Pie Class Lesson 1: Decorative Pies

Have you ever seen those pictures of beautiful pies in Taste of Home magazines, ones with rows of braided edges, and beautiful lattices? You think to yourself, I am going to make that. Then, when the pie is finally out of the oven, it ends up looking like this:

Well, never fear- the Pie Queen is here! I  love making pies, especially decorative ones for special occasions. Within just a few lessons, you can have your pies looking like this: 

For the filling, use your favorite fruit filling. I tossed five cups of apples in 1/4 c sugar, 1 TBSP  flour, and 1 tsp cinnamon. 

 If you are one of those people that uses the refrigerator pie crusts, I beg you to try something new.  Those pie crusts are tough, not flaky, and overall disgusting. Only real homemade pie crust will be made in Pie Class. You will need a double-double pie crust recipe. I'll put the quantities below.

Put the flour in a bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut in half the Crisco or vegetable shortening until there are marble-sized lumps. Cut in the other half, until there are pea-sized lumps. Add ice water, two tablespoons at a time, until the crust is the right consistency. It should hold together and not crumble when it is flattened, but it should not be too sticky.  Now split it up in the following amounts:

In half.

Wrap one half in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. 

Divide the other half into two, and put one in the fridge. 

Now, you are ready to roll out your bottom crust. Between two pieces of waxed paper, roll it out to 1/8" thick and 1" wider than your pie plate. Place in pie plate, and trim. Fill with your fruit filling. 

Now get the larger amount of crust still in the fridge, and roll it out. 

Cut eight 1" strips out of this crust, making sure they are long enough to reach across the pie plate. 

Weave your strips by laying four strips one way, then alternating over-under in the opposite direction with the other four strips. 

To calculate the needed size of the braid, take the diameter of the pie plate (in my case, 9-inch) and multiply it by 3.14. I needed about 29-inches of braid. Cut 1/2 inch strips, and braid. When you need to join new strips onto old ones, leave about 2 inches of length on the old ones. Pinch together, then flatten out. Continue braiding. Lay around the crimp on your pie plate. 

Bake according to the directions on the filling recipe. 

Here is the finished pie!

Pie crust recipe:

4 C. flour

1 3/4 C. Crisco or Vegetable Shortening

2 tsp. salt

8-10 TBSP ice water

Mocha Swiss Roll

Even though these decadent roll cakes are called Swiss Rolls, they are actually believed to have originated in Austria. An old English recipe for a roll cake reads “Bake quick and while hot spread with jelly. Roll carefully, and wrap it in a cloth. When cold cut in slices for the table.” 

This is the finished roll. The cake is chocolate, the filling is coffee, and it is covered with a dark chocolate ganache. Delicious!

Mix the flour, cocoa, salt, and cornstarch in a small bowl.

Set aside 1 TBSP of the sugar for later. In a bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and remaining sugar. Beat until lemon-colored, thick, and fluffy, about five minutes. Sift 1/2 of the flour mixture over the eggs, then fold with a spatula until just combined. Sift the rest over, then stir until just combined. 

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar. When they have formed soft peaks, gradually add the 1 TBSP sugar and whisk until they form stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, being gentle.

Prepare a 10"x15"x1" pan by placing parchment paper in the bottom and greasing the paper. Pour the mixture into the pan, and spread it out evenly. Bake in a 450* oven for 6-8 minutes or until done.

Once the cake is done, immediately take it out of the oven and sprinkle it with powdered sugar. Invert it onto a tea towel, then sprinkle the other side with powdered sugar. Roll while hot, inside the towel. 

To make the ganache, finely chop the chocolate. This is important. The smaller pieces melt faster, so you don't have to wait forever. If you want, you can just throw the pieces in a food processor. It's much quicker. 

Melt the butter, and add the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat on the stove. 

Add the chocolate in, and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Then whisk it in. It should be soft. Whisk vigorously for one minute. Let cool slightly.

