Pies
Pastry
This recipe will make one double-crust for an 8-inch pie, or two single crusts.
2 cups flour
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1 teaspoon salt
Cold water
Combine flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour and salt using two knives or a wire pastry blender. Mixture should resemble cornmeal. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water over mixture. Toss with a fork. Continue to add water, tossing each time, until mixture forms a ball.
Chocolate and Orange Dream Pie
Servings: 8
1 9-inch pre-baked pie crust
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons 2% milk
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 cup 2% milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon unflavoured gelatin
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon shortening
Combine sugar and cornstarch; mix well. Stir in 2 tablespoons milk; set aside. In a saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate with remaining milk, stirring constantly until smooth. Stir in cornstarch mixture. Cook over low heat until mixture thickens and boils, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in about 1/4 cup of hot mixture into egg yolks. Gradually stir yolk mixture into hot mixture in saucepan. Cook over low heat for three minutes. Remove from heat. Cover surface with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Refrigerate until just cool. Spoon filling evenly into cooled crust.
In a saucepan, soften gelatin in orange juice concentrate. Stir over low heat until gelatin dissolves. Cool. In medium, chilled bowl, combine whipping cram and powdered sugar; beat with chilled beaters until soft peaks form. Gently fold orange juice mixture into whipped cream. Spread evenly over chocolate filling. Refrigerate 1 hour.
Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon shortening. Dip half of each orange section in chocolate mixture; place on waxed paper-covered cookie sheet. Refrigerate until set.
Garnish pie with chocolate-dipped orange sections. Store in refrigerator.
Creme Patissiere
Second Time Around: One-Plate Dinner
I bought a housekeeping book from early in the century at Rhoda's, Saint John's weekly indoor flea market, for 50 cents. The following is one of the many intriguing ideas in the book: bake two pies in the same pie plate. I've tried the idea, to rave reviews, and here are a few suggestions:
- Both fillings should require a crust. A chicken pie and an apple pie is a good combination;
- Make pastry for a double-crust pie, and
- Halve the filling recipes by halving the ingredients.
Servings: 2 - 4
Double-crust pie crust
Apple pie filling
Chicken pie filling
Milk
Sugar
First Pie:
Fit one crust into pie plate, being careful to avoid stretching. Place the desired filling in the bottom crust. Gently lift up half of bottom crust, folding it over the filling. Trim edge of pastry. I found it easier to make the apple pie first.
Second Pie:
Fit second crust into pie plate, being careful to avoid stretching, laying top crust over first pie. Place the desired filling in the second crust. Gently lift up top crust, folding it over the filling. Trim edge of pastry as normal.
If desired, trim edge of each pastry differently and/or glaze each pie differently. To glaze the apple pie, moisten with milk, then sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Optimized for Netscape 2.0 or better. Last Updated June 10, 2003.
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Copyright Rexanna M. Keats 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. All Rights Reserved.
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