Making Pies
Source of Recipe
Grandpoohbah
Nothing beats the smell of a fresh baked pie! We recommend using in season fruits
and vegetables to make the tastiest pies. Make strawberry, blackberry, and
raspberry pies in the summer; and apple pies in the fall! Baking pie is a rather
straightforward technique, but a few tips can only help to make your pies come out
looking and tasting perfect!
1 Preheat the oven to the temperature the recipe you are following recommends.
Most fruit pies bake at a temperature of between 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
and 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Some recipes ask to place the pie into a 450
degree F oven, then to turn the oven down to about 350 degrees F after a few
minutes. This is recommended in order to set the shapeof the crust in recipes that
contain a lot of fat; it will keep your crust from slouching
2 Baking a pie with a raw fruit filling will take at least 30 minutes total cooking time.
Berry, apple, and pear pies cook for approximately 45 minutes. When using a
pre-cooked filling, the pie will normally bake at a higher temperature for a shorter
period of time in order to thoroughly bake the crust and heat the filling up. To check
the doneness of the filling, insert a knife into the center of the pie. If it meets with little
or no resistance, the pie is done. To check the doneness of the crust, insert a knife
into the crust. If you feel the knife puncture the crust when it is inserted, the crust is
done. If the pie is not quite done but the top or edges are becoming too dark, loosely
cover the top of the pie with aluminum foil to shield it from the heat.
3 Once the pie is done cooking, carefully remove it from the oven. As the pie cools,
the filling will settle and the top will flatten out a bit. Letting the pie cool to room
temperature will also help the pie slices hold their shape when served.
Read all of our step-by-step slideshows to learn the art of making pie crust, filling,
lattice top crust, and fancy pie decorations!
The glory of pie baking lays in the seasonality of pies themselves. Pies in so many
delicious ways have come to reflect the colors and flavors of the season in which
they are baked. In summer, pies burst with raspberries, lemons, limes, coconut and
strawberries. Fall pies take on a more distinguished air with pumpkin, cranberry, fig
and pecan fillings that reflect the rich hues of autumn. When deciding what type of pie
to make this fall, let your eyes, nose and fingertips be the final decision-maker. Take
a stroll in your garden, through the fresh produce area of your local grocery store or
hunt down the local Farmer's Market (where the farmers gather to sell their fresh
grown produce) and decide for yourself which fruits and vegetables look the most
pie-licious. Bake your pies out of the freshest local produce you can find because the
tastiest pies are always those jam-packed with juicy freshness. And with
Thanksgiving just around the corner, now is the perfect time to sample some of these
delicious treats. Maybe you'll find a new pie to add to your Thanksgiving table.
Fruity, Nutty and Squish-Squashy Pie Fillings
Figs: A ripe fig will be soft to the touch yet sweet smelling. Figs give off an odor as
they ferment and soften, so it is important to smell the fig as well as gently squeeze it.
Keep your ripe figs refrigerated, it will help them keep their sweetness. If fresh figs
are not readily available but you have a craving for a scrumptious fig pie, don't
hesitate to use dried figs. A couple fundamentals to remember when buying and
cooking dried figs are: store your dried figs in an airtight container and simmer or
soak dried figs for at least 20 minutes before using them in dessert recipes. A lovely
dried fig recipe to try; Banbury Tarts
.
Pumpkin: The pumpkin that you want to make a lip-smacking pie with is the sugar or
pie pumpkin. The sugar or pie pumpkin looks a lot like a little brother to the large,
carving pumpkins. Select pumpkins that are free of spots and blemishes and feel a
little heavy when you pick them up. Pumpkin fillings are often made with pecans,
ginger, cinnamon and heavy cream. For more tips on how to cook with raw pumpkin
check out Baking with fresh pumpkin! For a freshly delicious pumpkin pie check out
Fresh Pumpkin Pie.
Cranberry: Although cranberries may be married forever to the idea of cranberry
sauce and cranberry juice in your household, they are absolutely scrumptious when
used as the main ingredient in pie filling. Their small, tart, circular redness is all but
bursting with the flavors of fall! Take a leap and give 'em a try, let these berries paint
big red smiles on you and your family's faces. One of the beautiful things about
cranberries is that they are so widely available in the winter. If you are going to buy
your cranberries and freeze them follow these simple steps for best tasting results:
rinse and pick over the cranberries, discarding any shriveled or discolored berries.
Discard any stems and let the berries dry thoroughly before packing them in canning
jars or plastic bags for freezer storage. Cranberries will stay delicious for up to 3
months. For more tips for cranberry cooking take a peak at Cranberry Cram. A
wonderful pie packed full of cranberries is the Cranberry Pie
.
Pecan: Not only is the pecan one of most delicious nuts in the world, it is also one of
the healthiest! Pecans contain cholesterol-lowering oil, vitamins, minerals and fiber -
who says desserts always have to be sinful? When buying or picking pecans choose
those that are heavy in size and don't rattle when shaken. If buying pecans already
shelled, make sure to store them in an airtight container. To keep your nuts as fresh
as possible, consider keeping them refrigerated or frozen, they'll keep for up to 3
months. When cracking those puppies open keep this measurement in mind: 1 1/2
pounds of pecans in their shells will amount to 13 1/2 ounces shelled. For a
chocolate pecan slice of heaven try the Chocolate Praline Pie.
Mincemeat: Once upon a time mincemeat dishes were indeed made with meat that
was chopped very small (minced), but as history progressed the meat in mincemeat
was (in many cases) replaced with what used to be the secondary ingredient in
mincemeat recipes - dried fruits, spices and nuts! The mincemeat that many people
know and love today is a delightful melange of fruits, nuts, spices and sometimes rum
or brandy. So get those butcher knives chopping and whip up an all-time fall
favorite... Mincemeat Pie! For a modern-day mincemeat pie try the Meatless
Mincemeat Pie.
When making pies, choose an apple with good flavor and a firm texture that holds up
well when baked. Find apples that are firm, with no blemishes or bruises, and that
feel heavy for their size. To make one 9-inch pie you'll need about 8 or 9
medium-sized apples, or approximately 3 pounds. Here is a starter list of some of the
varieties of apples that make wonderful pies. Don't be afraid to experiment with the
more exotic varieties available at farmers' markets. These apples sometimes have a
shorter shelf life but the flavors can be quite enticing. Keep in mind that some of the
best pies are made with a combination of apple varieties, so mix and match apple
types to suit your taste.
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