The Art of Pie
The Village PieMaker shares three recipes perfect for Thanksgiving dinner.
by Marti Attoun
Judith Ogden Larsen’s pie shop had a beginning as humble as gooseberry pie. She spread a quilt on the tailgate of her pickup truck and sold made-from-scratch pies to travelers along Interstate 80 in central Nebraska. Between customers, she played her fiddle.
“A hunter bought a blackberry pie from me and later called from Washington, D.C., and asked if I could send him a pie,” recalls Larsen, 47. Then another happy pie customer called, then another. That sellout day in November 2002 gave Larsen the nudge she needed to open The Village PieMaker.
“I felt in my heart that this would work,” Larsen says. While she lacked business know-how, she did know how to roll out a perfect piecrust and pack it with nearly 2 1/2 pounds of fresh raspberries or cherries or apple slices; “no canned stuff” is the company’s motto. She had learned to crimp and primp a piecrust—lightly brushing milk and sprinkling sugar on top—at age 10 under the guidance of her grandmother Gladys Karre.
At first, Larsen transformed a bedroom of her home into a commercial kitchen. Freezers and mountains of flour and sugar quickly took over. Likewise, pie orders from grocery stores and coffee shops outgrew her 70-pie capacity Ford Escort. Larsen moved The Village PieMaker into a quaint 1920s brick creamery building in Eustis, Neb. (pop. 464), where 15 employees today turn out as many as 1,000 pies a day—every single one made by hand and plump with fresh or frozen fruit or custards. She delivers the frozen “take and bakes” by van to 175 commercial outlets across Nebraska and parts of Colorado and Kansas.
Although Larsen’s days begin at 4 a.m. and rarely leave time for playing the fiddle, she’s living the pie-in-the-sky life she imagined.
“I am so honored when older women write and tell me that this is a dying art,” Larsen says.
“Imagine, being thanked for baking a pie.”
Eggnog Custard Pie
Chill the beaters and bowl in the freezer for the best whipped cream.
Ingredients
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
Filling:
2 cups eggnog
3 eggs
2 tablespoons brandy or rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Topping:
1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon brandy or rum
Nutmeg
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Prick holes in the bottom of pie crust. Bake 15 minutes to partially cook.
2. To make the filling, beat eggnog, eggs, brandy and vanilla in large bowl. Add sugar, salt and nutmeg; mix well. Pour into pie crust.
3. Bake 25 minutes. Cover with foil and bake 30 to 40 minutes longer or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. To make the topping, beat whipping cream in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Add confectioners’ sugar and brandy; beat until stiff peaks form. Garnish pie with whipped cream and sprinkle with nutmeg. Serves 8.
Recipe courtesy of Judith Ogden Larsen, The Village Piemaker, Eustis, Neb., "Relish Tastes of America," Nov. 2006.
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 420 calories, 28g fat, 7g prot., 33g carbs., 0g fiber, 270mg sodium.
Walnut Molasses Pie
Ingredients
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
¼ cup mild molasses
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (10-inch) unbaked pie crust
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Beat eggs. Add melted butter, vanilla, salt and nutmeg; blend well. Add brown sugar, corn syrup and molasses. Mix thoroughly.
3. Sprinkle nuts in unbaked 10-inch pie shell; pour egg mixture over nuts.
4. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes or until filling is set. Serves 8.
Recipe courtesy of Judith Ogden Larsen, The Village Piemaker, Eustis, Neb., "Relish Tastes of America," Nov. 2006.
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 580 calories, 27g fat, 7g prot., 82g carbs., 1g fiber, 380mg sodium.
Cinnamon-Carrot Pie
Ingredients
2 cups cooked, mashed carrots
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated whole milk
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 (10-inch) unbaked pie crust
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Combine carrots, milk, sugar, eggs, salt, ginger and cinnamon; beat for 2 minutes. Pour into unbaked pie crust.
3. Bake 15 minutes; lower heat to 350F and bake 45 minutes longer or until filling is set. Serves 8.
Recipe courtesy of Judith Ogden Larsen, The Village Piemaker, Eustis, Neb., "Relish Tastes of America," Nov. 2006.
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 340 calories, 16g fat, 7g prot., 42g carbs., 2g fiber, 410mg sodium.
Story by Marti Attoun, contributing editor.
first appeared: 11/16/2008
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11/18/08 5:21 PM
Each week I read the delicious looking and sounding recipes in American Profile. However, I have yet to try making one because I'm so discouraged by the amount of fat, including saturated fat, sugars and overall calories in most recipes. Two years ago I suffered a minor heart attack. A benificial outcome was that I was fortunate to be able to attend an excellent cardiac re-hab program in which I learned a lot about "good and bad" fats, transfats, sodium content, etc.
With the nationwide concern about obesity, why not offer some lower fat/reduced sodium recipes that can be just as good tasting and healthier, as well.
Thanks.
1/5/09 12:41 PM
I totally agree with you.. its a new year for a new start!! =)
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