This came in email form to me from PMC. I am posting it because if I don't I won't ever be able to find it when I need it!
I [PMC] learned how to make crust from the chapter
Pies from Paradisein The Man Who Ate Everything.Here are the broad strokes:
Put 1 c flour and a big pinch of salt in a big mixing bowl. Drop in 1/2 c of shortening (can be vegetable shortening, lard, butter or a combination).
Using your hands, rub the fat into the flour. I scoop with my hands, sweep my thumbs once over what I've picked up and let everything fall back into the bowl. This seems to keep the fat from warming up too much. When the biggest chunks of fat are about the size of a pea, pour about 1/3 c of cold water over the mixture and stir with a fork. You should be able to pull the dough together. Many would let the dough rest in the frige half an hour. I usually can't be bothered.
When you roll out the pastry, be liberal when dusting with flour. Sticking is a pain in the ass and you'd have to use A LOT of flour for it to have a discernable impact on your pastry.
When I make quiche, I put the pie in the oven as soon as I add the egg mixture and I put the plate on a cookie sheet that's been in the preheating oven. That seems to help get a good bottom crust.
This was sent in response to a request for a pie crust for quiche. Now if I were baking a fruit pie, PMC, would I bake the crust a bit before adding the filling?
When I'm making a baked fruit pie, like apple, peach, or strawberry-rhubarb, I never prebake the crust (usually called "baking blind"). You may remember me doing that, however, when I made those pecan and pumpkin pies (still waiting on that guest post from Lisa...).
ReplyDeleteOh, so maybe I should pre-bake the crust for the quiche? I didn't pre-bake the crust for these pies and they worked great!
ReplyDeleteSome people do prebake their quiche crusts, but not me. Let me know how your preheated pan approach works with a quiche.
ReplyDeleteI have been meaning to comment for some time here that Alice Waters uses about 50-percent more shortening than you do. I go somewhere in-between now.
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