Not-So-Humble Pies (2 page)

The best foundation for a not-so-humble pie is a not-so-humble pie crust, which will help fill your pie with flavor from the bottom up. After all, most pies and tarts begin with the crust, and you want yours to be as upscale and unique as your carefully crafted fillings. In this chapter, you’ll learn how to bring the gourmet flavor profiles of lemon and lavender, cinnamon and chocolate, and parmesan and pepper jack into your crusts.

While the idea of making a good crust from scratch may seem intimidating (thus the proliferation of those ready-to-buy, refrigerated versions), whipping up the perfect pedestal for your pie is really quite easy. Remember to use a light touch, and work with your hands. Mix until the dough just begins to cling together and then knead it until it just comes together. After you make up the dough, cover it up and let it rest in your refrigerator for at least thirty minutes; this will relax the gluten and make rolling out much easier. Coat your work surface with a light but even dusting of flour and don’t be afraid to add more flour as needed while rolling. If at any time your crust starts to snap back while rolling, chill it again. Giving your crust—and yourself—ten minutes to cool off can make all the difference.

So, make your crust as upscale as the pie filling you’ll put in it—you’ll be glad you did.

A perfectly tender and flaky pie crust is a thing of beauty. The flaky layers are created during baking when the water in the melting fat evaporates, causing steam. This steam expands and causes the crisp, flaky layers. Because of the delicate layers, flaky pie crusts are best used for the top of a pie, either as a full top crust or cut into strips and woven into a lattice crust.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, and salt.

Add the chilled fats; rub them into the flour mixture with your fingers until 30 percent of the fat is between pea and hazelnut sized, while the rest is blended in well.

Add 2 tablespoons of water; mix until the dough forms a rough ball. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form a disk. Wrap in plastic; chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before rolling out. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to an ⅛” thick, 12circle, turning the dough often to make sure it does not stick. Dust the surface with additional flour, if needed.

Place the crust on a baking sheet and chill for 30 minutes before baking.

A crisp, yet tender, bottom crust elevates a good pie into a spectacular pie. Fortunately, there is an easy way to achieve bottom crust perfection: a mealy pie crust. In this recipe the fat is worked into the crust more finely, creating a crust that resists sogginess and makes a delicious base for your pie.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, and salt.

Add the butter and shortening to the bowl; with your fingers, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse sand with no large pieces of fat remaining.

Add 2 tablespoons of water and mix until the dough forms a rough ball. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form a disk. Wrap in plastic; chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before rolling out. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to an ⅛” thick, 12 circle, turning the dough often to make sure it does not stick. Dust the surface with additional flour, if needed.

Fold the dough in half and place it into a 9 pie plate. Unfold and carefully push the dough into the pan. Use kitchen scissors or a paring knife to trim the dough to within 1 of the pan’s edge.

Cover with plastic and chill until ready to bake. Covered, the crust will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator.

The cream cheese in this recipe adds a slight tangy flavor to the crust—along with a luxurious mouth feel. With its bold flavor, this Cream Cheese Pastry Crust is allowed to shine when it’s paired with fruit fillings that won’t overpower its decadent flavors. This crust is good for either the bottom or the top of the pie.

In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and lemon zest until smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.

Add the sifted dry ingredients into the cream cheese mixture and stir until it forms a soft dough. If the mixture feels sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is smooth and no longer sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator for 10 minutes to warm up. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to an ⅛” thick, 12 circle, turning the dough often to make sure it does not stick. Dust the surface with additional flour, if needed.

Fold the dough in half and place it into a 9 pie plate. Unfold and carefully press the dough into the pan. Use kitchen scissors or a paring knife to trim the dough to within 1 of the pan’s edge.

Cover with plastic and chill until ready to bake. Covered, the crust will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator.

All-butter crusts have a lovely melt-in-the-mouth texture that makes them perfect for any type of upscale pie or tart. That said, butter can be tricky to work with since it melts at around 90°F. When making an all-butter pie crust, use very cold butter that is cut into ½ cubes; chilling the butter in the freezer for 10 minutes before rubbing it into the flour will make things a lot easier.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, and salt.

