Pie

Last Tuesday I learned to make pie. Pie is one of those things that you would think is not that hard to make. It's not hard to make a normal pie, but if you want to make an AMAZING pie there are a few tips and important steps to be aware of...and a great recipe helps too. Here is the follow up email my baker friend sent me with the recipe and specific directions. If you want to impress this Holiday season I suggest you try this recipe.

"Some recipes can be magical and transforming. Such is the case with this pie dough. I never really liked pies, didn’t hardly make them, but that was because I just hadn’t eaten really great pie crust. But now, it’s all different- pie is one of my very favorite desserts. And that $25 dollar pie class I took, was worth its weight in gold
Pie Dough:
1 ½ cups flour
½ t. salt
2 T. sugar
4 T. butter and 6 ½ T. butter-flavored shortening (OR you can just do 2/3 cup butter-flavored Crisco)
¼ c. ice cold water (actually put ice in the water)
Mix flour, sugar and salt together and then cut in Crisco and butter with a pastry blender. You don’t want it to be perfectly proportioned. Leave pea-sized balls of fat throughout the flour- you don’t want the fat to be too small and you want to handle it as LITTLE as possible.
Then pour in water and mix with a fork, just until the flour can be gathered into a ball. The dough shouldn’t be too dry or too wet. It is a little drier than sugar cookie dough. All the flour should be “wet”- if that makes sense. Divide into two balls.
Roll out on a pastry cloth with a cloth sleeve over the roller. (You can buy these at cooking stores. ($6-$10) You never wash them- just shake off and roll up. This “seasons” them and they are wonderful to roll dough out on. A pastry cloth is a must have for making pie dough!). Dust the cloth with flour (don’t be too little with the flour) when you are rolling out the dough.
Makes a two crust pie
Bake at 410 degrees for 15 minutes, then at 360 degrees for 30 minutes. Don’t overcook. It will look paler than you think. You cook it at the high heat first, to flake and crisp the dough.
If you are only using a shell, puncture with a fork and put in the oven at 475 degrees for 8 minutes.
Don’t put fruit in pie shell until you are ready to bake (it will make it soggy). Sprinkle sugar over the top crust. Cut bottom crust even with pie pan and then roll the top crust over the bottom crust, then seal with desired edging.
The pie is most heavenly about 45-60 minutes after you take it out of the oven- long enough for the juices to thicken, but still warm. Wow, I’m hungry. Cut it and let sit for just a few minutes if the liquid is still runny/hot, so the cool air can thicken to just rightness.
For fruit pies, 4 cups of berries is about right amount
I think shortening with butter makes a much better pie crust than all butter.
Ohhhhh so good"

The downer side of knowing how to make a great pie is that you just might make one every day. Since Tuesday I have made: an apple pie, a chicken pot pie and a blueberry sour cream pie. They have all been delish, my extra chins can testify. Happy winter baking!