Foodstuffs

November 2007

Easy as Pie

By Rochelle delaCruz

November is the month for pie. Oh sure, there’s turkey too, but there’s just so much you can do with that big bird – roast, rotisserie, maybe deep fry. Nobody boils it do they? In Hawai`i, turkey is sometimes imu’d , but up here in the Northwest, there doesn’t seem much point trying to convince the men-folk that they should spend a chilly afternoon digging and tending a deep pit in the November ground. In this age of equal opportunity, I suppose we women could do it…but that’s when I decided on pie. Easy as pie, pie in the sky, pie r squared…I remember way back in Hilo Intermediate School when I first heard that one. As Miss Loo expounded on the virtues of π r² and applied it always to a circle, all I could think was: custard.

First I was going to put different kinds of pumpkin pie on this food page, but why print the same thing that all the newspapers and magazines are doing? So instead, here are some Hawai`i favorites that perhaps you can take to your Thanksgiving gathering. ~RdC

Double Crust Coconut Pie

4 cups fresh or frozen coconut
½ cup light cream, evaporated milk, or coconut milk
1 cup sugar
½ cup Karo, white (optional)
3 egg whites, beaten
Pastry for two-crust 9” pie

Combine coconut, cream and sugar. Add Karo (if you like) and mix. Gently fold in beaten egg whites. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate and cover with top crust. Be sure to make a slip on top crust so steam will escape. Brush lightly with milk or cream to give golden color. Bake 30 minutes at 400º.

Two Crust Mango Pie

3 ½ cups ripe mango slices
¼ tsp. salt
1 Tbs. lemon juice
¾ c. sugar
2 Tbs. tapioca
½ c. cinnamon
1 Tbs. butter
¼ tsp. nutmeg
Pastry for two-crust 9” pie

Combine all ingredients (except pastry) and let stand 15 minutes. Then put into pastry-lined pan and cover with pastry for top crust. Seal edges and cut slits into top. Brush top surface of crust with milk. Bake 60 minutes at 425º.

Purple Sweet Potato and Haupia Pie

1 10” pie crust, baked

Sweet potato filling:
1 block butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 lb purple sweet potato, cooked and mashed
½ c. evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar. Beat eggs and add in, then add mashed sweet potato and mix in gradually. Add milk, vanilla and salt and mix well. Pour into crust and bake 30-35 minutes at 350º. Cool before adding haupia topping.

Haupia:

1 can (12 oz) frozen coconut milk, thawed
4 Tbs. sugar
4 Tbs. cornstarch
¾ c. water

Combine sugar and cornstarch and mix with water until completely dissolved. Add coconut milk and stir until lumps are gone. Cook over low heat, stirring until thickened. Cool then pour haupia mixture over pie filling. Refrigerate a couple of hours.

Shortbread Crust, `ono especially with Sweet Potato-Haupia Pie
(for other pies on this page, use standard crust)

2 blocks butter
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
2 cups flour

Combine flour, sugar and nuts. Cut in butter until crumbly texture.Press into pie pan.

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