Pie Crust 101

I know a lot of people who swear they can't make pie crust. I am convinced everyone can make it, and make it crazy flakey, so here's a pie crust primer.

Pie Crust
1 3/4 c all purpose flour
2/3 c shortening
1 tsp salt
1/3 +/- cold water

(I usually double this because I have big pie plates.)

Put the flour in a bowl, and add shortening.

Using two knives, cut the shortening in. This means you cross the knives against each other in a cutting motion.

When it looks like this, quit.

Add about 2/3 of your cold water, and use a fork to gently mix it in. If there is flour not damp, add more water. Depending on the weather, it might take a little more than the recipe calls for. That's ok! NONE of the flour should look particularly wet... mix it JUST until all the flour is exposed to water.

Like this. Don't overwork it at this stage - that's the most common problem. THIS IS PERFECT!

Using your hands, gently gather it all into a ball. Cover it with a dishcloth and put it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

When it's cold, remove half (if you're making a pie with a crust top). Carefully roll it into a ball. Don't worry about cracks, or even small pieces falling off. Put it on a very floured surface.

Roll it out with a floured rolling pin (you will need to keep adding flour along the roller to keep it from sticking). When it's the right size, roll it up onto the rolling pin. Use a metal spatula to help get it unstuck if necessary - gently!

Fill with yummy goodness! This is apples. Repeat for the top crust.

Make sure to cut some vent lines (or a nice design). Trim off the overhanging crust. Bake it per your recipe - for apple I bake it at 425 for about 45 min. Cover the top with a loose piece of foil if it gets brown before the apples (or fruit) are soft.

Now for the best part! CINNAMON CRISPIES!

Cut the dough edges that you removed from the pie into 3-4" sections and place on a baking sheet. DON'T reroll them or do anything to them. Just cut the scraps up and put it on the sheet. Brush with a little melted butter, then top with cinnamon sugar.

Remove from the oven when they're golden brown and eat hot (you can see some are gone from this cookie sheet, and they just came out of the oven!).

See all those layers? That's because we didn't overwork the dough. The pie crust is just like that... YUMMY DELICIOUSNESS!

You can do it! I believe in you!

Let me know how it goes...!

Biscoff Nutella Cheesecake

First a word on photography.... I love photography. I love to photograph skies, zebras, the African plain, children in the slums, my family  on vacation. I do not love to photograph food or remodeling projects, when by "photograph" we mean, basically, a still life. My good camera, perfect lighting and focus, and all that. There are bloggers who do that, and do it beautifully (like Ree, the Pioneer Woman). So I am going to start a new blogging food photograph genre...

Like this... this is fun... Especially since I was in Africa, not at a zoo...

THE IPHONE PHOTO FOOD BLOG

It's fast. It's easy. I email it to myself and I'm done. Seriously, how can you beat that? Who has time in mid-cooking (besides Ree) to figure out all that technical stuff? I'm always in too much of a hurry for that (because of my patience issues...). So that's it. If you have a problem with my pictures, please direct your inquiries to Apple. The End.

NOW, for the recipe for this fabulously delicious cheesecake I invented last week. Illustrated by my fabulous iPhone. (This is not a paid endorsement, although if they wanted to give me free Apple products for life, who am I to complain...)

BISCOFF NUTELLA CHEESECAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

1 package Biscoff cookies, processed in a food processor to crumbs

1 stick of butter, melted

3 blocks lite cream cheese, at room temperature

1 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 c flour

2 lg egg yolks

1 whole lg egg

1/2 c 1% milk

13 oz Nutella 

Mix the Biscoff and butter, and press into the bottom of a springform pan. You can use the bottom of a glass to press it, and it can go up the sides some if needed. Bake for 10 minutes.

In a mixer bowl (preferably one with a flat paddle) blend the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and flour until just combined. Add the egg and blend until just combined. Add the milk and Nutella and beat on medium until completely combined. This can take a good long while!

Pour into the springform pan. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake 1 1/2 hours or until the center doesn't jiggle when you shake the pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

And when you eat it (bottom right of my very strangely arranged photos here...), it is absolutely AMAZING. Sinful. Crazy. Wonderful. All those words that describe yummy deliciousness.

You can use a nicer plate, though... My paper plate doesn't do it justice, but with our pantry remodel going on, I was avoiding more dishes.

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Chip Bread

Fall has arrived, and as always, it's accompanied by an overwhelming need to bake. I don't bake much in general, not because I don't like to or don't like baked goods, but because I have a hard time getting over all the butter, oil, sugar, cream and other deliciousness (did I mention butter?). But sometimes you've just gotta do it, and early October is that time. (Maybe if I only clog my arteries one month a year, it won't count...)

So today I decided to make Sweet Potato Cinnamon Chip Bread. Now, I have a serious love of cinnamon... both to eat and to smell. And while I can't stand sweet potatoes on a plate, in a baked delight they are, well, delightful. So here's the recipe:

4 eggs

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups canned organic sweet potato

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

          3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups cinnamon chips

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil in a large bowl until thoroughly blended.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, salt, and nutmeg into the pumpkin mixture.  

Fold in the cinnamon chips.

Divide the batter between 2 greased 8 x 4 x 2 inch pans.

Bake for 80 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. (takes a long time - I finally put them on convection at 325, but it took at least 95 min total!)

 Here's what they looked like when they came out of the oven

Cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Cool completely before slicing.

 This is a good idea if your family is like mine and can't wait for things to cool...

Enjoy!!!

Update - Just had a piece as a post dinner treat, and it is DE-licious! Moist. Spicy. Cinnamony. Crispy cinnamon chips on the edges... Wow.