Happy Pi (3.14) Day!

Every year on March 14^th we celebrate Pi day by baking a pie. 

Want to join in the fun? 

 The Perfect Pie Crust 

 Pie Crust Made with Shortening Powder

Cherry Cheesecake Pie

 Pink Lemonade Pie

 Apple Cranberry

 Pumpkin Pie

 Pecan Pie

 What kind of pie are you going to make/eat today?

Pie Week Day 6: Apple Cranberry

This apple cranberry pie is a nice twist on traditional apple pies.  It is a lovely pie.  The cranberries make it very showy.  

 

Apple-Cranberry Pie

from Cook Illustrated Nov. & Dec. 2007

In a big microwaveable bowl combine:
3 ½ lbs (6 –7) sweet apples, peeled, cored, sliced
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt

Microwave—stirring every 3 minutes—until apples begin to turn translucent, usually about 18 minutes (possibly as few as 10). Remove from microwave allow to cool.



In saucepan combine:
2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
¼ cup orange juice
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt

Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cooking until it is very thick–like jam. Stir in ¼ cup water. Cool to room temperature.

Preheat over to 425 with baking sheet inside. Roll out bottom pie crust and fit into pie plate. Spread cranberry jam into bottom crust. 


Arrange cooled apples, mounding in the middle. Add top crust. Place pie in oven on hot baking sheet. Bake 20 – 25 minutes, rotate pie, reduce heat to 375 and bake a further 25 – 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack at least 2 hours.

Pie Week Day 5: Cherry Cheesecake Pie

If you are only going to make one pie this holiday season this is the pie to make.  It is beautiful and delicious requiring only a reasonable amount of work.  

My mom got this recipe out of a Women's Day magazine a few years ago and we have been enjoying it ever since. 

As you can see the Women's Day pie also has almonds around the top. 

Tips: 

1.  You don't have to put the lattice crust on top.  It is an extra step and sometimes you just don't have time for an extra step.  I usually don't add it.  It is a lovely pie without it.

2.  Did you know there are a lot of cherry pie haters out there?  If you family hates cherry pie than switch out the cherry pie filling and replace it with blueberry, peach or what ever you like.  

3.  The almond extract really makes this pie amazing.  It is worth buying a bottle of almond extract if you don't have any.  (I personally LOVE almond extract and put it in all kinds of baked goods.  It is amazing in sugar cookies. )

4.  If you have a deep dish pie plate use it for this pie.  If you don't you'll be okay but if you do it give you just enough extra room that everything fits in perfect.  

 

Cherry Cheesecake Pie 
adapted from  Women's Day

1 box (15 oz) refrigerated ready to bake pie crusts (or make your own)

1/2 cup sugar

1 TBSP cornstarch

2 bricks (8 oz each) 1/3 less fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened

1 large egg

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling

White from 1 large egg, in a small bowl

1/3 cup sliced almonds

1. Heat oven to 350.  Have ready a 9 inch pie plate.

2. Fit 1 crust into pie plate.  Unroll or unfold remaining crust on a cutting board; cut in 1/2 inch wide strips.  Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate.

3. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a medium bowl.  Add cream cheese; beat with mixer on medium speed until smooth.  On low speed, beat in egg and extract until just blended.

4. Spread batter evenly in crust; spoon pie filling evenly over top.  Beat egg white with a fork until foamy.  Brush on pastry strips.  Arrange about 8 strips evenly spaced across pie filling.  Place 8 more strips diagonally over first strips to form a lattice (discard remaining stips).  (I only use about 4 across each way.)  Trim and press ends to bottom crust. Brush rim with egg white; press on almonds.

Twist strips than place on the pie.  Start with the middle strip.

Place the second strip croswise.

Add remaining strips

Be sure to dot the strips with milk or egg white. This will help them brown nicely.

5 Bake 50 to 60 minutes until crust is golden brown and cherries bubble.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.  Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.

Pie Week Day 4: Pumpkin Pie

Do you like pumpkin pie?  If not it is probably because you have eaten a lot of bad pumpkin pie.  There are a lot of bad pumpkin pies out there.  

Since we all know that you are going to have a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving it might as well be a good one. 

