Preheat oven to 450°. Press sesame seeds over bottom of pie shell and bake 9 to 11 minutes until lightly browned. Cool thoroughly. For filling, soften gelatin in cold water and set aside. Meanwhile, cook dates with 1/4 cup sugar, salt, milk and egg yolks. over moderate heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat, add softened gelatin and vanilla, and stir until gelatin dissolves. Refrigerate until it reaches ths consistency of unbeaten egg white, about 40 minutes. Whip cream with 2 TB. sugar until stiff. Fold into date mixture and spoon into pie shell. Sprinkle with nutmeg and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Winner of the Grand Prize in the 1954 Pillsbury Bake-Off! Evidently the popularity of this pie spurred the popularity of sesame seeds, which had been an exotic, somewhat-rare ingredient before then.

Soften gelatin in cold water in medium saucepan. Stir in 1/3 cup sugar, salt and egg yolks. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin dissolves and mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Do not boil. Off heat, stir in Cognac and creme de cacao. Chill until consistency of unbeaten egg whites, about 30 minutes. Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually beat in remaining 1/3 cup sugar, then fold meringue into egg yolk mixture. Fold in whipped cream. Turn into pie crust and refrigerate several hours or overnight. For topping, swirl whipped cream over pie and scatter chocolate curls on top.

The author of this cookbook is very concerned about raw egg whites, and recommends using an egg white substitute ... which isn't very retro, though.

Mix the wafer crumbs with the sugar and butter and press against the bottom and sides of a buttered 9" pie plate. Bake at 450° for 5 minutes, then let cool. For the filling, soften the gelatin in the cream over a double boiler. Beat the sugar into the egg yolks, then stir in the creme de menthe, the creme de cacao and the dissolved gelatin. Chill until slightly thickened, then fold in the whipped cream and pour into the crust. Chill pie until firm, then sprinkle with chocolate.

This recipe is originally from Gourmet's Menu Cookbook (1963). My mom used to make this occasionally, as a special dessert for company.

For the crust, preheat oven to 350°. Mix crumbs and butter and pat into bottom an sides of a 9" pie pan. Bake 10 minutes; then cool. For the bottom layer, slowly whisk scalded milk into egg yolks. Mix sugar and cornstarch and blend into egg mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring, about five minutes. Scoop out one cup, blend in chocolate and vanilla, and stir until chocolate melts. Cool, then spread over bottom of crust. For the top layer, while chocolate mixture cools, soften gelatin in water and blend into hot custard remaining from top layer. Cool. Beat egg whites until stiff, gradually adding sugar and cream of tartar. Fold into custard, along with rum. Spread over chocolate layer. Topping: Whip cream, then spread over pie. Sprinkle with chocolate curls, then let chill for several hours before serving.

This recipe is originally from Southern Living. The cookbook author notes that black bottom pies began appearing in cookbooks around 1900 but really caught on in the '30s and '40s, when it was heralded by well-known cookbook authors such as James Beard and Duncan Hines.

Preheat oven to 300°. Cream butter in bowl, then add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and continue creaming until light. Blend in vanilla, then add eggs, one at a time, beating lightly. Combine flour and salt and blend in. Mix in buttermilk. Sprinkle pecans into pie shell, then pour in buttermilk mixture. Bake 1 1/2 hours until fillling sets like custard. Cool to room temperature before cutting.

Originally from a 1973 fund-raising cookbook sponsored by the Junior League of Corpus Christi, Texas. I love the classic pecan pie recipe found on the Karo Syrup bottle, but this creamy version intrigued me.

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat eggs until fluffy. Mix flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and blend into eggs. Fold in sour cream and raisins and pour into pie shell. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until knife inserted in pie comes out clean. Cool before cutting.

Seems like an odd mix of flavors, but it's surprisingly tasty, and very easy to make.

Preheat oven to 400°. Combine mincemeat with apples, lemon peel and lemon juice. Line pie plate with pastry; fill. Adjust top crust, crimp the edges, add designs if desired, and sprinkle with a little sugar to make it sparkle. Bake for 35 minutes.

I can never remember what mincemeat pie is supposed to taste like, so whenever I have it, it's a nice surprise.

