Pies come in various shapes and sizes. They are comforting, cozy, versatile and especially easy to make when you start with a ready-made crust. If you are in a hurry or don’t have a ‘cool hand’ for making a traditional flour and shortening pastry crust, try the new refrigerated piecrusts from Pillsbury. Easy-to-use, the pastry sheets come rolled rather than folded. They are designed to fit your 8-or 9-inch pie pans (or 10-inch tart pans) but can be cut into smaller circles for tarts or cut into other shapes.
When working with the pastry, it helps to let it stand at room temperature about ten minutes before unrolling. To prevent tearing, do not pull or stretch the pastry. If it tears, dampen your finertips with cool water then press the torn edges together to seal. I like to use a glass pie plate so the crust will have a nice crisp, golden-brown finish. If your filling is especially moist, brush inside of the pastry with a beaten egg white to help seal out moisture. If you prebake and cool the pastry, you can brush the bottom with melted chocolate for extra flavor.
Instead of using a graham cracker crumb crust, try substituting gingersnaps, coconut macaroons, shortbread or chocolate wafers. In a past article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, cookbook author Shirley Corriher wrote about an excellent pie crust produced by a friend who used the Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux cookies found in small white bags. The crust needed less sugar and had a nutty flavor from ground macadamia nuts. It was filled with an unbaked blueberry filling. The crust would be nice with a rasperry or strawberry chiffon pie.
To make Shirley’s crust, grind up one bag of the Bordeaux sugar cookies with 1/4 cup macadamia nuts. (You could use lightly toasted almonds or hazelnuts.) Drizzle in 1/2 stick melted butter. Process the crust mixture just enough to bind the ingredients. Press into the pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Cool and add your favorite (no bake) filling.
For a variation on pie, make a cobbler topped with a pastry sheet or lattice-like pastry strips. For a cakelike cobbler, pour your favorite muffin batter over a hot fruit filling. When hot, the filling helps cook the underside of the batter-crust quickly. Fresh fruit tastes best but you can use frozen fruit with great success or even canned fruit filling. I prefer the taste of low-sugar canned fruit filllings. Try a cherry filling with chocolate muffin topping. Or a strawberry rhubarb filling with orange muffin topping.
Raspberry Sorbet Tarts
12 (3-or 4-inch ) baked pastry rounds ( using refrigerated pastry sheets)
1-1/4 cups fresh raspberries
1/4 cup superfine sugar
2 tablespoons orange-flavoured liqueur
2 cups raspberry, chocolate, peach or honey-vanilla sorbet (1/4 cup per scoop), slightly softened
Powdered sugar
Fresh mint leaves
Bake and cool pastry rounds. In a food processor, puree 1 cup of the raspberries. (Reserve the rest for decoration.) Strain pureed raspberries through a sieve into a bowl; blend in sugar and liqueur. To serve, place 1 cookie on each of 4 plates; top with scoop of sorbet. Repeat layers once. Dust the top cookies with powdered sugar before putting into place. Spoon raspberry puree around base. Decorate with remaining raspberries and mint leaves. Makes 4 servings.
Cook’s Note: Use a round cutter with a fluted edge for a pretty presentation.
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Chocolate Tart
This recipe comes from The Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl. ‘The filling, a thick chocolate truffle cream, is saved from being too sweet by the almost savory wheatmeal crumb crust.’ The recipe, shared by a reader, was adapted from one created at Trattoria Garga in Florence. Wheatmeal biscuits are available in most supermarkets. A plump strawberry placed on each portion will compliment the rich chocolate.
1 (7 ounce) package wheatmeal (digestive) biscuits, crushed (2 cups)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons sugar
1 pound good bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened) chopped
2 cups heavy cream
3 large egg yolks
12 -inch springform pan
Invert bottom of springform pan (to make it easier to slide tart off bottom) then lock on side. Stir together crumbs, butter and sugar in a bowl until well combined. Press crust onto bottom of pan.
Melt chocolate in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove bowl from heat. Bring cream to just under a boil in a 2-to 3-quart saucepan over moderate heat. Meanwhile, lightly beat yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly add 1/2 cup hot cream to yolks, whisking constantly. Add yolk mixture to remaining cream and cook over moderate heat, whisking, until mixture registers 160 degrees F. onthermometer, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate until smooth.
Pour filling into crust. Refrigerate, loosely covered, until set, at least 2 hours. Before serving, remove side of pan. Tart can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. Serves 8.
Muffin-Top Apple Cobbler
This is a variation of a Southern Living recipe. Thaw 3 (12-ounce) packages frozen, cooked apples (such as Stouffer’s Harvest Apples) then put them into a medium baking dish. Make Muffin-Top Batter recipe below. Pour over apples baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees about 25 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Top each serving with ice cream, whipped cream or frozen yogurt. Serves 4.
Muffin-Top Batter:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup uncooked regular oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Grated rind of one orange
1 large egg, lightly beaten
In a large bowl, mix first 7 ingredients together. Whisk together milk and remaining ingredients. Pour into flour mixture; stir just until well combined.
Watch for future posts on CHOCOLATE-one of the most beloved Valentine’s Day confections in the world.
Allison Askins shares a special Valentine’s Day recipe from a local cook, and pays a visit to her kitchen. Read her story, “Just in time for Valentine’s Day, a recipe (and a kitchen) you will love.” posted Wed. February 8, 2006.
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A TASTE OF CAROLINA 