Mom's Pie Crust

Some things just need to come from the house you grew up in. While the original recipe used Crisco, it was changed to all butter a long time ago and still seems the same, just because of where it came from. This pie crust recipe makes 4 single crust pies or 2 double crust. Why not make a large batch like this if you are going to the trouble to make crust? It freezes well wrapped in plastic wrap inside a freezer ziplock bag. So you could save some for later to make a pot pie, or galette, or other type of pastry weeks later.

The dough trimmed and partially folded under for a single crust pie. 

Mom's Pie Crust

2 double crust pies or 4 single crust pies

Ingredients 

4 cups flour

2 tsp salt

1Tbs sugar

1 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold

2 eggs used separately 

1 tbs white vinegar

1/2 cup ice water 

Directions 

Whisk together flour, salt, and sugar.

Cut butter into flour mixture until pea size pieces form. Set aside.

Whisk together 1 egg, vinegar, and ice water.

Stir into flour and butter until it barely comes together. 

Knead 10 times.

Cut into 4 equal pieces, form disks and wrap in plastic wrap.

Freeze 15 minutes or refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 to bake a single shell. 

Roll out out on floured surface to about 16 inch diameter circle, checking occasionally that it is not stuck to the counter. Add more flour below if it is getting too sticky. 

Carefully, not to crease or break the dough, fold in half and fold in half again, transfer to a pie plate and unfold to evenly cover it. DO NOT STRETCH the dough. Pie crust shrinks as it cooks. If you refrigerate your dough all rolled out and ready in the pan for 10 min or so before baking this also can help it from shrinking.  Just be careful not leave it in the fridge too long. If you put a very cold, or freezing pan into a hot oven, it could shatter from the heat.

**If forming a SINGLE crust pie, cut excess dough off so there is about an inch over hang from where you want your edge to be. Fold the over hang under and start pinching whatever pattern you'd like. Carefully press down as you go to help the dough stick to the edge of pan. Prick a few fork holes on the bottom of crust to avoid bubbles. 

Whisk remaining egg with 1 Tbs water to make an egg wash and lightly coat the crust. 

Bake at 350 for 20-30 min

**For DOUBLE crust pies, place bottom crust in pie plate. Cut off all excess to make the edge of the crust flush with the edge of the pan. Fill crust with your filling and cover with second rolled out crust using the folding method. 

Cut the excess top crust leaving about 1/2 inch over hang that you fold under the bottom crust. Then crimp how you would like, slice a few vents, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with a small amount of sugar if you'd like. 

cherry pie // mollie

I grew up in a pie-eating family. My Grandma McKown, my Dad's mom, was an excellent pie maker. She is a southern girl and knew how to make meringue pies and pecan pie and all the fruit pies ever. But oh, her Chocolate Cream pie was my favorite. Then, there is my own amazing mother. She is somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to, well, everything she makes. Pies are no exception. Her pecan is to die for, and apple! and pumpkin! She cans her own pumpkin. I'm not one to forget about the few family traditions we have had throughout the years. So I decided to be a pie maker too. I've made pies throughout my years of being on my own and I really love doing it. I'm not a perfectionist in any way. With anything that I do. I wish I was more of one, but I'm not. I just thoroughly enjoy making a pie in the kitchen with my girls playing on the ground in my sight. (Or crying at my feet, whichever).

Cherry Pie. I want to say that I know that some people don't like Cherry Pie. But that is because they never had my Mom's cherry pie. I think out of all of her pies, it is my favorite. Because not only does she make the cherry filling from scratch (never use that canned filling with the hot pink syrup, EW!) but she makes them so beautiful! When I make them they are not as beautiful, they are funny looking, but many people have said they were yummy. And that is what I'm going for here by the way.

Martha Stewart Perfect Pie Crust:

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling dough

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 tablespoons ice water, plus 2 more, if needed

Directions:

-In a food processor, pulse flour, salt, and sugar several times to combine. Add butter. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with just a few pea-size pieces remaining.

-Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed with fingers (if needed, add up to 2 tablespoons more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Do not overprocess.

-Turn dough out onto a work surface; form dough into a 3/4-inch-thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

-Before baking, unwrap dough; place on a large piece of floured waxed paper. Roll dough to a 14-inch round. Using paper, lift and wrap dough around rolling pin (discarding paper); carefully unroll over a 9-inch pie plate. Gently fit into bottom and up sides of plate.

