Pie Shell

You won't have to buy a hat or travel to Kentucky to enjoy this derby. Pearl M. Sherling of Baltimore requested a recipe for Derby Pie "similar to one I had at the Ladew Topiary Gardens."Her answer came from Teresa M. Baker of Severna Park, who included a brief explanation of the pie. She serves the pie at her Kentucky Derby parties, but she noted that it should not be called " 'Derby Pie' because that is the registered trademark for the official pie made in Louisville, Ky."The recipe is from the Old House restaurant in Louisville.

What's fall without pecan pie? Fresh and abundant at this season, the native American pecan nut has long been associated with cool weather and end-of-year holiday treats. For those of you who didn't get enough of Aunt Jen's pecan pie at Thanksgiving and can't wait for Uncle Harry's Christmas version, try baking one for yourself.Basic pecan pies are a cinch to prepare. The ingredients need only be stirred together by hand and poured into a pastry shell. The usual baking temperature is 350 degrees but pecan pie is so adaptable that it can be baked at higher or lower temperatures with similar results, a convenience when the pie is baked along with other foods in the same oven.

How about a chess challenge?Not a game of chess but a "classic Southern chess pie recipe" such as the one that was requested by T. J. Leeds of Columbia.Chef Gilles Syglowski chose responses from Lucille Lee of White Marsh, and Martine Clyne of Owensboro, Ky.Ms. Lee included a note with her recipe. "This is my very favorite pie and I dare not show up at family dinners without it. It came to me from Tennessee," she wrote.Lee's Lemon Chess Pie1 cup sugar1 tablespoon cornmeal1 tablespoon flour4 eggs unbeaten1/4 cup butter, melted1/4 cup milk1/4 cup lemon juice1/4 teaspoon lemon extractLightly toss together the first three ingredients.

If something sweet to eat is on your mind, then these recipes -- an egg custard pie and an old-fashioned coconut cake made with coconut milk -- should send you full steam ahead into the kitchen.Doris C. Griffin of Baltimore asked for the cake recipe. She writes that she is retired and has moved to Charlestown Retirement Community and lost her recipe in the move.Carolyn Dickerson of Abingdon responded with the coconutcake choice.Dickerson's fresh coconut cake2 whole coconuts2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour1 2/3 cups sugarCoconut milk from 2 coconuts1 teaspoon salt2/3 cup butter3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder2 teaspoons vanilla3 eggs separatedNote: To prepare coconuts.

It was a weekend of back-to-back strawberry pies. The two glorious pies were made with local berries, freshly whipped cream and a borrowed recipe.Pie No. 1 was devoured Saturday night in about 40 minutes. Pie No. 2 was dessert for Sunday's supper. Two pieces of the Sunday night pie were hidden in the fridge for safe keeping. And on Monday morning, in what I hope will be the start of a Memorial Day tradition, two pieces of strawberry pie with whipped cream were eaten as breakfast.The best strawberries are sold at stands sitting on the wrong side of the road.

If you're not yearning for a taste of shrimp toast, perhaps you could work up an appetite for some Hershey almond pie? Either one adds new definition to the word flavor.Vivian Cassel of Timonium wanted a recipe for the pie which she remembers enjoying from "back more than I'd like to say." And, Rosemary Pierre and Ethel Wick, both of Baltimore, requested a shrimp toast recipe that had a Chinese flavor.Chef Syglowski, of the Baltimore International Culinary College, who tests the recipes which are sent in answer to requests, chose two pie recipes.

Pumpkin may have been the Pilgrims' pride, but in many homes today, it just isn't Thanksgiving without pecan pie.The basic recipe -- eggs, corn syrup, sugar, vanilla and lots of pecans -- is ripe for experiment.Chocolate and bourbon come to mind as successful additions. Simply sprinkle in a few chocolate chunks along with the pecans; or, soak the nuts in bourbon for a day or so before making the pie.Golden ambrosia pecan pie combines elements of a Southern staple, ambrosia salad, with pecan pie.Classic pecan pie3 eggs3 heaping tablespoons sugar1 tablespoon flour1 cup white corn syrup1 cup pecans1 teaspoon vanillaunbaked pastry for a 9-inch pieHeat oven to 350 degrees.

Bet you didn't know that pumpkin from a can and the pumpkin you carve for Halloween are the same thing. And, did you also know that pumpkin is a vegetable that's part of the squash family? This recipe calls for canned pumpkin, but it could made with fresh. Start with a 2 pound pumpkin and have an adult cut it in half. Scrape out the seeds. Put both halves, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Pierce the shell a few times with a fork and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until it's very soft and the shell begins to cave in. Remove from the oven and let the pumpkin cool completely.

It was near the end of the fresh strawberry season in Maryland when Bill Machuley of Baltimore requested a Haussner's strawberry pie recipe. Responses were overwhelming.Local berries have bitten the dust but not to worry. This strawberry treat is worth trying now and any season. Fresh berries from afar are available at your grocers. And, plan another pie when the local strawberries surface again next summer.Chef Syglowski of the Baltimore International Culinary College tested the responses and chose two which he notes "both have nice flavor but some changes are called for."

It's not too far from northwest Baltimore to Washington, but it's a long way from sponge cake with blue icing to Viennese Chocolate Fantasy Cake and Triple Chocolate Terrine. Ann Amernick knows, because that's the path she's traveled since growing up in Baltimore largely unaware of the culinary world (though "I loved Haussner's for the strawberry pie," she recalls) to being one of the more noted pastry chefs in the country.She has baked her famous cakes and tortes at the Big Cheese in Georgetown, Le Pavilion and Jean-Louis at the Watergate in D.C. and she was assistant pastry chef at the White House in 1980 and 1981.