Part I

{also published on The White Library}

I am very new to the pie making experience. Last week I made my first pie all by myself! I was so excited. The experience was amazing. I really took my time, I wanted it to be perfect. And to my surprise it was! It was so relaxing and rewarding that I wanted to make another, so I did 2 days later! And this one was not sooo fabulous, but I learned a few things on the way. And I am going to share my tips and tricks with you all today. (And umm don’t worry I only ate 2 pieces total out of both pies – I had some helpers, although I must admit it was hard not to eat the whole thing.

For a while, I have wanted to make a pie all by myself but the task seemed daunting and overwhelming. My husband made a few pies with his brother (yes they both bake and get messy in the kitchen – it is wonderful) but it seems that finding the perfect crust recipe was a whole mission in itself (making the crust is a whole daunting task by itself). Each crust that they made was just not that great to say the least…it was sad, the pie filling would taste so yummy but the crust was not that great, it threw off the whole pie. But I feel confident that I found one amazing crust recipe! Until last week I had only ever made 3 pies my whole life, the first was with the help of Anthony, my husband’s dear Grandma Lana, she monitored and helped me through the whole process. The 2nd time I cheated and got a store bought crust. The 3rd time was with Anthony’s other darling Grandma Linda, and she did most the work, hehe. She is a amazing baker and has inspired me to perfect baking as well (something I have never been too good at).

So for Valentines I thought, instead of store bought chocolate, put some hard labor into making your loved one a beautiful warm cozy sweet pie! I have decided that if you are going to eat sugar, it should be some wholesome home cooking – it tastes soooo much better over anything manufactured or store bought!

First off my secret weapon! A lovely little book called Sweety Pies by Patty Pinner. I owe my pie success to the beautiful women who contributed all their pie baking secrets to this wonderful book! I love this book not only because of the amazing recipes but because of the stories that accompany them.

Alright now let’s begin….

You will need:

Sweet Tart Crust

This crust is perfect for a tart filling. If you are doing a sweet filling or a salty filling I would use a classic flaky crust that has very little sugar.

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted chilled butter
• 2 large egg yolks (makes the crust a pretty color)
• 6 tablespoons ice-cold heavy cream more or less as needed

Mama’s Fresh Raspberry Pie

• 5 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (you can also add some slice strawberries if you like)
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar or more depending on the sweetness of the berries
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Milk for brushing
• sugar for sprinkling (optional) it makes it pretty!

Let’s get messy!

If your using fresh berries awesome – all you got to do is mix up the filling and let it sit while you prep your dough. The sugar will help bring out the natural flavors of the fruit and take care of any tartness. If you are using frozen take out the fruit long enough to let it defrost with just the sugar. Once it is done defrosting I would drain all the excess liquids. Since it is frozen it will have more juice and you don’t want the juice to make your middle run (as you can see in my picture my filling was running a but and the bottom feel our – this was the 2nd pie that was not sooo fabulous – but heck it is a pie, it should look rustic right? And it still tasted pretty good, just a little tart). You could cook the filling over the stove and add corn starch to thicken but personally I prefer a more natural filling (less ingredients and less work) after all a pie is to be organic and homemade. So just make sure to drain the juice (be aggressive) excess juice will ruin your pie! Add some more sugar and the rest of the ingredients to the mixture (add the lemon, cinnamon, and toss with the flour).

“You Can’t have a good pie if you don’t have a good crust.”

~ Ruth Pinner

Measure the flour and sugar into a medium size bowl. Add the cold butter. Using two knives cut into the butter until the butter is chopped up a bit. Begin using a pasty cutter or your fingers to cut or pinch and squeeze the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles small garden peas. In a small bowl whisk the egg yolk until well beaten, then thoroughly work it into the mixture. Slowly add the ice-cold cream 1 tablespoon at a time as needed until the dough begins to form. Shape into two balls and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Once the dough has chilled it is time to roll it out. This can be just as challenging as trying to get the dough to the right consistency. Make sure your surface and rolling pin is well floured and form the dough into a disc. As you roll start from the middle and roll out forming a circle. You can also place 2 pieces of saran wrap on each side of the disc and roll out the dough between the two to keep the dough together and make it easier to transport to the pie pan. Once the dough is rolled out slowly lift the dough up with a butter knife to make sure it is not sticking to the surface. This will allow you to unstuck the dough before you lift it completely up off the surface. (be patient during this part – you want to avoid tears, but everything is fixable so don’t fret). Fold the dough in half and in half again. Place the dough in the pan with the point in the middle of the pan, unfold the dough carefully. Now take a deep breath! Woo just one more dough to roll – the top! Roll the 2nd dough.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Using the egg white, brush the bottom of the pie and sides with the egg white. Add the filling, top with the butter (cubed) over the filling and add the top crust. Trim the edges of the dough leaving 1 inch or so. Fold under the edges and make the pie pretty, feel free to add some hearts! Brush the crust with some milk and sprinkle with lots of sugar – the milk will make the pie golden in color! Now add 3 cuts into the crust, to allow for the air to escape. Don’t forget to use a pie crust guard or tin foil to protect the outer crust (it will get the most heat and you don’t want it to get to dark). Place the pie on a cookie sheet and cook for 15 min. After 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and cook for 30-45 more minutes (each oven is different so take precaution not to overcook).

Once the pie is cooked to perfection take the pie out and admire its beauty! All pie is beautiful, it does not need to be perfect. It should looked like it was made by hand and with love. How it tastes is what really matters! Make sure to take deep breaths of fresh pie smell! Let it rest and cool for 20 minutes, after enjoy and devour!

Here are a few resources to help you out…a awesome video you should watch and a great detailed blog post!

Last and final thoughts:

Take your time and enjoy each moment. If you are in a rush you will forget one or two major steps and it will be a disaster. So take your time! Test everything, hmmm yum! Test the filling, make sure it is perfect before it enters the crust! Don’t give up, keep trying. Now that I finally got over my fear of the overwhelming pie task I love it, all I think about is making pie. Making pie in my kitchen is so peaceful, it is like a oasis amongst the chaos, and all your hard work will result in a slice of heaven, or a slice of heaven for someone else. For some pie inspiration check out my favorite tv show and movie, Pushing Daisies and Waitress!

Come back for more. Part II will be about making mini-pie cups! (perfect gifts or party favors) Oh yum!

~ Brittany