Things Mother Used to Make: A Nostalgic Collection of Traditional Pie Recipes
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Pies hold a special place in the realm of comfort foods. They bring back memories of family gatherings, holidays, and the warmth of a home-cooked meal. This collection of traditional pie recipes is a testament to the time-honored skills and culinary creativity passed down through generations. Whether you are looking to revisit childhood memories or create new ones, these nostalgic recipes will surely bring a touch of history to your kitchen.
Rich Pie Crust
Ingredients:
- 3 cupfuls of flour
- 1 cupful of lard
- 1 dessertspoonful of salt
Instructions:
- Mix salt and lard into the flour using your hands until thoroughly combined.
- Add just enough ice-cold water to barely wet the mixture.
- This recipe makes enough crust for two pies.
Pork Apple Pie
Ingredients:
- 4 apples
- 4 tablespoonfuls of sugar
- 1 teaspoonful of ground cinnamon
- 12 pieces of fat salt pork, each the size of a pea
Instructions:
- Line a pie plate with rich crust.
- Pare, core, and slice apples thinly to fill the plate.
- Sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, and pieces of pork.
- Cover with crust and bake in a moderate oven.
- Serve warm.
Chocolate Custard Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 pint of milk
- 4 tablespoonfuls of sugar
- 2 tablespoonfuls of cocoa or 1 square of chocolate
- 3 eggs
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoonful of vanilla
Instructions:
- Beat yolks of eggs and add sugar and salt.
- Wet the cocoa with half a cup of warm milk and stir into the yolks. Add vanilla.
- Line a deep pie plate with rich pie crust.
- Pour in the mixture and bake until it rises.
- Beat the whites to a stiff froth, add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, spread over the pie, and brown in a hot oven.
Cocoanut Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 pint of milk
- 3 eggs
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cupful of grated coconut
- Piece of butter the size of a marble
Instructions:
- Beat yolks of eggs, add sugar and salt, and beat again.
- Add melted butter, milk, and coconut.
- Line a deep pie plate with pie crust and pour in the mixture.
- Bake until it rises but do not overbake.
- Beat the whites of the eggs stiff, spread on top of the pie when it is cool, and set in the oven to brown.
Cranberry Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 quart of cranberries
- 1 1/2 cupfuls of water
- 2 scant cupfuls of sugar
Instructions:
- Line a deep pie plate with crust.
- Cook cranberries with water until tender, then rub through a colander.
- Add sugar and boil for 15 minutes.
- When cool, pour into the plate, lay narrow strips of pie crust from the center to the edge, and bake in a hot oven.
Cream Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 cupful of sweet cream
- 1/2 cupful of sugar
- White of one egg
- 1 teaspoonful of vanilla
Instructions:
- Bake with two crusts.
- Beat the white of the egg till stiff, add sugar, beat again, then stir in the cream and flavor.
- Pour into the crust and bake.
Old-Time Custard Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 pint of milk
- 4 tablespoonfuls of sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoonful of salt
Instructions:
- Line a deep plate with pie crust, pinching up a little edge around the plate.
- Beat the eggs thoroughly, add sugar and salt, and beat again.
- Add milk and stir well.
- Pour into the plate and bake until it rises, removing before it wheys.
- Grate a little nutmeg over the top.
Frosted Lemon Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 lemon
- 1 cupful of sugar
- 1 1/2 cupfuls of milk
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoonfuls of flour
Instructions:
- Beat the yolks of the eggs, add flour, lemon juice, and rind.
- Add a little milk and sugar, beat, then add the rest of the milk.
- Line a plate with crust and pour in the mixture.
- Bake carefully to avoid whey.
- Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, spread over the top, and brown in the oven.
Mock Mince Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 crackers
- 1 cupful of raisins
- 1/2 cupful of molasses
- 1/2 cupful of sugar
- 1/3 cupful of vinegar
- 1 cupful of steeped tea
- 1 egg
- Spices of all kinds (1/2 teaspoonful of each)
Instructions:
- Mix all ingredients together.
- Line a pie plate with crust and pour in the mixture.
- Cover with top crust and bake.
Pumpkin Pie, No. 1
Ingredients:
- 3 cupfuls of pumpkin (bright yellow kind preferred)
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cupfuls of sugar
- 1 heaping tablespoonful of flour
- 1 teaspoonful of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoonful of nutmeg
- 1 quart of milk
- A little salt
Instructions:
- Boil pumpkin until very tender and press through a colander.
- Mix all ingredients together.
- Line two deep pie plates with crust and pour in the mixture.
- Bake until they rise.
Pumpkin Pie, No. 2
Ingredients:
- 2 cupfuls of stewed and sifted pumpkin
- 2 crackers rolled fine (Boston crackers or 3 Uneedas)
- 1 cupful of sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoonful of cinnamon
- 1 pint of milk
Instructions:
- Mix all ingredients together.
- Pour into a deep pie plate lined with crust.
- Bake in a slow oven for one hour.
Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 pint of rhubarb
- 1 cupful of sugar
- 1 tablespoonful of flour
- 1/2 teaspoonful of soda
Instructions:
- Remove the skin and cut rhubarb into small pieces to fill a pint bowl.
- Add soda and pour boiling water over to cover. Let stand for 15 minutes, then drain.
- Line a deep plate with crust, add rhubarb, sugar, and flour.
- Cover with crust and bake for 20-30 minutes.
Rolley Polys
Ingredients:
- Pie crust
- Jelly
Instructions:
- Roll pie crust very thin and cut into strips four inches long and three inches wide.
- Spread jelly over the strips and lap the crust over, pressing edges together.
- Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
Squash Pie
Ingredients:
- 2 cupfuls of squash
- 5 tablespoonfuls of sugar
- 1 tablespoonful of flour
- 2 cupfuls of milk
- 1 teaspoonful of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoonful of salt
- 1 egg
Instructions:
- Pare, boil, and sift squash through a colander.
- Beat egg, add sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt.
- Stir into the squash and add milk slowly.
- Bake in a deep plate like a custard pie.
Cream Washington Pies
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cupful of sugar
- 1 cupful of flour
- 1/2 cupful of milk
- 2 tablespoonfuls of melted butter
- 1 rounding teaspoonful of cream of tartar (scant)
- 1/2 teaspoonful of soda
Instructions:
- Cream butter and sugar together, add well-beaten egg.
- Stir soda and cream of tartar into milk, then add to the mixture.
- Add flour and bake in three round shallow dishes.
Cream for Filling
Ingredients:
- 1 cupful of milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar
- 1 heaping tablespoonful of flour
- A little salt
- 1/2 teaspoonful of vanilla
Instructions:
- Heat milk on the stove.
- Mix sugar, flour, and salt into well-beaten egg and stir into boiling milk.
- When cool, add vanilla and spread between layers of cake.