Families carry on recipe traditions

THANKSGIVING PIES

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

It wouldn’t be Thanks- giving without pie — from apple to pumpkin and even grape.

Because they’re a must-have, the Detroit Free Press asked readers to share their favorite family recipes and tell why those pies are mainstays on their holiday tables. And share they did.

Laurey Hintzke Konjarevich, 45, of West Bloomfield, Mich., has a love-hate relationship with the Concord grape pie that has been a family tradition for more than 70 years.

“It’s time-consuming and messy,” she says. “But we grow our own grapes.”

Konjarevich is the family’s grape pie maker, carrying on the tradition that began with her late grandmother, Helen Hintzke, who grew grapes at her Detroit home.

“I remember going there and picking grapes,” she says, “and I learned to make the grape pie with my grandmother.”

Konjarevich says the family still grows grapes at their cottage in Fair Haven, Mich., so there is always a supply for pie.

Although a messy endeavor, this pie is not difficult to make, says Konjarevich, who recommends making it a day before so it sets up nicely, and serving it cool.

Carmen Dotterer, 55, of Harper Woods, Mich., recently added a flavor twist to the apple pie she’s been making for years at Thanksgiving — caramels.

“The family loves it because they are not expecting the caramels,” says Dotterer, who got the idea from a pie her daughter had at a potluck. Up until then, the pie’s appeal was all about the crust and the mix of tart and sweet apples in the filling.

“It makes sense, fall and caramel and apples,” Dotterer says. “I took my traditional apple pie and stirred in Kraft chunks of caramel, and they just melt into the pie.”

The crust is from a recipe her mother passed along to her, and it, too, has a twist.

“I think the crust is different because my mother uses milk in the crust instead of water,” Dotterer says. “I think the milk makes the crust a little more flaky and flavorful.”

Margie Brisson, 67, of Rochester shared her recipe for the Pumpkin Chiffon Pie that’s been a family favorite since the ’70s.

“The recipe calls for beaten egg whites, which makes the pumpkin filling lighter in texture,” Brisson says. “I like it because it’s light, especially after a heavy meal of turkey and dressing.”

Brisson, who always makes a traditional pumpkin pie for the Thanksgiving die-hards, says this one is unique: The graham-cracker crust gets its crunch from coconut and pecans.

“It’s one of my go-to pies,” she says.

To top the pie off, Brisson whips up a flavored cream topping with candied ginger for a bit of sweetness.

APPLE CARAMEL PIE

Serves: 8

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes (plus cooling time)

Crust:

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

3‚Ñ4 cup Crisco

Dash of salt

1‚Ñ4 cup milk or more as needed

Filling:

6 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

2 medium red apples such as Gala, Jonathon or Macintosh, peeled, cored and sliced

1‚Ñ2 cup flour

1‚Ñ4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

12 Kraft caramels, unwrapped

3 tablespoons butter, in small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To make the crust: In a large bowl, mix together all the crust ingredients using two butter knives. The less use of your hands the better for flakiness. Knead the dough slightly and divide in two. Roll out each one to fit a 9-inch glass pie pan.

Spray a glass pie pan with fat-free cooking spray and place one crust.

Place the apples in the pie crust.

In a small bowl combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle all around the apples.

Place the caramels throughout the sliced apples. Dot the apples with the butter pieces. Place the top crust on top of apples. Seal the edges and crimp.

Cut slits in the top crust to vent. Brush the top crust with milk.

Bake for 45 minutes or until crust is browned and apples are tender. Check by inserting a skewer into the apples through one of vents. Remove from oven and cool before serving.

Submitted by Carmen Dotterer, Harper Woods, Mich. Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen

Nutritional analysis

Per 1 slice: 533 calories (34 percent from fat), 20 grams fat (9 grams sat. fat), 89 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 271 mg sodium, 12 mg cholesterol, 5 grams fiber.

CONCORD GRAPE PIE

Serves: 8

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Total time: 1 hour (plus cooling time) For a firmer pie use up to 1‚Ñ4 cup of quick-cooking tapioca.

Favorite crust for a 9-inch double crust pie

4 cups of Concord grapes

1‚Ñ2 cup sugar

11‚Ñ2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 to 4 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 tablespoon milk, optional

1‚Ñ2 teaspoon sugar, optional

Slip pulp out of the grape skins and reserve skins. Place the pulp in a large pot over medium heat and cook until the seeds fall to the bottom. Remove from the heat and press the mixture through a sieve to remove remaining seeds. Discard the seeds.

