Not bad for my first pastry crust pie. My fluting could use some work.
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From our Food Goddess, TaMara:
In a previous post I wrote about making my first pie crust. To recap, I’d never made one before and never wanted to. Years of hearing friends and relatives lament their tough, tasteless crust, instilled an unreasonable fear that I was unable to overcome. Then two (!) years ago, my friend Alton (not that one) wrote on his blog about a book he was reading called Ratios. In it the author broke down recipes by their ratios, saying this provided for foolproof cooking. Al posted the perfect pastry crust ratio (found here) and I thought, “I can do that”. Then two years passed and still no pies.
When I finally took the plunge, it was so successful (I made turnovers) I decided it was time to jump off the high board and make my first pastry crust pie. I chose my favorite fruit pie, blueberry. I have never been so nervous making a recipe, ever. In the end I think it turned out ok. My fluting needs some finesse, but I was so intimidated, I’m just lucky it wasn’t big lumps on the side of the pie plate.
The only change I would make would be to up my ingredients to 2 cups of flour and work my ratios from that point. My pie plate seemed a bit too big for the crust I had – it’s a 9 inch pie plate, technically, but the fluted edge is very wide. The filling turned out just right, which with blueberries can be a challenge, sometimes runny, but I think I found a good balance between the berries I cooked and the fresh berries I added. I think in all, it wasn’t a bad first attempt and I have gotten past my pastry fear and will do it again.
What’s your favorite type of pie? Do you struggle with crusts or do you have a favorite, foolproof recipe? Anyone try Alton Brown’s vodka crust?
Blueberry PieFilling:
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar (depending on your sweetness preference, I used 1/2 cup)
2-1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup ice water
4 cups fresh or frozen (and thawed) blueberries
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zestIn a saucepan, add sugar, cornstarch, water and 1 cup blueberries. Bring to a rapid boil, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once cool, add 3 cups of blueberries, lemon juice and lemon zest, fold in completely. Cool in refrigerator until time to put the pie together. I also chilled the bowl I mixed everything in, as well.
Crust:
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup butter, very cold
1/2 cup waterCut butter into small pieces (I actually cut frozen butter, it was easier) and place in the freezer to chill it completely. Whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until it is crumbly. Drizzle in the water and mix together until it forms a loose ball (do not over mix, you want visible butter pieces). Turn out onto a floured surface, knead gently, divide into two equal pieces (I weighed them), form each into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour. While I was at it, I refrigerated my marble rolling pin and marble pastry board.
To assemble pie: roll out one of the balls until it’s about 12-13 inches (depending on your pie plate size) and about 3/16” thick. To move to your pie plate, flour your rolling pin again and fold the dough over it, transfer to the plate and it should fall into place. Gently form it to the plate and let excess dough overhang the edge – you can brush the edge with water before adding the top pastry. With all the butter, this step really isn’t necessary, it quickly seals itself. Add blueberry filling. Roll out second ball to the same size and thickness. Move to the plate and adjust over the pie plate. Now you can trim the excess dough, or you can tuck it under and then pinch to flute it. Next time I’m sure I’ll experience one of those, but this time, it was pretty skimpy for me to flute.
Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 375 and continue until golden brown (I had to bake another 40 minutes). You’ll probably have to tent the edges with foil to keep them from burning. I did that at the 25 minute mark. Let cool until just warm to touch for the blueberries to set if you want to serve warm.
BGinCHI
Down in IN for a family thing and just had my mother’s rhubarb crisp. I wasn’t hungry after a big dinner so I only had two helpings.
Rhubarb is so underrated.
J.W. Hamner
I thought that was Cook’s Illustrated? Regardless, yes that’s our usual pie crust recipe and we’ve had great success with it.
My issue with pie crusts is the rolling part… not sure why, but it intimidates me… plus Anna worked in a bakery and thus is a lot more confident with the whole process so I just let her do it. At some point I’m going to have to man up and conquer the rolling pin though.
TaMara (BHF)
I’m heading out for the evening. I just realized reading that recipe I flipped the ice water – the crust needs the ice water, not the blueberry filling. Proof-read fail. But otherwise… Have fun, hope you have some good pie recipes to share.
