pie Archives - Fresh From Oregon

Best Ever Homemade Pie Crust

November 21, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

This is the best pie crust and the only one I make. I have been using this recipe for over 30 years for baking fruit pies, cobblers, mini hand pies, homemade pop tarts, savory chicken pot pies and so much more. This pie crust has won many blue ribbons and best of shows at my county and state fair.

Best Ever Homemade Pie Crust
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups shortening
1 egg
5 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

In large bowl combine the flour and salt. Add shortening and with pastry blender combine until the flour mixture resembles small crumbs. In small bowl combine egg, water and cider vinegar. Add all at once to the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate 30 minutes. When ready roll out one piece at a time to fit your pie pan. Recipe makes enough to do a double crust pie with some extra dough to make decorative cutouts for your pie.

Mini Apple Hand Pies are perfect for the Lunch Box!

November 10, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

Even with the apple crop being so early this year there are still many apple varieties at the farmers markets and in the local grocery store. Here is a flaky little treat to make and it fits in the palm of your hand, Apple Hand Pies. Here is a homemade version of the little pies you probably remember you had in your lunch box growing up. With just a few easy steps these little pies are simple to make and perfect for those small little hands in your family, no fork needed.

Mini Apple Hand Pies
1 box (14.1 oz) refrigerated pie crust (for two pies) or homemade pie crust
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 large apples
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons flour
1 egg white, beaten

Glaze
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 425F. Remove pie crusts from package and allow to come to room temperature while you prepare filling or prepare homemade pie crust.
Peel and dice the apples. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Add apples, salt, nutmeg, brown sugar and cinnamon. Heat for about 5-10 minutes, until apples are soft, stirring occasionally.
While apples are heating, unroll pie crusts and cut 6-7 circles from each crust (using a 4 inch biscuit cutter). You may have to roll scraps to get the extra circles. Set aside.
After apples have softened, sprinkle in flour. Heat for an additional minute, stirring thoroughly.
Using a 1 tablespoon scoop, drop apple mixture into center of each pie crust circle. Fold in half and pinch edges COMPLETELY. Fold pinch edges over. Poke hand pie with tines of a fork to prevent bursting.
Beat egg white in a small bowl. Brush over the tops of each pie. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.
While pies are baking, whisk together the glaze ingredients. Remove cooked pies from baking sheet and drop in glaze, coating it completely. Return to parchment paper and allow to set, about 10 minutes. Enjoy warm or cold.

Recipe from ~ Shugarysweets.com

Dutch Apple Pie ~ Just the right bite!

September 15, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

The apples here in Oregon are 2-3 weeks early this year which means 2-3 more weeks of fresh apple pies in my house. Some of my favorite apples that are ready now are Jonagold and Honeycrisp, both these apples make a great apple pie, especially a Dutch Apple Pie! To make the recipe below you will need to get 4-5 medium apples but looking at this years crop they are so much bigger 4 apples might do the job. So what is this Dutch apple pie? It is an apple pie with a traditional dough bottom crust but topped with a crumb topping of oats and cinnamon. I added some extra flavor to my topping and used one of Bob’s Red Mill NEW Oatmeal cups in my topping. One oatmeal cup contains the perfect amount I needed for my topping. The Oatmeal cup I used also has maple added giving these pies an extra layer of flavor and the addition of flax and chia seeds makes it even more nutritious and filling. Check your local market for these new cups available in 4 flavors or order online direct from Bob’s Red Mill.

Dutch Apple Pie
Topping:
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Bob’s Red Mill GF Brown Sugar and Maple Oatmeal cup
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/4 cups cold water
5 cups apples, diced & peeled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pie crust, 1/2 recipe needed, (make the full recipe and place extra half in freezer to use later)
8 – 1/2 pint wide mouth canning jars or 4 mini pie plates or 1 – 9-inch pie plate

Prepare pie crust and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, Bob’s Red Mill GF Brown Sugar and Maple Oatmeal cup and butter; set aside.

