6″ Cherry Cream Pie

My very first 6″ mini pie and flop all in one… I’m posting it anyway because it tastes okay and creating new recipes is experimental. Learn as ya go, eh?

So, what’s wrong with it?

1. Crust is too thick. Next time I make Basic 6″ Pie Crust, I will roll thinner.
2. Vanilla Cream (recipe below) is too thin. I wanted it firm, to not sag out.

Oh yeah… it sagged out. Maybe I should have stuck to my original plan (cherry meringue) but I I accidentally dumped sugar into the egg white all at once, before I even beat it, so I took the yolk and change direction. I’m happy with the cherry topping. This size is supposed to serve two, but I think it big enough to serve four. Or, if all you want is a little sweet treat, cut it into 6 wedges like the slice in the photo.

Vanilla Cream Recipe

• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 T cornstarch (not enough, add 1 tsp???)
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 tsp butter
• 1/4 tsp vanilla

Beat egg yolk with a fork, add sugar and stir well. Dissolve cornstarch in milk, then stir into egg mixture. Heat in a double-boiler, stirring constantly, until it becomes thick and smooth. Add butter and vanilla. Stir until smooth again. Remove from heat and let rest to slightly cool, then pour into a pre-baked 6″ crust. Cool to room temperature. Top as desired. Chill overnight.

NOTE:  I don’t own a double-boiler pan, so I used a speckled (graniteware) metal pie plate that nests just right on top of one of my pans yet it’s still easy to lift off. And, it works great! Just get the water to a rolling boil before setting whatever fits on top on your pan.

Since this recipe makes so little, it cooks up really quick and it makes just enough for a 6″ pie, leaving plenty of room for a top layer.

I will make it again… play around until I get the cornstarch measurement just right, maybe add a dash of nutmeg (so tempted last night, but didn’t think an eggnog flavor would go well with cherries) and come up with other flavors, too. I’m thinking it will be a good basic recipe to vary for other cream pies… banana cream, coconut cream, etc.

Maybe I should have used flour instead of cornstarch?

TOPPING:  1/2 to 2/3 cup of whatever you want… cherry or blueberry pie filling, another type of pudding, maybe just sliced strawberries.

I had homemade cherry pie filling in the freezer, so I thawed out a bag (one cup) and cooked it down while stirring constantly with a wire whisk until the cherries broke to bits and it was thick enough to show the bottom of the pan along the path of a spoon.

If you try this recipe, I hope yours comes out better than mine.

Thanks for reading!

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6″ Pie Crust Recipe

This is my first experimentation creating a pastry recipe to make ONE single crust in a vintage Pyrex 6″ pie plate. The baked results looked a little too thick, especially with folding the edge in before fluting, so I will roll it a tad thinner next time. Who knows? This recipe might actually make enough for a double crust.

Basic 6″ Pie Crust Recipe

• 3/4 c. all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 T. shortening
• 2 T ice cold water

SHORT INSTRUCTIONS (for those who already know how): make pie crust.

HOW I DO IT:  Toss flour and salt with fork. Add shortening one tablespoon at a time, working into the flour with the fork until it looks like crumbs. Slowly sprinkle on the water while sliding fork around until it comes together. You might need to add just a little more water. (It depends on the weather, how dry the flour is, if you plan to roll it on flour, and other variables.) I used 2 T., shaped the dough into a flattened ball, and rolled it out between two sheets of parchment paper without any additional flour. Peel off paper one side at a time. Fit dough into dish, trim and flute edges. Makes one 6″ recipe ready unbaked pie shell.

NOTE:  I baked my empty shell (with fork pricks as shown below so it won’t bubble up) in a toaster oven set on “toast” so the heat was distributed from the top and the bottom, at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Your time may vary. I took mine out when it was just done, barely light brown top and bottom, as I’m thinking of making a meringue pie that will require additional baking. As for the hearts cut from the scraps, I baked those with cinnamon sugar on top.

Odds are, I will play with this recipe, maybe start with 2/3 c. flour, until I get the right ratios to avoid leftover dough.

Thanks for reading and happy baking!

 

 

Mini 6″ Pie Plates

Oh baby, my mini pie plates arrived! I ordered a vintage set of four 6″ Pyrex on eBay after pricing metal plates at big box stores online.  Plan is to make JUST ONE little pie. That’s enough. Half a 6″ pie is ye equivalent to a slice of a 9 or 10 inch pie, but I’m thinking that if you go ahead and slice it into 4 or 6 wedges, those smaller portions will yield full flavor with less calories.

Now the fun begins. I googled for recipes trimmed down to this size and there are not a lot out there. Most I found make more than one 6″ pie, which kind of defeats the purpose. I want to eliminate excess pie as leftovers usually end up on my hips or in the trash.

I did find one recipe for a 6″ single crust, but it is made with butter and sugar so I’m going to have to experiment with cutting my own recipes down. It will be fun. I’ll drive you all nuts by posting my results.

One of my first questions was, “How much filling goes in a 6″ pie?”

I wanted to know because I just cooked a huge can of cherries (packed in water) down into cherry pie filling on Saturday, baked one 9″ pie and had about 10 cups leftover. Thankfully, the mini plates arrived Monday as googling didn’t find a valid answer.

The answer is ye ONE cup. I measured with dried oats, guessing that would be enough for most recipes by the time you add a crust. Some recipes may need a little more.

It’s tempting to start playing with recipes; but, we still have 6 slices of leftover pie in the fridge. Maybe my first 6″ pie should be a pumpkin or something, anything but cherry.

Does anyone else make little 6″ pies?

If you do and blog about it, feel free to leave a link in the comments. Maybe we can be like friends sharing recipes.

In my family, dessert on Sunday is a tradition so, odds are, that I’ll post mine on Mondays or Tuesdays and if I made pie over the weekend.

We are kind of partial to pies. My dad’s grandmother baked pies for a living. She died in the 1960’s, when I was just a little girl, so my memories of her are fleeting… only two images, one of her legs clad in heavy stockings under long skirts and the other is of sunlight on her flour dusted enameled top table. What I remember most was that her home always felt like love and smelled like pie.

Thanks for reading!