Pies

Cream Butter Crust For savory pies
2 deciliters cream
2/3 teaspoon baking powder
4 deciliters flour
1 stick butter
Whip the cream. Add flour and baking powder. Cut butter into the crust. Chill before rolling out.

French Butter Crust For sweet or savory pies
1 cup flour
1 stick butter
Pinch sugar
Small pinch salt
4 tablespoons cold water
Process flour and butter. Add salt, sugar, and water. Process until the dough collects into a ball. On floured board, knead the dough gently into a log, cut it in half, and flatten each half into a circle. Adding flour as needed, roll out. Makes two circles or 1 12x14 rectangle.

Finnish Sugar Crust For sweet fruit tarts

1 stick butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Cream butter and sugar. Add the egg and mix in. Add flour and baking powder, stir till smooth. Spread with a knife into a 9 1/2-inch medium flan.

Pecan Pie

1 French butter crust

2 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

2/3 cups maple syrup

1/2 stick butter, melted
A pinch of salt

1 cup pecan pieces

Beat eggs and sugar with an egg beater. Add syrup, beat. Add butter and salt, beat some more. Add pecan to egg mixture and mix well. Pour into pie shell. Bake 15 minutes in 400; then 30 - 35 minutes more in 350, or until browned and slightly cracked on top. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Peach or Apple Pie

2 French butter crusts

4 cups peaches or apples, peeled and sliced

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Dash salt

1 tablespoon butter

For apple pie, add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon cloves or nutmeg.
Toss the fruit with sugar, flour, and cornstarch until no flour shows. Pour into the pie shell and dot with butter. Moisten the rim on the crust with a wet brush and fit the second crust over the first. Turn the edges under, flute the rim, and cut four slits in the middle of the pie. Bake in 400 for 30 - 40 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie

2 French butter crusts

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1-2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

2 cups cooked mashed pumpkin

1/2 cup milk

Beat eggs, sugar, and spices. Add pumpkin and milk, and beat well. Pour into 2 pie shells. Bake 10 minutes in 450, and then 45 minutes more in 375.

The Easiest Ever Apple Tart

1 stick butter, melted

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup flour

1 egg

1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 apple, sliced (OK to leave the peel on)
A little sugar and cinnamon

Beat the egg and sugar with a wooden fork. Add the melted butter, milk, flour and baking powder and mix briefly but vigorously with the wooden fork until smooth. Pour into a buttered pie pan. Add the apple pieces evenly on top and sprinkle with some sugar and cinnamon. Bake in 375 for 30-40 minutes, until nicely browned and a tooth pick comes out clean. Let rest a little before serving (with vanilla ice cream if you wish). - I made this with pieces of very ripe plums, too, and it came out very nice.

Lemon Tart - This is simple but seriously good

1/2 cup butter

1 cup flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Small pinch salt

Filling:

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

3 1/2 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons lemon juice

For the crust: Combine all ingredients in the food processor and process until coarse granules form. Pour into 9 1/2-inch flan or a pie pan and pat into place, building the edges up. (They will fall a little during baking, but that's OK.) Bake for 10 minutes in 350. Cool.
For the filling: Mix the flour and sugar well together with a fork. Beat eggs in a small bowl and add the lemon juice, beat briefly. Pour the flour and sugar mixture into the eggs, beating with a fork until well combined. Pour into cooled shell. Bake 25 minutes in 350. Coo before serving. - If you want some color on the top, put it under the broiler for 1-2 minutes. But watch it! It can burn very suddenly. This after two minutes under my broiler, but yours may be hotter or cooler:

This is just about as good as the Very Lemon Tart, but oh so much easier. No whisking over the stove for 30 minutes. :)

"Very" Lemon Tart

1/2 cup butter

1 cup flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Small pinch salt

Filling:

3 eggs + 2 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1 stick butter

For the crust: Combine all ingredients in the food processor and process until coarse granules form. Pour into 9 1/2-inch flan and pat into place. Bake for 15 minutes in 350. Cool.
For the filling: Whisk all ingredients except butter for 20 - 30 minutes over simmering water or in a teflon saucepan, until opaque and pudding-like. Stir in butter and pour into shell. Refrigerate overnight. One hour before serving, broil for one minute until lightly brown. Refrigerate again until serving time.

Berry Tart

1 Finnish Sugar Crust or Lemon Tart Crust

Topping:

3 cups berries

1/2 cup sugar mixed with:

3 tablespoons flour

Crush the berries lightly and toss with the flour/sugar mixture. Pour over the crust. Bake for 10 minutes in 375, then 15 - 20 more minutes in 350 or until the crust is brown and the berries are solid.

Apple Tart

1 Finnish Sugar Crust

Topping:

2 large (or 3 medium) tart green apples

1/3 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon flour and 1 teaspoon cinnamon

A few small dots of butter (optional)

Peel and slice the apples. Layer half of them over an unbaked crust and sprinkle with half the sugar mixture. Repeat with the rest of the apples and the sugar mixture. (Dot with butter if using it.) Bake for 30 minutes in 375 then 15 more minutes in 350, or until the crust is brown and the apples are soft.

Rhubarb Tart

1 Finnish Sugar Crust

Topping:

4 stalks rhubarb

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup sugar

Peel and slice the rhubarb. Toss with flour and sugar and arrange over the crust. Bake for 10 minutes in 375 then 15 - 20 more minutes in 350, or until the crust is brown and the rhubarb is soft.

Almond Tart

1 3/4 cup flour

5 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

7 tablespoons butter

1 egg + 1 teaspoon water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:

1 1/2 cup almonds

1 stick butter

1 deciliter sugar

2 tablespoons cream

2 tablespoons flour

Prepare as French butter crust. Chill. Roll out and fit into large flan. Prebake 10 - 12 minutes in 375.
Stir topping ingredients in a saucepan until almost boiling. Spread over prebaked shell. Bake in 375 for 20 minutes, or until nicely browned.

Helena's Easy Blueberry Tart

1 stick butter, melted

3 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup oatmeal

Topping:

1-2 cups fresh blueberries

2-3 tablespoons sugar

Helena made this on the island as soon as we got back from berry picking. It was good!
Combine all crust ingredients to make a soft dough. Pat into a buttered pie pan. Fill with fresh berries and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for half an hour.
As in most country recipes, this one does not specify "in what temperature". The reason is probably that ovens in island kitchens were in wood stoves and did not have a temperature gauge. You started baking when the oven felt "hot enough", and you baked "until done". Your challenge as a city dweller is to use your eyes and nose to tell when a tart is "done". -- I would say, try 375 for half an hour, but I'm not promising anything.