Pie Crust! We have all made pie crust and some of us have had difficulty while others have had success. Some of us…me included…have resorted to pre-made pie crust in a tin at the frozen counter of our supermarkets. While others of us…me included…have used the pie crust in a roll at the refrigerated biscuit counter at our supermarkets.
When I am feeling like doing my own…I use this pie crust recipe and so far it has never failed me and I have to admit, I believe the crust is flakier than the store bought models. If I am going to eat something that might be just a tad over the caloric counter….I want it to taste really good and be very flaky. Hey…I am just sayin’
My favorite pie filling is chocolate…naturally, who doesn’t like chocolate? However, I like a meringue on my Chocolate Pie and that is something that is a bit difficult to find “down south”. One would think that a Chocolate Meringue Pie would be synonymous with southern cooking, much like the famous Lemon Meringue Pie.
Instead, “they” and we know who “they” are….:) coat the top of a Chocolate Pie with tons of whipped topping! I am certainly not opposed to whipped cream….my thighs can attest to that…but when I eat Chocolate Pie….I want Chocolate Pie like they make it in the Midwest. I want meringue!
There is one place down here that makes a Chocolate Meringue Pie and the cafe reminds me of the one in Edgerton, MO.
This cafe, called the Farmers Market is reportedly the oldest cafe in Fort Myers….don’t know if they were here before the Indians or what! Their food is really good..lots of southern dishes like fried okra and rhubarb pie. The only problem is they are about 20 miles away through lots of stop and go traffic and narrow streets and lots of drivers who ….shall we say….need a destination? 🙂
Sometimes it is easier… and safer… to make my own Chocolate Meringue Pie and this pie crust recipe is the bomb!
Below is my “go to” pie crust recipe, and a printable one.
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2-lb (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes (place in freezer for at least one hour)
- About 1/3 cup ice-cold water
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- Put the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
- Add the cold butter cubes and pulse a few times until the mixture starts to become mealy and forms plainly visible pea-sized nuggets.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients. To ensure a tender crust, pulse in the white vinegar, adding a little every couple of pulses.
- Next, pulse in the ice water—a little water, 3-4 pulses, a little more water, 4-5 pulses. Try not to over-wet the dough!
- Pulse until the dough just starts clumping together, then pull some out and squeeze test it to see if it's holding together.
- Be careful not to over-mix the dough. If it appears dry and isn't holding, add a few additional tablespoons of water.
- Place the dough on a floured surface and form two balls.
- Flatten each, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- If your dough is too dry, the moisture from the refrigeration will most likely make the dough more workable.
- Be sure to roll out the dough to at least 1 inch wider than your pie pan. Be very careful not to stretch the dough. Crust shrinks because the pie dough was stretched to just fit the pan.
- This is for a double crust pie. Crust can be stored in freezer paper if rolled out. Double wrap in foil.
- To assure a flaky crust, make sure the butter is cut in pieces or chunks. I am told that the butter melts creating steam which in turn makes for a flaky crust.
- All ingredients should be nice and cold including the flour. Ingredients can be placed in the freezer for about an hour before mixing.
Please comment, I'd love to hear from you.