Pennsylvania Dutch pies are a favorite of Clevelander Meredith Pangrace. Born of long winters when fruit trees were barren, they rely on simple ingredients from the farm — eggs, milk, sugar. In her book, Midwest Pie: Recipes That Shaped a Region, Pangrace shares recipes that are unique to the pantheon of circular baked pastry.
Although a vinegar pie doesn't sound appealing, Pangrace explains that the inclusion of apple cider vinegar adds acidity without requiring fruit. When in season, apples, black walnuts, Concord grapes, persimmons, and maple syrup are popular fillings.
While researching pies of the Midwest, Pangrace kept coming across a recipe for Angel Pie. An inverted pie where the filling is poured into the meringue, it looks like the filling is floating on clouds.
Angel Pie
Makes 1 pie
Originating around the 1930s, angel pies are unique in the fact that the filling is poured into a meringue crust rather than having a meringue top. The name of the pie is appropriate, as the lovely filling appears to be floating high above the clouds. Many classic angel pie recipes do not include nuts and cracker crumbs, yet their addition here adds a welcome flavor and texture.
This pie needs to firm up in the refrigerator overnight, so plan ahead when making it.
Ingredients
For the meringue crust:
- 3 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup cracker crumbs
- Pinch of salt
For the filling:
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon rind
- 1 cup whipping cream
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 300°F and grease a pie pan.
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Make the meringue crust: beat egg whites until stiff.
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Add baking powder, salt, and sugar and beat again.
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Gently fold in the nuts and cracker crumbs.
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Spread the meringue into the pie pan.
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Bake for 40 minutes.
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Make the filling: beat the egg yolks.
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Add the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon rind.
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Cook the mixture in a double boiler until thickened. Then set aside to cool.
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Whip the cream until stiff.
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When meringue crust is finished baking and cooling, spread one half of the whipped cream onto the crust.
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Spread the cooled filling onto the crust, followed by the remaining whipped cream.
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Chill for 24 hours.
The region is also known for its pumpkin pie. Libby's, the company that produces those ubiquitous cans of puree you see on supermarket shelves, is based in Illinois.
A woman making a pie in 1943. Photo by John Collier Jr., Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
In an Impossible Pie, which is of Amish origin, ingredients separate during the baking to create their own crust. Modern versions use Bisquick baking mix.
A combination of blueberries and rhubarb (also popular as a jam) is the basis for another Midwestern classic, the Bluebarb Pie. When in season, the fruits meld to give the pie both sweet and tart flavors.
Bluebarb Pie
Makes 1 pie
A dreamy fruit combination of—you guessed it—blueberries and rhubarb that is unique to the Midwest.
Ingredients
- 2 unbaked pie shells
For the filling:
- 2 cups rhubarb, diced
- 2 cups blueberries
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- Cinnamon sugar for dusting the top
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425°F.
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Mix the sugar and cornstarch together well.
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Sprinkle the mixture over the combined blueberries and rhubarb and let sit for ten minutes.
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Add the fruit to the bottom pie shell.
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Make a lattice for the top from the second crust and sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar.
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Bake for 30 minutes until the crust is well browned and the fruit is thickly bubbling in the center.
Jell-O, pudding, and Cool Whip provide nostalgia and comfort while a cottage cheese pie is baked like a custard with the inclusion of crushed pineapple in a graham cracker crust.
Meredith Pangrace can walk around her Cleveland neighborhood and collect black walnuts, a favorite pie ingredient in the Midwest. Photo courtesy of Belt Publishing.
Midwest Pie: Recipes That Shaped a Region looks back on classics like Sawdust, Funeral, and Millionaire pies. Photo courtesy of Belt Publishing.