Pie Crust, and an Apple Pie
Apple pie
Pie crusts have been the bane of my existence since the beginning of time. Well, more or less the beginning of time. There was probably a time when I thought pie crusts just kind of happened, like rain and snow and weather. As it turns out, pie crusts are a pain.
I have one pie crust recipe that works for me. It’s a recipe my grandmother used. She passed it down on an index card, ingredients only, written in a shaky hand. Her crusts always earned praise from everyone who tried them, so I figured it was the best recipe around.
It turns out this was the only pie crust recipe she could make work. It’s the only one I can make work, too.
That’s okay. Turtle And Zoodle Make Stuff isn’t a master class on anything. It’s a place to learn and explore, and have fun. In this video, I’m sharing my family recipe for pie crust with the Zoodle. She may find a better crust recipe for herself someday. She’s a smart kid with a talent for sculpture.
This will always be the first, though. It’s a link back to her past, and where she came from. And here’s the kicker – it’s easy, too!
Pie Crust (makes two 9″ pie crusts)
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon raw sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
grated zest of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon vinegar
Equipment
either
one medium mixing bowl AND one pastry cutter
OR
One food processor
*
two re-sealable plastic bags, gallon size
Rolling pin
- Combine the ingredients in the bowl, or the workbowl of your food processor.
- Use the pastry cutter, or your food processor, to combine the ingredients until they resemble a coarse meal.
- Divide in two. Put each half into a resealable plastic bag and pat into a flat disc.
- Refrigerate at least one hour, and up to a week.
- When you’re ready to use, roll your dough out inside the plastic bags. Cut down the side of the bag and put into your 9″ pie plate.
- Trim the sides and proceed with your recipe.
We used this recipe to make an apple pie. Apple pie isn’t hard. Most fruit pies aren’t hard (in contrast to tarts, which can be torture). To make the filling for the pie:
Apple Pie:
5 empire apples (You can use whatever apple you can get, but we had empire and they’re the best, so.)
1/4 cup corn starch
1/3 cup raw sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 recipe pie crust (above)
Equipment:
1 9″ pie plate
Oven
Baking sheet
Mixing bowl
- Preheat your oven to 425.
- Peel your apples, and dice them.
- Combine the apples with the rest of the ingredients, except the crust, in your mixing bowl. Stir to combine well.
- Roll out your crust and line the bottom of a pie plate with it.
- Pour your filling into the prepared crust.
- Roll out the second crust and lay it on top of the first. Crimp shut.
- Vent the top crust. I put an x in mine with a sharp knife, because I have no artistic skill. You can use any kind of small vent in the crust that makes you happy.
- Bake 30 minutes.
- Let rest 15 minutes before serving.