Omnes Omnibus
Mincemeat is good. As Mr inChi said rhubarb is underrated. Anything with raspberries is a good idea.
The Dangerman
OT, but since I don’t see a Finals thread tonight…
…but, I’ve never seen a player as good as Westbrook (and he is very good) have so many times when the ball just disappears when it gets to him. Pass the ball, son.
Too many braincramps from the most important person on the floor (the 1 or point).
Yutsano
Ahh pie crust my old enemy we meet again. I have tried every trick under the sun to get pie crust to work and still no success. Since I live alone not baking pie is easy. But Thanksgiving approacheth…
hitchhiker
Rhubarb pie is the best food ever, ever, ever.
(No damn strawberries! Strawberries are for shortcake.)
I learned to make the crust from my mom . . . trick is to treat it oh-so gently and add the ice water just a little at a time, feeling with your fingers for the moment when it holds together enough to be rolled out.
Made some rhubarb pie when the in-laws were here last month, and my mil was standing at my side, trying to catch some pointers. She’s 85 & never got over her fear of handling pie dough. It’s a silly skill, right? But I’m glad I have it.
TaMara (BHF)
@Omnes Omnibus: Mincemeat my dad’s absolute favorite pie, ever. And I like strawberry-rhubarb pie myself.
OT: Wouldn’t you think that if they decide your flight is going to be delayed 12 hours before it actually takes off they could somehow fix the problem in the 12 hours that elapsed. Airport at midnight is not my idea of a good time.
Ok, now I’m leaving. Really. Someone say hi to Yutsano and JSF for me. EDIT: Oh, Yutsano you’re here already, HI! Waves.
Comrade Mary
That looks awesome!
I use this recipe for all kinds of sweet and savoury pies.
5 ounces lard
10 ounces all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
About 4 ounces ice-cold water
1. Cut the lard into small pieces, about a tablespoon each. Put in freezer to deep chill.
2. Whisk together the flour and salt in a food processor.
3. Drop in the frozen pieces of lard. Pulse a few times until you get lard pieces about the size of peas.
4. Turn on the processor again and drizzle water through the chute until the dough just barely comes together. You don’t want to process it until you have one big lump of dough, but you don’t want a lot of dry flour around either. A little dry flour is OK. The humidity in your kitchen will be a factor.
5. Separate the dough into two balls, then flatten each into a thick disk and wrap in saran wrap. Let them sit in the fridge for an hour or two before rolling.
I’d like to skip the food processor if possible, but I hate pastry cutters. I’ve had good luck grating butter for biscuits, so I’ll try that with the lard, too.
The Institute For A Meaningful Apocalypse
Michele Pfeiffer at 54, knock down drag out hot, made possible by our fountain of youth tabs, via extract of luminous lichens grown in glassified atomic rubble. Bikini island edition. Hubba Hubba – currently out of stock.
Caroline
@BGinCHI: Rhubarb is delicious-I love its tart flavor by itself and with strawberries…it also goes great with duck as a compote or glaze. Besides rhubarb, my favorite pies are sour cherry (which I made this week) and peach.
I thought the pie crust looked good for a first try. Personally I prefer to make my crust from 1/2 unsalted butter and 1/2 shortening. I also like to brush it with a milk-water mixture and sprinkling it lightly with sanding sugar before baking.
Comrade Mary
@Yutsano: Yutsy, I first tried pastry in grade 7 home ec. I made an apple pie with a lattice crust that was so overworked that the lattice would have made a great safety grate for my basement window.
I still don’t roll the edges well — I just press the edges with fork tines now — and I have been told my rolling technique needs works, as I make amoeba shapes instead of nice circles, but my crusts are flaky and tasty. There is hope!
Yutsano
@TaMara (BHF): My grandmother made fantastic strawberry-rhubarb pie. It was one of the few recipes she gave my mom before she died. Maybe I’ll bug her about it this Thanksgiving.
beergoggles
I am totally over rolled pie crust. I do all mine pressed into the pan because it’s less trouble and I can cut some of the AP flour out and use almond flour instead. If anything the final product is even flakier than the rolled kind.