Preheat oven to 400°. Combine mincemeat with mangoes or peaches. Line pie plate with pastry; fill. Top with pastry in a lattice or spoke design. Bake for 30 minutes. After removing from oven, spoon rum into mincemeat through openings in top crust.

Similar to the other mincemeat pie, but what caught my eye was the bizarre step of spooning the rum through the openings in the pastry. It's like "spiking" the pie.

Beat egg yolks until thick; add sugar and salt. Soften gelatin in cold water and beat to dissolve over hot water in double boiler. Mix with yolk mixture. Whip cream until stiff, combine with egg mixture and rum, and pour into baked pie shell. Chill. Before serving, sprinkle chopped toffee or almond roca over top of pie.

Jack loves English toffee, so I'm bound to make this for him sometime.

Soften gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. In saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, instant coffee and unsweetened chooclate. Stir over low heat until blended, then remove from heat. Add softened gelatin and stir to dissolve. Beat egg yolks, then mix in 1/2 cup sugar, salt and vanilla. Slowly stir in chocolate mixture. Chill until partially set. Stir until smooth, then beat 1/2 cup sugar into 3 stiff-beaten egg whites. Fold into chocolate mixture, then fold in mini-marshmallows. Pour into pie shell and chill until firm.

Chocolate chiffon, with mini-marshmallows ... you don't get much more retro than that.

For the crust, combine butter and coconut and press into buttered pie plate, building up sides. Bake at 300° for 20 to 25 minutes, or until crust is golden. Let cool. For the filling, dissolve gelatin in hot water. Cut ice cream into chunks and add to gelatin, and stir until melted. Chill until partially set. Add nutmeg and flavoring, then stir in egg yolks. Fold in the egg whites. Pour into cooled pie shell and chill until set. Top with whipped cream and dust with nutmeg.

Creamy chiffon pies trump meringue pies, in my opinion.

Beat the egg whites until foamy, then add the granulated sugar slowly and beat until stiff. Fold in the almonds, cherries, cherry syrup and vanilla. Fold confectioners' sugar into whipped cream and then fold into first mixture. Pour into chilled crust, then dot top with additional cherries and almonds. Freeze firm.

Not a pie you're likely to run across nowadays, if just from the name alone. Or the maraschino cherries.

Line pie plate with pastry. Drain peaches, reserving 1/4 cup of syrup. Arrange peaches in crust. Combine sugar, flour, salt and reserved peach syrup; add butter; cook and stir until thick. Remove from heat, add lemon juice, and pour over peaches. Top with lattice crust. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes.

I made a peach pie once, but forgot to put in a crucial ingredient. (No, I remembered the peaches.)

Line the pie plate with pastry. Mix together berries, sugar, salt and flour and put in shell. Dot with butter, then put on top crust. Make a few slits to allow steam to escape. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes.

Being suspicious of fruit, we didn't grow up eating berry pies, but now I think they're delicious. Blueberry pie especially.

Chill pie shell while making filling. Blend eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla and almond extract. Gradually stir in scalded milk. Pour into pie shell and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake at 400° 25 to 30 minutes, or until knife inserted comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before chilling in refrigerator.

You can flavor a basic custard pie in several different ways. Add some toasted coconut to the filling and then sprinkle some on top, for example, for coconut custard pie.

Drain peaches, reserving syrup. Add water to syrup to make 1 cup, then heat to boiling. Add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Add cold water. Cut ice cream into chunks and add to hot liquid, then stir until melted. Chill until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon, about 15 to 20 minutes. Fold in peach slices. Pour into cooled pastry shell. Chill until firm, then trim with whipped cream and any remaining peaches.

Like a Bavarian cream in pie form, the recipe gelatinizes ice cream so that it's more stable. A great technique, but Jack had to teach it to me.

In saucepan, combine brown sugar, gelatin, salt and spices. Combine egg yolks and milk, and stir into brown sugar mixture. Cook and stir until mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in pumpkin. Chill until mixture mounds slightly when spooned. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; gradually add granulated sugar, beating into stiff peaks. Fold pumpkin mixture into egg whites. Turn into crust, and chill until firm. Garnish with whipped cream and drizzle with caramel sauce.

A little lighter than the average holiday pumpkin pie. What can I say -- I love chiffon pies.