The recipe I  like the best (I stole from my sister) is from Libby’s Pumpkin with a few alterations.  I like to add sweet potato.  For some reason it makes the pie so much more pumpkiny.  (Yes I just made that word up)

Libby’s Famous Pumpkin Pie (modified slightly)*

In small bowl stir together:
¾ cup sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves

In large bowl beat
2 large eggs

then add
15 oz. pumpkin
1 cup sweet potato (fresh or from a can), smashed up*
12 fl. oz Evaporated Milk
sugar and spice from small bowl

Pour into unbaked pie shell.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425. Then reduce heat to 350F continue baking  40 –50 minutes until knife comes out clean. Cool completely. Best served cold with whipping cream.

*The sweet potato addition to Libby’s famous pie recipe makes a good thing better. Somehow it makes the pie taste more pleasantly pumpkin.

Pie Week Day 3: Pink Lemonade Pie

An easy pie the kids (especially little girls) and adults will love.  This pie is tangy and light a nice change on Thanksgiving.  My mom made this pie when I was a kid and when I think about pie for Thanksgiving I always think of this one.  

This pie needs to be refrigerated so make sure to plan space for it in your fridge.

Pink Lemonade Pie

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 9 oz container of cool whip

1 small can frozen pink lemonade concentrate

2 drops red food coloring

1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Mix first 4 ingredients. Pour into graham cracker crush.  Refrigerate or Freeze until ready to eat.

Pie Week Day 2: Pecan Pie

I don’t live in the south.  I live in the west.  So pecan pie was not a staple of our Thanksgiving celebration until my sister April spent a couple of years living in Texas.  When she came home she brought a shoe box full of pecans and this recipe. 

We have been making pecan pie ever since.  And it is usually the first one gone.  

Be sure to look for light color pecans.  Pecans that are dark are often old.  You want the freshest you can get.   

Pecan Pie

from Sister Dot in Lampasas, Texas

¼ cup soft butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs slightly beaten
¾ cup Karo syrup
dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 – 1 ½ cup pecans, mixture of pieces and halves

Stir together butter and sugar. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Fill pie shell.

Baking Options
Simple: Bake at 350 for 40–50 minutes.

Better filling: Preheat oven to 375. Put pie in oven and reduce heat to 275. Bake until filling is set about 60 minutes. (Sometimes this take 90 minutes for me, be patient.)

Divine bottom crust: Baking option 2 (for non-soggy bottom crust): Bake empty shell (filled with pie weights or beans) at 375 until dried out about 17 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake for 10 minutes. Add filling and bake at 275 until set about 60 minutes. (Sometimes this takes 90 minutes for me, be patient.)

Pie Week Day 1: The Perfect Pie Crust

 

Welcome to Pie Week!  Today we are going to talk about making the perfect pie crust.  

5 Tips for a Successful Pie Crust

1.  You want to make pastry that is tender and flaky, so you must use correct ingredients, measure them correctly, and follow the written instructions.   This is not a time for improvisation.    
 

2.  Stir flour (I use a whisk), then lightly spoon into the correct measuring cup(s).  
 
3.  Handle the dough as gently as possible.  Gluten develops when the flour is moistened and stirred.  It provides a structure that traps steam during baking, and helps make the pastry flaky. 

4.  Be careful not to over mix when adding the liquid.  After adding liquid, just press the ingredients together to moisten the flour rather than mixing and developing gluten. 

5.  Gather and press dough together with your hands, and flatten it into a disc to make rolling the correct size and shape easier.

Pie Dough

Recipe makes 6 pie crust or 3 double crust pies

In a shallow bowl place:

6 cups of flour

3 cups of Butter Flavor Crisco

3 teaspoons salt

Mix together with clean fingers until the mixture resembles corn meal.

Add 1 ½ cold cups water.  Fold together to form a soft ball of dough. Do NOT knead the dough you just want to combined it.  

 At this point the dough should look marbled.  Divide into 6 pieces. 

 On a floured, work with one piece, roll out with a rolling pin until the dough is very thin.  

Carefully fold into half and then in half again, so it looks like  a triangle.  

Carefully place in pie plate unfold and EASE the crust down into the pan.   The crust should nestle down into the corners.  Don't stretch it ease it down.

This is the dough set on the pan. 

This is the dough eased in.  You pick it up and gently help it fill the corners of the pan.

 Flueting the Edges

Cut off any dough that hangs down on to the counter

Tuck the extra dough under.  So it creates a mound of dough on the rim of the pie pan.

Using your pointer finger and thumb on one hand and your pointer finger on the other pinch the dough to create a wavy crust. 

