Culinary adventures: Pie crust as medium for artistic outlet
Pie time is upon us! Apples, peaches or your choice of filling are always delicious baked in a flaky crust that is even more tempting than unusual when adorned with extra decorative features. A few weeks ago a friend's Facebook post linked me to the most beautiful pies I have ever seen, sparking my creativity and curiosity. A couple of days later I found myself attempting to make one of the beautiful pies … here is my story.
According to the American Pie Council, pies have been around since the ancient Egyptians, and the Oxford English Dictionary notes that the word pie was a popular word in the 14th century. Apparently, the Romans published the first recipe for pie. It was for a rye-crusted goat cheese and honey version.
Early pies were predominantly meat pies, with more crust (coffyn as they called it) than filling. Pies appeared in England as early as the twelfth century and were primarily rectangular in shape, not the rounds we're used to seeing. The crust at this time was very dense and meant to protect the filling during baking and rarely eaten. These pies were made using fowl, and the legs were left to hang over the side of the dish and used as handles - Oh my! Fruit pies or tarts (pasties) were probably first made in the 1500s. Early settlers brought pies to America, but it wasn't until the American Revolution that the term crust was used instead of coffyn - thank goodness!
While searching for a crust recipe, I discovered there are many different versions out there, and most people are passionate about their favorite. My Aunt Barbara, who used to organize large-scale pie baking sessions for her church, swears by a crust made with egg and vinegar, while the folks at America's Test Kitchen add vodka to their "foolproof" recipe. The recipe I selected, Ina Garten's Perfect Pie Crust, was chosen more because of the ingredients I had on hand than anything else.
No matter what recipe you use, all crusts have similar basic ingredients: flour, fat and moisture. Cold fat is "cut" into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, knives, or in my case a food processor. This process creates small amounts of fat, almost fleck-like, coated with flour - key to a flaky crust. Just enough moisture, ice cold, is then added to bring the dough together. Pie crust is never kneaded or over mixed, as this would yield a tough crust with minimal fat flakes. The dough is then chilled to allow the moisture to evenly distribute and the fat to harden before rolling. This process, unique to pie crust, is all about creating a tender, flaky final product. Moisture from both the fat and added liquid evaporates during the baking process leaving behind small spaces within the pastry creating the desired flaky crust.
I will admit to using many a store-bought pie crust, often for convenience, but also due to being intimidated by evenly rolling and transferring the perfect crust. For those of you who share this fear, you will be glad to know there are now products to help us with this process. The first, and most readily available is plain old plastic wrap; place your dough ball between two pieces of plastic wrap and roll away - no flour needed. A 2-gallon zip-top bag also works well (slit the sides leaving one or two sides intact) followed by about 10 minutes in the refrigerator to help the dough become chilled again, and you are ready to transfer to your pan. If this doesn't work, you may want to try Mrs. Anderson's Baking Easy No-Mess Pie Crust Maker Bag, available on Amazon for about $6. Lightly flour the inside of the "bag," add your dough, zip the bag closed and roll. My aunt has used this at her church during their pie making session and had great success with perfectly rolled crust every time.
I am now proud to say I am no longer afraid of the rolling process, good news given my interest in my friend's recent Facebook post featuring a link to Country Living (http://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/g3673/pie-lattice-ideas/) and the most beautiful pies I have ever seen. Pies covered with fancy lattice work, beautiful braids, and hearts, but what intrigued me the most was a rose covered pie with a delicate leaf border. After a little internet research, I was able to find directions for my next baking/art project.
I started by making a double recipe of pie crust, separated into four chilled sections, and ended up using most of it. My masterpiece had a basic peach filling out of the red and white checked Better Homes and Garden cookbook, which I made while my crust was chilling. When working with the crust, I found it important to make the roses first, placing batches of completed roses in the refrigerator periodically during the process.
Making the roses proved to be a little time consuming, but much easier than I thought. Roll out your crust evenly and as thin as possible, while still staying together and being easy to work with, for me this was about ⅛ inch. Cut 2½- to 3-inch circles of crust 12 at a time. Rewrap and chill remaining dough. Place four crust circles in a single row, slightly overlapping.
Roll circles into a log shape; finished log should be 3 inches wide and about 1 inch thick. With a sharp knife, gently cut the log in half, pressing cut edges together and opening the "petals" of the other side to resemble a flower. Place cut side down on board; repeat. You will end up using roughly half your dough on flowers. I used approximately ¼ of my dough to add more embellishment to the edges of my pie by cutting leave shapes out of rolled crust with a sharp knife, but if you have a cookie cutter by all means use it, as it will make your task easier. Add texture to your leaves by making small indentations with your knife on top of cut leaves before adding to your pie.
To assemble your pie roll out your bottom crust, carefully place it in the pan with about 1 inch of crust hanging over the sides, and add the uncooked filling of your choice. Now start arranging roses atop the filling. You can cover as much of the pie as you like, but be sure to leave a small amount of room between each flower so steam can escape during baking. Finish the edges last by brushing a small amount of milk or water on exposed crust followed by adding your leaves, or simply trimming and crimping your crust. Brush your masterpiece with milk and sprinkle with sugar before baking on a foil-lined pan (this will save you from oven clean up in case it bubbles over) according to your pie filling instructions, usually 45 to 55 minutes. Due to the amount of crust in the flowers, this pie will require about 10 to 15 additional minutes in the oven, so be sure to check periodically after about 30 minutes to be sure the edges and tops of the petals are not becoming overdone. If this happens, simply place a loose piece of aluminum foil on top of the pie, and around the edges, to prevent additional browning while the pie continues to cook.
Are you up for the challenge? Please say yes! Think of it as playing with modeling dough as a child and if you would rather not go through the process of making your own pie crust, feel free to buy the pre-made product sold near the biscuits. It is really not as difficult as it looks, although it does require a little time. Enlist your kids to help with the flowers and it will be done in a jiffy and become a family work of art. If you'd like to start slowly, make a couple of roses as a garnish instead of covering the whole pie, but by all means - try this, you will impress yourself, and others with your pastry skills!
• Penny Kazmier, a wife and mother of four from South Barrington, won the 2011 Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge.