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Carl Davaz

This quartet of pies features fall produce: apples, cranberries, pears and nuts. As for the Chocolate Coconut Pie, neither chocolate or coconut are particularly fall ingredients, but they are, after all, chocolate and coconut.

It is always the right time of the year for chocolate and coconut.

Topping sweets with salt is still in fashion, probably because it tastes so good. Adding a top dusting of coarse salt to the following version of the ever-popular pecan pie adds a bit of balance to the tooth-achingly sweet filling. A mixture of nuts adds flavor and texture to the Karo syrup recipe (I wouldn’t dream of messing with Southern tradition) though it is, of course, perfect with pecans or any single nut you like.

Use the fat of your choice to make the crust. Some swear by a butter crust, but it can be temperamental to work with and has a strong, definite butter flavor.

Crisco makes a flaky, neutral flavored crust that’s easy to work with. Using half butter, half Crisco also makes a nice crust.

Some people are put off by the idea of lard. Don’t be. It makes the flakiest crust ever.

Serve the Apple Cranberry Pie warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A generous dollop of lightly sweetened, softly whipped cream suits the Chocolate Coconut, Frangipane Pear and Salted Mixed Nut pies.

Pie Crust for 9 -inch, two-crust pie

• 2¼ cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup Crisco, lard or butter (butter and lard should be well-chilled)
• Ice water

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add fat and cut into dry ingredients until it looks like a combination of cornmeal and oatmeal.

Dribble in water, tossing flour with a fork. Stop when you think you could add one more tablespoon of water. It should look evenly moist.

Gather together in a ball. Divide in half and shape into flattened disks.

Apple Cranberry Pie

• Pastry for 2-crust pie
• 5 cups sliced pared apples (about 2 pounds)
• 2 cups coarsely chopped cranberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll a little more than half of the pie crust into a large circle. Place in pie pan. Mix ingredients and place in pie shell.

Dot with pieces of butter. Fold the edges of the pie crust over the top of the fruit. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the juices begin to bubble in the center of the pie.

Chocolate Coconut Pie

• 1 9-inch pie pan lined with pastry
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
• 4 eggs
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove from heat and set aside; let cool.

Gently whisk the eggs with the corn syrup, sugar, salt and vanilla just until blended. Try not to incorporate air into the mixture. Add the chocolate mixture and stir to blend. Stir in coconut.

Put in pie shell and bake about 45 minutes or until the pie is puffed and quivers slightly in the center when the pie is shaken gently. Let cool completely on a rack. Serve with lightly sweetened, softly whipped cream.

Adapted from “New Recipes from Quilt Country” by Marcia Adams

Frangipane Pear Pie

• 1 9-inch pie pan lined with pastry
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup finely ground blanched almonds
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3 ripe pears
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the almonds, almond extract and flour; stir until smooth. Spread evenly in pie pan.

Peel the pears, cut in half lengthwise, then core.

Keeping each pear half separate, cut them into thin, crosswise slices. Pick up each pear with a spatula, pushing a bit to flatten the slices but keeping them in shape. Place on top of the almond filling, core end toward the edge of the pie. Brush pears with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake about 40 minutes or until the almond filing has puffed and browned. If the filling starts to brown too much, cover with a tent of foil.

Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Adapted from “Martha Stewart’s Pies and Tarts.”

Salted Mixed Nut Pie

• 1 9-inch pie pan, lined with pastry
• 1 cup corn syrup (light or dark)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1½ cups mixed raw nuts
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt flakes (such as Maldon)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla. Stir in nuts. Pour filling into pie crust.

Bake on center rack of oven for 60 to 70 minutes. The pie should be puffed and the center will jiggle a little if you tap the edge of the pie pan. Sprinkle evenly with salt. Cool for 2 hours on wire rack before serving.

Variation: Make a single-nut pie using coarsely chopped pecans, walnuts, cashews, or hazelnuts.

Adapted from Karo syrup.

Kim Davaz of Eugene writes the biweekly Eating In column.

Carl Davaz

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