How to Make Desserts for The Memorial Day Weekend - Apple Raisin and Memorial Chess Pies

We Americans love to celebrate our holidays and our traditions often turn to food. Memorial Day is known for parades, picnics and fun. Don't let the holiday slip by without some wonderful dessert surprises for your family and/or friends this year. Try something new like Memorial Chess Pie. This old Southern Indiana pie is known as Memorial Chess Pie, in the community where I grew up, in memory of Josie who often prepared this pie for church socials and community events. Memorial Day was a day for Josie's pie. Apple Pie is considered an American tradition and is usually found at patriotic holiday celebrations. This year why not go out on a limb by turning the traditional pie into an Apple-Raisin Pie with a drizzle topping?

MEMORIAL CHESS PIE
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp corn meal
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp vanilla

Cream together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cornmeal, and flour. Add the eggs, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla, combining well. Pour the mixture into an unbaked pie shell and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake another 30 to 35 minutes until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

APPLE-RAISIN PIE
pastry for a 2-crust pie
6 med to large tart apples
1 cup seedless raisins
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out half the pastry on a floured board or surface; place pastry in a 9-inch pie pan. Gently fit pastry into pan and trim the edge.

Pare, core, and thinly slice apples; mix together with the raisins in a large bowl. Place the apples-raisin mixture into the pastry. Mix the granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt together. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the apples and raisins. Slice butter into thin slices and evenly place over the pie mixture. Roll out the remaining half of the pastry dough and gently place over the pie filling. Cut about 3 slits in the center of the pastry to allow steam to escape. Seal the pastry edges and make a scallop design or your favorite sealing design.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is lightly browned. Allow to cool.

Mix the powdered sugar and water to make a drizzle-type glaze. Drizzle over the crust.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's dessert recipes visit her blog at http://ladybugssweettreats.blogspot.com/
For her diabetic recipes and information visit her at http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com/