Tag: pie crust

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Fourth of July Pie

What’s more American than apple pie? THIS PIE IS! This delicious pairing of strawberries and blueberries is just perfect for a festive Fourth. Scoop up the vanilla ice cream and enjoy a delicious patriotic slice.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/8 tsp. Salt
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp. Shortening.
  • About 3/4 cup Ice Cold Water
  • 4 cups Fresh or Frozen Strawberries (defrosted if frozen)
  • 2 cups Fresh or Frozen Blueberries (defrosted if frozen)
  • 3 tbsp. Butter or Margarine (divided)
  • 1-1/2 cups White Sugar (divided)
  • 3 tbsp. Corn Starch (divided)
  • One Egg (beaten)
  • 1 additional tbsp. White Sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together flour and salt until combined.
  3. Add shortening in small lumps and blend into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
  4. Gradually add ice water, mixing until the dough forms a large ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
  5. Divide dough into two balls, one slightly larger than the other.
  6. Wrap the smaller ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
  7. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger ball out into a size suitable for your pie tin.
  8. Arrange crust in pie tin, trim or patch as needed (Hey, cracks and gaps happen to the best of us!) and flute the edges if desired. Set aside.
  9. Place strawberries into a medium-sized bowl, and cut in 2 tbsp. butter or margarine.
  10. In a small bowl, blend together 1 cup of sugar and 2 tbsp. of corn starch.
  11. Pour sugar mixture over berries and mix until well combined.
  12. Fold a piece of aluminum foil several times to create a thick strip about 3-inches in height. Place the aluminum foil strip into the prepared crust, bending the ends back onto the strip to create a wall that divides the crust, with 1/3 on one side, and 2/3 on the other side.
  13. Pour the strawberry mixture into the larger (2/3) side of the crust.
  14. Place blueberries into a medium-sized bowl, and cut in 1 tbsp. butter or margarine.
  15. In a small bowl, blend together 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 tbsp. of corn starch.
  16. Pour sugar mixture over berries and mix until well combined.
  17. Pour the blueberry mixture into the smaller (1/3) side of the crust.
  18. Very gently, remove the foil divider from between the fruits.
  19. Remove the smaller ball of dough from the refrigerator, and roll on a lightly floured surface.
  20. Using a pizza cutter, cut several strips of dough, and arrange on the top of the strawberry side. Turn the ends of the strips closest to the edge under and adhere to the bottom crust using fingers dampened with ice water.
  21. Using a star-shaped cookie cutter or a sharp knife, cut out several star shapes from the rolled dough.
  22. Arrange these on top of the blueberry side, covering the ends of the dough strips, and attaching the stars to the crust using fingers dampened with ice water.
  23. Brush the crust with beaten egg, and sprinkle with additional sugar.
  24. Place entire pie on a baking sheet lined with foil. (This may leak, and your smoke detector will drown out even the sound of your neighbors shooting off bottle-rockets and scaring the crap out of your dogs. Yeesh.)
  25. Bake in preheated oven for 45 – 60 minutes until crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. (If the top crust browns before the filling is ready, cover the pie with foil to avoid burning the top before the rest of the pie is cooked.)
  26. Allow to cool before serving.
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Qulassic Quiche

Quiche is not just for brunch any more! This traditional recipe can be customized with different meats, vegetables, cheeses, and more, to make it perfect for any meal. This version is very similar to a classic Quiche Lorraine, but with the addition of cheese to please the American palate. It can be served hot or cold, and is delicious any time of day.

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 1/2 cup Shortening
  • 2 – 3 tbsp. Ice Cold Water
  • 5 Slices of Bacon
  • 1/2 cup Chopped Sweet Onion
  • 4 Large Eggs
  • 1 cup Whipping Cream
  • 1 cup Whole Milk
  • 1 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tbsp. Dried Parsley
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 cup Mild Cheddar Cheese

