Fabulous Flaky Pie Crust

Many people want to make a perfect pie the first time they try, if they succeed, it is pure luck! Once you know how to make a fabulous crust you realize how easy it is. Many famous chefs will say, "Nothing to it, you just have to..." what arrogance!!!

There are as many recipes and techniques as there are pie makers. You have to find which is best for you, and to do that, you have to try many techniques and recipes, before you discard any, you have to try it a couple of times to make sure YOU aren't doing anything wrong. Some people use a food processor, others a mixer, pastry cutters, two knives and the list goes on and on. Then there is the ingredients; some love butter, others lard or shortening, eggs, no eggs, what kind of flour, baking powder? some cooks and most chefs will faint at the mention of baking powder and pie crust in the same sentence, oh my yes. I started with a pastry cutter to cut in the shortening -see Photo 2, actually I like using a compound [butter and shortening].

When I was first attempting to make pie crust, I made the crust and then baked it on a cookie sheet [no filling] to see how the crust turned out and not waste the filling. Too much -hot, warm or cold- water eliminates the flakiness, too little makes for a crumbly crust. Use an egg? it has never worked for me. Salt, yes, by all means, Kosher is nice. Baking powder... well, yes I use it, but not so much as to leave a 'taste' in the crust. Vinegar, I love it, but, only the right kind. Cold everything, give me a break. If the fat [lard, butter, shortening, compound] is too cold, it won't break up, ice water is just too cold, chilled is the key word here. Anything chilled should give you goose-flesh if placed in the small of you back, but not cold enough to make you scream. If you are willing to experiment and don't through a fit if it doesn't turn out right the first couple of times, you to can make wonderful pie crust and it will be truly fast and easy. An added benefit is, if you can make pie crust, you can then make truly wonderful biscuits and scones!

If you would like to see OLD Traditional European Pies: http://www.historicfood.com/portal.htm

Photo 1 will show you a finished bottom crust fore a single crust pie, for most fruit and meat pies you will want a top crust also.

Photo 1

1. There are four basic ingredients in a standard piecrust: flour, fat, liquid, and salt. Flour is necessary to form the structure and bulk of the crust, fat to add flavor and to create a flaky texture, liquid to bind the dough and keep it pliable, and salt to enhance the flavor and brown the crust. PLUS, a bit of sugar and baking powder.

Photo 2

2. When making this type of pie crust, chill the fat (butter, margarine, shortening or lard) and liquids (milk or water) before you begin. Chilling will prevent the fat pieces from getting creamed into the flour. Stir the flour, salt and sugar together in a large bowl. Cut the chilled butter or shortening into the dry mixture using a pastry cutter or by pinching the fat into the mixture with your hands. The resulting mixture should have fat lumps no larger than peas. See Photo 2

3. Pour in the chilled water a tablespoon at a time, mixing gently with a fork after each addition. You should be able to gently press the dough into a ball. Handle the dough as little as possible: you don't want to cream the lumps of fat into the flour, as a crust without discrete lumps of fat will be dense, not flaky.

Photo 3

4. Split the dough into two equal amounts. Pat them into balls, flattening them slightly, and wrap them in plastic wrap. The dough needs to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Chilling lets the flour absorb all of the liquid, lets the dough relax and become more elastic, and keeps the fat in discrete pieces which will give the crust a lighter texture when it is baked.

5. Generously dust a clean, dry surface with flour; remove and unwrap one of the discs of dough from the refrigerator. Flatten the dough slightly with your hands and dust the dough lightly with flour before rolling the dough out with a rolling pin. Start rolling at the center of the dough and work outwards. If you're a beginning pie-maker--or prefer easier clean-up--you can roll out the dough between sheets of waxed paper. See Photo 3

6. Working quickly, roll the dough into a circle ¼-inch thick or less. The size of the dough round should be about four inches wider in diameter than your pie pan. Use a dry pastry brush to sweep away any excess flour.

Photo 4

Gently fold the dough in half, and then into quarters. Carefully pick it up and place it into the pie plate so that the center point of dough is in the center of the pan.


Carefully unfold the dough: it should be centered in the pan. Without stretching the dough, press the pastry firmly into the pan and trim any excess dough from the edge.Leave a ¾-inch overhang to make a decorative fluted edge or trim it to a half-inch if you're adding a top crust. If the dough cracks a little during this process, press it back together with your fingers or patch the cracks with a bit of dough from the outer edges.


Once the pie is loaded with filling, unwrap the second ball of dough. Lattice tops, decorative top crusts made with cut-out shapes, braided edges and other artistic touches all make a pie stand out. To make a standard top crust, roll the dough out as explained above and lay it carefully over the pie. Tuck the edges of the top crust under the lower crust and press together lightly. Using the rim of the pie plate as a guide, create a fluted edge with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Cut vents with a sharp paring knife, or use a fork to prick a decorative pattern on the top crust. Brush the surface with egg wash or milk, if desired, and bake as directed.






Double Pie Crust Recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups All-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
  
• 1 cup Shortening
• 1/2 Tablespoon Honey or apple Vinegar
  
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup Water [add 1 Tablespoon vinegar and then add water]
  

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water/ vinegar until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in half, and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or overnight.
2. Roll out dough on a floured counter. Don't over work it. Use as directed in pie recipe.

Chef's Note:

If necessary, use a little less water than called for in recipe.

Classic Apple Pie

Apple Pie has had a long tradition in the United States. Apples seeds were brought over from Europe and many of the colonists developed new verities as hobbies and profit. Because America is so large and has a diverse climate in many regions it was important to develop an apple that could thrive in each location. Also, apples were developed especially for eating, baking, storage, drying, etc.

