These recipes originally appeared in the February 2022 issue of HomeLife Magazine.
As the rest of the world celebrates Pi (3.14) Day on March 14th by intelligently discussing the ratio of the circumference of the circle and other mathematical mumbo jumbo above my pay grade, I’m taking that day to celebrate my mother, Diane. No, my mom will never be mistaken for a math scholar. Instead, she has her own unique qualities that add up to near perfection. She’s an amazing conversationalist, a lover of books, a concert pianist, and the best personal cheerleader I’ve ever known. And to top it off, she knows her way around pie — the one with an “e.”
Mom learned her pie baking skills at an early age from her mother, Alice Mary, who was also known for her exceptional pastry skills. Over time, my mom has shared all her secret tips with me, which I’m sharing with you. If I’m going to be totally transparent, I never mastered her techniques. Sure, I told myself it was OK because I’m pretty good at baking cakes, and we can have our differences — chalking it up to the complexities of the mother/daughter relationship. But truth be told, it does bother me a bit that there’s a breach in the continuum of this handed-down tradition, and the breach is me!
The magic to a great pie comes down to the crust, and everyone has their own method. My daughter, Elise, took the time to put pen to paper as she captured Grandma Diane’s coveted pie crust recipe during a trip to mom’s mountaintop home in Virginia. Mom painstakingly walked her through every tip and trick making sure Elise jotted down every detail.
I, on the other hand, had taken a different approach. I quickly took down the list of ingredients from my mom over the phone, then called her back an hour later in tears, frustrated and defeated amid a big mess of brittle pieces of broken pastry. I muttered, “Where did I go wrong?” Simple answer: Slow down and listen better.
Recently, I was flipping through the well-worn pages of one of my handwritten cookbooks and found it very comforting to stumble across a copy of my mother’s cherry pie recipe in my daughter’s handwriting. I believe recipes are just ingredients with instructions, but it’s the gentle guidance and loving details that give us the confidence to see them through. You see, my mom’s fallen ill as of late, and I miss her stories, her guidance, and her words of encouragement — every piece of her.
I hope you know the joy of a mother’s recipe. If not, borrow mine. My mom would be honored if you did.
Pecan Pie ▶ Makes 8 servings
Crust Ingredients:
2 c. all purpose flour (plus a little extra)
1 rounded tsp. salt
3/4 c. Crisco® shortening
Filling Ingredients:
3/4 c. Karo® syrup
1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 stick butter (melted)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. whole pecans
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, use a pastry cutter to mix the ingredients for the crust together until it looks like small peas. Flour hands and press dough mixture together to make a ball. Divide the ball into two halves. Work quickly to flour a surface and roll out to the circumference of a pie plate. Lay the bottom crust into the plate. (Note: Only one crust is needed for this recipe. Roll out the second crust, wrap in cellophane, and freeze it for later use.) In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the pie. Spoon the pecan mixture into the pie plate with crust. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 300 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes, or until the pecans and crust are golden brown.
Tip From Laura: If you don’t have a pastry cutter, you can use two forks to create the pie dough.
Diane’s Cherry Pie▼ Makes 8 servings
Crust Ingredients:
2 c. all purpose flour (plus a little extra)
1 rounded tsp. salt
3/4 c. Crisco shortening
Filling Ingredients:
1-14.5 can Oregon red tart cherries in water
1 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. flour (rounded)
2 Tbsp. butter
Pinch of salt
Almond extract (one cap full)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, use a pastry cutter to mix the ingredients for the crust together until it looks like small peas. Flour hands and press dough mixture together to make a ball. Divide the ball into two halves. Work quickly to flour a surface and roll out to the circumference of a pie plate. Roll out the other ball and cut one-inch strips to form top lattice once the filling is in the bottom crust. In a separate bowl, drain the cherry water from the can of cherries, reserving the cherries. Add the sugar, flour, salt, and almond extract to the cherry water, mixing well. Add the cherries to the mixture. Pour cherry mixture into the pie plate with crust. Add little dabs of the butter around the cherries. Add two strips of the sliced dough across the middle, forming a cross. Continue adding one strip per side of the cross making a lattice work of the strips going under and over previously laid strips. When all strips are used, pinch the top and bottom dough together around the edge. Continue around the edge of the pie until a beautiful ripple effect is formed. Place pie in oven for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375 degrees and bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until the juice is bubbling in the middle and crust is golden brown.
Tip From Laura: If you find the lattice work too difficult, decorate the top by cutting out cherries using a cherry-shaped cookie cutter.
Apple Pie▲ Makes 8 servings
Crust Ingredients:
2 c. all purpose flour (plus a little extra)
1 rounded tsp. salt
3/4 c. Crisco shortening
Filling Ingredients:
6–8 apples (peeled, cut not too thin)
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Dash of cloves and salt
3 tsp. flour
3 Tbsp. butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, use a pastry cutter to mix the ingredients for the crust together until it looks like small peas. Flour hands and press dough mixture together to make a ball. Divide the ball into two halves. Work quickly to flour a surface and roll out to the circumference of a pie plate. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Pour apple mixture into pie plate with crust. Add little dabs of the butter around the apples. Lay the second crust on top. Pinch around the edge of the top and bottom crusts to make the ripple effect. With a sharp knife, make four slits around the top of the crust to allow steam to escape. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