For filling, combine the sugar, cornstarch and water in a large saucepan until smooth; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in apples and vanilla.

To assemble spray each glass jar lightly with cooking spray. Take the pie crust (you only need half of the full recipe) and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into about a 6-inch circle. Place each piece into the prepared glass canning jar and press into the sides and bottom of the jars up to the top edge of each jar. If you want to make one big pie just roll the dough out to fit an 9-inch pie plate. Spoon apple pie filling into each crust; top with the crumb topping mixture. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. At 30-45 minutes check to see if the topping is brown if so, lightly lay a piece of foil over the top of the pies the last 15-30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 8 servings.

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The Hoods are here… Mini Strawberry Pretzel Pie

May 25, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

Strawberry Pretzel Pie

Fresh strawberries are over flowing everywhere here in Oregon. As I was walking through the farmers market this weekend the question I kept hearing as people were buying strawberries was are they “Hoods”. The strawberry variety everyone looks for here in Oregon are “Hood” Strawberries, so what are Hood Strawberries? They emerged from Oregon’s Hood River Valley in 1965 and are prized for there bright red color and large size. Nothing can compare to these Northwest grown sweet and juicy berries. Hoods are a June-bearing strawberry so there is a short window to enjoy them. Look for these great tasting strawberries at farmers markets, farm stands or grocery stores that sell local produce. Here is a easy strawberry treat I made with my Fresh From Oregon Hood strawberries.

Mini Strawberry Pretzel Pies
3 1/2 cups pretzels, salted
1 stick (8 tablespoon) butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 pints strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
juice 1/2 lemon
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup cool whip

For the pretzel crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Crush the pretzels in a large resealable plastic bag with a rolling pin. Mix in a bowl with the butter and brown sugar. Press into six 5″ mini pie pans and bake for 6 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.

To prepare the glaze: Wash strawberries and remove the green tops and core. Take half the strawberries and slice, set aside. Chop the remaining half of the strawberries in a food processor. Place the chopped strawberries in a sauce pan and begin to cook over medium heat. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl; add to the sauce pan of strawberries. Add lemon juice and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Set aside and cool. Once cool take remaining sliced strawberries and fold into the glaze mix, set aside.

To prepare cream filling: In stand mixer bowl beat the cream cheese, sugar and milk until combined. Fold in the cool whip.

To assemble the mini pies spoon the cream cheese mixture among the six pretzel pie crusts and smooth to the edges. Spoon and mound the strawberries that have been glazed over the cream mixture. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Rustic Peach Pie

August 19, 2014 · by Carrie Trax ·

Rustic Peach Pie made from fresh Red Haven peaches.

Peaches are at the peak of their season here in Oregon. Here is a quick and easy Rustic Peach Pie that you can make in no time. My favorite peach pie variety is “Red Haven” and I picked up some nice ripe ones at my local farm market Schedeens in Gresham, Oregon. Look for ripe peaches at your local market and change varieties as they come into season and then go out.

Rustic Peach Pie
Makes 2 pies

Crust:
3 cups Bob’s Red Mill flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups shortening
1 egg
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
5 tablespoons cold water

Filling:
6 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
½ cups sugar
3 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In large bowl combine the flour and salt. Add shortening
and cut into flour until it resemble coarse meal. In small bowl combine the egg, vinegar,
and water and quickly mix into mixture until combined. Divide dough in half and flatten
into a disk, wrap in plastic and let set for 30 minutes in refrigerator.
Filling: In medium size bowl combine peaches, sugar, flour, cinnamon, vanilla and
melted butter. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Once dough is ready take one piece and roll out to a 12” circle. Place ½ the peach
mixture around in a circular pattern staying 2” from the edge. Carefully fold the 2” border
of dough just up over the peaches. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake in
425 degree oven for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 30 minutes or
until crust is slightly brown and peaches are soft. Set on rack to cool.
Once cooled sprinkle the pie crust edge with powdered sugar.

