhanging edge of pastry and place top over filling. Seal edges and add holes for steam to escape during baking. Bake in preheated 450° F oven for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350° F and continue to bake 20 minutes longer or until pastry is golden brown.

Pear - Raspberry Pie
Katie's creation for Memorial Weekend Picnic!

4 c. peeled, cored, sliced ripe red d'anjou pears
2 c. frozen raspberries, thawed and drained
3/4 c. sugar
5 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
juice from half a lemon
dash allspice
butter

Prepare a pie crust. As soon as pears are sliced, squeeze juice from the half lemon over them to keep them from turning brown. Drain the juice from the thawed raspberries. Mix together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Combine with sliced pears and raspberries. Put fruit mixture in unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle lightly with allspice and put a couple teaspoons of butter on top. Finish with top crust and bake for about 20 minutes at 400° F. then 35 minutes at 350° F. Cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Marcel Proust's Apple Tart (Prepared with Compote)
“But since they were having luncheon late, in spite of the fact that the street was beginning to fill with a Sunday crowd, only the large apple tart was served, a tart that looked as yellow as the door of the General Shop on the Square (...). It was definitely a Sunday tart, gazed at with admiration and eaten with relish...” —Jean Santeuil, Proust

7 oz. puff pastry

Compote:
18 oz. apples, peeled, cored and cut in eighths (try Jonagolds or Galas for a more complex finished flavor)
1/2 c. sugar
7 1/2 T. water

Filling:
18 oz. tart dessert apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (Granny Smith's recommended)
4 T. butter
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 400°. Roll pastry into circular shape and place in large flan dish. Trim away surplus dough, crimp edges in decorative fashion.

Prepare compote by combining compote apples with 1/2 c. sugar and 7 1/2 Tablespoons of water in a medium saucepan. Cook uncovered over low heat, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 30 minutes, reducing the liquid and blending apple pieces into a rough purée. Cool slightly and spread over pastry in flan pan.

Prepare tart apples for filling. Layer them over the compote in the flan pan, leaving about 1/8 inch between apples and outer edge. Melt butter and brush some over the apples. Sprinkle portion of confectioners' sugar on top. Bake in oven for 30 minutes, repeating butter/sugar topping sequence two more times during baking. Remove tart when apples are golden and pastry is cooked through.

Serve hot topped with vanilla ice cream.

Recipe adapted from Dining with Proust by Anne Borrel, Alain Senderens, Jean-Bernard Naudin (Random House, New York, 1992).

Little Fried Apple Pies
(Recipe adapted from one by Katie Slocum, of Madera, California as published in America Cooks)

Pastry for 2-crust pie
2 cups cooked and sweetened dried apples
Safflower or other light vegetable oil for deep frying
Confectioners' sugar

Roll out pastry 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured board; cut into circles about 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Combine fruit and sugar; place 1 1/2 T. on one side of each round of pastry. Moisten edges with water; fold into semicircle, enclosing filling. Press edges with fork to seal. Heat oil to 365° F in deep skillet. Fry pies for 3 to 4 minutes, or until browned. Drain on absorbent paper; sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Makes 12 small pies.

“Never grease a pie plate; good pastry greases its own tin.” - The Original Fannie Farmer 1896 Cookbook

Traditional Pie Crust
I always use this pie crust recipe--Katie E.

2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup shortening
2 T. butter
about 4 T. cold water

Mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening and butter with a pastry blender. Sprinkle water over the dough and mix with a fork. If your water isn't very cold, put ice in it before using. Also, if you live in a humid climate and are having trouble with your pie crust becoming sticky, you might need to use less water. If too dry, add a little more water. Makes enough crust for one double crust 9" pie.