PIES ARE WINTER FAVORITES

Pie is a delightful dessert any time of the year, and if you are like my husband, apple is at the top of the list. Many times I think of apple pie as a fall favorite, but this apple pie I will share with you is wonderful any day, or as Scott would say, everyday.

Caramel Apple Pie

Your favorite pie crust to line a 9-inch pie pan and have a top crust

7 large Granny Smith or Pippin apples, peeled and cored

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 large egg

Caramel topping, recipe follows

Butter and flour a 9-inch pie plate. On a lightly floured surface roll the pie dough to fit the pie plate. Chill 30 minutes.

Roughly chop the apples into small pieces, about the size of lima beans, and should measure about 9 cups chopped. Combine with the sugar, tapioca, cinnamon, salt and lemon juice in a large bowl. Set aside until the juices begin to run, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Beat together the cream and egg to make a glaze and brush over the edges and bottom of the crust. Mound the apple filling in the pie shell. It will be quite full. Roll out the top crust and place over the mounded apples, sealing the edges as tight as you can by pinching the edges together. Trim edges and flute. Brush the top with remaining egg glaze. Using a sharp knife cut out and remove a circle the size of a quarter from the center of the top crust. Cut 5 or 6 slits in a spoke pattern beginning one-half inch from the center hole and ending one-half inch from the outside edge. Chill for 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place the pie plate on a cookie sheet and bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and continue baking until the juice visible in the center becomes thick and bubbly, about 1 hour. If the edges become too brown, cover with aluminum foil.

Meanwhile, prepare the caramel topping. Spoon the hot caramel over the top of the pie to coat and return to the oven. Bake 5 minutes longer, or until the caramel sets.

Cool on a rack before serving.

Caramel Topping

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 cup pecan halves

In a small saucepan combine brown sugar, butter and cream. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the pecan halves.

If you do not have a favorite pie crust recipe you are using, you might like to try this recipe, which gives the crust a light buttery taste that adds to the richness of this delicious pie.

Pie Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup lard or high quality solid shortening

2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

About 1/2 cup iced water

In a large bowl combine the flour with the lard, butter and salt. Mix lightly with your fingertips until the dough forms grape-sized pieces. You should be able to see chunks of the fat. Stir in the iced water. Lightly knead, handing the dough as little as possible, until the dough forms a ball. Add a little more iced water if necessary. Transfer to a plastic bag and shape into a log. Seal the bag, pressing out any air, and chill for as little as 1 hour or as long as 3 days. This pie dough can be frozen for as long as a week.

The recipe may seem intimidating due to the length of the recipe, but it really isn't and well worth the time you would spend making it.

The "Soup Queen" from Cape Girardeau shares a recipe she likes to make on cold winter days.

Cheesy Chilly Potato Soup

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups potatoes, cubed

2 cups milk

1 pound processed cheese

1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste

1 teaspoon cumin, or to taste

2 tablespoons salsa, or to taste

Simmer broth and potatoes about 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Heat until cheese is melted and heated through.

Recently there was a request for a good bread pudding recipe. Today we have a response from cookbook collector Marjean Cook of Burfordville, Mo. She said it tastes so much like what her mother used to make, so it is her favorite bread pudding recipe. When making this recipe she omitted the raisins, which is a personal preference.

She also included the lemon sauce recipe to serve over the bread pudding.

Bread Pudding and Lemon Sauce

5 cups bread, torn apart

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup raisins

4 cups milk, scalded

1 cup sugar

Dash of salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together. Put in a 9x13-inch greased baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve with lemon sauce.

Lemon Sauce

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup boiling water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons margarine

Mix together the first 3 ingredients and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add lemon juice and butter; stir until smooth.

We have several requests this week to share with you and hopefully you will have a recipe to share with these readers.

The first is from Sandy Riehn of Cape Girardeau. Sandy loves pineapple and is always looking for good recipes using her favorite fruit. She is also looking for two pie recipes using pineapple. The first is a traditional pie with crust and made with sugar, much like any other fruit pie. The second is a cream pie using pineapple. I'm sure you will be able to help her.

Barbara Hopkins of Cape Girardeau would like a recipe for the very light and fluffy whipped cream frosting used in some large bakeries on decorated cakes. She would like to make the frosting for desserts she often makes at her home. Can anyone help with her request?

Another request from Cape Girardeau is not looking for a recipe, but for information. She would like to know the difference between bratwurst and liverwurst. I don't care for either one, so this will take some work from me.

Another week of recipe swapping and sharing will come to a close. Have a safe and wonderful week and, of course, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan, an administrator at Cape Senior Center, can be reached at Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699. Recipes published are not kitchen-tested by the Southeast Missourian staff.