MetaChat - Pie in the Sky

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03 October 2005

Pie in the Sky I made a mostly margarine and vegetable shortening pie crust (dairy free ya know) and as this is really my first experience doing this, any tips I should know? I'll be buying a rolling pin tonight and I have a huge bag of apples I picked at this orchard.

Help me get fatter via pie.

post by: Mrs.Pants at: 15:30 | 26 comments

use a lot of fat and make sure to chill it
i made a peanut butter oatmeal chocloate thing that is surprisingly healthy
i call it cookie thing
it's holding up mighty well for being two days old

posted by ethylene 03 October | 15:32

Help me get fatter via pie.
Step one, throw out the margarine before it accidentally gets mixed in with your food, and use lard.

posted by Wolfdog 03 October | 15:32

I would Wolfdog but I'm a lactose intolerant veggie. Annoying eh?

posted by Mrs.Pants 03 October | 15:33

It comes from leafy, green lard plants. Don't sweat it.

posted by Wolfdog 03 October | 15:35

i would never sweat my leaf lard

posted by ethylene 03 October | 15:36

My best apple pies are always made with a variety of apples, some sweeter and some more tart. But definitely add lemon juice, it really brings out their flavor.

I'd also recommend brushing the crust with a little water and sprinkling cinnamon sugar on top just after baking, to disguise the lack of butter.

posted by cali 03 October | 15:38

i always heard it was pears

posted by ethylene 03 October | 15:39

I have not pie tips, although two things occured upon my reading your post: 1. The song "eye in the sky" by the alan parsons project started playing in my head and won't stop. 2. I read margarine as migraine. They may be related.

posted by safetyfork 03 October | 15:41

aww, man, now it's in my head

posted by ethylene 03 October | 15:43

[only tangentally related: i have a ridiculous amount of limes i will end up pitching at people]

posted by ethylene 03 October | 15:45

Sorry, eth! and good luck to you mrs. pants. Pie is to difficult for me to make. Good on you for even attempting it.

posted by safetyfork 03 October | 15:51

This "o" fell out somewhere up there.

posted by safetyfork 03 October | 15:52

Pie dough depends on discrete tiny chunks of "fat" mixed in. If you're working with soft fats or oil, keep everything really cold, mix all the dry ingredients thoroughly, and add the oil in drops. Be careful to keep from "smushing" the oil into the flour and salt.

Use icewater, and be VERY gentle. roll it out slowly, and put the dough back into the refrigerator at least once during the roll-out part. If you roll it out quickly, the oil drops will get "smushed". If you're not careful, you'll make cardboard pie crust.

Tender crusts are very possible using this slower approach; you just have to take the properties of the ingredients into consideration.

Have fun, and don't sweeten the apples too much. It's easier to add sugar at the table than remove it.

:)

posted by reflecked 03 October | 15:56

I'll let you all know how it goes!

posted by Mrs.Pants 03 October | 15:57

≡ Click to see image ≡

posted by dodgygeezer 03 October | 16:27

I'm more into tarts, myself.

posted by me3dia 03 October | 16:34

Get a rolling pin that you can chill.

posted by puddinghead 03 October | 16:50

Yeah, I'll bet you're into tarts, me3dia.

posted by Specklet 03 October | 17:18

Do what Alton tells you.

posted by mudpuppie 03 October | 17:31

he is the human version of vanilla
but fresh vanilla with a bite

posted by ethylene 03 October | 17:37

Pie update needed!

posted by cali 04 October | 02:43

Wish I could help with advice, but pastry and icing are my Waterloo when it comes to cooking. My pie crusts taste okay, but they look like hell. I've given up and started buying pre-made. Sigh.

posted by Orange Swan 04 October | 09:10

results = not so good.

≡ Click to see image ≡
edible, but not really that great.

damn

posted by Mrs.Pants 04 October | 10:38

What went wrong? Was it the crust? The apples? It looks pretty darn good in the photo though...

posted by iconomy 04 October | 10:50

The crust came out too dense and bread-y. Just really dense and flavorless. The apples came out fine but they overflowed and made a pool of smoking goop on the bottom of my oven and filled my apt with smoke.

first try tho. i'll get it right eventually!

posted by Mrs.Pants 04 October | 10:59

Consider alternatives to a rolled crust, mrs.pants. Have you ever made a cracker-crust?

You can lightly toast the flour, mix the cooled flour with a 1:5 proportion of sugar, add small amounts of margarine (Olivini?) until it will hold shape when pressed. You can press a crust into a pie pan using this method.

It really is a very delicate operation to make an oil crust. You have to have a feel for how much stress the dough is taking. Every time you roll or press or stretch the flour, the gluten (which is where the bready texture comes from) is developed.

:) There's always Apple Crisp. Top the cooked apples with a mix of rolled oats, sugar and the fat of your choice, lightly toss the topping, top the apples, and bake at 325F for 20 minutes.

posted by reflecked 04 October | 15:03

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