I normally do savory pies like steak and kidney with aspic to give it that extra juiciness after baking but for sweet pies I think my favorite filling has to be apple topped pumpkin custard – so decadent and delicious.
Just Some Fuckhead
I like pie.
Wag
Making pie dough is really pretty easy. The key, as with most things in life is practice. Make a pie a week for the summer and by the time Thanksgiving rolls around you’ll be doing it in your sleep. A good food processor is essential. Cold fat (lard or butter, no partially hydrogenated veg oil) and ice water, too.
A non-stick pastry mat makes rolling out the dough to the right size a breeze.
Fresh Palisade peaches in August are the best thing in the world to make pies with. No other fruit even comes close
waratah
@Just Some Fuckhead: me too
rikyrah
yum yum yum
though I prefer the blackberry to the blueberry
stinger
My mother baked excellent bread. Unfortunately, she handled pastry the same way — work it, flip it, work more flour into it, flip it, sprinkle on more water, work in more flour… shoe leather. I’ve learned 3 tips over the years: handle it as little as possible; cold cold cold; and use butter and/or leaf lard. Just a few tablespoons of ice water, worked in by hand. The heat from your hands helps soften the butter ever so slightly so that it all holds together with the minimum amount of water possible.
Still not good at rolling it out into a nice circle of even thickness. Any tips on that? I have a plastic rolling-out mat with circles marked, but it doesn’t help.
pseudonymous in nc
The ratio I’ve always worked with for shortcrust is “half fat to flour, half butter to shortening”, which seems to do the trick and balance richness against texture. I do like the Cooks’ Illustrated suggestion to use a bit of vodka as a binder along with water, especially in situations where flakiness is the key — such as little double-crust pies.
Allen
My Mom made the best pie crusts around. Lard all the way, and a pastry cutter. My dad was a professional baker (pastries were his favorite thing to make) and wouldn’t dare to compete with Mom when it came to pie crusts.
trollhattan
Dear lord, give me a large fork, some French vanilla gelato and stand back.
Steeplejack
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Did you self-pie yourself? Damn, Cleek’s filter is more sophisticated than I thought.
celticdragonchick
@J.W. Hamner:
I prefer a French rolling pin over a standard ball bearing type with handles because I can get a better feel for how the dough moves and how thick (or thin) it is. Rolling a pie cust is not hard. Just remember to use shortening and COLD water. Don’t over-work the crust or it will become tough. (I notice some good suggestions above about 1:1 butter to shortening. I might try that…)
There are few things in cooking more fulfilling then serving a scratch cherry pie with crust you made yourself. It tastes better and your family and guests appreciate it.
Anne
As Wag says, the key is practice. I’ve been helping my mom make pie (using, wait for it, a 3-2-1 ratio) since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, and I can tell when I’m rusty. Intellectually, it’s all the same–keep the ingredients cold, work it as little as possible–but there’s some muscle memory or something that I find goes away if you don’t exercise it regularly. (Clearly this means I should make more pie.)
Oh, and I highly recommend the book mentioned in the post, Ruhlman’s Ratio. The pie dough recipe is very straightforward (3-2-1 flour-butter-water by weight, couldn’t be simpler) and can be found here if you don’t want to buy the book. That rhubarb pie also looks tasty. But the Cook’s Illustrated vodka crust is good, too–if a little fussy for my taste sometimes.
Great, now I want pie.
Emerald
@Yutsano: Try using shortening instead of butter. My granny said always use shortening.
I dunno if it’s better, ’cause I never tried the butter recipes. But I’ve never had a crust fail with shortening (and keep everything, not just the water, but your bowl and knives and everything, as cold as you can get it).
And plus, take the trimmings, soak up the leftover filling juice and flavors, make a kinda rough pastie with it and bake that on a piece of foil with the pie. Cook’s treat!
Love the addition of cinnamon in the crust. I’m gonna try that!
