Pies and Tarts

Types of pies Any dish that has a crust with a filling. Different types of pies: Fruit pies Cream pies Custard pies Savory pies

Fruit pies Whole or sliced fruit is combined with sugar and a starch thickener. The ratio of sugar to thickener varies depending on the fruit. The sugar and fruit juices form into syrup. Thickener congeals the syrup. Common thickeners: flour, cornstarch, and tapioca starch.

Cream pies The cream in cream pies is usually pudding. Cooked until thick, then cooled and poured into a baked, cooled crust. Ex: lemon, banana, coconut, butterscotch, and chocolate.

Similar in texture to cream pies. Custard pies Similar in texture to cream pies. Made by baking uncooked custard along with the crust. Ex: pumpkin pie and pecan pie

Contain meat, poultry, seafood, or vegetables in a thickened sauce. Savory pies Contain meat, poultry, seafood, or vegetables in a thickened sauce. Usually served as main course.

Making piecrust Pastry Dough Ingredients: Has 4 ingredients: flour, water, fat, and salt Flour and water form the structure. Fat tenderizes and adds flavor. Ice cold water helps keep fat from melting during mixing (flaky texture). Vegetable shortening and lard are pure fat and make the flakiest crust. Butter, margarine and cream cheese contain a little water, which create a slightly crumbly texture. If using oil, use hot water. Tender but more dry and grainy than flaky.

Preparing pastry dough Similar to making biscuits. Cut the fat into the flour. Add water one tbsp. at a time, mixing lightly with a fork. Form a ball of dough that is neither crumbly nor sticky. Mix and handle piecrust as little as possible. Let the dough rest and relax. Cover dough with wax paper and towel and work on the filling.

How to make pie dough

Rolling pastry dough 3. Move the dough to the pan: once you have the size you want , brush any excess flour off the dough. Place the dough into the pie pan. 4. Press the dough into the pan: push the dough gently into the bottom and up the sides. Avoid stretching the dough, increases its chances to shrink. Prepare the surface: you can sprinkle your work surface with flour or place dough between two pieces of wax paper. Roll out the dough evenly: roll from the center to all directions. Give a quarter turn.

Handling cracked pastry dough Patch or reshape the dough by cutting off a piece from an area where you have extra dough. Use cold water to slightly moisten the area that you need to repair. Save any extra piecrust to make designs to place on the edge of the pie.

Two-Crust Pies Divide the dough into two portions, one slightly larger than the other. Roll out the larger portion and fit it into the pan. Then make the top crust using the following steps: Trim the bottom dough Roll the top dough Add the pie filling Place the top dough 5. Trim the top dough: trim to about ½” larger than the pie pan. 6. Press top and bottom together 7. Cut slits in the top dough 8. Glaze and decorate: you can glaze the top before baking by brushing milk and a light sprinkle of sugar or use egg mixed with water.

Decorating the edge of the piecrust Piecrust should have a fluted edge. This is a ridged edge made with the tines of a fork or with your thumbs and index finger. Lattice crust: crust that is woven, makes an eye catching top on a two crust pie.

One crust pies For some, the crust and filling are baked together. For others, the crust is baked empty, or blind. Pie shell: bottom crust baked before filling To prepare one-crust pie: Let the dough rest Trim the dough Tuck the dough under Flute: flute the edge of the dough Bake

Continued… Sometimes pie shells puff up while baking. To keep this from happening, use a fork to poke holes at the bottom, called docking. Crumb crust: piecrust made of crushed crackers or cookies instead of pastry dough. Use fine crumbs to make a crust. Stir in melted butter or margarine and mix well. Crumbs can also be used for the top of the pie. For sweet topping on a fruit pie, cover with streusel, a crumbly mixture made by cutting butter into flour, sugar, and sometimes spices.

Pastry crusts are in the refrigerator or freezer case. Convenience piecrust Pie crusts mixes and ready-made crumb crusts are sold in the baking aisle. Pastry crusts are in the refrigerator or freezer case. You can also buy prepared fillings for pies.

Tarts and turnovers

Tarts Tart: filled dessert with a single-crust. Can be appetizers, entrees, or desserts. Always removed from the pan before serving. Flan: full size tart made in a a two piece flan pan. Has removable bottom and straight, fluted edge. Galette: hand shaped tart made by folding or pleating the edge of the dough to form the sides.

Turnovers Is a square or circle of pastry dough folded over a sweet or savory filling dough folded over a sweet or savory filling. May be baked or deepfried. Roll out pastry dough and cut it into squares or circles. Add the filling and brush a little water along the edge of the dough. Fold the dough over and press the edges together with the tines of a fork. Put one or two slits in the top.

Baking pies and tarts Times and temperatures vary Pies are usually baked at 425 or 450 for about 20 minutes Filled pies are baked at 425 or 450 for about 10 minutes and then 350 to cook the filling. Color is the best indication of doneness in shells and two crust pies. Should be golden brown and slightly blistered.