This has been the summer of me perfecting my Margarita
recipe. Everyday I have one exactly at 6pm, varying ratios of Tequila, Fresh
Lime Juice and Cointrau. It is a tough process to perfect a recipe, but someone
has to do it. Always being a multi-tasker, this is also the summer that I
decided to learn how to bake pies. My mother’s pies were great. She often made
them. At least my memory of them is they were great. For some reason I never
asked her how she made them.
So I am pulling together recipes and trying to figure out
both the pie crusts and the filling. This is my first attempt. A Plum Pie. It
was very good. For the crust I used a recipe from: William-Sonoma. It was for a
pie dough that is made in a mixing machine. I made a double recipe (top and
bottom). As it was mixing, I turned my back on the mixer and did some other
work in the kitchen. When I returned to the mixer, about a minute later, it was
clearly a disaster. The dough was a clump sitting in some water in the bowl. I
tried to figure out how to repair the damage, and finally with Cathy’s help
decided to chuck the whole mess in the garbage and start again. There went a
half pound of butter. Oh well. I tried again this time watching over the mixer
like a hawk. It worked perfectly this time. Lesson learned. The biggest pain is
cutting the butter into ¼ cubes to
add to the flour. There must be a tool for this. I will ask some bakers to find
out a tool or trick.
I wanted to sprinkle the top of the pie crust with large pieces of granulated sugar. When I went to Gelson's Market surprisingly they don't sell it. I suppose there aren't a lot of pie bakers in our neighborhood. They do have a bakery in the market and their pies have the sugar on them. I asked the sales clerk if she would sell me some, she hesitated and said she would have to check with her manager, who was on break. When I returned the manager said they don't know how to price it so he just filled a coffee cup about 1/2 way up and gave it to me. Very nice!
Long ago I tried to make a pie crust and I have a clear
memory of trying to roll it out and how difficult it was to get it round, and
then move it to the pie. Cathy had bought me a cool tool, I felt like I was
cheating, but used it anyway. Available on Amazon, Harold Pie Crust Maker is a
zippered round plastic bag 11 inches across. You put the dough in the middle of
the bag and then roll it to the edges till you have a perfect circle. You then
unzip the bag and turn onto the pie pan. We have a beautiful old pie pan that
was Cathy’s mother’s. It is nice using this family treasure. At any rate thank
you Harold for the bag (although it is a little hard to clean after it is
used). In reading the recipe I decided to prebake the bottom crust. This was
something I had to learn to do also. You place a sheet of parchment paper over
the crust and fill the pie with beans. That keeps the shell from bubbling up.
When it is partially baked, you remove from the oven, remove the beans, by
lifting them out on the parchment paper and store for another use.
For the Plum Pie, I used a recipe from Stars Desserts by
Emily Luchetti. We used to love going to Stars when we lived in San Francisco.
What a shame it closed.
Basic Pie Dough
William Sonama
Ingredients:
1
1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1
Tbs. sugar
1/4
tsp. salt
8
Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3
Tbs. very cold water
Directions:
To
make the dough by hand, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and
salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture
until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than
small peas. Add the water and mix with a fork just until the dough pulls
together.
To make the dough in a stand mixer, fit the mixer with the flat
beater, and stir together the flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the
butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Mix on medium-low
speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no
larger than small peas. Add the water and mix on low speed just until the dough
pulls together.
Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and
flatten into a disk. (Although many dough recipes call for chilling the dough
at this point, this dough should be rolled out immediately for the best
results.) Lightly flour the work surface, then flatten the disk with 6 to 8
gentle taps of the rolling pin. Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn.
Lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling pin with flour as needed, then
roll out into a round at least 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick.
Makes enough dough for one 9-inch single-crust pie or one 10-inch galette.
To
make a double-crust pie: Double the recipe, cut the dough in half and pat
each half into a round, flat disk. Roll out one disk into a 12-inch round as
directed and line the pan or dish. Press any scraps trimmed from the first
round into the bottom of the second disk. Roll out the second dough disk into a
round at least 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick and refrigerate
until ready to use.
To make a lattice top: Double the recipe, cut the
dough in half and pat one half into a round, flat disk. Roll out the disk into
a 12-inch round as directed and line the pan or dish. Trim the edge of the
dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Press any scraps trimmed from the first
round into the bottom of the remaining dough half. Pat the dough into a
rectangle and roll out into a rectangular shape about 1/8 inch thick. Trim to
cut out a 14-by-11-inch rectangle and refrigerate until ready to use.
Nut
Dough Variation: Add 2 Tbs. ground toasted pecans, walnuts, almonds or
hazelnuts to the flour mixture and proceed as directed.
Make-Ahead Tip:
Pie dough may be made ahead and frozen for up to 2 months. To freeze, place the
dough round on a 12-inch cardboard circle and wrap it well with plastic wrap.
Alternatively, use the round to line a pie pan or dish, flute the edge and wrap
well.
Adapted
from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Pie & Tart, by Carolyn Beth
Weil (Simon & Schuster, 2003).
Plum
Pie
Stars
Desserts
Emily
Luchetti
Plum
pie has to be my favorite type of pie. Not often seen, it is imaginative yet
still gives all the comfort that pies should give. Serve it with Hazelnut Ice
Cream for a heartwarming combination.
Serves
8 to 10
1/3 cup water
I-1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon
sugar
8 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices
ripe, firm plums (about 20plums)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup brandy
Pinch salt
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed
lemon juice
4 ounces (1 stick) sweet
butter
1 partially baked 10-inch pie
shell
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bring the water and 1-1/2 cups of the sugar to a
boil in a heavy-bottomed
nonaluminum pot large enough to eventually hold the
plums.
Add half the sliced plums to the pot and return the
liquid to a boil.
Stir together the cornstarch and the brandy in a
small bowl. Add the
brandy-cornstarch mixture, salt, and lemon juice to the
pot.
Gently stir in the butter and the rest of the plums,
being careful not to
break up the plums.
Spoon the plums into the partially baked pie shell
with a slotted spoon.
(You will not need the leftover liquid.) Arrange the
lattice in a Crosshatch pattern
over the pie. Sprinkle the remaining 1
tablespoon sugar on top of the lattice.
Bake the pie for 35 to 40 minutes, until it is set.
Let it cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
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