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Pie Recipes

June 17, 2010
By Eileen Goltz

Tally ho! It’s pie season and the hunt is on for the best and tastiest and most mouthwatering concoctions your brain (and taste buds) can imagine. I just gotta say it’s about having the right mix of a flaky crust, fresh berries or whatever other fruit you just can’t resist and just enough thickening to hold the fruit in place but not overwhelm it.

If you can take the 10 minutes needed to make the from scratch kind, it’s worth the effort. Also, try not to overwork the crust dough; only mix it until it comes together into a ball. All-purpose flour is the best kind to use, and any solid shortening or a mixture of shortenings will do, except using just butter. Too much butter and the crust will be too greasy and brittle. I like using a pastry blender that makes putting the dough together a breeze, but the old-fashioned cutting the shortening into the dough with two knives method works just as well.

You will need about 4 cups of fresh fruit or 3 cups of cooked fruit for a 9-inch pie. Some tarter fruits will need more sugar added to the recipe to create the perfect balance of sweet and tart, others less, and don’t forget to add some lemon juice. It enhances the flavor of most berries. If your fruit has a lot of acid, I suggest you use tapioca, cornstarch or even arrowroot instead of flour, as the acid can negate the thickening ability of flour.

To make sure that the filling of your pie is set and won’t run, let the pie cool to room temperature or is still just slightly warm before you dig into it. I know that waiting those two or three hours will seem endless, but the sheer tasting bliss of a perfectly cut pie of pie topped with ice cream or whipped cream is so worth the wait.
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EZ PIE CRUST (pareve)

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup solid shortening
about 3/4 cup cool water

In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a hole in the center. Put shortening into the hole. Using a knife, break up the shortening into chunks. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the shorting up and mix it with the flour. Keep cutting and mixing until the mixture looks like small peas. Pour half the water in and, using your hands, combine the mixture into a ball. Continue adding the water until the flour and shorting come together into a soft ball of dough. You may need a little more or less water than called for. Start with less and add only if the dough is too stiff. Don’t knead the dough like it were bread dough, as the crust will become too fragile. Divide the dough into 3 or 4 equal portions. Cover with plastic wrap and let set in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. It can be made 1 or 2 days ahead of the time you want to use it.

To roll out the dough, sprinkle flour on your work surface and coat your rolling pin with flour. Roll the dough into a round shape, approximately 4 inches larger than the pie pan you’re going to be using. I like to flip the dough halfway through the rolling and add a little flour to the top of the dough. To get the dough in your pan, fold the dough in half and place it in the pan. Unfold it and push it into place to fit the pan. Trim the edges, but make sure you leave enough to fold and or crimp the edges. Makes three 9-inch crusts or four 8-inch crusts.


FRESH RASPBERRY PIE (dairy or pareve)

1 cooked 9-inch pie shell
4 1/4 cups fresh raspberries (or fresh tart cherries or blueberries)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cup sugar, more if raspberries are very tart
1/2 cup flour or 4 tablespoons tapioca or quick-cooking tapioca
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk, cream or 1 egg white for brushing the top
1 tablespoon sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 375. This is a two-crust pie. Roll out the pie-crust bottom and top according to directions, leaving enough overhang to fold underneath. Place the bottom pie crust evenly in a 9" pie pan and set aside. Fold the top crust in half and place a towel over it so it doesn't dry out.

In a bowl, gently combine the berries, sugar, flour or tapioca, nutmeg, vanilla and lemon juice. Fold the mixture into prepared pie crust. Place the top crust over the berries and fold the bottom crust edges over the top crust and crimp. cut 3 or 4 vent holes in the top to let steam escape. Brush the top with the milk/cream/egg and sprinkle the sugar over the top. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling from the vent holes. If the edges start to brown too quickly, place a piece of aluminum foil around the rim. Remove to cooling rack and let cool for 30-60 minutes. The pie will slice easier if it is refrigerated. Serves 8.

Modified from suite101.com

CUSTARD MIXED BERRY PIE (dairy)

You can use a mixture of berries or just one if you have a preference.

Fruit:
2 cups mixed fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, whatever you like)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar

Custard Filling:
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup scalded milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

In a bowl, combine the fruit, lemon juice and sugar. Mix gently and let sit in the refrigerator for an hour before using. In a saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until well combined. Add the flour into the mixture, making sure to get all the lumps smoothed out. Place the mixture over a low heat and add the scalded milk a little at a time. Beat continuously while you’re adding the milk. Continue whisking while the custard is cooking. When it reaches a slow boil (a few bubbles breaking the surface) turn off the heat, add the melted butter and vanilla, and continue stirring for an additional 2 or 3 minutes. Pour the custard into the tart shell. Let the custard cool. Then pour fresh fruit on top of custard. Serve cool.




PEACH RASPBERRY PIE (dairy or pareve)

You will need 1-3/4 lbs peaches to yield 4 cups sliced peaches. Depending on the sweetness of the fruit, add up to 1/4 cup more sugar.

1 recipe pie crust dough, enough for 2 crusts
4 cups sliced, pitted, peeled ripe peaches
1 cup fresh raspberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Cream, milk or nondairy substitute
Coarse or granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, gently combine peaches, raspberries, sugar and cornstarch, making sure that the cornstarch is not lumpy. Transfer filling to prepared bottom crust. Lightly brush edge of pastry with a little water. Place top crust over fruit, trimming and fluting edge. Cut steam vents in top of pie. Brush the top crust with the milk/cream/nondairy substitute and then sprinkle the top with sugar. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and continue baking for 40 minutes more or until nicely browned and juices are bubbling and thickened. If pie starts to get too brown before it's finished baking, cover loosely with a piece of tented foil. Let cool on a wire rack for 2 hours before serving. Serves 8.



Modified from The Complete Book of Pies, by Julie Hasson



CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY PIE (dairy)

9-inch pie shell, unbaked
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed

Filling:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped

Topping:
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 450. Line an uncooked pie shell with heavy duty foil and weigh it down with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake an additional 5 minutes. Cool on wire rack. In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the raspberries and then bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Spread the mixture into the cooked pie shell and refrigerate it for 30 minutes or until cool. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Fold in whipped cream. Carefully spread this mixture over the raspberry layer. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Melt chocolate and butter; cool for 4 to 5 min. Drizzle the mixture over the top of the cream cheese filling. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serves 8

Modified from about.com


BLACKBERRY PIE (pareve)

1 9-inch baked pie shell
5 cups of blackberries
3 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of water
1 teaspoon of lemon juice

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of the blackberries with the cornstarch, sugar and water, and cook over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes until the mixture is thick. Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool for 3 to 4 minutes, and then add the lemon juice and the remaining blackberries. Spoon the mixture into the two prepared pie shells. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours before serving. Each pie serves 8


APRICOT PIE (dairy or pareve)

2 9-inch pie crusts
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
6 cups sliced fresh apricots
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
1 to 2 teaspoons milk or 1 egg white
2 teaspoon sugar

Preheat oven to 400. Bake 1 pie crust for 5 minutes, and then remove it from the oven. In a bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Place the apricot halves in another bowl and add the lemon juice. Mix to coat, and then add the sugar mixture to apricots. Mix to combine. Pour apricots into the semi-baked pie crust. Dot the top of the apricots with the butter/margarine and then top with the remaining pie crust. Crimp the two crust together. Cut vent slits in the top crust for the steam to escape. Brush the top of the crust with the milk/egg white and sprinkle the sugar on top of that. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the crust is golden and apricot filling just begins to bubble through the slits. Let cool for at least an hour before serving. Serves 8.

Submitted by Renee Horbath, Los Angeles, California


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