A Perfect Pie Crust
A Perfect Pie Crust
I’m going to say something unpopular - I was not a fan of pie for a very long time. I didn’t like the crust. It was always undercooked and gummy or soggy. Pie filling is great but the whole package wasn’t my thing. One summer I set out to change that. I was pregnant and constantly craving buttery pastry. I think I made 25 pies in a matter of months just trying to perfect a crust recipe that hit all the marks for me. Well I did it. This crust is so good. It’s a variation on the American Pie Crust and French Pastry Dough and it’s a work horse. It holds it’s texture even with wet filling and even sitting on the counter or in the fridge for a few days. I am a reformed pie lover but I will hold firm that not all crust is created equal. I like to use this dough for a bunch of different recipes. It’s great for quiche, tarts, pop tarts and small pastries and it freezes so well.
prep time : 40 minutes
yield : two open face pies, one double crust or many small pastries - it freezes very well too
3 ½ cups All Purpose Flour 2 ½ sticks Unsalted Butter, cold and cut into small cubes 2 Eggs ½ cup Ice Cold Water, plus 3 Tbsp if necessary 1 ½ tsp Kosher Salt 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
Whisk together eggs and ice cold water. Set aside.
Using a food processor*, buzz flour, salt and baking powder just to combine. Add cold cubed butter and pulse until a sandy texture forms. With the food processor running slowly add beaten eggs and cold water. Buzz until it begins to form a dough. Open the machine and check the consistency. It’s very possible that there is sandy dry flour on the top and wet dough underneath. If it’s well combined or this is what you have then remove it to a floured work surface. It will be messy but begin to knead it to bring it all together. You may have to add more water. Do this one tablespoon at a time kneading to incorporate until the dough comes together. You don’t want to add more than 3 extra tablespoons. Cut dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll the pieces into circular disks about 2 inches thick and wrap tightly in plastic. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
*You can do this by hand but I recommend using a cheese grater for the butter instead of cubing it. It will help incorporate it better.
Spring Leek and Asparagus Tart
prep time: 45 minutes
yield : one small tart
½ cup Leeks, cleaned and thin sliced ½ cup Heavy Cream plus 2 Tbsp Cream reserved 2 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese or Crumbled Feta 6-7 Asparagus Spears, woody ends snapped off 1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt Fresh cracked pepper ¼ portion of fresh pie dough (above recipe)
Leeks tend to be sandy so slice the leek in half lengthwise and rinse between the layers. Shake out any excess water. To slice it, cut the roots off the end. Make a lengthwise cut up the center of the thick white bottom, just to the green part. Thinly slice along the width so you have ½ inch or so pieces. Save the rest of the leeks for another recipe. They hold for quite a while in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 375°
Melt the butter in a small saute pan over medium low heat. Add the sliced leeks and season with the salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Allow to slowly sweat for 7-8 minutes. Add the cream and cook for another 3 minutes, whisking regularly. Add the cheese, whisk to combine and remove from the heat.
While the leek cream cools a bit, flour a work surface and roll out a quarter portion of pie dough into ¼ inch thick rectangle. You want it just long enough to fit the asparagus spears. Transfer to a sheet tray. Fold the edges over a ½ inch and pinch the corners to seal. Pour the leek cream into the center and spread to the folded edges. Lay asparagus in a row, alternating directions so they are “toe to head”. Brush the entire tart, including asparagus with reserved cream and sprinkle asparagus with a pinch of salt.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing.
Berry Pop Tarts
prep time : 35 minutes
yield : 3 pop tarts for ¼ dough ball
If you have the pie crust made this is a very low effort project so making 3 mini tarts may seem crazy but they’re best when they’re fresh anyways. You can easily double this whole recipe and make more! Thank you Alyssa Reich for creating my obsession with these!!
½ cup Berries, whole blueberries, diced strawberries or halved blackberries ¼ cup Jam, choose your own adventure ½ Tbsp Sugar ¼ tsp Kosher Salt ¼ Portion of Fresh Pie Dough 2 Tbsp Heavy Cream Glaze : ½ cup Powdered Sugar 2 Tbsp Heavy Cream 1 tsp Jam
Preheat oven to 375°
Mix prepared berries with jam, sugar and kosher salt. Set aside.
Place the 2 tablespoons of heavy cream into a small bowl and set aside.
Flour a work surface and roll out a quarter portion of pie dough into ¼ inch thick rectangle. Slice the dough into six rectangles so you have a top and bottom piece for 3 tarts. Scoop 2 tablespoons of filling onto 3 pieces of dough. Brush heavy cream around the edge of the berry filling on each tart. Place a fresh piece of rectangle dough over the top and stretch it a bit to cover all the filling. Use a fork to tightly crimp down the dough all the way around the pastry, sealing in the filling. Place on a parchment lined sheet tray. Brush the entire top with remaining cream from the bowl. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Filling may leak out of the tarts but that’s ok there is plenty inside.
While the pop tarts cool, make the glaze. Whisk together the cream and jam and warm for 30 seconds in the microwave. Add powder sugar and whisk to fully incorporate.
Drizzle glaze over cooled pop tarts and allow to set for 10 minutes before serving.