In a large bowl, combine the pulp and the skins with sugar, lemon juice and tapioca. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Roll out half the dough for a bottom crust and place in the bottom of the pie pan. Roll out the remaining dough for the top crust.

Fill the shell with the grape mixture and cover the pie with the top crust. Seal edges and crimp. Prick several holes in the top of the crust or cut vents. If desired, brush the top crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Place the pie on the lower rack in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 and bake for about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool completely before serving.

Cook’s note: You may want to put the pie on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. This pie can bubble over.

Submitted by Laurey Hintzke Konjarevich, West Bloomfield, Mich. Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

Nutritional analysis

331 calories (43 percent from fat), 16 grams fat (4 grams sat. fat), 45 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 246 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 gram fiber.

PEAR PIE WITH DRIED CHERRIES AND BROWN SUGAR STREUSEL

Serves: 8 (generously)

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Total time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Streusel:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1‚Ñ2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1‚Ñ2 cup packed light brown sugar

1‚Ñ4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

3 pounds Anjou or Bartlett pears (5 or 6 medium), peeled and cored, cut lengthwise into 8 wedges and then crosswise into 1‚Ñ2-inch slices (about 7 cups)

11‚Ñ2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2‚Ñ3 cup granulated sugar

1‚Ñ4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1‚Ñ4 teaspoon salt

1‚Ñ4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1‚Ñ8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3‚Ñ4 cup dried tart cherries, coarsely chopped

1 prebaked single piecrust

Position a rack in the center of the oven, set a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the streusel: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar and salt. Using your fingers, blend the butter into the flour mixture. The mixture will be moist. Set aside.

For the filling: In a large bowl, toss the pears with the lemon juice. In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the sugar mixture to the pears and toss well to combine. Stir in the cherries.

Mound the filling into the piecrust. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the pear mixture, pressing the streusel between your fingers into small lumps as you sprinkle.

Put the pie on the heated baking sheet and bake until the pastry is golden-brown and the filling is bubbly and thickened at the edges, 55 to 65 minutes. Rotate the pie halfway through baking, and if the pastry or streusel browns before the filling has thickened, loosely cover the top or edges of the pie as needed with a pie shield or a sheet of aluminum foil.

Transfer to a rack and cool completely before serving. The pie can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Adapted from Fine Cooking magazine, November 2009 issue. Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

Nutritional analysis

630 calories (34 percent from fat), 24 grams fat (15 grams sat. fat), 101 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams protein, 260 mg sodium, 60 mg cholesterol, 7 grams fiber.

PUMPKIN CHIFFON PIE

Serves: 8

Preparation time: 20minutes

Total time: 1 hour (plus chilling time)

Graham Cracker Coconut Crust:

3‚Ñ4 cup graham cracker crumbs

3‚Ñ4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1‚Ñ3 cup butter or margarine, melted

1‚Ñ4 cup finely chopped pecans

2 tablespoons sugar

Filling:

1‚Ñ2 cup white sugar

1 envelope (about 1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin

1‚Ñ2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1‚Ñ4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1‚Ñ4 teaspoon ground ginger

3 eggs, yolks and whites separated

3‚Ñ4 cup whole milk

1 cup canned pumpkin

Whipped Cream With Candied Ginger:

1 1‚Ñ2 cups well-chilled heavy cream

3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

1‚Ñ2 to 1 teaspoon ground ginger

1‚Ñ4 cup finely chopped candied ginger

To prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix together all the crust ingredients and press evenly on the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake until golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

In the top of a double boiler, mix the sugar, gelatin, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Gradually stir in the egg yolks and milk. Heat over rapidly simmering but not boiling water, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the pumpkin. Refrigerate covered until partially set, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the egg whites in small mixer bowl until stiff. Whisk refrigerated gelatin mixture in large bowl to remove lumps. Fold 1‚Ñ2 cup of beaten egg whites into gelatin mixture; fold in remaining egg whites. Pour into prepared crust. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

To make the topping: In a mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Sprinkle in the confectioner’s sugar and ground ginger and beat until stiff. Fold in candied ginger. Refrigerate until ready to serve pie.

Spread evenly over pie or add a dollop to each piece before serving.

Submitted by Margie Brisson, Rochester. Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

Nutritional analysis

This does not include whipped cream topping. 254 calories (53 percent from fat), 15 grams fat (8 grams sat. fat), 26 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 236 mg sodium, 99 mg cholesterol, 2 grams fiber.