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Alicia's activity angle

By Alicia Wicklund

08/21/2012

With fall approaching, baking pies may be on one’s to-do list. Pies make the entire house smell good and are just comforting. Fruity pies like apple, blueberry and peach remind me of fall, but yet pumpkin, coconut cream and pecan remind me of Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. Strawberry, rhubarb and key lime (which I shared in a previous column) are refreshing for spring and summer.

Pies are handy to have if a few are made up and froze in the freezer. One can throw supper in the oven, as well as a frozen pie and within an hour, a home-cooked meal is served. They also work great for those last minute guests or family that may stop by for a cup of coffee, or, if one is just craving something a bit sweet.

Instead of using a pre-made pie crust and if feeling extra ambitious, try out the following pie crust recipe. It is simple to stir up and when done, is nice and flaky like a pie crust should be (in my opinion). It’s also a recipe both my grandma and mom use. They call it their no-fail go-to:

Pie Crust
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ cups shortening
1 beaten egg
1 Tbsp. vinegar
5 Tbsp. cold water
Blend together flour, salt and shortening. Mix egg, vinegar and water. Pour over flour mixture and blend. This will keep at least two weeks in a refrigerator. Makes about five single crusts.

Berry Patch Pie
One pie crust for a 9-inch pie plate
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
2 cups halved fresh strawberries
1 ½ cups fresh raspberries
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
With a fork, poke a few holes in crust. Bake pie crust at 450°F for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in berries and lemon juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until mixture just comes to a boil; pour into prepared crust. Cool completely.

Deep-Dish Ginger-Apple Pie
2 rolled out pie crusts for a 9 1/2 inch deep-dish glass pie plate
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
9 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples (8 medium)
¼ cup butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. sugar
Heat oven to 425°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll one pastry round ,using a floured rolling pin, into a round 3-inches larger than an upside-down 9 ½- inch deep-dish glass pie plate. Fold pastry into quarters and place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side and being careful not to stretch pastry. Refrigerate until ready to fill.

In a large bowl, mix 1/3 cup sugar, ¼ cup flour, the ginger, cinnamon and ¼ tsp. salt. Stir in apples until coated. Spoon filling into crust-lined plate and dot with ¼ cup butter. Trim overhanging edge of pastry ½ inch from the rim of the plate.  

Roll remaining pastry into an 11-inch round. Fold pastry into quarters. Unfold pastry over filling and trim overhanging edge one-inch from the rim of the plate. Fold and roll top edge under lower edge, pressing rim to seal; flute as desired. Brush with egg. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. sugar. Cut slits in top crust.

Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until crust is brown and apples are tender. Serve warm or cool.

Blueberry Pie Filling
1 ¼ cups sugar
½ cup cornstarch
½ tsp. ground cinnamon, if desired
6 cups fresh blueberries
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. cold butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
In a large bowl, mix sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Stir in blueberries. Spoon into crust-lined plate. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Dot with 1 Tbsp. butter. Top with either another crust or lattice top.

Peach Pie Filling
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
6 cups sliced peeled fresh peaches (6 to 8 medium)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
Ginger-spice cranberry-apple streusel pie
For the streusel
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup chopped lightly toasted walnuts
¼ tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
For the filling
4 Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples
1 ¾ cup fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
¾ cup plus 6 Tbsp. granulated sugar
3 ½ Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger
¼ tsp. ground cardamom
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Position a rack in the center of the oven. Set a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 350°F.

To make the streusel, combine the flour, sugar, walnuts and salt in a medium bowl. Using a fork, blend the butter into the flour mixture. Set aside.
To make the filling, peel, quarter and core each apple. Cut each quarter lengthwise into ¼-inch slices and then cut each slice crosswise at ¼-inch intervals to make tiny rectangles. In a food processor, pulse the cranberries with ¾ cup of the sugar until coarsely chopped. In a large bowl, combine the remaining 6 Tbsp. sugar with flour, ginger, cardamom and cinnamon. Toss in the cranberry mixture and apples.

Mound the filling into piecrust. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apple mixture, pressing the streusel between your fingers into small lumps as you sprinkle.

Place the pie on a heated baking sheet and bake until the streusel is deeply browned and the filling is bubbling vigorously at the edges of the pie, 65 to 75 minutes.

Transfer to a rack and cool completely before serving. Store at room temperatures for up to two days or keep refrigerated.

Tip: If the edges of the pie seem to be getting done faster than the filling, loosely cover the top or edges of the pie as needed with aluminum foil.