Fool Proof Pie Crust

My mom and aunt gave me this recipe for a pie crust for when I am baking the Winter Peach Pie recipe that they make every year.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 3/4 cups Crisco
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt.
2. Cut in the Crisco.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together the remaining ingredients.
4. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture.  Refrigerate for 1/2 hour before using.
5. Roll on a lightly floured board or between waxed paper.
6. The crust is very short and will melt if placed in a pie plate and baked alone.  Best used when it is filled.

This pie crust mixture can be frozen and thawed for later use.

Winter Peach Pie

Every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, my mom makes this pie.  Last Christmas, I made it.  It's super easy and delicious!

I use the Fool Proof Pie Crust for my pie shell.

Ingredients:

• 3 cans of drained canned peaches (cut into pieces or slices, reserve the juice for later)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 heaping teaspoon flour
• 2 heaping tablespoons butter (can be eliminated)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup peach juice

Directions:

1. Fill a nine or ten inch pie shell with the 3 cans of drained peaches.
2. Cream together the sugar, flour, butter and lemon juice.
3. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix together.
4. Pour the mixture over the peaches.
5. Bake for 10 minutes at 475 degrees, then lower the oven temperature to 325 and bake for another 50 minutes.
6. Top with whipped cream and serve.
   

Pumpkin Cheesecake Followup

This cheesecake was delicious! 

I will admit that I did have some problems with it.  Or should I say that I had problems with my oven?  This took 60 minutes to cook instead of 40, but it was still delicious.  I will be getting the Williams-Sonoma Pumpkin butter next year and making this again.

Pumpkin Pie

I got this recipe from my technique class at Williams-Sonoma last week and have to share it.  I'm not a big fan of pumpkin cheesecake, but this was fantastic! It is so good that my mom asked me to make it for Thanksgiving this year.

They made it using their Pecan Pumpkin Butter.  I've written out the recipe as I received it and included the alternate filling instructions at the end of this recipe.  Enjoy!!

Gingersnap Crust:

• 1/4 lb. gingersnaps (about 20 small cookies)
• 1/3 cup pecan halves
• 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Topping:

• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 2 Tbs. granulated sugar

Filling (original recipe):

• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 lb. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree

Here are the instructions for the original recipe that they gave us at class.

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan.

To make the crust, in a food processor, combine the gingersnaps and pecans and process until crumbly.  Add the brown sugar and melted butter and pulse for a few seconds to blend.  Transfer the crumb mixture to the prepared pan.  Use your fingers to pat the mixture into the bottom and evenly all the way up the sides of the pan.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

To make the filling, in a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and cloves.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy.  Using a rubber spatula, occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Gradually add the brown sugar mixture, beating until smooth.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Using the spatula, scrape the batter into the chilled crust and smooth to top.

Bake the cheesecake until set or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 - 40 minutes.  transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make the topping, set aside 10 pecan halves and coarsely chop the rest.  In a small fry pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter.  Add all of the pecans, sprinkle with the granulated sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar melts and the nuts are toasted and caramel coated.  Transfer the nut mixture to a plate and let cool completely, then store in an airtight container.  Just before serving, sprinkle the chopped pecans over the cheesecake and arrange the halves evenly around the perimeter.  Serves 10 to 12.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Thanksgiving Entertaining, by Lou Seibert Pappas (Simon & Schuster, 2005).

**Alternative Filling for Pumpkin Cheesecake

Filling:

• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 jar Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter (only available at Williams-Sonoma)
  

For the alternative filling recipe, in a small bowl, mix the brown sugar with the pecan pumpkin butter.  Follow the rest of the recipe as written above.

Baking a flaky pie crust

In an effort to learn more about cooking and to get some ideas for meals, I have been taking the technique classes that Williams-Sonoma offers.  I am going to try to post some of the hints that I pick up at these classes here.

Today's class was on Fall Baking and one of the things that they talked about was how to make the perfect flaky pie crust.  Here are some of the tips that they passed along.

• Make sure that all of your ingredients are ice cold, i.e., the butter, the water (add ice cubes to the waters).
• Cube the butter into small pieces and put them into a stainless steel measuring cup and put it back into the refrigerator to make it ice cold.
• Keep the water in a stainless steel bowl until you add it to the mixture.
• Once the dough is mixed, shape it into a disc, wrap the disc in plastic and put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
• Avoid handling the dough too much.  This will toughen the dough and will not make for a flaky crust.
• If you have one, use a marble cutting board or counter top to roll the dough.  This will help keep the dough cold.
• When you are rolling the dough out, try to keep it in the shape of a circle.  
• Don't be afraid to cut the edge of the dough to help to get a circular shape.