Authors: Paige Shelton

Farm Fresh Murder (33 page)

BOOK: Farm Fresh Murder

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Cube the meat of the pumpkin. Layer the pumpkin, sugar, salt, and orange and lemon slices in a roasting pan. Allow them to sit overnight, refrigerated. Transfer to another pot.

Place the roasting pan over medium heat, add the cloves. Cook until pumpkin is transparent, stirring frequently—this will take a couple of hours.

WATER-PRESSURE PROCESS:

The texture of this preserve is very similar to a marmalade.

This is amazing on toast, biscuits, and ice cream. This is one of Becca’s co-vendors’ favorite holiday gifts.

Mamma Maria’s Mmmm-Amazing Lemon Meringue Pie

Makes one ten-inch pie

PIE TIPS:

1. Make the pie on a sunny, nonhumid day so meringue doesn’t fall.

2. Use ultrafine white sugar, anything else won’t make good filling or meringue.

3. Eggs shouldn’t be fresh; the best meringue is made with eggs around a week old.

4. When separating egg whites from yolks—NO yolk can get into the whites or the meringue won’t set. If yolk does get into the whites, DON’T use your finger to remove it; only use egg shell or meringue won’t set.

5. Freshly squeezed lemons make the filling just tart enough to offset the meringue’s sweetness.

6. A glass pie pan works best for all pies because it does a better job of evenly distributing heat.

7. Mix meringue in a bowl that has not been used to make anything with oil or grease, or meringue won’t set.

Bake pie shell in a glass pie pan at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. If you’re using ready-made pie crust, follow package directions.

FILLING

5 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2½ cups and 1 tablespoon ultrafine white sugar
½ cup corn starch plus an additional 1

tablespoons
2 ½ cups water
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 teaspoons grated lemon peel

For filling, stir together sugar and corn starch in medium saucepan. Blend egg yolks and water in a separate bowl; once they are blended, stir them into the sugar mixture in the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the filling mixture is thick and begins to boil. Let it boil for 1 minute—remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and lemon peel, and pour the mixture into the baked pie shell.

MERINGUE

5 egg whites (NO YOLK!)
¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup ultrafine white sugar

teaspoon vanilla

For meringue, beat egg whites until stiff, adding cream of tartar as egg whites are beaten (hand mixer or electric mixer works best). Once the cream of tartar is added and the egg whites are stiff, begin adding the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, continuously beating the meringue mixture. Continue mixing until soft peaks form (they should look like soft mountains), add vanilla, and mix for a few seconds more so vanilla is completely mixed into the meringue.

Heap meringue onto pie with a rubber spatula, taking care to seal the edges where the meringue and pie crust meet. Make peaks on top of the meringue with the spatula and bake the pie at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until meringue peaks are golden brown.

Let pie completely cool prior to serving.

HUGE MERINGUE

10 egg whites (NO YOLK!)
1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
2 cups ultrafine white sugar
teaspoon vanilla

For meringue, beat egg whites until stiff, adding the cream of tartar as the egg whites are beaten (hand mixer or electric mixer works best). Once the cream of tartar is added and the egg whites are stiff, begin adding the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, continuously beating the meringue mixture. Continue mixing until soft peaks form (they should look like soft mountains), add the vanilla, and mix for a few seconds more so the vanilla is completely mixed into the meringue.

Heap the meringue onto the pie with a rubber spatula, taking care to seal the edges where the meringue and pie crust meet. Make peaks on top of the meringue with a spatula and bake the pie at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until meringue peaks are golden brown.

Let pie completely cool prior to serving.

Mamma Maria acquired this mmmm- amazing recipe from Amy Snyder Hackbart and Patricia Snyder. Many thanks!

Linda’s On-a-Hurry Easy and Amazing Razzleberry Pie

2 ready-made pie crusts. These usually come two per
package.
2 cups or 16 ounces raspberries
2 cups or 16 ounces blackberries
cup sugar
2 ½ tablespoons flour
pie tin
cooking spray or butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Thaw fruit if it is frozen, and pour it in a colander to strain the juice.

In large bowl, mix fruit, sugar, and flour together. Line bottom of pie tin (sprayed with cooking spray or lightly buttered) with crust. Fill with fruit mixture.

Before adding the top layer, cut some vents into it. Lay it over the top of the fruit, moisten the edges with water to “glue” the two crusts together. With the back side of a fork pinch edges together, or pinch them with fingers.

Lightly brush the top crust with water.

Sprinkle sugar over the top.

Cover edges with a 1 ½-inch strip of foil.

Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove the foil and bake the pie for an additional 10 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Most of the time Linda makes her crusts from scratch, but either way this pie is mouthwateringly delicious.

Mathis’ Favorite Grilled Peanut Butter and Preserve Sandwich

This is for one sandwich. You can increase or decrease the amount of the ingredients per your tastes or to accommodate more sandwiches.

2 teaspoons or so butter
2 slices bread (Mathis prefers white bread)
2 tablespoons or so peanut butter
2 tablespoons or so Becca’s strawberry preserves

Heat griddle or skillet to 350 degrees.

Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Spread peanut butter on unbuttered side of one slice of bread, and the preserves on the other. Place one slice, buttered side down, on the griddle. Top with other slice, so that peanut butter and preserves are in the middle. Cook for 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown, and heated through.

Mathis can’t get enough of his aunt Becca’s strawberry preserves, especially when they’re mixed with peanut butter!