Who wants PIE???

The last time I tried baking a pie was with my grandma who was nearly a professional pie-crust-maker. Unfortunately my sweet grandma went blind, and I became her 'eyes' as we made a pie crust together. However, my lack of skills and her frustration with not being able to do it anymore led to a not-so-happy experience. I had sworn off pie crusts until one day, my neighbor graciously taught me how to make this simply easy pie crust. I will never go back to store-bought pies. :) These are all my neighbor's recipes that I'd like to share.

Pie Crust 8" or 9" - 2 single pie shells or 1 double (bottom and top crust)

2 C. flour
1 C. Crisco (only Crisco, other shortenings just aren't stiff enough)
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/4 C. cold water

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the flour and salt together. Then cut in the Crisco with a pastry blender or a two knives until it looks like small peas. Mix the egg and water together with a fork, then add it to the flour mixture. Stir with your hands until mixed together (try not to over-stir because the dough may become too tough and not as flaky. It should look a little marble-y with the Crisco mixed in it.) Divide the dough in half and roll out on a floured surface or pastry cloth to about 1/4 inch thick. Carefully put in your pie pan. (If it breaks, just piece i back together with a little water).

To Bake:

* If making a single crust that you want for cream or cold fruit pies, poke holes with a fork in the pie crust before baking (to prevent it from bubbling up). When I say poke, I mean ALL over, covering the entire bottom and sides. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 -10 minutes until lightly golden brown.

* If baking the crust with pie filling (pumpkin pie, cherry pie, etc), bake as the pie recipe directs.

PIE Recipes:

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Make and bake a single pie crust. Allow to cool. Cover the pie crust with sliced fresh strawberries. Make a box of strawberry glaze (found in the baking section near the Jell-O, I think!) and pour over top the strawberries. Easy!


Fresh Peach Pie - 8" or 9"

5 peaches (3 Large, 2 Soft) - it'll make sense later!
1 C. sugar
2 -3 Tbs. cornstarch (depending on how thick you want it)
1/2 C. cold water
1/4 tsp. Almond extract
2 Tbs. butter

Peel and slice large peaches into pie shell (already cooked pie shell). In a blender or with a potato masher, puree or mash the soft peaches. Add sugar, cornstarch, and water. Cook over medium heat until boiling stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add butter and almond extract. Pour over peaches. Refrigerate for 3 -4 hours. Serve with whipped cream topping.


Best Cherry Pie (so much better than the canned pie filling)

1 can tart cherries packed in water (in the fruit or baking section of the grocery store) - Do not drain
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. instant tapioca (dry granules)
1/8 tsp. almond extract
1 Tbsp. cut up butter

Mix all of the ingredients together and pour into a 9" or 8" (unbaked) pie crust. Dot with butter. Moisten rim of crust (this allows the top crust to stick better to the bottom). Then cover with the top crust. Trim the edges and flute (the pretty wavy design on the edge of the pie). Or you can just press the edges with fork. Brush with small amount of milk (helps turn the pie a golden brown on top) and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Cut 6 diagonal slits in center of top crust and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 25 -30 minutes. Make sure the juices are bubbling before removing the pie. This helps ensure that the filling has thickened.

**You may want to cover the edge of the pie with a small foil trim so that the edges don't brown to quickly and get burnt.

**You can also double the pie recipe for a 10" deep dish pie. It may be very full so you may have to remove some of the juice so that it doesn't overflow.