Pie Fest 2008

[hostile]

Pie responsibilities were distributed amongst families for today’s dinner. We are doing pumpkin- one standard and one creamy. Served with whipped cream (duh) and poached cranberries. Others are bringing Apple, pecan, sour cream lemon, and chocolate cream.

[Bo Diddley]

Pie responsibilities were distributed amongst families for today’s dinner. We are doing pumpkin- one standard and one creamy. Served with whipped cream (duh) and poached cranberries. Others are bringing Apple, pecan, sour cream lemon, and chocolate cream.

The missus makes the creamy pumpkin pies every year. They're tasty. She also does a cream cheese pie and for me, an apple crisp.

[happyone]

What, pray tell, is your recipe?

Here you go

Grandma Pat’s caramels

Ingredients

1 cup light corn syrup – Mom always preferred Karo
2 cups table sugar
3 cups whipping or heavy cream
¼ cup butter (half a stick)
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) optional

Combine sugar, corn syrup and 1 cup cream in a heavy 3 qt sauce pan stirring ‘til dissolved. Heat the mixture on medium to 246F (236F at 5000 ft) or the firm ball stage, stirring constantly. Slowly add 1 cup cream and bring mixture back up 246F or firm ball stage, stirring constantly. Add final cup of cream, butter and salt and bring the mixture back up 246F or firm ball stage, stirring constantly. Take mixture off heat and add vanilla and nuts. Mix thoroughly and pour mixture into a buttered 9x13 inch pan. Allow to cool then cut into bite sized pieces and wrap in wax paper.

On medium low heat (4 on my stove) it takes about 1 ¾ hrs to make a batch.

The recipe may be doubled

Caramels will last 6 to 8 weeks before starting to crystalize.

Hints

Be sure and calibrate your thermometer. The firm ball stage varies by altitude. This can be done by putting the thermometer in a pan of boiling water. Subtract the boiling temp from 212 and use that figure to adjust the temps in the recipe

I.E
If your thermometer reads 204 for the boiling point of water, subtract 8 degrees from 246 and cook the caramels to 238F

The lower stove heat setting, the better the flavor – if you have the time cook over medium low

I personally don’t quite cook to firm ball stage. I cook the first two cups of cream to 234 and the last cup to 236. This makes for extremely soft caramels

If you over cook the caramels they are still edible, but will become a hockey puck

Metal pans release the caramel easier than glass no matter how well the glass pan is buttered

Use a wooden spoon for stirring – don’t know why, that’s what Mom always said

DO NOT substitute margarine for the butter or canned milk/half-n-half for the cream

[Art Vandelay]

Wife made Key Lime for [emoji884]

[Pelado]

Here you go

Grandma Pat’s caramels

Ingredients

1 cup light corn syrup – Mom always preferred Karo
2 cups table sugar
3 cups whipping or heavy cream
¼ cup butter (half a stick)
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) optional

Combine sugar, corn syrup and 1 cup cream in a heavy 3 qt sauce pan stirring ‘til dissolved. Heat the mixture on medium to 246F (236F at 5000 ft) or the firm ball stage, stirring constantly. Slowly add 1 cup cream and bring mixture back up 246F or firm ball stage, stirring constantly. Add final cup of cream, butter and salt and bring the mixture back up 246F or firm ball stage, stirring constantly. Take mixture off heat and add vanilla and nuts. Mix thoroughly and pour mixture into a buttered 9x13 inch pan. Allow to cool then cut into bite sized pieces and wrap in wax paper.

On medium low heat (4 on my stove) it takes about 1 ¾ hrs to make a batch.

The recipe may be doubled

Caramels will last 6 to 8 weeks before starting to crystalize.

Hints

Be sure and calibrate your thermometer. The firm ball stage varies by altitude. This can be done by putting the thermometer in a pan of boiling water. Subtract the boiling temp from 212 and use that figure to adjust the temps in the recipe

I.E
If your thermometer reads 204 for the boiling point of water, subtract 8 degrees from 246 and cook the caramels to 238F

The lower stove heat setting, the better the flavor – if you have the time cook over medium low

I personally don’t quite cook to firm ball stage. I cook the first two cups of cream to 234 and the last cup to 236. This makes for extremely soft caramels

If you over cook the caramels they are still edible, but will become a hockey puck

Metal pans release the caramel easier than glass no matter how well the glass pan is buttered

Use a wooden spoon for stirring – don’t know why, that’s what Mom always said

DO NOT substitute margarine for the butter or canned milk/half-n-half for the cream

Any reason not to line the pan with parchment and just pull that out of the pan to cut the caramels after they're cooled?

[happyone]

Any reason not to line the pan with parchment and just pull that out of the pan to cut the caramels after they're cooled?

I've never tried. Can't think of one.

Mrs Happy and the girls have baked 2 Lemon Meringue pies, a gluten free pumpkin as well as a normal pumpkin and a apple pie. There will be about 40 people at my Dad's this afternoon for dinner.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Whoa. These pies look great.

[hostile]

Wife made Key Lime for [emoji884]

That looks really good. I love key lime pie.