-Trim overhang to 1 inch; fold overhang under itself. Pinch between thumb and forefinger to make a uniform edge around the rim. Crimp edge; refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Cherry Filling

Ingredients: 

3 cups Red Tart Cherries in Water(Drained)
1 1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. almond flavoring

Directions: 

-Put cherries in a bowl with sugar and mix. Let sit while pie crust is chilling
-When crust is ready pour off half of the juice from the cherries
-Add flour and mix slightly
-Pour in crust and sprinkle almond flavor on top of cherries.
-Add top crust (design how you like)*
-Bake at 450 degrees for 40-50 mins*

*i did a criss cross top for my crust this time... like i said, funny looking. but its fun to try out different tops. make sure you dab butter and sprinkle sugar on top before baking.
*you might want to add some foil to the edges so it doesn't burn before the center is done baking.

Plum Crumble

I have been wanting to try this for months and months now.  I finally got to it, and I am so mad I didn't try it out long ago.  This is my new summer favorite.  It came from Orangette, my absolute favorite blog.  It's like you know her after reading one post.  Someday, when I make it to Seattle, I want to go to her restaurant, Delancey, and taste everything.  Well, she is so kind to have posted this recipe because it was on the menu there for a little while.  I love it. I know that crumbles may seem like a warm comfort food for winter, but this my friend is perfect now while plums are in season.

The picture shown is only half of the recipe in a very shallow pie plate; I had too many treats in the house in the first place. Also I didn't put any crystallized ginger in it because I didn't have any.

Orangette / Delancey's Plum Crumble


serves about 6

Ingredients

Filling
12-14 Italian Prune Plums (I cheated and used the huge ones you can get at Costco, 10 or so should do the trick.)
2 Tbs Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Tbs Flour
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger

Topping
3/4 cup Sugar
1 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Beaten Egg
7 Tbs Butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Remove pit from plums and slice in half into a bowl and set aside.
Whisk together the dry ingredients for the filling.
Carefully fold the dry mixture into the plums just until coated.
Pour plum mixture into a deep 9" pie dish. Face the skin sides up.  I also have baked it in a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Whisk together the dry ingredients for the topping.
Add the beaten egg with your hands until you get small moist crumbles.
Sprinkle evenly over the plums.
Spoon the melted butter over the topping... it will be pretty drenched.
Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

Cool a few minutes and eat warm or cold.  You can warm up a cooled crumble by putting it in a 300 degree oven for about 20 min or so.
Serve with whipped cream, ice cream or by itself.

Key Lime Pie

I love limes. If you pair a lime with anything I will most likely like it. I have learned, thanks to my husband, that Mexican food isn't Mexican food until you can squeeze lime juice all over it. I fell in love with this pie a few years back when, I think, my sister-in-law brought it to a family function. Since then, the yogurt flavor key lime pie has been in my top five yogurt picks. This recipe is quick, easy, and most of the ingredients you have on hand. I think the hardest thing about this recipe would either be taking your anger and frustration out on the graham crackers or squeezing the 1/2 c. of lime juice!

Oh, and please ignore the fact that I over beat the whipped cream on top :)

Key Lime Pie

Ingredients

Crust:
1 pkg graham crackers crushed
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon-- this adds a deeper flavor to the crust that compliments the lime well
5 Tbsp. butter

Filling:
3 egg yolks
1- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. fresh lime juice
2 tsp. grated lime zest
1 drop green food coloring

Directions

For the crust, stir together the smooshed graham crackers, cinnamon, and sugar. Add them to the melted butter so everything is coated. Press this into a 9 in pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees for ONLY 4 minutes (it is going in the oven again). Cool completely.

For the filling, beat the yolks and stir in the sweetened condensed milk. Add the lime juice and food coloring until completely combined. Stir in the zest. Pour into the completely cooled crust and bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. *If you think your edges are brown enough from the first bake, you can cut a ring of foil that only covers the crust edges to avoid burning. Otherwise, ignore that asterisk. Let the pie cool completely again, then all that's left is to add a layer of whipped cream on top and eat it!

Enjoy