Add the butter to the bowl; with your fingers, rub it into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse sand studded with pea-sized pieces of butter.

Add 2 tablespoons of water; mix until the dough forms a rough ball. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator for 10 minutes before rolling out. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to an ⅛” thick, 12 circle, turning the dough often to make sure it does not stick. Dust the surface with additional flour, if needed.

Fold the dough in half and place it into a 9 pie plate. Unfold and carefully press the dough into the pan. Use kitchen scissors or a paring knife to trim the dough to within 1 of the pan’s edge.

Cover with plastic and chill until ready to bake. Covered, the crust will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator.

To imbue your pies with a spicy kick, pair them with this festive pepper jack cheese–laced crust. This crust is delicious when used for savory pies, but think about using it for your favorite fruit pies, too. Apples, pears, apricots, cherries, and even peaches would pair beautifully with the earthy, spicy cheese in this crust.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and paprika.

Add the chilled butter; rub into the flour mixture with your fingers until 30 percent of the fat is between pea and hazelnut sized, while the rest is blended in well.

Add the pepper jack cheese; mix until evenly incorporated.

Add 3 tablespoons of water; mix until the dough forms a rough ball. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form the dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.

Remove the disk from the refrigerator for 10 minutes to warm up. Once warm, knead the dough 10 times on a well-floured surface. Roll out to an ⅛” thick, 12” circle, turning the dough often to make sure it does not stick. Dust the surface with additional flour, if needed.

Fold the dough in half and place it into a 9” pie plate. Unfold and carefully push the dough into the pan. Use kitchen scissors or a paring knife to trim the dough to within 1” of the pan’s edge.

Cover with plastic and place in the refrigerator to chill until ready to bake. Covered, the crust will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator.

The sweet nutty flavor of almonds gives this crust an extra pop of flavor and, since almonds complement so many flavors, this recipe can add a nuanced flavor to your next pie. Ground almonds can be purchased at most natural food stores and in the gluten-free section of some grocery stores, but if you can’t find them you can make them very easily at home. Grind whole, blanched almonds in a food processor until they are the texture of coarse sand.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, almonds, sugar, and salt.

Add the butter and shortening; with your fingers, rub it into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse sand studded with pea-sized pieces of butter.

Add the almond extract and 2 tablespoons of water; mix until the dough forms a rough ball. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator for 10 minutes to warm up. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to an ⅛” thick, 12” circle, turning the dough often to make sure it does not stick. Dust the surface with additional flour, if needed.

Fold the dough in half and place it into a 9” pie plate. Unfold and carefully press the dough into the pan. Use kitchen scissors or a paring knife to trim the dough to within 1” of the pan’s edge.

Cover with plastic and chill until ready to bake. Covered, the crust will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator.

Lard, widely used in baking and cooking until vegetable shortening came onto the market, produces pie crusts that have a refined flavor and texture. Compared to shortening and butter, lard offers a clean flavor, retains a melt-in-the-mouth richness on your palate, and just crisps up beautifully once baked. Because lard melts at a higher temperature than butter—and is more forgiving to work with—this crust allows the filling in your pie to shine.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour and salt.

Add the lard; with your fingers, rub it into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse sand studded with pea-sized pieces of fat.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, vinegar, and water.

Add 2 tablespoons of the liquid to the dry ingredients; mix until the dough forms a rough ball. Add more liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator for 10 minutes to warm up. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to an ⅛” thick, 12” circle, turning the dough often to make sure it does not stick. Dust the surface with additional flour, if needed.

Fold the dough in half and place it into a 9” pie plate. Unfold and carefully press the dough into the pan. Use kitchen scissors or a paring knife to trim the dough to within 1” of the pan’s edge.

Cover with plastic and chill until ready to bake. Covered, the crust will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator.

This cookie crust brings a lot to the table. Not only does it taste fantastic, it offers a crispy, crumbly texture and a rustic appeal that makes even an upscale soiree feel like home. Use cookie crusts for pies that are not baked in the oven—like cream pies—or with fruit fillings that are cooked on the stovetop.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until well combined. Press the mixture evenly into a 9” pie pan.

Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the center is firm when pressed lightly. Cool completely before filling.