Pie shells that are to be baked unfilled should be poked with a fork. 

Unfilled pies need to have weight in them when you bake them (or weird bubbles happen).  line the pie crust with parchment paper and fill with dry beans.  Be sure to LINE the pie with something or the beans will make the crust taste funny. 

Double crust pies need vent holes cut in them.  I used these Pie Cookie Cutters

to cut out a design.  If you are making a LOT of pies be sure to cut different designs in each pie so you can tell the difference. 

Brush the top of you pie crush with milk or egg white to create a beautifully browned crust. 

**Remember to always keep pie dough covered in an airtight container when not working with it. 

Filled pies often leak in the oven.  Place pie on a cookie sheet before placing in the oven, than any drips will be on the cookie sheet and not in your oven.

Bake on the bottom rack of the oven. 

Filled pies at 375 for 1 hour (allow an extra 10 minutes if you are baking frozen pies) If you are using a glass pan (and they do work better) bake at 350.  Bake Pie shells for 8-10 minutes.

Fun Stuff – Flavored Pastry

Add one of the following to the flour before mixing:

}  1 t. cinnamon

}  1 ½ t. citrus peel

}  2 T. finely chopped nuts

}  1 t. celery seed

Fun Stuff – Garnishes

}   Place a doily or stencil on top of pie.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cocoa powder or ground nuts.

}   Drizzle syrup on the plate before placing pie on it, or place pie on the plate, and drizzle over pie and plate.

}   Blend fruit and pour a thin layer of “sauce” on the plate.  Drop chocolate syrup or heavy cream at intervals, and drag a knife blade through the dots to “Sauce Paint”.

}   Pastry cut-outs can be placed on, or around the edge of an un-cooked shell.  They may    also be baked at 450° for up to 10 minutes, and arranged on top of a cooked pastry.

Make a Mix: Get Dinner on theTable Mix and Chicken Pot Pie

I have found that I use the same THRIVE freeze dried foods in the same porportions in most of my cooking.  To make cooking even easier I have made up some of my own mixes then when I am making dinner I don't have to measure just dump.

Here is what I do:

Get Dinner on the Table Mix
1/4 c freeze dried onion
1/4 cup freezed dried celery
1/4 cup dehydrated carrots

1 cup dehydrated potato chunks

Place all ingredients in a jam jar. Screw on lid tight.

To use:
Fill jar with hot water and let rehydrate or dump into what ever you are making.

For a printable jar label click here.

I use it for:
Chicken Pot Pie
Soup-chicken noodle, chowder, meatball, etc.
Casseroles

Remember Thrive freeze dried and dehydrated foods have no salt or other seasoning on them so be sure to add some salt and pepper.

Chicken Pot Pie
1 pie crust recipe prepared
1 jar of prepared  Get Dinner on the Table Mix,
1/2 cup freezed dried vegetables (like peas, green beans, what ever you like)
1/2 cup freeze dried Chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup, do not add the water

1.  Add jar of get Dinner on the Table Mix, freeze dried veg, and chicken to a large bowl, cover with hot water.  Let sit 10 minutes until vegetables are soft and rehydrated.
2. Drain off water until the ingredients are just covered.
3.  Stir in can of cream of chicken soup.
4.  Add all ingredints to pie shell. Cover with send pie crust, seal edges. Cut slits in the pie crust so the steam can escape.
5. Bake pie at 350 for 1 hour.

Make Your Own Mix: Apple Pie Filling and Pie Crust

So I heard today that pie is the new cupcake.  I am excited because I love pie.  This is my favorite pie dough recipe.  I find it is easy to work with and taste great.  If you prefer you can switch out the butter flavored Crisco for lard, butter or regular Crisco.  I like the butter flavored Crisco because it makes the crust a nice golden brown color and it gives the crust a slight butter taste.  I don't use butter very often because I have a hard time getting butter the right temperature. It is either to cold or it is to melted.  I really like lard for pie dough but I have a hard time finding a high quality lard on a regular basis. 

This recipe came from a homemaking class my mother attended years ago. I don't know who originally taught the class but I sure love the recipe.

In this pie dough recipe you are instructed to mix the fat into the flour with your fingers.  I love this method it makes great crust. If you are not sure you want to get your hands dirty it is fine to use your pasty blender or a food processor, just know that the dough will be harder to work with.

