Easy as pie...crust

This is one of my favorite times of year. The fresh fruits and vegetables of summer are gone, and the comfort foods of fall and winter start to appear on tables and counter tops. I’m convinced that there is no better therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder than a warm (or cold, however you prefer) slice of pumpkin pie, topped with a blob of whipped cream, and served up with a side of herbal tea. Maybe you like apple or pecan, but regardless, pie is the good stuff.

It took me well into adulthood to appreciate a pie. I could always handle graham cracker crust pies like cheesecake or key lime, but never really longed for the doughy goodness of the hand-rolled variety. That is until I started making my own. Of course, my pie making skills came by the assistance of Pillsbury. You know what I’m talking about, the pre-made, pre-folded kind you get near the milk and cheese in the grocery store. Or even the pre-panned frozen variety that you just fill and bake. Don’t get me wrong, those are yummy, and it’s next to near effortless. But there is something far more satisfying and wholesome about making your own pie crust. And good news—it’s really NOT that hard. Considering all it takes are 4 ingredients, a few minutes spent in the fridge, and a little counter space, you’re pretty much set if you want to make your own.

That being said, let’s walk through it. I promise by the end, I will have convinced you you can do it...or even better, wanting to do it. For me, the time and money that it takes to get to the grocery store forces me to invest far more in a pie crust than necessary.

Flaky Pie Crust
1 1/8 cups (5 oz) all purpose flour, plus some for dusting work surface
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 stick (8 tbsp) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 8 or more pieces
About 3 tbsp ice water, plus more if necessary

I am not a food processor kind of gal. All my pies are made by hand, elbow grease and all. A few good tools to have on hand for this are a big bowl, a pastry blender (see below) or a couple of forks, a wooden spoon or spatula, and plastic wrap—simple so far!

Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and mix together until blended. Drop in the butter chunks, and using your pastry blender (or two forks), press/mix the mixture until it looks crumbly, similar to cornmeal. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture, and using the wooden spoon or spatula gather the mixture into a ball. If it seems dry, add more water ½ tbsp at a time. Once the mixture is in a ball, wrap it loosely in plastic wrap and flatten it into a disk, about 1 ½ inches flat. Place it in the fridge for at least 30 mins—this makes it a lot easier to roll out.

Depending on how I feel, sometimes I just heavily flour the counter, or sometimes I flour two pieces of wax paper, and roll the dough out between them. Either way, make sure and dust the dough well to prevent it from sticking. Roll the dough out, checking it every now and then on both sides for sticking (add flour if sticky), and turn the dough over a few times as you roll. If it’s too hard to roll, let it set for 5 mins and try again. Roll out the dough until it is about 11” wide, and about a ¼ inch thick. Gently lay your pie plate over top of it to check the width.

Carefully lift the dough and place it over the pie plate, pressing it firmly onto the bottom and into the sides. Trim it to about ½ inch all around and decorate the edges with a fork or by finger pressing. Prick the bottom with a fork and put it back into the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Voila! Your very own homemade pie crust!

Left: This is the same crust filled with pear custard filling, just to give you an idea of how an unbaked pie might look. Right: This was the finished product! A pear custard pie, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, yielding a deep golden brown, crunchy crust on top. Yum!

Today's project--mini caramel apples. A bust!

*I'll go ahead and preface this, and any other entry with photos, that by saying while I dream of being a great photographer, I'm not--my talents are in the kitchen. So excuse the photos!*

Thanks to a friend of mine from a message board I'm on, I was directed to a great project involving caramel apples, but a mini version!! This looked SO good, so I went and bought the supplies I needed and set to work this morning. I was excited to try a new fall snack, one that was moderately nutritious and seemingly very simple. Very "seemingly" (haha).

First I started with a few apple balls tossed in lemon juice, a small bowl of caramels tossed with a splash of milk, mini muffin cups, and skewers cut into thirds. I used honeycrip apples, just because the name "honeycrisp" sounds so quaint; I probably would have been better off with granny smiths. I made apple balls using a melon baller and tossed them in lemon juice. I melted my caramel and milk in the microwave until creamy. I skewered my apple balls through the rounded side (leaving the flat side of the ball to be the
resting point) with a skewer and dried it well. I dipped the skewered apple in the caramel and placed in a muffin cup. Once I got them all done, I placed them in the fridge.

I came back to check them after an hour or so and the caramel had slid down the sides of the apple balls, and the balls didn't stick in the caramel. This was from the amount of moisture that came out of the apple apparently. I think next time I'd try a sticky homemade caramel or maybe even a candied coating, instead of trying to skip a step--that's what I get for not sticking to my guns here! So....so much for that project. Guess I'll know not to make it for any type of party or function! How sad, my second posted project was a bust! Ah well, that's why I'm here I guess, to be the guinea pig for such things. :) I'm still dreaming of making another loaf of challah, so as in keeping with my bread theme I had going yesterday. I guess you'll have to come back and see. ;)

Well, the results are in. The panel liked this one, even though the caramel was not technically on the apple! They still enjoyed their "caramel paper".