My Pinterest Kitchen

Have you seen my Pinterest kitchen? It's 50% healthy foods and 50% ooey-gooey cheesy or chocolatey fattening goodness. I probably won't ever make the "bad" 50%, but it's nice to look at them and have a little mental dessert every once in a while.

But, the other healthy recipes are great for inspiration when I've hit a meal planning wall. Take this samosa casserole. It's not something I ever would have considered, but after seeing it on a friend's board, I convinced myself to try it. We love Indian food, so I had all the spices on-hand already. The one thing I was lacking was a kosher pre-made roll out pie crust. However, Whole Foods to the rescue! I am going to keep a steady supply of this pie crust in my freezer. Love it!

Overall, we enjoyed this recipe, especially with the cucumber riata. I think, though, that I will make a few changes for the next time, such as increasing ALL the spices (also noted in recipe). The potatoes are really starchy, and they absorb spices really easily, so it takes a lot to make the flavors pop. It's very tasty, filling, and made for some great leftovers, too.

Indian Samosa Casserole
adapted from Vegetarian Times

Ingredients:
Crust (or use premade!)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
Filling
1 Tbs. black or yellow mustard seeds (2 TBS)
1 tsp. curry powder (2-3 tsp)
1 tsp. ground ginger (2-3 tsp)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin (2 tsp)
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes, optional (1/2 tsp)
5 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered (decrease to 4. Don't need all 5)
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
2 tsp. agave nectar or sugar (skip, unneccessary)
2 Tbs. soymilk (or regular)

Instructions:
To make Crust:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk together flours and salt in bowl. Stir in oil until clumps form. Add 6 to 10 Tbs. cold water, 1 Tbs. at a time, until dough holds together. Shape into ball, cover with damp towel, and set aside.

To make Filling:
Stir together mustard seeds, curry, ginger, cumin, and red pepper flakes, if using, in bowl; set aside.

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain, return to pot, and mash, leaving small chunks.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes, or until carrot is tender. Move onion mixture to side of pan, and add mustard seed mixture in center. Toast 30 seconds. Stir in peas and broth. Fold onion mixture into potato mixture; stir in agave nectar. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Spread Filling in 9-inch pie pan. Set aside.

Roll out Crust dough to 11-inch circle on floured work surface. Cover Filling with dough, pressing down to make sure no air pockets remain. Trim away excess dough, and crimp edges with fingers. Cut X in center to vent steam; brush with soymilk just before baking. Place pie on baking sheet, and bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until crust is golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Frozen cooking instructions: Preheat oven to 375°F. Place casserole on baking sheet, and bake 75 to 90 minutes, or until Filling bubbles and Crust is golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Cucumber Riata Ingredients:
1 8-oz. carton plain low-fat yogurt (Greek yogurt works nicely!)
1/2 cup finely chopped, seeded, peeled cucumber
1/4 cup minced green onions
2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint (or dried)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin

Instructions:
Combine everything together in a bowl, adjust seasonings to taste.

TWD: Caramel Pumpkin Pie

Yeah, you can't really go wrong with a Caramel Pumpkin Pie. I mean, those words alone conjure up images of crisp fall weather, deliciously spicy fall flavors, and most importantly, Alex's favorite holiday...Thanksgiving.

This week's Tuesday with Dorie recipe was selected by Janelle of Motensen Family Memoirs...and Janelle, I'd like to give you a big hug right now. This recipe is delicious! I was a little confused as to how the caramel would come into play (layered? covered? drizzled?) but the actual reality of it was much better than my imagination! The caramel is cooked until it's a deep amber color, and then whisked into the pumpkin filling. Together, they create a lovely deep flavor that is different from your usual pie, but hard to describe. Spicier, darker, richer, more...I don't know exactly...fall-ier.

I had a few technical difficulties with the caramel, but the flavor was spot on. I think this one will make a re-appearance at the Thanksgiving Day table! That is, if I can reach the stove by that point. Thanks for the great recipe choice, Janelle. Although it wasn't as exciting as last Tuesday, it was just as scrumptious!

She's My Cherry Pie...

Cool drink of water
What a sweet surprise

Tastes so good, make a grown man cry

Sweet cherry pie...

C'mon, I can't be the only person who sang this to themselves while baking a cherry pie, right? Along with a little 80's hairbanging? Oh, I am?

Um...well...in that case. I never heard of this song before. What are you talking about? I deny all knowledge of this conversation.

