Pie Made Easy
Perfect Pie Crust
Enough for 1 small (2 crust) pie. This is the 8 inch disposable tin size. Double the recipe for larger pies.
1 rounded cup of flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco
Mix together with fingers until fine crumbs form. (Do not knead)
Add 1/4 cup water all at once. Form dough.
To make a pie shell, place dough on the BACK side of tin (Upside down), poke all over with fork, bake on BOTTOM shelf of oven at 375 for 10–12 minutes. It will separate from the tin when done. Give a little shake to see if the pie crust moves. If it does, it’s done. Let cool. Remove crust from bottom of pan and set inside tin. Since the crust was baked on the outside of the tin, the crust will be the perfect size after cooking because it shrinks.
A 2 crust pie (filled) is baked on the BOTTOM shelf of oven at 375 fro 1 hour. Add 20 — 25 minutes for frozen pie. Before baking 2 crust pie, frozen or fresh, dot top with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Standard Vanilla Cream Pie Filling:
5 cups milk
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
1 small package cook and serve pudding (Vanilla, Chocolate, Butterscotch)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon extract if making vanilla
Beat all ingredients together. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when thick. Place plastic wrap directly on pudding and cool completely. Place in baked pie shell. Top with cream.
Apple Pie Filling (enough for 3 pies)
1 large can sliced apples in water (#10 can)
Bring to a boil and thicken with the following ingredients that have been mixed together.
6 cups sugar
7/8 cup clear gel (or substitute with 7/8 cup corn starch)
1 tsp apple pie spice
Stir until thick and remove from heat.
The MOST INCREDIBLE CHOCOLATE PIE EVER!
This will take a little time, but boy is it worth it!
1 ten inch pastry shell: (Homemade is obviously the best)
4 egg yolks: Save the egg whites if you wish to make Meringue for pies. If not, discard. I prefer whip cream.
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
4 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk chocolate morsels
Save egg whites if you wish to make meringue for pie. (FYI, I never make the meringue. Instead I save the whites and make egg white omelettes. I prefer whipped cream on my chocolate pie. Pure, unadulterated whipped cream. It’s soooooo good.)
Prepare and bake pie shell. Set aside.
In medium bowl, beat egg yolks; set aside. In a heavy saucepan combine sugar and corn starch. Mix well. Whisk in milk. Cook and whisk over medium-high heat for 16–19 minutes or until slightly thickened. Whisk 1/4 of mixture into yolks. Whisk yolk mixture into saucepan. Cook and whisk at medium-low for 5–6 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir in chocolate until it melts. Pour into pastry. Cover the pudding only immediately with plastic wrap to prevent a pudding skin from forming. Serve warm or chilled with whip cream or see the directions for meringue.
If you wish to top with meringue
4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixing bowl combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat 15–30 seconds until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed for 1 1/2−2 minutes. Turn mixer on high and beat for another 1 1/2−2 minutes. Spread evenly over warm pie — seal to pastry. Bake 15 minutes until meringue is golden brown. Turn off oven. Cool pie in oven with door ajar for 2 hours. Cool on a rack at room temp. away from drafts for 3 hours. Serve.