French Coconut Pie

My sweet friend Carol Dudley shared this old-fashioned pie recipe with me to make for Mom’s birthday. I reduced the amount of sugar to compensate for the sweetened coconut. According to Mom, the pie tastes best warm, but you can also serve it at room temperature.

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 Tbsp. vanilla

Zest and juice from 1 lemon

1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1 (9-inch) frozen piecrust

1. Stir together eggs and next 2 ingredients until blended. Stir in vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest.   Pour mixture into piecrust.

2. Bake at 350° for 35 to 45 minutes or until set. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Slab Apple Pie

This recipe is inspired by SmittenKitchen.com. I think it's the perfect pie—serving it in squares makes it possible to eat out of hand, no plates required. Leftovers freeze beautifully, wrapped in wax paper. Thaw frozen slices in the fridge, and bake at 350° on a baking sheet for 10 minutes.

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups chilled butter, cut into cubes
3/4 cup ice water
3 1/2 to 4 lb. apples, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. cardamom
Pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp. water

1. Place flour and next 3 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Add in butter cubes, and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand. With processor water, slowly add ice water to flour mixture, processing just until a dough ball forms. Divide dough in half; wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill in fridge for at least an hour.
2. Place apples in a large bowl; toss with lemon juice and zest. Stir in sugar and next 6 ingredients.
3. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper, and lightly grease parchment and sides of pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 dough half into an 18- x 13-inch rectangle. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, pressing dough up sides of sheet pan. Pour apple mixture over crust, and spread evenly. Roll second dough half into a slightly smaller rectangle. Place top crust over apple mixture, and fold the bottom crust’s sides over the edges, pressing them together. Cut small slits to act as vents all over lid. Brush top crust with egg mixture.

4. Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden. Allow to cool for 1 hour, and cut into squares.

Caramelized Onion-Grape Tomato Tart

This is my version of a recipe from The Pioneer Woman. Cooked crumbled bacon would be a terrific addition! (I omitted it only because we had this tart with grilled rib-eyes topped with lemon-blue cheese butter. Seemed a little over the top!)
1 round pie dough (homemade or purchased)
4 Tbsp. butter
1 red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
4 oz. shredded Italian cheese blend
4 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half

1. Roll out pie dough, and shape to fit a half-sheet pan.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter over low heat in a large skillet; stir in sliced onion and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until onions are very soft.
3. Sprinkle cheeses over top of pie dough; top with caramelized onions and grape tomato halves. Use a pastry brush to spread remaining butter in onion pan around edges of crust.
4. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese melts. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Fried Green Beans

Canola oil

1 cup beer

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 lb. green beans, ends trimmed

1. Pour oil into a Dutch oven to depth of 1 1/2 inches. Heat over medium heat.

2. Stir together beer and next 3 ingredients until combined. Dip green beans into batter. Cook beans, in batches, in hot oil 3 minutes or until crispy and lightly brown. Drain on paper towels. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately.

Corn Skillet Cakes

This is from The New Southern Garden Cookbook.
3 to 4 ears corn, husks and silks removed

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

1/3 cup buttermilk

Butter

Canola oil

1. Grate corn into a bowl. Stir in cornmeal and next 6 ingredients just until combined. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter with 1 Tbsp. oil in a cast-iron skillet. Drop batter, in batches, by tablespoonfuls into hot skillet. Cook cakes until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Serve immediately.

Slow-cooker Apple Butter

This is so easy—in fact, I let it cook overnight. The hardest part is peeling and cutting all of the apples. (I used small, old-fashioned apples from my uncle’s trees.) Store the jars in the fridge for up to 6 weeks.
6 pounds apples (use a mixture of types)
2 cups sugar
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1. Peel, core, and thinly slice apples. Combine sugar and next 5 ingredients; toss with apples. Pack the mixture into a slow-cooker, making sure it’s at least two-thirds full. Cover with lid, and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Reduce heat to LOW, and cook for 8 to 12 hours or until the apples are completely soft. Remove the lid, increase the heat to HIGH, and cook 1 more hour or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in balsamic vinegar. Use an immersion blender to puree apple mixture until smooth. Ladle into jars; cover with lids. Allow to cool completely. Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

This is my variation of a recipe from Joy the Baker.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Maple syrup

1. Combine flour and next 8 ingredients until combined. Stir together eggs and next 3 ingredients until combine. Stir into dry ingredients, just until combined. Stir in dried cranberries.
2. Cook pancakes on a lightly greased preheated griddle or skillet, in batches, until cooked on both sides. Serve warm with warm maple syrup.