i wonder how many americans had pie for breakfast today?!
many, i would imagine. including me.
it got me thinking that i don't believe i have ever made a strong case for homemade pie crust. so here goes, recipe first...
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Pie Crust
3 c. flour
1 1/2 t. salt
1 c. lard
5 T. ice water
1 egg
1 t. vinegar
Blend flour, salt and shortening (use handy dandy tool described below). Beat eggs with fork, and add water and vinegar. Pour over flour mixture all at once, and mix until blended (in this step, i use my fingers to squish everything together...goes very fast).
divide dough into 2 or 3 portions (i usually do two, so that i can make GIANT crusts). flatten into disks with your hand, and pop in the refridge. i usually do this the day before, because the dough must be really cold before you roll it out.
Makes (3) single pie crusts.
Pie Crust
3 c. flour
1 1/2 t. salt
1 c. lard
5 T. ice water
1 egg
1 t. vinegar
Blend flour, salt and shortening (use handy dandy tool described below). Beat eggs with fork, and add water and vinegar. Pour over flour mixture all at once, and mix until blended (in this step, i use my fingers to squish everything together...goes very fast).
divide dough into 2 or 3 portions (i usually do two, so that i can make GIANT crusts). flatten into disks with your hand, and pop in the refridge. i usually do this the day before, because the dough must be really cold before you roll it out.
Makes (3) single pie crusts.
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my mom actually uses crisco (of course she does) instead of lard. however, i am convinced that lard makes a flakier, yummier crust. and seriously, it's not like we eat lard every day. so it's okay to use it JUST THIS ONCE. :) - ps. you can find it over at the meat counter. which is not gross at all.
a couple of things to note. i have two items that make things much easier and funner (yes, it's a word) when making pie. the first one is a pastry blender from pampered chef. very fun to use! you could also mash potatoes with it, if you need an excuse to buy it from kirsten this very second! it makes mixing the dough so easy and efficient!
secondly, when you bake a pie, USUALLY the crust gets done faster than anything else. wha-la! another pampered chef item. this little metal pie ring saved my apple pie from getting too brown yesterday! very smart idea.
i am kind of obsessed with pie crust right at the moment. the neat thing is that you can mix up the dough, roll it out, throw it into a pie plate (i thrift for them, of course) and freeze the whole deal. forget pillsbury, THAT is easy!
oh! oh! almost forgot. if you have leftover dough (which you probably will) just roll out the scraps, lay them on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and bake for a few minutes at relatively high heat (400+) til golden brown. OH MY. this is a very good memory from childhood. loved the scrap dough :)
:) hope you are all full and happy today! why is this the only day of the year that i feel like fasting?! happy friday!
8 comments:
Hey Bobbi,
Glad to hear Thanksgiving was good. I was eating my chocolate ginger tart with coffee when I read it,so can relate. This is about the richest thing you can make,but oh man. Thanks for crust recipe,I've been a little afraid to try my own crust, but I may give it a go. Hope you're well, Happy Advent!
Lisa
I remember the "scrap" dough with cinnamon and sugar was the favorite part of my mom making a pie. I did use my pampered chef mashy thing to make streusal topping but I am not a homemade pie crust maker...I fought the urge to have pumpkin pie for breakfast and won!
lis - happy holiday! i wish i had a picture of that tart...
try the dough. there is something quite fulfilling about making it. Lord knows, i don't need anymore pie for awhile, though ;)
cher. i looked at your "feast" - it looks strikingly similar to my families...i am going to check out the contessa's recipe for cranberry sauce! love her!
That pie looks amazing. I DID have pie for breakfast, pumpkin. It's a Klasi family tradition. My mother in law taught me how to make pie crust, with crisco, but I don't have one of those cool PC dealies, so we had to use forks.
karen - tell me more! did you like the home made crust better?
Homemade ALL the way! Unfortunately, my mother is the queen of the pie crust -- famous for it among all our friends and family. That means I'll probably always feel inadequate in this area. But it won't keep me from trying to perfect my crusts. Oh, and the cinnamon scrap treat is the BEST! :)
I did like it better. I was also surprised at how easy it was. I think my Pillsbury days are over.
We had cinnamon scraps, too!
yay for homemade! i am glad to know i am not the only one who loves cinnamon dough scraps :)
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