::awkward silence::

Anyways...Alex's brother is here for the weekend and I love to bake for him. So when he requested cherry pie, I was happy to put this together! It's a fairly easy recipe, and I cut down on the work by using a pre-made pie crust. Me and homemade pie crust...well, let's just say that if we were in a Facebook relationship, our status would be "It's Complicated."

I found this recipe on the Food Network and it lives up to the good reviews. There is a good balance of tart and sweet, especially with the additions I threw in. Make it today and enjoy some sweet cherry pie of your own. 80's hair not required.

Warrant. For you Millennials...

Cherry Pie
adapted from Food Network

Ingredients:
4 cups cherries (frozen or fresh. But if you use fresh, then you have to pit them, and well...that's just the pits. Seriously, it's a PITA.)
3/4 - 1 cup sugar (I suggest starting with less sugar, since the cherries can be pretty sweet)
4 TBS cornstarch
1/8 tsp almond extract (optional)
favorite pie crust recipe, double crust
1/2 TBS butter
granulated sugar to sprinkle (optional)
lemon juice (my addition)
cinnamon (my addition)

Instructions:
Put cherries into a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Cover, and cook until the cherries release most of their juices, around 5-8 minutes.

In the meantime, whisk sugar and cornstarch together in a separate bowl. Once there is a decent amount of juice in the pan, remove from heat and then stir in sugar/cornstarch mixture. Mix in almond extract, if you're using it. Put it back over medium-low heat, and stirring frequently, allow it to thicken. Taste a small amount and adjust sweetness or tartness, whatever you want. I made mine more tart with lemon juice and threw in some cinnamon to spice things up. Take off heat and let it cool.

Pre-heat the oven to 375.

Pour the cooled mixture into the pie crust, and dot with butter. Moisten the edges of the pie, and cover with second crust. Flute the edges and cut slits in the center of the pie so that steam can escape. Sprinkle with sugar, if you want. Place the pie on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for about 50 minutes and then let it cool for at least 1.5 hours. If you cut into the hot pie, it will be soupy and fall apart! Trust me, it's best to wait.

TWD: My Favorite Pecan Pie (my pick!!)

When I first joined TWD last year, the blogroll list was so long that I calculated my turn would be sometime around late 2010. Guess I miscalculated, huh?

I was so excited to pick this week's recipe. I carefully perused Baking: From My Home to Yours and marked the recipes I wanted to bake (Cranberry Upsidedown Cake! Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Muffins! Sweet Cream Biscuits!) and then handed the book over to Alex for his input. If you haven't ever heard me mention it before, my husband loves pie. Loves it more than I love shoes (which is a LOT.) Once he spied the recipe for My Favorite Pecan Pie and turned those puppy eyes to me, I couldn't say no. Seriously, folks...this man loves pie.

Oh, boy, is this recipe a doozy! Dorie takes your ordinary pecan pie and turns the volume WAY up with the kick of espresso powder and bittersweet chocolate. It's rich, decadent, and perfectly oooey gooey, with just the right counter-balance to the sweetness. I made it for my work potluck on Monday and had to snag a small piece before it totally disappeared*.

I am going to make this again for Christmas dinner on Friday, but I'll cut the espresso powder down to one teaspoon instead of two. I loved the coffee flavor, but thought that it overpowered the chocolate and pecans just a little too much. Thank you, TWD Bakers, for baking along with me this week and for indulging my husband's choice of recipe.

Happy Holidays to you and your families and thank you for a wonderful year of recipes!!

Dorie's (and now Alex's) Favorite Pecan Pie

Ingredients:
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (about 7 ounces) pecan halves or pieces
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 9-inch single crust made with Good for Almost Everything Dough, partially baked and cooled

Instructions:
Getting ready: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

In a large bowl, whisk the corn syrup and brown sugar together until smooth.. Whisk in the melted butter, then add the eggs one at a time, beating until you have a smooth, foamy mixture. Add the espresso powder, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and give the batter a good mix. Rap the bowl against the counter a couple of times to pop any bubbles that might have formed, then stir in the pecans and chocolate. Turn the filling into the crust.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make a foil shield for the crust by cutting a 9-inch circle out of the center of an 11-or 12-inch square of aluminum foil.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Place the foil shield on top of the pie—the filling will be exposed, the crust covered by the foil. Bake the pie for another 15 to 20 minutes (total baking time is 30 to 35 minutes), or until it has puffed (the middle and the edges should be fairly evenly puffed), is beautifully browned and no longer jiggles when tapped. Transfer the pie plate to a rack, remove the shield and cool to room temperature.

