Pecan Pie

This comes from Laura B.:

I just wanted to share with y'all this pecan pie recipe that another friend living abroad shared with me. It doesn't use Karo syrup (shock!) so assuming you can get your hands on some pecans...the ingredients are generally a bit more accessible. I tried making it the other night and it turned out quite nice. Also you can use Splenda (if you can find some...) to make it more blood-sugar friendly. Enjoy! -- Laura

INGREDIENTS
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy, and stir in melted butter. Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar and the flour; mix well. Last add the milk, vanilla and nuts.
Pour into an unbaked 9-in pie shell. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees (200 C), then reduce temperature to 350 (175 C) degrees and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until done.

Apple Pie

This is a very basic but good recipe. You can make the crust or you can use a premade one. Here in Spain, you will need to get in in the frozen section.

CRUST (recipe makes one double crust):
2 1/2 cups white flour

2 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup cold butter, broken into small pieces

5 tbsp. cold vegetable shortening

8 tbsp. ice water
Measure the flour, sugar and salt togetherl. Stir to combine. Add the chilled butter pieces and shortening to the bowl. Cut them in with a pastry cutter or knife. Don't over mix them. Add the ice water. Mix until the dough holds together (add a bit more water, if necessary).
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead it together, then divide in half. Flatten each half into a disk, wrap in saran wrap and chill for at least half an hour. Roll out one of the disks on a lightly floured surface until you have a circle that's about 12 inches in diameter.
Put the circle in a 9" pie plate, trimming any extra dough from the edges with a sharp knife. Return it to the refrigerator until you are ready to make the pie.
Add filling (see below)
Roll out the second ball of dough and cover top. Use a fork or your fingers to pinch the edges together. cut a couple slits in the top.

FILLING
1/3 to 2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt 8 medium sized apples (a medium apple = about 1 cup)

2 tablespoons margarine
Heat oven to 425 F or 220 C degrees.
Peel, core and slice the apples. Try to keep the size of the slices even.
Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl.
Stir in apples.
Pour into pastry-lined pie plate.
Dot with margarine.
Cover with top crust and seal the edges. Cut slits in the top.

OPTIONAL: Cover edge with 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent too much browning.
Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust.

Easy Pie Crust

This recipe is from Carrie B., who used to live in Barcelona, and is now in Austria.

Mix in slightly warmed pie plate:

1 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 T. milk

1/2 c. cooking oil

Fill and bake

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar - or 1 cup Splenda, or 3/4 cup honey (honey may make a heavier pie, though)
1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
one half teaspoon ground ginger
one half teaspoon salt (optional, I don't use any)
4 large eggs
3 cups pumpkin puree

1.5 cans (12oz each) of evaporated milk (I use the nonfat version)

Mix well using a hand blender or mixer.

Pour into the pie crust. Fit right up to about one quarter to one half inch from the very top.
Don't be surprised if the mixture is very runny, especially using the homemade puree. It may start as a soupy liquid, but it will firm up nicely in the oven!

Bake at 425 F (210 C ) for the first 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350 F ( 175 C ) and bake another 45 to 60 minutes, until a clean knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Done! Ready to eat?

Pumpkin for Making Pies

I found this information on a webpage and thought some of us would appreciate this. It is a step by step to prepare to puree for pumpkin pie! So, if you do not have a Libby´s can, you can still enjoy your pie during the holidays!

Step 1 - Get your pie pumpkin
"Pie pumpkins" are smaller, sweeter, less grainy textured pumpkins than the usual jack-o-lantern types. Grocery stores usually carry them in late September through December in the U.S. Note: the Libby's can of cooked pumpkin is just there for reference - it is the small can, so that gives you an idea of the size of a typical pie pumpkin. They're only about 6 to 8 inches in diameter (about 20 to 24 inches in circumference). If you're in a pinch and can't find a pie pumpkin, here's a tip: butternut squash taste almost the same! Commercial canned pumpkin is from a variety of butternut, not true pumpkins! If you DO use a regular Jack O' Lantern type pumpkin, you may need to add about 25% more sugar and run the cooked pumpkin through a blender or food processor to help smooth it out.
Just like selecting any squash, look for one that is firm, no bruises or soft spots, and a good orange color. One 6" pie pumpkin usually makes one 10 inch deep dish pie and a bit extra; or 2 9 inch shallow pies!

Step 2 - Prepare the pumpkin for cooking
Wash the exterior of the pumpkin in cool or warm water, no soap.
Cut the pumpkin in half. A serrated knife and a sawing motion works best - a smooth knife is more likely to slip and hurt you! A visitor suggests using a hand saw.

Step 3 - Scoop out the seeds...
And scrape the insides. You want to get out that stringy, dangly stuff that coats the inside surface. I find a heavy ice cream scoop works great for this.

Step 4 - Cooking the pumpkin

Cook the pumpkin in plenty of water at the stove top. Normally it takes 20 or 30 minutes in total. It should be tender.

Step 5 - Scoop out the cooked pumpkin
Whether you cook the pumpkin on the stove, microwave, or even the oven, once it is cooked until it is soft, it is easy to scoop out the guts with a broad, smooth spoon, (such as a tablespoon). Use the spoon to gently lift and scoop the cooked pumpkin out of the skin. It should separate easily an in fairly large chucks, if the pumpkin is cooked enough.
Many times the skin or rind will simply lift off with your fingers (see the photo at left) . I'll bet you didn't realize making your own pumpkin glop... err, "puree" was this easy!
If your pumpkin puree has standing, free water, you may want to let it sit for 30 minutes and then pour off any free water. That will help prevent you pie from being too watery! Beyond, that, I have not found that the water makes a difference - I wouldn't be TOO concerned about it! Tip: To eliminate watery pumpkin I strain my pureed pumpkin through a cloth overnight.

Step 6 - Puree the pumpkin
To get a nice, smooth consistency, I use a Pillsbury hand blender. By blending it, you give the pie a smooth, satiny texture; rather than the rough graininess that is typical of cooked squashes.
A regular blender works, too. Or a food processor or even just a hand mixer with time and patience. With the hand blender, it just takes 2 or 3 minutes!

Step 7 - Done with the pumpkin!
You may freeze the pie filling (but NOT "can" it!)

Then follow your own recipe for Pumpkin Pie. I will place one in this blog totally from scratch!