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine flour and salt.
  3. Cut in shortening and blend together until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  4. Slowly add water and mix until dough forms a ball.
  5. Remove dough from bowl and place on a heavily floured surface.
  6. Use a floured rolling pin to roll dough out into a circle, large enough to accommodate your pie tin with ample overlap, adding flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.
  7. Roll dough up onto rolling pin, and then roll it out over the pie tin, folding edges over to create a rim.
  8. Flute edges or press with the tines of the fork if desired.
  9. Use a fork to make several small holes on the bottom and sides of the crust.
  10. Bake in preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes, until partially cooked but not browned.
  11. Now, work fast! You have a lot to do in the next 10 – 12 minutes.
  12. While crust is baking, cut bacon into small pieces, and cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp.
  13. Remove bacon pieces from skillet, reserving fat, and set aside.
  14. Cook chopped onion in bacon fat until translucent.
  15. Remove onion from skillet, draining excess fat and set aside.
  16. Beat together eggs, whipping cream, milk, and flour in a large bowl or stand mixer.
  17. Add parsley, salt and pepper, and half the cheese, and mix until well combined.
  18. When pastry shell is finished baking, remove from oven and reduce heat to 325 degrees. (If bubbles have formed in the pastry, gently press them down with the back of a large spoon.)
  19. Pour egg mixture into hot pastry shell, being careful not to let any of the egg go over the edge of the crust. (If it does you may just as well pour it out of the crust, and into a skillet to make scrambled eggs.)
  20. Sprinkle cooked bacon and onions over egg mixture, distributing evenly.
  21. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of egg mixture.
  22. Bake in preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes until firm and just beginning to brown.
  23. Remove from oven and cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
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Chicken Pot Pies

What’s not to love about this classic comfort food? If you’re planning on spending a couple of days binge-watching your favorite show, it’s easy to make a whole passel of small pot pies ahead of time for reheating when you’re between episodes. This will make four single-serving pot pies or one humongous one.

Filling Ingredients

  • 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1  16 oz. Package of Frozen Vegetables
  • 3 cups Chicken Broth
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. Dried Parsley
  • 1 tbsp. Corn Starch
  • 2 tbsp. Water

Crust Ingredients

  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 2/3 cup + 2 tbsp. Shortening
  • About 6 tbsp. Ice Cold Water

Directions

  1. Cook chicken breasts in a large pot of boiling water until cooked through, about 15 minutes. If chicken is still frozen before cooking, increase cooking time to 20 minutes.
  2. Remove pot from burner and drain. Transfer cooked chicken breasts to a cutting board.
  3. Cut cooked chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Return to pot.
  4. Add frozen vegetables, chicken broth, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and parsley to pot and cook over medium high heat until it begins to bubble, stirring occasionally.
  5. Mix corn starch and water in a small, sealable container, and shake until well combined.
  6. Add to chicken mixture and stir until it begins to thicken. (If not thick enough, add up to another teaspoon of cornstarch with water, but don’t go crazy. It will thicken some when it cools.)
  7. Remove chicken mixture from heat and set aside.
  8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  9. Mix flour and salt in a large bowl.
  10. Add shortening and combine with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  11. Slowly add ice cold water, thoroughly combining with flour mixture until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and is joined into one large, slightly moist lump.
  12. Turn approximately half the dough out onto a floured surface, flipping until the exterior is coated in dry flour.
  13. Press down with your hands into a very rough approximation of the shape you want.
  14. Use a floured rolling pin to roll dough until it is just under 1/4 inch thick.
  15. Place a pie tin(s) upside down on the dough, and cut a circle wide enough to cover the interior slightly beyond the lip of the pan(s).
  16. Line pan(s) with the dough you have just cut. It should protrude above the lip of the pan(s).
  17. If using multiple pans, repeat cutting dough and lining pans until all pans have been lined with dough.
  18. Spoon chicken mixture into prepared pie pan(s), about 3/4 full.
  19. Turn the remaining half of the dough out onto a floured surface, flipping until the exterior is coated in dry flour.
  20. Press down with your hands into a very rough approximation of the shape you want.
  21. Use a floured rolling pin to roll dough until it is just under 1/4 inch thick.
  22. Cut rolled dough to a size suitable to cover the top of the pie(s).
  23. Cover pie(s) with crust, and crimp edges together all the way around to seal.
  24. Using a sharp knife, cut a simple design in the top crust to vent the pie. (This is not the type of pie on which you want to try a fancy-schmancy cut crust design. This filling is lumpy and bubbly, and all of your artistic toil will be for naught.)
  25. Arrange pie pan(s) on a baking sheet lined with foil.
  26. Bake in pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes, until crust just begins to brown.
  27. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
  28. To reheat pot pie, wrap in foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. (Defrost first if frozen.)
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Razzleberry Tarts

These tarts are a hot mess of ooey-gooey goodness, and as an added bonus they are quite large. These are the absolute best when still warm out of the oven, but if any are left over (Ha ha ha… yeah, right!) they can be re-heated by covering in foil and warming them in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. The crust is the tried-and-true recipe everyone knows and loves, and can be used for many different varieties of pies and tarts. Warning: Do NOT wear a white shirt while eating!