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Nana Trax’s Homemade Pumpkin Pie

November 23, 2013 · by Carrie Trax ·

This is the recipe I have been using to make homemade pumpkin pie for the last 30 years. The recipe came from my husband’s grandmother “Nana Trax”. She is also the one who taught me to make homemade white bread. As she got older and could not knead the bread dough any more I would go to her house almost every Saturday morning to help make the 5 loaves of bread she would bake. During those Saturday mornings she would share other recipes and gossip and this pumpkin pie always reminds me of those times. I have fancied the pie up by adding some cutout leaf shapes but the taste of this rich and smooth pie is still the same recipe passed from one generation to the next.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie / Blue Hubbard Pie ~ Makes 2 pies
2 cups Pumpkin or Blue Hubbard squash puree
2 cups evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 unbaked pie shells ~ homemade (see recipe below) or store bought

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place pumpkin or Hubbard squash puree in large bowl. Add evaporated milk, sugar and eggs. With a hand whisk mix until combined. Add the salt, cinnamon, ginger and allspice. Mix until all the ingredients are combined and mixed well. Divide mixture between the two unbaked pie shells. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. It is that easy!

Homemade Pie Crust
3 cups Bob’s Red Mill flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups shortening
1 egg
5 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
In large bowl combine the flour and salt. Add shortening and with pastry blender combine until the flour mixture resembles small crumbs. In small bowl combine egg, water and cider vinegar. Add all at once to the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate 30 minutes. When ready roll out one piece at a time to fit your pie pan. Remove any extra dough around the edge and roll the dough under and crimp the edges. Do not crimp the edge if you plan on adding a leaf border. Repeat with the second dough ball. With the extra dough roll out and cut out shapes with small cookie cutters. I used a new set of pie dough cutters that I bought at Williams-Sonoma. They cut out the shape and if you push harder they emboss the shape as well. If adding a leaf cutout to the pie’s outer crust you need to wet the dough with a little water and then lay down the leaf cutouts around the pie before adding the filling. For the cutouts in the center of the pie you will need to place them separately on a baking sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Add to the pumpkin pie once it has cooled to a warm temperature.

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Blue Ribbon Vanilla Peach Pie with Hazelnut Crust

August 21, 2013 · by Carrie Trax ·

The Red Haven peaches are ripe and Fresh from Oregon and just in time for me to use in my peach pie. This was a special pie I baked for the 2013 Clackamas County Fair this past Sunday. The slices of fresh peaches mixed with vanilla extract and baked in this melt in your mouth hazelnut pie crust got me a blue ribbon. A big thanks to Pilgrim Orchard for sponsoring the contest this year. My favorite Red Haven peaches are now ready so pick some up at your local farm stand or farmers market and bake a blue ribbon peach pie!

Blue Ribbon Vanilla Peach Pie with Hazelnut Crust

Hazelnut pie crust ~ recipe below

8 cups fresh peaches, peeled & sliced
2 cups sugar
4 Tablespoons Bob Red Mill flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In large pot combine the peaches, sugar, flour and cinnamon, set aside until syrup forms. Bring the peach mixture to a boil; reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes or until peaches are tender. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and butter, stirring until butter melts.

Pour into prepared pie crust. Roll out second dough and with a mini leaf cookie cutter cut shapes from dough. Start from the outer edge of the pie and work into the center laying down the leaves in a circular pattern.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 30 minutes or until crust is a golden brown and the juice is bubbling from the pie. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack at least 1 hour.

Hazelnut Pie crust
3 cups Bob Red Mill flour
1/2 cup Toasted Oregon Hazelnuts, ground
1 tsp salt
1 ¼ cups shortening
1 egg
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
5 Tbsp cold water

In large bowl combine the flour, hazelnuts and salt. Add shortening and cut into flour until it resembles coarse meal. In small bowl combine the egg, vinegar, and water. Add and quickly mix into mixture until combined. Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic, refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll out the 1st piece of dough to fit a 9”pie plate, roll the dough under and crimp the edges, set aside. The second piece of dough will be used to cut out leaf shapes for the top of the pie.