Beat egg whites until foamy; add granulated sugar slowly and beat until stiff. Fold in almonds, cherries, cherry syrup and vanilla. Fold confectioners' sugar into whipped cream, then fold that into first mixture. Pour into crust and freeze firm.

Not a true nesselrode pie, which includes chestnut puree. I've read that true nesselrode pies are a vanished pie -- no bakery makes them anymore, no restaurant serves them. If we don't make them at home, they wouldn't get made at all.

The cookbook notes that you add holiday trim to this pie of cherry poinsettia flowers and gumdrop holly leaves. For the poinsettia, hold the cherry at the stem end, snip almost through from opposite end into six petals, and then spread out. For holly leaves, roll green gumdrops 1/8" thick on sugared waxed paper, then snip out leaves.

On top of double boiler, combine chocolate, water, instant coffee and dash of salt, then heat over not but not boiling water until chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. Pour small amount of mixture into egg yolks, stir, then return to hot mixture. Cook and stir for 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in marshmallow creme and flavorings. Chill. Fold in egg whites, then the whipped cream. Pour into pastry shell. Freeze firm, overnight. Trim with whipped cream sprinkled with crushed peppermint candy.

Tastes like Christmas! I'm not a huge fan of coffee flavor, but I think it'd be buried under the chocolate, marshmallow and other flavorings.

Line bottom and sides of 9" pie plate with the whole vanilla wafers. Combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla, and fold in the drained fruit. Pour into cookie-lined pie plate. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Cool, then chill thoroughly.

Hmm, you don't see a lot of recipes that call for baking a can of fruit cocktail.

Beat egg whites to soft peaks, then gradually add sugar, beating to stiff peaks. Fold in crumbs, nuts and vanilla, then spread evenly in lightly buttered 9" pie plate. Bake at 325° for 35 minutes, then cool thoroughly. Spread top with whipped cream, then chill for at least 3 hours. Trim with chocolate curls, if desired.

Hmm, you don't see a lot of recipes that call for chocolate wafer crumbs.

Stir ice cream to soften, then stir in the mincemeat and rum flavoring. Spoon into the graham-cracker crust, then freeze.

Hmm, you don't see a lot of recipes that call for mixing ice cream with mincemeat.

In a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter over hot water, stirring to blend. Add the Rice Krspies and mix well. Press into unbuttered 9" pie plate, then chill until firm. Let crust stand at room temperature for 5 minutes, then fill with alternating layers of ice cream and shaved chocolate. Serve at once, or freeze but then let stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Hmm, you don't see a lot of pie recipes that call for Rice Krispies.

We spent Thanksgiving 2007 at our frend Tim's place, and I brought Brandy Alexander Pie and Black Bottom Pie, as seen in the photos above. Back in 2006, however, we had friends here at our home ... and half of them brought pie.

The pies, from left top, are a chocolate fudge pie, two pumpkin pies, a derby pie, an apple-walnut-cranberry pie, and a berry pie. Whipped cream was available as well. We made a huge dent in the pies, although one of the pumpkin pies was store-bought and didn't even get sliced.

Mix sour cream with apricot pie filling and place in pie shell. Toast the coconut and place on top. Chill at least four hours.

You have to love a cookbook where the main ingredient of a pie recipe is canned pie filling. So easy! So very '60s.

Prepare pudding mix, using only 1 3/4 cups milk. Add 1/4 cup of hot pudding to peanut butter and beat until smooth, then beat into remaining pudding. Cover surface and cool, stirring once or twice. Fold all but 1/2 cup of whipped cream into pudding and place in pie shell. Pile into pastry shell and chill. Top with remaining whipped cream and peanuts.

I'm not a fan of the chocolate and peanut butter combination, but I know Jack is.

Mix sugar, tapioca, spices and salt. Add fruits and lemon juice, and mix lightly. Turn into pastry shell. Dot with butter. Adjust top crust, cutting slits for escape of steam, then seal. Brush with milk, then sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes.

Substituting canned fruit for fresh would be more authentically '60s.

Cream butter and sugar, then add flour and cornmeal. Add eggs, milk, vanilla and lemon juice, and beat well. Pour into pastry shell. Bake at 350° for 55 to 60 minutes.

I happened pawn this recipe for chess pie one knight, when ... oh, I can't go on. I'm too ashamed.

