Raspberry Pie

Yet another dessert I made last week! This is the last recipe, but one of the most special.  It's my husband's Grandma's recipe for raspberry pie.  I've taken a few liberties with her original recipe, though.  I hope she'd approve!

First of all, I start with a pastry crust instead of a graham cracker crust.  Just a matter of preference... I think pastry crusts hold up better to make pretty slices :)

Here are the other two ingredients I've changed.  Truwhip is a 'healthier' (everything is relative), gluten-free version of CoolWhip. Michael's Grandma had raspberry bushes from which she (or Michael) would pick fresh berries for her pies.  I don't have the same luxury, so I use frozen.  Just make sure to thaw them before folding them into the filling. The best part of using the frozen raspberries is that they make the pie a pretty pink color... my husband doesn't appreciate this marvel as much as I do...

Here is my/her recipe:

Ingredients:

1 prepared pie crust (pastry or graham cracker)

1 bag of small marshmallows (her recipe calls for 30 large ones, but I think the little ones melt easier)

1/2 Cup milk 

2+ Cups fresh (or frozen and thawed) raspberries

1 tub of Truwhip (or Cool Whip if you must) thawed

Melt the marshmallows with the milk over a double boiler....

This can take a little time, but again, the process is helped along by using the little marshmallows.

Keep stirring....

Oh thank goodness, my arm was cramping (just kidding... maybe)... 

Allow the melted marshmallows to cool.

Fold the Truwhip and marshmallows together. 

Fold in the thawed (if a lot of liquid comes from the berries, drain them a little) raspberries.

Pour the filling mixture into the baked pie crust.  Refrigerate for a few hours before serving cold.

Yummy!!

Key Lime Pie

Last week I also made a key lime pie. Y'all are probably wondering who ate all of the desserts (Rum Cake, Peach Cake, and Raspberry Pie) I made within the past few days.  Actually, you probably don't really care, but I'll tell you anyhow :)

Last weekend was the family reunion of my mother's paternal side, The Peeples. No family reunion would be complete without tons of southern food, so I happily handled most of the desserts. Others brought things like pimento cheese, boiled peanuts, and South Carolina BBQ. I was in food heaven... or maybe a food coma... what I'm trying to say is that I should probably be juicing more! Oh wait, I live in a hotel room... more on that later!

Getting back on track- This was the only dessert I made that didn't come from my own recipe or a family recipe, simply because I don't think it gets any better than Emeril's Recipe.  Its the perfect balance of creamy and sweet and tart and crunchy.  Here are a few photos from when I made this yummy pie!

Graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter mixed together

The crust before baking

The ingredients for the filling (it really doesn't get any easier than this!)

Sour cream mixed with powdered sugar

The finished pie! MMMMM!

Rum Cake

This is the other cake that I made today (my mother and I are trying to get a head start on cooking for our family reunion that is coming up this weekend). It's much simpler to make than the Peach Cake, but has even more nostalgia associated with it.

This is one of many original recipe cards written by my great-grandmother, ReRe. She became known for making this cake, and therefore transcribed the recipe (complete with the note about instant vanilla pudding mix: "the kind you don't cook") for many friends and family members.  I love this recipe so much that I baked about 100 miniature cakes to give away in the gift bags at our wedding last summer.  So, thanks ReRe for your awesome Rum Cake recipe.  I miss you!

Ingredients:

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix*

1 Box Vanilla Pudding Mix

1/2 Cup Rum

1/2 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Oil

3 Eggs

*the quantity in boxes of cake mix has decreased since ReRe first wrote this recipe, so I added an additional 1/3 Cup or so from another box of yellow cake mix I had on hand.  However, I think the cake would turn out just fine as is... I was just being cautious.

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees.

Mix the cake mix and pudding mix together in a bowl with a whisk.  Stir in the rum, water, and oil.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition.

Pour the batter into a oiled (or buttered) and floured tube or bundt pan.  Bake for 50 minutes to an hour or when a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, make the rum glaze.

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 Cup) butter

2/3 Cup Rum

1/3 Cup Water

1 Cup Sugar

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a bubble over medium heat. Remove from heat.

After allowing the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, turn it out onto a sheet pan with raised edges.

Poke small holes all over the top of the cake using a toothpick.  Slowly spoon the glaze over the top of the cake.  Allow to cool completely before serving.

*Note: This cake only gets better with time.  I always make it at least one or two days ahead of when I want to serve it.

Peach Cake

Two things:
1) This was my most successful attempt thus far at remembering to take process photos throughout a recipe... enjoy!
2) This cake is so incredible... enjoy!

Peel about 10 peaches, savoring the scent as you go... this reminds me of summers at my maternal grandparents' home in Greer, SC.  There are many peach orchards nearby, so nearly every morning when I would walk into the kitchen the sweet scent of freshly cut peaches would welcome me.  Basically, if you have yet to experience the fragrance of fresh peaches, y'all are missing out big time! 

Anyways, cut the fruit off of the pits.  Reserve 1/2 Cup of the peaches.

Dice up the rest of the peaches (should yield about 2 cups, give or take a little).

Now you have all of your ingredients for this lovely cake!

3 Cups Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

2 Sticks (1 Cup) Butter

1 3/4 Cup Sugar

4 Eggs

2 Vanilla Beans (the caviar scraped out)

1 Cup Sour Cream

2 Cups Peaches

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in a bowl.

Set the bowl aside for the time being.

Action shot alert!  Cream the softened butter in a stand mixer.

Add the sugar to the butter and mix until its light and fluffy.

*not pictured* add the eggs one at a time, mixing well with each addition

Slice the vanilla beans in half, lengthwise, and scrape out the caviar with the back of your knife.  Add all of the vanilla caviar to the egg, butter and sugar mixture.

See all the little vanilla specks?! That means it's gonna taste super yummy...

Alternate adding the flour and sour cream to the batter in small increments, starting and ending with flour.

The batter should end up smooth and thick and creamy and speckled.

Pour half of the batter into an oiled (or buttered) and floured tube pan (or bundt pan).

Sprinkle the diced peaches evenly on top of the batter.

Cover the peaches with the remaining cake batter.

Place the cake in the oven and set the timer for an hour.

While the cake is baking, you make the glaze to pour over the cake.

Take the reserved 1/2 Cup of peaches, and blend them in a food processor or blender until completely smooth.

Stir the puree through a mesh strainer to remove any excess pulp.

Place the peach juice/puree into a small saucepan with 1/2 stick (1/4 Cup) of butter and 2/3 Cup of sugar. Stir all ingredients together on medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.  Remove the pan from the heat and add 1 Tbs of pure vanilla extract. 

After allowing the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, turn it out onto a rack set over a sheet pan with raised edges.

Take your time brushing or spooning the glaze over the entire cake, allowing the syrup to soak in a little before spreading more.

Once the cake has cooled, it is ready to serve! 

Fresh whipped cream (only slightly sweetened) would make this even more decadent and beautiful.