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Mini Oregon Berry Pies

July 4, 2013 · by Carrie Trax ·

You know that summer has started here in Oregon when you see the boxes of berries overflowing at the farmers markets. Blackberries, Blueberries, Tayberries are in season with a few Strawberries still around. After gathering up several boxes of each of these berries I needed to find a way to enjoy all these berries in one day. Mini pies are a great way to make small size treats so that you can sample several different flavors without a lot of baking. Blackberries and blueberries are both mixed with lemon zest and a dash of cinnamon to bring out their fresh berry taste. For the strawberries I mixed them with fresh chopped rhubarb and the tayberries are so sweet just a little sugar brings out their delicious flavor! The last thing on any pie is the topping. I made one each of the blackberry and tayberry with a traditional double crust. To show off the blueberries a lattice top was the best choice. Crumb top was a must for the strawberry rhubarb pie and the remaining berry’s pies. Enjoy the recipes below and make a Fresh From Oregon berry pie this summer. The recipes below will make 6 mini pies. If you want to make a full size of any of these pies below just triple the amounts of the filling and its perfect for a full size pie.

My favorite and only Pie Crust
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups shortening
1 egg
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
5 tablespoons cold water

In a large bowl mix flour and salt, add shortening and with a pastry blender mix just until the shortening is mixed and the dough is the size of small peas. In small bowl beat egg, vinegar and water with a fork, add to dough and mix until the dough just comes together (Do not over mix or the dough will be tough). Divide dough into three pieces and flatten slightly, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Once slightly chilled divide each dough into 3 pieces. Roll out 6 pieces on a lightly floured surface and place into 6 mini pie pans. Roll out the remaining 3 pieces slightly bigger than the pie pan and set aside until ready to top one on the blackberry, tayberry and blueberry pies.

Crumb Topping
In medium size bowl mix 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon flour and 1/4 cup of room temperature butter. Mix until you get small crumbs, set aside.

Blackberry Pie ~ 2 mini pies
2 1/2 cups blackberries
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (depending on how sweet they are)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons instant tapioca (These helps to thicken the juices)
1 tablespoon butter, cut in small pieces

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place blackberries, sugar, lemon juice & zest, cinnamon and tapioca in a large bowl and toss gently to mix. Let set for 30 minutes. In one pie crust add 1/2 the pie mix place 1/2 tablespoon butter over berries and place one of the rolled out pie crusts on top. Roll edges under the bottom pie crust and crimp the edge. Cut a couple of slits in the top crust or use a decorative mini cookie cutter pressed in the top to create a vent for the pie. In the second pie crust add remaining berries and top with 1/3 of the crumb topping. Place on baking sheet.

Tayberry Pie ~ 2 mini pies
Follow the recipe above for the blackerry pie reducing the sugar to 1/8 cup and omitting the cinnamon.

Blueberry Pie ~ 1 mini pie
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1/8 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons sugar
dash cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon butter, cut in small pieces

In small bowl combine blueberries, lemon zest & juice, flour, sugar and cinnamon. Place in one of the prepared pie crusts and top with the butter. Roll the edge of the pie crust under and crimp the edge. With the last rolled out pie crust cut strips of dough about 1/2″ wide and place on top of the blueberries in a lattice pattern. Place on baking sheet.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie ~ 1 mini pie
1 cup rhubarb, chopped in small pieces
1 cup strawberries, de-stemmed and cut in half
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon instant tapioca
1/2 tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon butter, cut in small pieces

In small bowl mix rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, flour, lemon zest and juice and toss to combine. Place in remaining prepared pie crust top with butter and roll pie crust under and crimp the edge. Top with the remaining crumb topping and place on baking sheet.