At Ruby Edwards’ TARTINE Bakery, we use the finest and freshest ‘Grown In Korea’ apples. These apples have been developed to thrive in Korea’s cold harsh winters and develop during the hot humid summers. We use fresh apples, never canned or de-hydrated in our apple pies. Our apple pie would be at home on the broad Kansas plains or any diner in New York City.

A good pie crust is as important as good quality pie apples. Look for TARTINE Bakery’s fabulous flaky pie crust recipe.

FILLING:

1/3 to 2/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour or 3Tablespoons each of flour and corn starch
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of salt
8 medium sized apples (a medium apple = about 1 cup)
2 Tablespoons butter

1. Heat oven to 425F or 195C degrees.

2. Peel, core and slice the apples. Try to keep the size of the slices even.

3. Mix sugar, flour or [flour / corn starch], nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl.

4. Stir in apples. See Chef’s note below.

5. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate.

6. Dot with butter.

7. Cover with top crust and seal the edges. Cut slits in the top.

8. OPTIONAL: Cover edge with 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent too much browning.

9. Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.

10. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust.

Chef Garrett’s Note: I like to pre-bake my apples a bit; it makes them more tender and not under cooked. You should use a firm apple for pies, like green or the mottled red in Korea, if the apple is a soft variety, the filling will resemble apple sauce.

To pre-bake apples: Follow the above directions except, before mixing the dry ingredients with the apples, put the apples in a glass bowl and place in the microwave, cook until slightly softened. Mix in dry ingredients and continue with recipe.

For more information about apples go here:

http://gardenersnet.com/fruit/apples/history.htm

For information about American apples, go here:

http://www.vermontapples.org/history.html

LEMON PECAN PIE

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 45 to 50 minutes
Yield: One 8 piece pie

1 (9-inch) unbaked or frozen deep-dish pie crust

1 cup light corn syrup
4 eggs
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1-1/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans
Whipped cream (optional)

1. Bake pastry shell at 450°F for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

2. Combine corn syrup, eggs, butter, brown sugar, lemon juice, flour and lemon rind in a medium mixing bowl; stir in pecans and pour into completely cooled pie crust.

3. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes, shielding edges with aluminum foil after 25 minutes if necessary to prevent over-browning. Cool on a wire rack.

4. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

History Of Pie

The History Of Pie

The pie has been around since about 2000 B.C., around the time of the ancient Egyptians. At some point between 1400 B.C. (the time of Greek settlements) and 600 B.C. (the time of the decline of Egypt), the pie is believed to have been passed on to the Greeks by the Egyptians.

From Greece the pie spread to Rome, somewhere around 100 B.C. by which time pies had already been around for some 1000 years. The first known pie recipe came from the Romans and was for a rye-crusted goat cheese and honey pie.

Pies appeared in England in the 12th century and were predominantly meat pies. The crust of the pie was referred to as the “coffyn” and there was generally more crust than filling. Sometimes these pies were made with fowl and the legs were left outside the pie to act as handles. For a long time the pastry crust was actually not eaten, serving only to preserve the moisture and flavor of the filling.

Pies went to America with the first English settlers. As in Roman times the early American pie crusts were not eaten, but simply designed to hold the filling. Today, virtually every country in the world has some form of pie.

PECAN PIE

Pecan pie is a sweet custard pie made primarily of corn syrup and pecan nuts. It is served at holiday meals and is also considered a specialty of Southern U.S.A. cuisine. Most pecan pie recipes include salt, vanilla and maple syrup as flavorings. Other ingredients such as chocolate and bourbon whiskey are popular additions to the recipe. Pecan pie is often served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream [a la mode].

New Orleans Pecan Pie

The tradition holds that the French created pecan pie soon after settling in

New Orleans, after being introduced to the nut by Native Americans. It is sometimes referred to as "New Orleans pecan pie," adding an aura of French cuisine to a home-cooked comfort food. Attempts to trace the origin have, however, not found any recipes earlier than 1925, and well-known cookbooks such as Fannie Farmer and The Joy of Cooking did not include it before 1940.

The process for refining corn sugar was not developed until the 1880s. Thus, the corn syrup which is considered an essential part of the modern recipe was not available to the settlers of New Orleans.

There is no doubt that the makers of Karo Syrup popularized the dish, and many recipes—even one ascribed to a well-known New Orleans restaurant—specify Karo syrup by name as an ingredient. This suggests a prosaic 20th-century origin in Karo promotion, and in fact the maker's website currently credits the dish as a 1930s "discovery" of a "new use for corn syrup" by a corporate sales executive's wife. The company asserts that "Down South, today, that same recipe continues to be called Karo Pie" but in fact this name for the dish seems to be rare.

RECIPE

Classic TARTINE Pecan Pie

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 55 to 60 minutes Yield: 1 pie
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup Light OR Dark Corn Syrup
2 tablespoons butter OR margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces or 170gr.) pecans
1 (9-inch or 23cm) unbaked or frozen deep-dish pie crust
1. Preheat oven to 350°F [190C].
2. Beat eggs slightly with fork in medium bowl. Add sugar, Corn Syrup, butter and vanilla; stir until blended. Stir in pecans. Place pie dough in pie pan. Pour pecan filling into pie crust.
3. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.
4. TIPS: Pie is done when center reaches 200°F. Tap center surface of pie lightly - it should spring back when done. For easy clean up, spray pie pan with cooking spray before placing pie crust in pan. If pie crust is over-browning, cover edges with foil.