THE CRUST

Ingredients

  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 2/3 cup + 2 tbsp. Shortening
  • About 6 tbsp. ice cold water

Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
    2. Place several ice cubes in a large drinking glass or Pyrex measuring cup and add cold water. Set aside.
    3. Mix flour and salt in a large bowl.
    4. Add shortening and combine with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
    5. Slowly add ice cold water, thoroughly combining with flour mixture until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and is joined into one large, slightly moist lump.
    6. Turn approximately half the dough out onto a floured surface, flipping until the exterior is coated in dry flour.
    7. Press down with your hands into a very rough approximation of the shape you want.
    8. Use a floured rolling pin to roll dough until it is less than 1/4 inch thick. Thinner is better (1/8 inch is ideal!) but too thin and your crust may be inundated with juices from your filling and have a soggy bottom like a toilet-training toddler.
    9. Place a single-serving aluminum pie tin upside-down on the dough, and cut with a sharp paring knife approximately one inch wider than the lip of the pan.
    10. Line pan with the dough you have just cut. It should protrude above the lip of the pan.
    11. Repeat cutting dough and lining pans until four aluminum pans have been lined with dough.
    12. Turn out remaining dough onto a floured surface, flipping until the exterior is coated in dry flour.
    13. Press down with your hands into a very rough approximation of the shape you want.
    14. Use a floured rolling pin to roll dough until it is less than 1/4 inch thick.  Again, 1/8 inch is ideal.
    15. Use a clean ruler as a guide and cut dough into 1/2 inch wide strips with a pizza cutter.
    16. Set strips aside, and keep the ice water handy.

Sneaky Trick: Don’t have a pastry blender?  A fork held in each hand will also perform this task admirably. Just pull them across one another against the bottom of the bowl until you have that crumbly consistency you want.

THE PIE

Ingredients

  • 16 oz. Frozen Mixed Berries or Fresh Berries (Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, and Strawberries are the traditional mix, but go crazy!)
  • 3/4 cup White Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Corn Starch
  • 4 tbsp. Margarine
  • 1 Egg White, Beaten

Directions

  1. Pour frozen mixed berries into a large bowl to defrost while you are preparing your crust. If they’re slow to thaw, pop them in the microwave on a defrost setting for a few minutes. They don’t need to be completely soft, just not hard as a rock. Your berries can also be fresh.
  2. Cut any extra-large mutant strawberries until they are about the same size as the blackberries and raspberries.
  3. Add sugar and corn starch to berries and combine.  Avoid crushing berries as much as possible while mixing.
  4. Spoon berry mixture into prepared pie crusts and dot each tart with 1 tbsp. margarine, cut into a few small pieces.
  5. Moisten ends of dough strips with ice water and use strips to create a lattice pattern on the top of each tart.
  6. Press the ends of the lattice strips into edges of bottom crust, dipping your fingers into the ice water to help them adhere if they’re stubborn.
  7. Crimp edges of bottom crust and lattice strips around the edges of the pans.
  8. Put tarts on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. (If you skip this step, you will have to clean your oven and stand on a chair to turn off the smoke detector. Just sayin’.)
  9. Brush crust with beaten egg white.
  10. Bake in pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes, until pastry has browned and filling is bubbly.
  11. Serve with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Sneaky trick: Don’t want to go to the trouble of making a lattice crust, but want it to look like you slaved over the proverbial hot stove for hours? Roll top crusts and trim to about 1/2 inch wider than the top rim of the pans. Use small cookie cutters to make shaped holes in the dough and set cut-outs aside. Attach top crust to the tart, and dab the dough cut-outs with a little ice water. Reattach the cut-outs over the holes you made in the crust, but slightly off center from where the holes are. This will vent your tarts and give you a snazzy look.

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