You are ready to bake your mini pies. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, decrease temperature to 350 degrees and baking another 45 minutes or until the tops are a golden brown and juices are bubbling from the pies. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie

June 21, 2013 · by Carrie Trax ·

What a strawberry season we had this year in Oregon. With the warm weather they started two weeks early and with the cool weather in June the strawberries are still great! Fresh strawberry pie is a traditional dessert during the strawberry season and I added some extra goodies to make it a Fresh From Oregon mouth watering pie. Chocolate + Hazelnuts gives this pie a rich and delicious flavor that will have everyone coming back for seconds!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie
1 quart (about 2 pounds) fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
juice 1/2 lemon
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
1/2# chocolate wafers
1 cup toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place pie crust in a 9″ pie plate and flute the edges. Prick with fork over the bottom and the sides, about 40 times. Place piece of foil inside pie crust, lightly pressing around bottom edges of crust. Fill with dried beans to help keep the crust’s shape. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and remove beans and foil. Return to oven and bake another 5 minutes until edges are golden brown. Place on wire rack and cool.

Wash strawberries and remove the green tops and core. Sort the strawberries to get about 1/2 of them close to the same size, set aside. Chop the remaining 1/2 of the strawberry in a food processor. Place the chopped strawberries in a sauce pan and begin to cook over medium heat. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl; add to the sauce pan of strawberries. Add lemon juice and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Set aside and cool.

In a bowl over simmering water melt the chocolate. Dip the remaining whole strawberries about 3/4 of the way and roll in the chopped hazelnuts. Place on baking sheet to allow the chocolate to set.

To assemble the pie pour the fresh strawberry filling in the bottom of the baked pie shell. Add the chocolate/hazelnut dipped strawberries chocolate side up until the pie is filled. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 2 hours.

In bowl of a mixer place the whipping cream and confectioner sugar and beat with a wire whisk until whipped. When you are ready to serve top each piece of pie with a large spoonful of the whip topping!

Celebrate National Pie Day with Coconut Cream Pie

January 23, 2013 · by Carrie Trax ·

January 23rd is National Pie Day and what better way to celebrate the day than a delicious Coconut Cream Pie. This creamy pie has another surprise a layer of chocolate on the bottom.

Here is the Wikipedia definition of a pie: A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients.

Here are a few facts about the pie:

The pie is America’s favorite dessert
The average American eats six slices of pie a year
Pie has been around since the ancient Egyptians
Pie came to America with the first English settler

Coconut Cream Pie with Chocolate

Coconut Filling
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate, melted
1 baked pie shell
14 ounces coconut milk
1 cup milk
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Topping
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut, toasted

Spread chocolate on the bottom of the baked pie shell and set aside.

Bring coconut milk, milk, ½ cup shredded coconut, ½ cup sugar and salt to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to ensure sugar dissolves.

Whisk egg yolks, cornstarch and 1 tablespoon sugar in medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisking constantly, gradually ladle about 1 cup hot milk mixture over egg yolk mixture; whisk well to combine. Whisking constantly, gradually add remaining milk mixture to yolk mixture in 3-4 additions; whisk well to combine.

Return mixture to saucepan and cook until thickened and mixture reaches a boil, whisking constantly, about 1 minute; filling must boil in order to fully thicken. Large bubbles should quickly burst on surface.

Off heat, whisk in butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla until butter is fully incorporated. Pour hot filling into pie shell and smooth surface; press plastic wrap directly against surface of filling and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.

Just before serving, beat heavy cream, 2 Tbsp sugar and ½ tsp vanilla with electric mixer until soft peaks form about 1 ½ – 2 minutes. Top pie with whipped cream topping and then sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Best Ever Homemade Pie Crust

Mini Apple Hand Pies are perfect for the Lunch Box!

Dutch Apple Pie ~ Just the right bite!

The Hoods are here… Mini Strawberry Pretzel Pie

Rustic Peach Pie

Nana Trax’s Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Blue Ribbon Vanilla Peach Pie with Hazelnut Crust

Mini Oregon Berry Pies

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie

Celebrate National Pie Day with Coconut Cream Pie

Experience fresh food from Oregon!

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