To whisk up the pudding, combine milk, vanilla, and coffee in a saucepan. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, and flour. Heat the milk mixture, then pour a small amount into the egg mixture. Whisk together, then pour the egg mixture into the saucepan. Whisk until bubbles appear, then cook without stirring for one minute. Remove from heat, cool. 

Unroll your cake very carefully, then spread the coffee filling over all of the cake, leaving a 1/4" border on all edges. Roll the cake back up, using the tea towel to help you get started. Cover the whole thing in your chocolate ganache. Let harden, then slice and enjoy!

Recipe

Cake: (recipe adapted from Joy Of Baking)

1/4 C. Flour (sift, then re-measure without packing into the measuring cup)

2 TBSP Cornstarch

2 TBSP cocoa powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 C. granulated sugar

2 lg.  whole eggs

3 lg. egg yolks

2 lg. egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar (THIS IS A CRUCIAL INGREDIENT)

Chocolate Ganache: 

1/2 C. Milk

1 stick butter

1/2 C. dark chocolate chips

1/2 C. semisweet chocolate chips

Filling: 

2 egg yolks

3/4 c. sugar

1 3/4 C. milk

1 TBSP flour

2 TBSP cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla

Enjoy!

Basic Baking Definitions

Since some of you may be beginners at baking, here are some basic baking definitions for you.

These are from Pillsbury's Glossary of Baking Terms. 

Beat- To thoroughly combine ingredients and incorporate air with a rapid, circular motion. This may be done with a wooden spoon, wire whisk, rotary eggbeater, electric mixer, or food processor. 

Combine- To stir two or more ingredients together until mixed.

Cream- To beat one or more ingredients, usually margarine or butter, sugar, and/or eggs, until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.

Drizzle- To drip a glaze or icing over food.

Fold in- To gently combine a heavier mixture with a more delicate substance, such as beaten egg whites or whipped cream, without causing a loss of air.

Knead- To fold, push and turn dough or other mixture to produce a smooth, elastic texture.

Proof (In my posts, I more often use the word 'rise'.)- To allow yeast dough to rise before baking. Or to dissolve yeast in a warm liquid and set it in a warm place for 5 to 10 minutes until it expands and becomes bubbly.

Temper- to stabilize certain ingredients by keeping them at certain temperatures

Whip- To beat rapidly with a wire whisk or electric mixer to incorporate air into a mixture in order to lighten and increase the volume of the mixture.

Scant- just under the measurement. 

Blueberry Cream Cheese Butter Braid

While selling factory-made butter braids for a fundraiser, my littlest brother wanted my mom to buy one. My mom convinced me to make a homemade one instead, and it turned out beautiful and delicious.

When I first started making butter braids a year or so ago, I baked strawberry cream cheese and  cherry cream cheese. This time, I decided to try blueberry.

In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, and 1 TBSP of water. Let them sit until the blueberries do what I call "emitting their juices". In a small dish, mix the cornstarch and 2 TBSP of water. This makes it so the cornstarch will mix with the blueberry filling easier. Stir it and put it on low heat until it thickens. Remove from heat and let cool. 

Whisk the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Refrigerate until it's time to use. 

For the recipe, you'll need one recipe amount of Allrecipes Basic Sweet Bread. (link in the recipe below)

Roll it out to be roughly smaller than the baking sheet, and to be as rectangular as you can get it.

Make upward slashes on the rectangle on the outside thirds of the rectangle. Spread the cream cheese and then the blueberry filling on the middle third. Then alternate folding in the strips: left, right, left, right, so that it looks like a braid. Fold in your ends, and pinch them closed. 

 Let rise for 30 minutes, then bake in a 325* oven for 20-25 minutes. It will be darker brown on the outside, but towards the middle of the braid, it will become lighter. If desired, rub butter on it when you take it out of the oven. It makes it shinier and butterier. 

Recipe:

One recipe AllRecipes Basic Sweet Bread

8 oz. cream cheese

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 c. blueberries

1/3 cup sugar

2 TBSP cornstarch

2 TBSP water

Enjoy!