Serving: Pecan pie is good at any temperature, and different at each one. It’s softest and most puddingish eaten warm (about 45 minutes out of the oven), most flavorful eaten at room temperature and most candy-like when it is chilled. At any temperature, it’s good with ice cream—vanilla, chocolate or coffee would be my choices.

Storing: Once cooled to room temperature, the pie can be covered and refrigerated for 1 day.

Playing Around: If all you want is a great plain pecan pie, omit the cinnamon, espresso and chocolate. If you want a sweeter pie, increase the amount of corn syrup to 1 cup.

*someone pointed out the hilarious irony that Alex selected this recipe and then didn't get to taste any of it! He was stuck in Brooklyn an extra night due to the snow, poor guy! No worries, though, I'm making a second pie and he can have as much of it as he wants.

Apple Cranberry Pie

Given his choice of any type of pie, Alex will always choose a fruit pie. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: What kind of pie should I make for Thanks---

Alex: Fruit pie, please.

Me: ---giving. What?

Alex: Fruit pie, please.

Me: Um, okay! Done.

I didn't want to make a typical apple pie, even though it's always delicious. I also had a large bag of dried cranberries that needed a home, so I scoured allrecipes.com for some suggestions and found a winner. This pie is a perfect combination of sweet, spicy and tart. The filling is just sweet enough and the little bites of cranberry add to the unique pie personality! The only changes I made was to use cinnamon instead of allspice, and I left out the brandy because Alex's cousin is pregnant and there were a few kids who might eat the pie. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup white sugar
3 TBS all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground allspice (I used cinnamon, which I think is a better choice!)
2 1/4 pounds apples - peeled, cored and thinly sliced (I used Granny Smith)
1 1/2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.) Position oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.

In a medium bowl, toss together the dried cranberries, sugar, flour and allspice. Mix in the apples, brandy and vanilla. Place bottom crust into a 9 inch round pie pan so that it hangs 1 inch over the edges.

Pour filling into the crust and cover with top crust. Seal and flute the edges. Cut slits in the top using a small knife, and place the pie on a baking sheet to catch drips.

Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, or until apples are tender and crust is golden.

Peach Pie. With lots of butter.

Baby don't you cry, gonna bake a pie. Gonna bake a pie with a heart in the middle. Baby don't be blue, gonna bake for you. Gonna bake a pie with a heart in the middle*

In keeping with my "best wife ever" goal, I got up early on Tuesday morning to bake Alex a birthday pie. He chose peach, based on the abundance of ripe peaches just hanging out on the counter, and I got to work rolling, cutting and sprinkling flour on every surface available. Pie is a messy business, internet.

I used Dorie's Good For Almost Everything Pie Dough, and while it is truly luxurious and delicious, I hestitate to agree that it actually is good for everything. There is so much butter. We're talking Paula Deen amounts of butter. So much so that when the pie was actually baking, the edges of dough around the pie plate dripped and melted down, sizzling onto the baking dish. This can't be good for you.

Can you just imagine this crust dripping down the edges and dropping melted butter all over my oven?

And after it cooled, the butter seeped back into the crust, turning it translucent in some parts. It was almost too rich! I will use this crust recipe again, because it is ridiculously simple, but I'll cut back on the butter. In the world of pie crust baking, there are two different camps: butter and shortening. Both are solid fats, but while butter makes a rich and tender crust, shortening is what gives a delicious flaky texture. I've never used shortening because I just couldn't bring myself to do it, but Dorie's recipe calls for both. Feel free to experiment!

The peach pie filling was a combination of various pie recipes on the internet, so I can't credit just one source. I loved the combination of brown sugar and cinnamon with the peaches. It gave a wonderfully sweet and spicy flavor. I haven't yet mastered the art of making a pie pretty. Double crust is hard! Oh well, guess I just have to bake more pies. Tough job, but someone has to do it.

Dorie's Good for Almost Everything Pie Crust

Ingredients:
FOR A 9-INCH DOUBLE CRUST
3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
2 1/2 sticks very cold (frozen is fine) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces (maybe less!)
⅓ cup very cold (frozen is even better) vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces (I eliminated)
About ½ cup ice water

Instructions:
Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse just to combine the ingredients.

