These are the go-to recipes that form the backbone of many of the desserts in this book. From a reliable cookie crumb crust to homemade whipped cream, you’ll find what you need here to make your treats that much more special and delicious.
This is a quick and easy pie crust for those times when you don’t want to be bothered with making a traditional pie crust. I especially love this crust with Best Ever Orange Meringue Pie (see recipe), but it works great with any filling that does not require additional cooking. It can also be made with chocolate wafer cookies instead of vanilla. And although this crust does not have to be baked at all, it can be if the pie recipe you are using calls for it. Makes one 9-inch crust
1 box (11 ounces) vanilla wafers
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) butter or margarine, melted
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Crush half of the wafers and place them in a medium-size mixing bowl. Stir in the butter and sugar until well blended.
2 Pat the dough into the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Press the remaining wafers along the side of the pie plate to complete the crust. Fill with your choice of filling.
This delicious, flaky pie crust mixes right in the pan and is enough for any 9-inch pie. If you are making a deep-dish pie or would like enough dough for a pretty fluted edge, double the recipe. Makes one 9-inch crust
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
About ½ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons milk
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2 Stir together the flour, salt, and sugar in a 9-inch pie plate with a spoon until well blended. Slowly add ¼ cup of the vegetable oil and the milk while stirring. Add the remaining oil, a little at a time, until a rough “ball” of dough forms. (You may not need all of the oil.)
3 Set the spoon aside and mix with a fork. Pat the dough out with your hands to cover the bottom and side of the plate. Crimp the edges with your fingers, if desired.
4 Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Set on a wire rack to cool.
Meringue is a wonderful fluffy topping on any pie, pudding, or custard. It is also good on top of cakes! The trick to preventing your meringue from “shrinking” is to spread it all the way to the rim of the baking dish, which gives it something to cling to as it bakes.
Before whipping up the meringue, make sure your utensils and bowl are very clean. If there is the least bit of greasy residue, the meringue won’t froth as it should. Also, make sure no yolk gets into your whites.
I like to beat the egg whites to soft peaks for topping pies and desserts because this is easier to spread. You can beat yours until stiff peaks form if you prefer. (What on earth do you mean by soft peaks and stiff peaks? These stages describe the form of the meringue. When you pull your beaters up out of a soft-peak meringue, it will form a point that will then fall back down. If you are at stiff-peak stage and pull the beaters out, it will form a point that will remain sticking up.)
This recipe makes enough to top a pie with about 1 inch of meringue. If you’d like to cover more area or have a thicker meringue (mile-high is fine!), double or even triple the recipe. Makes enough to top a 9-inch pie or a pudding in a medium-size bowl
3 large egg whites
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2 Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and continue beating at high speed until soft peaks form.
3 Spread on top of a pie or pudding (such as banana pudding), being sure to spread to the edges to seal well. Bake until the top is golden, 10 minutes.
Desserts with fresh meringue are best if eaten within 2 days. They should be stored, covered, in the refrigerator.
I hate getting the urge to make a particular recipe and finding that one of the main ingredients is missing. Nothing takes the wind out of my sails like having to make a trip to the grocery store before getting to play in my kitchen. Having this recipe has saved me a trip numerous times, and it takes only a few minutes to mix up. Makes 1 cup
1 cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Stir together all of the ingredients. This mixture will keep, stored in an airtight container at room temperature, for several months.
While frozen whipped topping is definitely a time-saver, some recipes just taste so much more decadent when served with homemade whipped cream. It takes only a few extra minutes to make, and the taste is out of this world. Serve it over cakes, pies, puddings, fruit salads, or drinks of your choice. Makes 3 to 4 cups
1 to 2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
2 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Place the whipping cream in a large, chilled mixing bowl and add the sugar to taste (I suggest starting with 2 tablespoons). Mix with an electric beater on high speed until soft peaks and ripples form, about 2 minutes.
Homemade Whipped Cream will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for 1 to 2 days.
My grandmother referred to buttermilk as soured milk—and this recipe explains why. Homemade buttermilk can be made in just a few minutes by the addition of lemon juice or vinegar, which causes the milk to sour. It will yield the same results as store-bought buttermilk. Makes 1 cup
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar
Stir together the milk and lemon juice in a small bowl, and let sit at room temperature to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes.
Any leftovers can be stored, covered in the refrigerator, for 1 to 2 days.