Although I have only recently considered myself a cook and a baker, I have always thought of myself as an excellent pie baker.
It comes from making the one family recipe that has been passed down consistently through the generations: the famous, Fairchild apple pie.
It is super easy (except the for the cutting of apples part), and super melt in your mouth awesome. There are two tricks to making it the perfect pie. 1) When making the crust, you want to use ice water, and only add a little at a time. Otherwise, you don't get the flakiness. 2) When slicing apples, they need to be paper thin. This makes it more juicy and you are not eating big chunks of half-cooked apples.
The recipe is:
Crust: 2 cups flour, 2/3 cup crisco, 1 tsp salt, ice water as needed
Mix the salt and flour. Cut the crisco into the flour using a fork or a pastry cutter (an amazing tool!). Then add ice water a couple tablespoons at a time, as the dough comes together. Add just enough water that most of the dough sticks together. There should be some flour/crisco mixture that is not sticking together, but will when you roll it.
Make a ball of dough, then roll half of it at a time. Place one half in the pie pan (no need to grease).
You will then add the filling:
1 cup sugar, 1 tbsp flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 6 large granny smith apples (peeled, cored, thinly sliced), butter
Mix it all together. Add about half of the filling to the bottom of the pie. Then add all of the apples (by the end of peeling and cutting them, your hand should ache). Cover with the rest of the sugar filling, and then put dots of butter all over.
Cover with the rest of the pie crust, pinching together the edge, and putting some slits to release the steam as it bakes. (I also like to put a little crust apple on top because it makes me feel like Martha Stewart.)
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn down to 350 for 45 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown. (Caution: the juices tend to run over, so if you don't want to be scraping hot apple pie off your oven, you might want to put a baking sheet on the rack under the pie to catch the juices.)
I used to only make apple pie, but have begun taking the crust recipe and trying other fillings. Last summer I made a blueberry pie and a blackberry pie. Both of which were pretty darn good. This week, I made my first pumpkin pie. I used my own pumpkin puree, and the following recipe:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/suzannes_old_fashioned_pumpkin_pie/
Plus, at my husband's request, before I poured in the pumpkin mixture, I put a later of dark chocolate chips in the bottom, adding a rich twist on the traditional pie. I haven't tasted it yet, but my in-laws were raving! (And yes, I completed it with my Martha Stewart crust pumpkins in the middle.)
So, as I eat my Thanksgiving dinner (which my sister and I made all of this year!), I am grateful for the ability to make some scrumptious pies and share them with those that I love. I am hopeful that you were able to share in your own form of food and love this Thanksgiving.
It comes from making the one family recipe that has been passed down consistently through the generations: the famous, Fairchild apple pie.
The recipe is:
Crust: 2 cups flour, 2/3 cup crisco, 1 tsp salt, ice water as needed
Mix the salt and flour. Cut the crisco into the flour using a fork or a pastry cutter (an amazing tool!). Then add ice water a couple tablespoons at a time, as the dough comes together. Add just enough water that most of the dough sticks together. There should be some flour/crisco mixture that is not sticking together, but will when you roll it.
Make a ball of dough, then roll half of it at a time. Place one half in the pie pan (no need to grease).
You will then add the filling:
1 cup sugar, 1 tbsp flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 6 large granny smith apples (peeled, cored, thinly sliced), butter
Mix it all together. Add about half of the filling to the bottom of the pie. Then add all of the apples (by the end of peeling and cutting them, your hand should ache). Cover with the rest of the sugar filling, and then put dots of butter all over.
Cover with the rest of the pie crust, pinching together the edge, and putting some slits to release the steam as it bakes. (I also like to put a little crust apple on top because it makes me feel like Martha Stewart.)
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn down to 350 for 45 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown. (Caution: the juices tend to run over, so if you don't want to be scraping hot apple pie off your oven, you might want to put a baking sheet on the rack under the pie to catch the juices.)
I used to only make apple pie, but have begun taking the crust recipe and trying other fillings. Last summer I made a blueberry pie and a blackberry pie. Both of which were pretty darn good. This week, I made my first pumpkin pie. I used my own pumpkin puree, and the following recipe:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/suzannes_old_fashioned_pumpkin_pie/
Plus, at my husband's request, before I poured in the pumpkin mixture, I put a later of dark chocolate chips in the bottom, adding a rich twist on the traditional pie. I haven't tasted it yet, but my in-laws were raving! (And yes, I completed it with my Martha Stewart crust pumpkins in the middle.)
So, as I eat my Thanksgiving dinner (which my sister and I made all of this year!), I am grateful for the ability to make some scrumptious pies and share them with those that I love. I am hopeful that you were able to share in your own form of food and love this Thanksgiving.
