Sunday, May 15, 2011

Homemade Pie Crust

I'm not much of a pie maker but Mr. B really loves pie. Give me a cake any day. But in my efforts to please Mr. B I decided to make a pie crust. I used to make the kind that came in a box and you mixed it. Then I found the Pillsbury pre-made refrigerated crust to be excellent and easy. Our pantry has been overflowing since we shop the "buy one get one free specials" or the "ten cans for ten dollars" bargains or buy the cases of cans at BJ's. In my effort to eat from the pantry I found a can of pumpkin pie filling left over from Thanksgiving. You-know-who LOVES pumpkin pie. Not a favorite of mine so I am not tempted to eat it. There was no ready made crust in the refrigerator but I thought, "I can do this."

Cooks.com gave me this recipe by Julia Childs for a crust made in the Cuisinart.

JULIA CHILD'S CUISINART PIE CRUST

1 3/4 c. flour
1 stick (1/4 lb.) butter, cut up
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt

Blend flour, butter, oil and salt in Cuisinart until crumbly. Add 1/4 cup of cold water and continue blending until ball forms. Makes dough for a double crust pie or 2 single crusts.
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It sounded easy enough. It really did form a ball which I halved and rolled out on a large cutting board. Rolling a circle is not easy, but that done, I draped it over the rolling pin and transferred it to the pie plate. The second crust I rolled out and put it in the pie plate and refrigerated it for another day.

Here is my crust. I'm not an expert on the pinching to make it pretty but this is not bad.



Here is the finished product. I was so proud of myself! Mr. B loved it! I have to say the crust is not as tasty as the Pillsbury kind. Maybe I should try one made with Crisco. Any suggestions for a flaky crust recipe?


Paws was very interested. Maybe I should make him one filled with tuna fish or chicken!

10 comments:

Pondside said...

That looks beautiful!
You'll be horrified, but my Nova Scotia background rules out any pie not made with lard - for the flakiest crust.

Miss Char said...

Wow what a beautiful pie. I use the Pillsbury too and they do have a distinctive taste. I think personally the best pie crusts are made with lard. I know....I know there are generations who have never heard of lard but I stand by it as a pastry must.

Vee said...

Gosh, I'd think that a crust made with butter would be very tasty. My only tip is to use ice water for the cold water. My pie crust comes out ultra flaky just the way I like it. Your pie crust looks great and the edge is nicely crimped. You get an "A" from your hubby and that's the best of all!

Carol said...

What a great looking pie! Pumpkin is a favorite and I'd love a nice big slice. Lucky Mr. B!

G. S. said...

That pie looks so good!! I don't remember the last time I attempted to make homemade pie crust - to many years ago. If I remember correctly - the results were not all that great. :D I rarely bake now.
Thanks for stopping by and nice comment.
Enjoy your evening.

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Ooops! I was signed in under email instead of blogger. G. S. is me. :D

One said...

If your cat eats flowers, what would be its thoughts while staring at the delicious looking pie? I thought cats are carnivores.

Cindy @ Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home said...

Looks so YUMMY! Thanks so much for sharing, I'm going to give this a try!!! Your kitty is precious! Thanks so much for visiting and for your sweet comments. Hope your week is wonderful. :)

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Looks grand! Bet it tasted good too. If you look at the ingredients for the boxed pie crusts you will more than likely find lard in them - that is the taste that makes them memorable. Not good for us - but then how much pie crust do we eat in a year - and so tasty.

Alea Milham said...

Your pie crust is beautiful! I like to make pumpkin pie because my family loves it, but it doesn't tempt me. I can provide them with sweets without adding to my waistline. :) I would love for you to link this post up to the Hearth and Soul Hop.