Drop in the butter and shortening and pulse only until the butter and shortening are cut into the flour. Until you have some pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley.

Pulsing the machine on and off, gradually add about 6 tablespoons of the water add a little water and pulse once, add some more water, pulse again and keep going that way. Then use a few long pulses to get the water into the flour. If, after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn’t look evenly moistened or form soft curds, pulse in as much of the remaining water as necessary, or even a few drops more, to get the dough that will stick together when pinched. Big pieces of butter are fine.

Scrape the dough out of the work bowl and onto a work surface. Divide the dough in half. Gather each half into a ball, flatten each ball into a disk and wrap each half in plastic. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before rolling.

To roll out the dough:
Have a buttered 9-inch pie plate at hand.You can roll the dough out on a floured surface or between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap or in a rolling slipcover.

If you’re working on a counter, turn the dough over frequently and keep the counter floured. If you are rolling between paper, plastic or in a slipcover, make sure to turn the dough over often and to life the paper, plastic or cover frequently so that it doesn’t roll into the dough and form creases.

If you’ve got time, slide the rolled-out dough into the fridge for about 20 mins to rest and firm up.

Fit the dough into the pie plate and, using a pair of scissors, cut the excess dough to a 1/4- to 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the dough under itself, so that it hangs over the edge just a tad, and flute or pinch the crust to make a decorative edge. Alternatively, you can finish the crust by pressing it with the tines of a fork.


Peach Pie Filling

Ingredients:
6 cups peeled and sliced peaches (peel them easily by blanching them)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/4 brown and 1/4 regular)
cinnamon to taste
2 TBS butter, cut into smaller pieces (not sure this was necessary!)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425.

Combine peaches, flour and sugar in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Add cinnamon to taste. Pour the mixture into the bottom crust and dot with small pieces of butter. Cover with the top crust, and use a sharp knife to cut steam vents.

Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at high heat. Turn the oven down to 350 and continue baking for 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Let it cool fully before serving, or you'll end up with peach pie soup!

I know it looks like butter, but that's really topped with vanilla ice cream. I'm not that masochistic!

*From the movie, Waitress. Ben, I put that in there just for you!

Pi, Pi, ADPi, Like it, Love it, ADPi!

It's amazing that I can't really remember all that much from my college psychology classes, but the words and cheers of all my sorority songs are forever stuck in my head. I think they do that on purpose so that years later, I'll catch myself singing the made-up words to Margaritaville and smile with the memories. In the sorority, an alumna is called a Pi, so I had a little giggle over the fact that I, a Pi, was baking a pie on Pi Day (3.14).

Alex and I went to visit some friends who recently moved back to Maryland from Wisconsin, and we were so excited to spend time with them and meet their 9-month old son (who might just have the best baby hair I've ever seen). I wanted to do an easy pie, since I didn't have a lot of time to bake before-hand. After scouring allrecipes.com, I found this great recipe with a slew of positive reviews. That was enough for me!

It's a good-tasting, easy as pie (HA!) recipe. The combination of whole berries and cooked berries are a great surprise. You get whole berries that burst in your mouth with some bites. It's not overly sweet like some pies, which I really liked. I used frozen and defrosted blueberries and I think it detracted from the overall flavor. If you make this, use fresh berries! It took me about 15 minutes to put everything together, with another 15 minutes trying to perfect my lattice top. I used Alton's method and it worked out perfectly. My first lattice pie - behold!

Fresh Blueberry Pie (http://www.allrecipes.com/)

Ingredients

1 prepared 8-inch pastry shell, baked and cooled (I used Trader Joes Butter Crust)

2 pints fresh blueberries

1 TBS flour

1 TBS butter

1 TBS lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar (taste your berries before adding the whole amount and adjust accordingly)

pinch of cinnamon

1/4 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Pour one pint of blueberries into the baked pie shell. Combine flour, butter, lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar in a medium saucepan, over medium heat. Add the remaining pint of blueberries and bring just to a boil, stirring frequently. The berries should begin to pop open.

Pour the cooked berries over the fresh berries. If you're using a top crust, place it over the berries and bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes. Pie should be refrigerated until serving.

Happy Thanksgiving! TWD "Pumpcan" Twofer Pie

I am so very proud of this pie. Yes, it's a little late in terms of the TWD posting schedule, but since it was Thanksgiving, a little flexibility is allowed. Besides, I was way too full to get my butt up to the computer until now.

After reading the comments section online, I decided to do some research and see what other Thanksgiving Twofer pie recipes call for. The ingredients were the same, but others stated to spoon the pecan mixture on top of the pumpkin, in order to acheive the layers. I also noted the different baking times and temperatures. In the end, I decided to try the spooning method because I really wanted to see if I could make the layered pie. And I did!

Dorie's directions tell you to pour pumpkin, sprinkle on the nuts, and then pour in the pecan syrup mixture so that it all blends together. I mixed the nuts and syrup together and then carefully spooned it over the pumpkin layer. I also didn't use the full batch of pumpkin, because the other bakers noted it was too much. I used the leftover to make Alex a mini-pie, ala Engineer Baker style :-)

Alex's mini-pie

This pie turned out fantastically! It was so delicious and the pecan layer hardered into a really sweet and crunchy crust on top of the pumpkin. It didn't photograph as well as I wanted, since it was a little tough to cut through the pecan layer. But trust me, it was gooooooood.

A slice of delicious

Everyone loved it and I will definitely make it again this way. But, alas...I can't take credit for this dough. I was really pressed for time and went with a store bought shell. Next time I'll make my own.

Lemon Meringue Fathers Day Goodness

I would just like to start this post off by celebrating my very first ever pie from scratch!!

::booty shaking happy dance::

Okay, I'm done. I'm just very proud of this pie, I can't help it. Alex and I went to his parents for Fathers Day dinner, and his dad loves lemon meringue pie (LMP). I just couldn't resist the challenge! I made the crust on Saturday afternoon, and pre-baked it so that I could do the rest on Fathers Day AM.

In my search for the ultimate recipe, I scoured my cookbooks, Dorie included of course, and online. I ultimately decided on one from Allrecipes.com based on all the solid reviews. It was delicious! Great lemon flavor and a perfect non-weepy meringue. The only issue I had with this pie was that the filling was just a little more dense than you would expect for a LMP. Flavor was outstanding; lemony, tart and sweet, but it was a little more like a thick custard. The meringue was great and held together perfectly! I only used 3 egg whites, and I wanted it to be higher, so perhaps I'll use 4 next time. Or I'll just learn how to arrange it more artfully :-)

The dough had a great flavor (Thanks Dr.Annie!) but I trimmed it a tad too short, so it shrank during baking. Okay, overall, it wasn't the prettiest LMP I've ever seen, but it was gosh darn good! This was all that was left after dinner. Luckily, I am married to The Man Who Loves Pie, no matter how it looks.

The Crust (Dr. Annie's Cooking Blog...to be linked shortly)
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
8 tbsp very cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3 tbsp very cold water

Directions:
Fit your stand mixer with a paddle attachement, and stir together flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the water and mix on low speed just until the dough pulls together.
Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and then flatten into a disk. This dough should be rolled out immediately, not chilled. Lightly flour your work surface, then flatten the disk with 8 or so gently rolling pin taps. Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour as needed, and then roll out into a round at least 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick. Makes enough dough for one 9-inch single crust.
Pre-Baking: Cover the dough with foil and fill with either metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 10 minutes or so, until browned. Cool completely before filling.

The Lemon (allrecipes.com)
1 cup white sugar (might use just a tad less next time to kick up the tartness factor)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 lemons, juiced and zested (I chopped the zest afterwards, to make it more fine)
2 tablespoons butter
4 egg yolks, beaten

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. This will temper the egg mixture, so that you won't end up with scrambled eggs when you add them back to the sugar. Do NOT skip this step! Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell. Cover loosely with foil to keep in the heat while you make the meringue. The filling should still be hot/warm when you top it.

The Meringue: (Allrecipes.com)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons white sugar (I used powdered sugar, which I think blends better)

Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine water, 2 tablespoons sugar, and cornstarch. Cook over low heat until clear, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
In a large glass or metal bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until mixture is foamy. Mix in vanilla, then gradually add the 6 tablespoons sugar, beating constantly until meringue forms soft peaks. Gradually pour in cornstarch mixture, beating until stiff. Spread over top of still-warm filling and seal to the edges of the crust. This will ensure that the meringue doesn't shrink up on you! Brown in oven if desired. I placed it under the broiler for about 1.5 minutes, which was just perfect. If you do this, don't walk away from the oven or you could end up with burnt meringue.