No Pie in the Sky

I'm obsessed with pies right now. We've stopped making galettes at the restaurant where I work & have made the infinitesimal leap to pies. My mind is always racing with ideas when I get home, so I took it upon myself to make pies all week long.

We've got...




It's a pie that fits in your hand, so that part is easily explained. A panade is a mixture of butter, water and flour that forms the base of choux pastry [a video]. SO...An empanada is basically, a panade that has been turned into dough, which is then wrapped around a filling (usually savory) and baked or fried.



You can use a basic pastry dough to make all of the pies listed in this post. You can use a basic ratio to produce any pie crust: 3 parts flour, 2 parts fat, 1 part ice-cold water. After this, the results/ingredients can vary.



For a flaky crust: the fat should be rubbed into the flour until the pieces are pea-sized.



For a mealy crust: the fat should be rubbed into the flour until the mixture resembles cornmeal.



As far as fat goes, the same principles for pie dough apply to biscuit dough. Click here to read what I have to say about that.




Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Makes 14 to 24 (depending on cutter size)
For the pastry:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup ice water
For the filling:
2 pounds of peaches, diced in 1-inch pieces
3 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1/2 cup water
1 cup Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Egg yolks beaten with heavy cream (for egg wash)
Coarse sanding sugar, for decoration











May is National Strawberry month, so I came through with a strawberry pie. No rhubarb in site. I'm too lazy to string it.

When I first started making the pies, the crust was so pretty, golden brown, sweet...and the filling was soggy and unappetizing. I am not a prize-winning baker, a pie novice, nor an expert, but I think I have a pretty good handle on what to do... Now.


Blackberry Oatmeal Pie. This crust is a crumbled/streusel topping instead of a dough crust. Lower in fat & calories, a streusel is a great substitute for a pie top (or a muffin top, too).

Oatmeal Streusel Crust for 1 pie
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup rolled oats (or oat flour)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup butter

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, oats, and lemon zest. Mix thoroughly, then cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle streusel on top of pie filling. Bake according to mealy or flaky pie crust instructions.