Introducing the legendary Icon Refrigerator-Cupboard Pie.

Here’s the approach: Open the refrigerator door (and the kitchen cupboard) and see what you’d like to get rid of.

But, instead tossing things out, you bake it. In a pie.

Wanting to bake a pie, but not knowing which one to tackle, I tried the above approach and it worked.

My wife gave me some Probst Family Farm Maple Syrup for my birthday last week. So, in the back of my mind, maple syrup would play a significant role in the bake.

In my refrigerator I found a container of cottage cheese that was close, but not close enough, to expiring. It needed to go.

With the cottage cheese and maple syrup, here’s what happened next:

Turn the oven to 350.

Add the following in a large mixing bowl:
1 cup flour (I used white, but was tempted to try whole wheat – maybe next time)
1 cup cottage cheese (that’s the exact amount left in the refrigerator)
½ cup brown sugar (that’s all I had in the cupboard and it was solid as a rock)
¼ teaspoon of nutmeg (would have used cinnamon, but that container was empty)
A snitch of salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs – whites and yokes – beat with a fork into a pulp and then pour into the above mix
½ teaspoon real vanilla
¾ stick of real butter – sliced, oh so thin

If your brown sugar is like mine, chip it into pieces. Once it’s in the mix it will dissolve.

Stir the above ingredients until you like the texture.

Let’s assume you already have the pie crust.

Pour the refrigerator-cupboard mix into the pie crust.

Bake for 30 minutes on a high rack. Then place the pie on a lower rack, put aluminum foil on top so as to not burn the crust. Decrease the temperature to 315 and give it 30 more minutes.

Take it out of the oven, let it cool. It will probably fall – mine did, but don’t let that bother you. (No doubt took it out too soon. 15 more minutes probably wouldn't hurt.)

If you can wait 30 more minutes you’ll dig into a pie that will make you very happy that you never tossed out the cottage cheese in the first place.

This pie is no beauty contest winner, but, hey, it’s your pie, so it’s a face only the baker will love.