Dessert Pies


Pie Crust

Every family has a favourite pie crust receipt; here is ours as developed by the brothers Don and Bob Sewell.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Cake and Pastry flour
  • 1/2 lb Crisco® shortening
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Ice cold water
1.   This is for a large, deep 9 or 10 inch diameter pie with a top crust or two large shells for pumpkin pie.  For a smaller pie, try using 2 cups of flour and 3/4 cup Crisco.		 2.   Cut the Crisco into flour and salt using a pastry cutter until it is in small pieces 1 to 4 mm in diameter. Add just enough ice cold water, maybe 4 to 6 Tbsp to allow the pastry to hold together.  Put in the freezer for a few minutes while preparing the filling or use immediately.  Don't let it warm up.

3.   Roll out on wax paper that has been dusted with flour.  This crust is very tender and tends to tear. Wax paper helps getting it into the pie plate in one piece. Patches, if needed, can be made with scraps and "cemented" into place with beaten egg or milk. Use a beaten egg or milk to seal the crust and glaze the top. Try sprinkling the top with coarse sugar.

4.   Bake for 20 minutes at 425°F and then for 40 minutes at 350°F.
Pie Fillings
     Mix ingredients well. Use a large, deep 9 or 10 inch pie plate with the pie crust all inside the plate to avoid boiling over. Use a beaten egg or milk to seal the crust and glaze the top. Try sprinkling the top with coarse sugar. 

      Each receipt makes one pie with a top crust except the pumpkin that is for two single crust pies.
pie
Pear Pie

     This is good in the autumn when pears are a reasonable price; maybe 50¢ to 70¢ per lb.
     We use 3 lb. for one pie.

  • 5 cups sliced pears
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup Demerara brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 3 Tbsp corn starch
Pear Pie
Pumpkin Pie

     Our traditional Thanksgiving favourite! This receipt makes two single crust pies.

  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 can pumpkin (28 oz or 796 mL)
  • 1 cup Demerara brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 can (385 mL; about 13 or 14 oz) Carnation® evaporated milk
Take care to purchase "100% Pumpkin"
(and NOT prepared "pumpkin pie filling")
E.D. Smith Pure Pumpkin
This receipt is from the back of a can
of E.D. Smith's Pure 100% Pumpkin.
Pumpkin Pie
Slice of Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie
  • 7 cups apple slices
  • 1 cup sugar, we prefer Demerara brown
  • 5 Tbsp flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
 Blueberry Pie

This is for wild blueberries found in Temagami.
It may work for other berries as well.

  • 4 cups blueberries
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp corn starch
  • 3/4 cup sugar
Winter Peach Pie
  • 1 can peach slices (28 oz or 796 mL) perferably "packed in juice"
  • 2/3 cup dark raisins
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed down
  • 3 Tbsp corn starch
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp cloves
     Drain the peaches and save the syrup; you should have about 3 cups of peaches. Add 1/2 cup syrup and the rest of the ingredients. Let stand 15 minutes before pouring into the pie crust. This pie looks good with a lattice top.

from Irma Rombauer: "The Joy of Cooking"
peach pie
peach pie slice
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