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Luke-A-Pie
October 31, 2007It's one of those family legends.
No one truly knows when the dessert got its name.
But we all know that German Chocolate Pie isn't the "official" name for that delicious dessert my grandmother used to make.
We simply call it "Luke-A-Pie."
And here the story goes:
Every year for our birthdays, my grandmother, aka Mimi, would cook us each a homemade strawberry cake, which included lots and lots of fresh strawberries.
She'd do this for me and my five little sisters, and our three cousins.
This was the best cake ever. Everyone thought so.
Except for my cousin Luke.
The popularity and deliciousness of strawberry cake was a cruel joke to him since he was allergic to strawberries.
And so to celebrate Luke's birthdays, Mimi would make German Chocolate Pie instead from this recipe on the back of the Cool-Whip container.
One day, Mimi was in the kitchen making a pie for Luke.
My grandfather, aka Dandy, hollered to her from his favorite chair in the den.
"What are you makin'?"
To which Mimi responded, "I'm makin' Luke a pie."
My Dandy, being the jokester he was, needled her.
"Luke-A-Pie? Well, that sure is a funny name for a pie," he chuckled.
And thus, the dessert's name was born.
This was probably 20-25 years ago, and Luke-A-Pie still lives. It's even in the family cookbook, filed under the L's, of course.
I tell this familiar family story because cousin Luke is coming to Wichita Falls on Friday, Nov. 9.
He's the drummer for the Paul Eason Band, and the band is playing at the Crazy Horse Saloon that night.
I'll be there, supporting my cousin.
Maybe, I'll even make him a pie.
***
If you're interested in making Luke-A-Pie, here's the recipe:
1 graham cracker pie crust
1-4 oz. pkg. German chocolate
1/3 c. milk
1/2 c. sugar
3 oz. Cream cheese
8 oz. Cool Whip
Melt chocolate over low heat; add half the milk.
In a small mixing bowl, whip together cream cheese and remaining milk, beating until smooth.
Add sugar gradually, beating smooth again. Slowly pour chocolate mixture into cheese mixture and beat until velvet-smooth.
In larger mixing bowl, put Cool Whip. Slowly stir in chocolate-cheese mixture, folding and stirring until an even chocolate color.
Pour into crumb crust, cover and freeze.
About 20 minutes before serving, take out of freezer and garnish with whipped topping and chocolate curls if desired.
Posted by Lara Richards at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
