My mothers method of cooking pies is this:
1. Buy a pie crust
2. throw some fruit into the pie crust
3. Throw in some flour and sugar and bake.
I have had very limited success with her three step method. Half the time the flour doesn't thicken and I end up with soup in a pie shell.
Since I don't have my mother's cooking talents (at least not when it comes to pie). I have added 2 more steps for delicious never fail pie.
1. Make your own pie crust. Store bought ones are tasteless at best.
2. Throw in some fruit
3. Make a thick syrup.
4. Pour the syrup over the fruit.
5. Cover with a lattice and bake.
Lattice pies look gorgeous and are not that difficult to make. Today I am making strawberry rhubarb pie with a really easy homemade pie crust. Below is the recipe.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients:
- Pie crust:
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup margarine (cold, cut into pieces)
- 8-10 Tbsp cold milk
- Pie Filling
- 6 cups fruit (some combination of strawberries and rhubarb)
- 1.5 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 4 Tbsp corn starch
Instructions
Crust:
- Mix together butter, salt and flour with a pasty cutter until crumbly. Add cold milk, 2 Tbsp at a time, until the dough sticks together in a ball. Split into two balls.
- Roll one ball of dough between two sheets of wax paper. Drape over a 10 inch pie pan and cut to fit.
- Roll out the second ball of dough and cut into 1/2 inch strips. This will be used for the lattice later
Pie filling
- Fill pie shell with fruit.
- Boil the water, sugar and cornstarch together until clear. Pour over fruit.
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An almost perfect lattice |
Lattice
- Make a lattice over the pie. Lay out strips one at a time, starting with the middle and switching between horizontal and vertical strips. Weave each strip together as you lay it out.
- Press the edges into the bottom pie crust. Trim.
- Bake pie for 10 minutes at 450 and 40-50 minutes at 350. This pie will be extra juicy so put it on a cookie sheet when you put it into the oven.
Here is the finished result. It was delicious, not to tart, not to sweet, although next time I may add more cornstarch.