Sift together flour, sugar and 1/4 tsp. soda. Cut in butter until crumbly. Combine molasses, other 1/4 tsp. soda, and hot water. Pour 1/3 liquid into pastry shell, sprinkle with 1/3 flour mixture. Repeat layers, ending with flour. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes.

Shoofly pie, chess pie, sugar pie ... it's all kinda confusing, keeping them straight.

Combine gelatin, sugar and salt in saucepan. Add milk and egg yolks. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and add juices and peels. Chill until partially set. Fold in whipped cream. Chill until mixture mounds. Pile into pastry shell and chill.

The recipe doesn't call for it, but I'd put more whipped cream on top, and grate more orange peel on top of that.

In saucepan, combine gelatin, sugar and salt. Stir in egg yolks, lime juice and water. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils and gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat an add lime lime peel and food coloring. Cool to room temperature, then stir in rum. Chill until mixture begins to thicken. Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, then beat to stiff peaks. Fold in gelatin mixture. Chill until mixture mounds. Pile into cooled shell. Chill until firm. Top with whipped cream and candy lime slices, if desired.

First appearance of food coloring! But you can't have a fluorescent candy-colored pie without it.

Stir ice cream until softened, then fold in ginger and spread over bottom of pastry shell. Freeze until firm. Mix pumpkin with rest of ingredients. Pile over ice cream layer, then freeze.

I think people who normally don't like pumpkin pie might like this. It's got ice cream in it, after all.

Drain pineapple. Add enough water to syrup to make 1 cup, then heat to boiling. Add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Add 1/4 cup cold water and the lemon juice. Add ice cream by spoonfuls, stirring until melted. Chill until mixture mounds, then fold in pineapple. Pile into crust. Chill until firm. Trim with whipped cream and pineapple slices.

Some of these old cookbooks leave out ingredients from the "official list" -- for example, this one doesn't mention the cold water, the whipped cream and the pineapple slices until the directions.

Combine gelatin, 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Stir together egg yolks, lime juice and water, and add to gelatin mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat; add lime peel and food coloring. Chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture mounds. Beat egg whites to soft peaks, then fold in gelatin mixture. Fold in whipped cream and cantaloupe. Pile into cooled pastry shell. Top with additional whipped cream and toasted coconut, if desired.

Just look at that photo! Now that's pie you don't see every day.

Heat oven to 375°. Cut butter into 2 cups flour, the baking powder and salt, with pastry blender. Sprinkle with water, 1 TB. at a time, mixing until flour is moistened. Gather dough together; press into ball. Turn out onto lightly floured cloth-covered board. Reserve 1/4 of the pastry for top. Roll out remaining pastry to 14" circle. Fold circle into fourths; carefully transfer to 1 1/2-qt. ovenproof bowl (not casserole). Unfold; ease pastry loosely into bowl, being careful not to stretch. Stir together sugar and 1/4 cup flour; mix with apples and cranberries. Pour into pastry-lined bowl; dot with butter. Roll out reserved pastry to fit top of pie; place over filling. Seal edges. Prick top with fork. Bake 1 hour or until golden. Cool 20 minutes. Invert onto rimmed serving dish and dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve warm with Orange-Honey Sauce (mix butter, honey and juice, and gradually stir in sugar).

The recipe called for margarine, but I changed it to butter.

Thanks to Andy Matthews in Phoenix, who passed this along!

Heat oven to 425°. Cut shortening thoroughly into flour and salt. Sprinkle with water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing with fork until flour is moistened. Gather into a ball. Divide in half. Roll half of pastry 1 1/2" larger than inverted 8" or 9" pie pan. Ease into pan. Mix brown sugar with apple slices; pour into pan and dot with butter and 3 TB. of the syrup. Roll other half of the pastry 2" larger than the pie pan; cut slits near center. Fit over filling. Seal and flute. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven; make crisscross cuts about 1" apart through top crust and apples. Pour remaining syrup over top. Cover edge with 3" strip aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake 25 min. Serve warm with cheddar topping (blend 1/2 cup maple syrup into 1/2 cup butter, then fold in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese).

The recipe again called for margarine. Darn margarine.

Thanks to Andy Matthews in Phoenix, who passed this one along as well!