Elliecat
Lard makes for a good crust but damn, I can’t stand the smell of it. Finally went back to shortening. I’ve had good results using half unsalted butter, half shortening.
You young people and your food processors! I had years when I had to make do with a couple of butter knives so using a pastry blender seems luxurious to me.
dp
Okay. Here goes. Irony alert.
I could never make pie crust worth a damn. For years, my excuse was that my otherwise well-equipped kitchen lacked a food processor — that was the magic bullet. A few months ago, I broke down and bought a bad ass food processor. Pie crusts made? Zero.
Father’s Day came. My wife, goddess that she is, made a blueberry pie, using Cook’s Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchen recipes for the pie and the crust.
I have been in heaven for the last week — it is the bomb. My wife hung the moon! Every night this week I have had — and as I type I am in the process of having — blueberry pie a la mode.
If I should die before I wake, it was worth it!
Martin
I’ve been making the vodka crust for ages. You can do a lot with it. Flavored vodkas work, so do schnapps and other liqueurs. Cranberry in an apple pie is excellent.
Martin
@Emerald: Always do half/half. They support each other.
Emerald
@Martin: But golly darn, my granny’s shortening-only crusts are always flaky and tasty!
But I do intend to try a butter crust sometime. I’ll take your advice and try half/half.
John Weiss
@Yutsano: Say! The main thing is that the shortening, whatever you use, is cold. One should chill the dough before rolling it. It’s not rocket science.
ChrisB
I know I’ve watched too much MSNBC when I see blueberry pie and think of Al Sharpton.
What Have The Romans Ever Done For Us?
@Elliecat: My mom makes the best pie crusts ever and never uses a food processor. I think the secret is in knowing when you’ve added the exact right amount of ice water to get the dough to the right consistency. Having grown up in MI, the land of the sour cherry, cherry pie has always been my favorite. Rhubarb is a close second. Guess I like my pies like I like my women – tart and flaky with a hint of sweetness.
dave
I fail at crust but I love pie, fruit pie, any fruit pie, my favorites are apple and sour cream raspberry, yum!
low-tech cyclist
Maybe it’s just that I’ve reached the age where I can almost feel the calories from decadent goodies hit my waistline the minute the goodies are placed in front of me. But I’ve come to have a strong preference for pumpkin pie.
Unlike other fruit pies, there’s no sweet, sticky, fattening ‘filling’ to be the sea that the fruit swims in. Instead, the filling is made out of pumpkin itself. (With a certain amount of sugar, sure, but you’re still coming out way ahead.)
And it’s got a taste I can’t get enough of.
ThresherK
I will try making this crust. I’m a decent cook but an awful
“fabricant de la croûte” or “croutelier”. If anything can cover up that, it’s native blueberries.
Thrax
I find that tapioca is a better thickener for the filling than cornstarch; gets in the way of the blueberry taste less, it seems to me, and I don’t end up with a mess on the bottom of my oven.
As for the crust, good tips! I never know when the rolled crust is going to hang together and when it’s not. (But when it doesn’t, I press the bottom one into the pan and roll the top one onto a plastic cutting sheet, then turn it onto the pie, and at the end of the day it doesn’t matter.)
Steven Gregson
The secret to good pie crust is to keep all the ingredients as cold as possible. My recipe is as follows:
4 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 3/4 c solid vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1 egg
1 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 c (approx) ice water – amt depends on humidity
In a large mixer bowl combine the flour, baking powder,salt & sugar. Add the shortening and mix until the mixture is crumbly (I use a pastry cutter). In a small bowl, beat the egg well and add the vinegar and most of the water. Pour over the flour-shortening mixture and mix until combined, using the remaining ice-water if needed. Form the dough into 4 balls and wrap with Saran wrap and refrigerate foe 30 minutes or longer before rolling out. Use the Saran wrap to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. Makes 2 double crust pies. Freezes well. Has never failed for me. I’ve used it for years.
Augustina
I prefer savoury pies, steak and kidney pies are my favourite, using puff pastry. The key thing is to use ox kidney, as although they are hard to get hold of, no other type of kidney works as well.