Pie Types

Partridge in a Pear Tree Pie

 

3 cups (12 ounces) cranberries

1½ cups sugar

1 can (8¼ ounces) crushed pineapple, drained (reserve syrup)

Pastry for 9-inch Two-Crust Pie (below)

3 tablespoons flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 can (8 ounces) pear halves, drained and cut into halves

Sugar

Cook cranberries, 1½ cups sugar, the pineapple and ¼ cup of the reserved syrup, stirring constantly, until cranberries are tender, about 5 minutes. Cool. Prepare pastry as directed except—flute bottom crust. Mix flour, salt and cinnamon; stir into cranberry mixture. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate. Gently press pear slices spoke-fashion onto cranberry mixture.

Heat oven to 400°. After rolling pastry for top crust, cut partridge, leaf and pear shapes (see photograph). Sprinkle with sugar if desired; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake pastry cutouts and pie until cutouts and pie crust are golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes for cutouts and about 40 minutes for pie. Arrange cutouts on pie.

Della Robbia Apple Pie

 

Pastry for 9-inch Two-Crust Pie (below)

4 cups diced pared tart apples

¼ cup lemon juice

½ cup cut-up dates

½ cup maraschino cherries, cut into fourths

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts

½ cup sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup half-and-half Della Robbia Wreath (below)

Heat oven to 425°. Prepare pastry. Mix apples and lemon juice. Stir in remaining ingredients except Della Robbia Wreath. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate. Cover with top crust that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool. Garnish with wreath.

DELLA ROBBIA WREATH

Mold process cheese into small apple and pear shapes; sprinkle tops with red sugar. Arrange cheese fruits, green and red maraschino cherries and dates in the shape of a wreath on pie.

Peppermint Stick Pie

 

Chocolate Cookie Crust (below)

24 large marshmallows

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt

6 drops peppermint extract

6 drops red food color

1 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons crushed peppermint candy

Bake Chocolate Cookie Crust. Heat marshmallows and milk over low heat, stirring constantly, just until marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, salt, peppermint extract and food color. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon.

Beat whipping cream in chilled bowl until stiff. Stir marshmallow mixture until blended; fold into whipped cream. Pour into crust. Refrigerate at least 12 hours. Just before serving, sprinkle with crushed candy.

CHOCOLATE COOKIE CRUST

Heat oven to 350°. Mix 1½ cups chocolate wafer crumbs and ¼ cup margarine or butter, melted. Press firmly against bottom and side of ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Bake 10 minutes. Cool.

Grasshopper Pie

 

Chocolate Cookie Crust (above)

32 large marshmallows

½ cup milk

¼ cup crème de menthe

3 tablespoons white crème de cacao

1½ cups whipping cream

Few drops green food color, if desired

Bake Chocolate Cookie Crust. Heat marshmallows and milk over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until marshmallows are melted. Refrigerate until thickened; stir in liqueurs.

Beat whipping cream in chilled bowl until stiff. Fold marshmallow mixture into whipped cream; fold in food color. Pour into crust. Sprinkle with grated semisweet chocolate if desired. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.

Grasshopper Tarts: Omit Chocolate Cookie Crust. Heat 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons shortening over medium heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted, 3 to 4 minutes. Line 12 medium muffin cups, 2½ X 1¼ inches, with paper baking cups. Swirl 1 tablespoon chocolate mixture in each cup with back of spoon to coat bottom and side. Refrigerate until firm. Fill in with remaining chocolate. Refrigerate until firm. Carefully remove paper baking cups from chocolate shells. Return shells to muffin cups. Divide filling for Grasshopper Pie (above) among shells. Refrigerate until set, 2 to 3 hours. Garnish with whipped cream if desired. 12 servings.

Pastry

 

8- OR 9-INCH ONE-CRUST PIE

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening or 2/3 cup lard

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt*

2 to 3 tablespoons cold water 

8- OR 9-INCH TWO-CRUST PIE

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening or 2/3 cup lard

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt*

4 to5 tablespoons cold water

Cut shortening into flour and salt until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons water can be added if necessary).

Gather pastry into a ball; shape into flattened round on lightly floured cloth-covered board. (For Two-Crust Pie, divide pastry into halves and shape into 2 rounds.) Roll pastry 2 inches larger than inverted pie plate with floured stockinet-covered rolling pin. Fold pastry into quarters; unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.

For One-Crust Pie: Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute. Fill and bake as directed in recipe.

For Baked Pie Shell: Prick bottom and side thoroughly with fork. Bake at 475° until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes; cool.

For Two-Crust Pie: Turn desired filling into pastry-lined pie plate. Trim overhanging edge of pastry Y2 inch from rim of plate. Roll other round of pastry. Fold into quarters; cut slits so steam can escape. Place over filling and unfold. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll top edge under lower edge, pressing on rim to seal; flute. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake as directed in recipe.

*If using self-rising flour, omit salt. Pie crusts made with self-rising or whole wheat flour differ in flavor and texture from those made with all-purpose flour.

Note: If possible, hook fluted edge over edge of pie plate to prevent shrinking and help pastry retain its shape.

Whole Wheat Pastry: Prepare filling before preparing pastry. Substitute whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour or substitute stone-ground whole wheat flour for half of the all-purpose flour. Fold rolled pastry in half instead of into quarters.

Holiday Pastry Snacks: Heat oven to 475°. Gather leftover rolled pastry into a ball; shape into flattened round. Roll 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes with Christmas cookie cutters. Prick and sprinkle with colored sugars, cinnamon-sugar and/or finely chopped nuts. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; bake 8 to 10 minutes.

 

It is a quote. Betty Crocker’s New Christmas Cookbook 1993