This apple pie filling recipe is one of my favorite mixes to have on hand.  I know it is not a mix in the traditional way of thinking but for me it is something I can do a head so there will be less work later.  So I count it as a mix.  Apple pie is wonderful to eat but often a little labor intensive for every day use.  Each fall we make a batch or two of this great filling.

Pie Tips

FOOD PROCESSOR PASTRY
This Method   is fast and efficient, but it’s speed needs to be treated with caution. Use 1-2 second pulses rather than letting the machine run. Have all fats ice cold or frozen. Combine the dry ingredients in the food processor; process for 10 seconds. Cut fat into ½” chunks and scatter over dry ingredients. Use pulse bursts until fat is the size of peas. Drizzle ice cold water over top. Pulse until dough begins to clump into small balls. If the dough adheres when squeezed, it is ready to use.

FREEZING
Baked Pie & Tart Shells:  Place on cookie sheet and freeze (don’t wrap). When frozen, wrap or place in freezer bags and return to the freezer. To use, unwrap and heat in moderate oven (375 degrees F.) for 10 minutes. May also thaw unwrapped at room temperature.

Unbaked Pie & Tart Shells:   Freeze dough in the pie pan. When solid, pry it out of pan and freeze. May stack with waxed paper crumpled between crusts for easier separation. Package in freezer bags anad return to freezer. For single crust, unwrap and bake in very hot oven (450 degrees F.) for 5 minutes. Prick crust with fork and continue baking until browned (apx. 15 minutes).  

Storage: The recommended storage time for unbaked pastry is two months. For baked pastry it is 4 to 6 months.


Pie Filling:  When fresh fruit is in season it is a great idea to make a little bit of pie filling to freeze and use later in the year.  My favorite pie filling to freeze is peach.  To freeze fresh pie filling: Line a pie pan with several layers of foil.  Fill with pie filing. Freeze until solid. Pop the frozed filling out the the pan and place in a Zip Lock bag or wrap well with foil.  Label and return to the freezer.  When ready to use make pie crust. Place frozen pie filling in pie crust and bake.


PIES TO FREEZE

Recommended Varieties:    Apple, peach,, blueberry, mince, strawberry, or rhubarb freeze well. Cherry pie may be frozen only after baking.

Unbaked:  Do not make slits in the top crust. After pies are frozen, cover with a second pie plate (protect from crushing). Wrap with moisture proof film and return to the freezer. Use within 2 months.

Baked:  Cool baked pies to room temperature. Wrap with moisture proof film and return to the freezer. Use within 4 months for highest quality.

Thawing:  If frozen unbaked, remove wrapping and make slits in top crust. Bake at 425 degrees F. for 10 minutes, cut vents in top, bake for 20 minutes longer. Reduce heat to 350 and bake until juices bubble and crust is golden brown. If frozen baked, remove wrapping and let thaw. Bake at 350 degrees F. until knife inserted comes out warm (apx. 15 minutes)

Recipe

Heather's Favorite Pie Dough
Makes enough mix to make 6 single pie crusts or 3 double pie crusts


In a shallow bowl place:
6 cups of flour
3 cups of Butter Flavor Crisco
3 tsp salt

Mix together with clean fingers until the mixture resembles corn meal. (At this point you can put the Mix in a zip lock bag or other air tight container and use store until you are ready to use it.)  Or you can use it right away.
Add 1 ½ cups water.  Fold together to form a soft ball of dough.  At this point the dough should look marbled. Divide into 6 sections.  Roll out one section into a large circle.  Hold pie pan over circle to make sure the dough is about 2 inches larger then the pie pan.  Place dough in pie pan. Fill with pie filling.  Roll out another circle and place on top.  Seal and crimp edges. I find it easiest to crimp the edges if you first tuck the dough that is hanging over the edge of the pie pan under so you have a mound of dough to crimp. 

Bake Unfilled Pie shells for 8-10 minutes at 350.
Bake filled double crust pies for 1 hour at 350.



Bottled Apple Pie  Filling--This really does set up into  a slice-able pie if you let it cool, we can never wait that long so it is a little runny looking in the photo.

Peal apples; slice and put into quart bottles, about 6 or 7.  Pour syrup over apple.

Syrup:
10 cups water
4-½ cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1-cup cornstarch
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt

Bring to a bubbling boil; add 3 tablespoons lemon juice plus 3 drops of yellow food coloring.

Seal and process 20 minutes.