Perfect Pie

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Chief Longwind Of The North

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This method never fails me. First, the text instructions followed by pictures. This fo you new bakers who have yet to perfect you pie crusts.

It is a spectacular vessel of flour, salt, fat, and water made to hold everything from lemon curd to the richest fruit. It can be filled with mixtures of potato, meat, and veggies, and served with gravy. It can hold whipped cream and chocolate cookies. It’s a wonderful thing. So let’s get started.

First, get all of your ingredients, pans, and tools together.

Pie Crust Prep

There is 3 1/2 cups of flour in that bowl. In the measuring cup lay 5 cups of freshly picked and cleaned blueberries. That little bag in the back is tapioca starch, or flour. You will also notice a tub of lard, and a cellar of sat. Oh, and let’s not forget the lemon. All of these will be used in their time. Here;s an ingredient list for you.

Crust: 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cups lard

Filling: 5 cups blueberries

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

5 tbs. tapioca starch

3 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. cinnamon



Other ingredients: 1 large egg 3 tbs. milk

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Making the crust:

Measure the salt into the flour and whisk to evenly distribute the salt. Add the lard.

add lard Cut the lard into the flour. cut the fat

When the fat is completely cut in, the mixture will look like pebbles in the bowl.

Pbbel stage Drizzle 1 cup of water all over, and stir gently, just until a ball forms.

after the water And now we make the crust. Sprinkle flour all over your working table, or counter top. Remove half of the dough and form into a thick patty. place the patty onto the table and slide around on the flour to coat the patty bottom. Sprinkle more flour on top of the patty.

rolling the dough Use a rolling pin, starting from the dough center, and push outward with slight downward pressure. Turn the pin and push from the center again. Keep this process going until the dough is formed into a thin crust that is about 4 inches larger than you pie plate.

When the crust is rolled out, place the pie pan upside down in the middle of the crust.sizing the crust to the pan Next, cut the crust so that it is about 2 inches larger that the pie plate rim, and the edges are smooth.

Right Sized Crust Now comes the tricky part, getting the pie crust into the pie plate. But it’s not so tricky if you know how. Simply remove the pie plate and set it to the side. Slide a thin spatula under the crust to make sure it isn’t stuck to the table. Finally lift one side and fold the crust in half. Lift the crust and place it into the pie plate so that the fold crosses the center of the plate. Unfold the crust and gently center it.

Crust in the pie plate Now, tuck the excess dough between the crust sides and the pie plate, leaving a half inch of dough sticking up. Flute the edges with the thumb and forefinger of both hands. Fluting the crust

It should look like this when you are done.

Fluted Crust

Follow the same procedure to make the top crust, again making the crust about 3 to 4 inches larger than the rim of the pie plate.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with the milk to make egg wash.

Ina large bowl, combine the sugar, tapioca flour, and spices. Add the lemon juice and 3 tbs. of water. Stir until well mixed. Add the blueberries and gently stir to coat. Pour the berries into the bottom crust.

full of berries Fold the top crust in half and place the folded side across the center.

pie crust pick up Unfold and again press the excess crust behind the original crust. Flute the edges again. When the crust is in place, brush with the egg wash. Dust with granulated sugar.

Egg-wash on crust

Your pie is now ready for the oven. Place a cookie sheet under the pie plate to catch any drips. Bake for ten minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F. and bake for 40 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let cool.

blueberry pie

Yeh, it dripped a little, but I don’t care. That’s my working surface,and it’s been bleached, and scrubbed, and will be again tonight. This pie is perfect, but needs to cool completely for the filling to set.

You can use canned fruit filling if you want too. I had enough leftover crust for another pie. So I opened two cans of peach pie filling and made this.

peach pie from left-over dough Peach pie ready for the oven Peach Pie

Sorry everyone, but I’ve gotta go. I hear a pie calling my name.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 

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oops! the folded crust picture shouldn't' have been in there. but these pictues should have.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 

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I am the same, Ross. While not yet 81, pie crusts and fluting have never gone well for me. My 32 year old niece taught me how to make a passable pie crust!
 
Absolutely gorgeous. I suppose you have some special device to cut the top crust into that fancy holy ;) shape?

And thank you very much. I am yet to make my own crust, but this instructions might be just perfect enough for me to try.

Thank you.
 
Absolutely gorgeous. I suppose you have some special device to cut the top crust into that fancy holy ;) shape?

And thank you very much. I am yet to make my own crust, but this instructions might be just perfect enough for me to try.

Thank you.


I do have a device for cutting out the top. But it's easily done by making a lattice crust as well. You simply cut the top crust, once rolled out, into strips, and then weave them into a top crust. Here's a video on how to do that. It isn't difficult.

https://www.google.com/search?q=You...rome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_Wui7X_TbIsWttQbfsrtg13

To flute the edges, gently pinch the crust edge between your thumb and index finger. Hold your other index finger to one side of your thumb, and gently twist the pinched dough. Move your thumb and index figer to pinch the dough beside the first flute, and repeat. Here's another video sowing the technique:

https://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--813/decorative-pie-crust-edges.asp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcQGja6jpbE

I hope this makes it easy for you, my friend. Here's a link for purchacing the crust cutout I use:

https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Lattice-Hearts-Cutter/dp/B000UPR0Z8

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Chief, on the account that I keep kosher and cannot use lard, what substitution would you recommend?
 
Chief, on the account that I keep kosher and cannot use lard, what substitution would you recommend?

Crisco is now a non-hydrogenated product. Ghee, or clarified butter wil also work.

straight butter doesn't work due to its water content, and melting point.

Seeeeya; chief Longwind of the North.
 
Back before they were destroying orangutan habitat by deforestation to plant oil palm plantations, I used to use palm oil in pie crusts. It's solid at room temperature and works really well for pie crust. It has to be measured by volume, if using a regular pie crust recipe, because it is much less dense than lard and other regular shortenings.

If there is a kosher shortening that you are happy to use Charlie, then that should work. Crisco is an old standard for pie crusts, but it has trans fats., but check to see if it has trans fats.
 
Coconut oil will work, too.

Good suggestion. I was thinking that might be too soft, because it can get very soft or runny at warmish room temperature. But, I find it useful to have the fat cold from the fridge, whatever kind of fat it is.
 
Back before they were destroying orangutan habitat by deforestation to plant oil palm plantations, I used to use palm oil in pie crusts. It's solid at room temperature and works really well for pie crust. It has to be measured by volume, if using a regular pie crust recipe, because it is much less dense than lard and other regular shortenings.

If there is a kosher shortening that you are happy to use Charlie, then that should work. Crisco is an old standard for pie crusts, but it has trans fats., but check to see if it has trans fats.

Crisco is kosher and neither dairy or meat, so it would be very convenient.

Thank you
 
oops! the folded crust picture shouldn't' have been in there. but these pictues should have.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

You can avoid the boiling over by making a paper cone, stick it in the middle of the pie standing up.
The liquid will boil up into the cone, leave it alone, as the pie cools the liquid will drop back down into the pie again.

For kosher, suet is another choice, supposedly better than lard.
Its not rendered so has next to zero water content.
 
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