There’s an old saying: Easy as pie. There’s a reason the saying was relateable: making a pie is easy! It’s especially easy today.
If you’re new to baking, all you need to know are 3 BASIC STEPS:
- Put crust in pie dish.
- Add filling.
- Bake.
It’s that easy.
Now that you know how to make a pie, let’s elaborate slightly.
CRUST
I prefer homemade crust, but for a novice, or someone with a full schedule, you can pick up pre-made, pre-rolled crusts in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. And they’re good! You can keep them in the refrigerator or even freeze them until needed. You literally open the package, remove one crust (they generally come with 2 crusts per package) and lay it down on a pie dish.
Feeling adventurous? Nothing is as good as a flaky, homemade crust. I use the recipe that my mother and surrogate grandmother used. Our recipe makes 6 balls of dough so we freeze the extras for a fast meal or dessert later.
Make the dough. Flour a flat surface and roll the dough out.
You can tell when you’re done because the crust will be larger than the pie dish.
TIP: Roll the crust around the rolling pin to pick it up and unroll it onto the pie dish. This prevents tearing. (Got a tear? No worries, you can patch it with dough remnants.)
The edges can be cut off even with the pie dish, forked, pinched or just laid over the top of the filling for a rustic look.
Whichever method you choose, your pies will be beautiful and delicious!
FILLING
Let’s start with the easiest: buy fruit filling at the grocery store. There’s one for every taste: Strawberry, blueberry, cherry, peach, apple and even Bavarian Cream. There are non-GMO fillings. There are fillings in cans, jars and tubes. The variety will keep you making pies for months with little to no effort.
Open the container, add it to your crust, and bake. You have pie!
CUSTARD
Custard is easy: mix 2 eggs and 2 cups cream. (Whip it. Whip it good.)
Now, add sugar and it’s a sweet custard. Add salt and pepper (and even some herbs) and it’s savory custard.
Why do you care? Well, if you want a strawberry custard pie, you go for the sweet custard. If you want a quiche – with bacon, mushrooms, or chicken, broccoli and cheese – you want the savory custard. Use your imagination.
BE CREATIVE
- Irene used to make a taco pie. Instead of the standard crust, she would press crescent roll triangles into the bottom of the dish. Then she would brown hamburger and onion with taco seasoning and put it in the pie shell. She would add a can of black beans or pinto beans, cheddar cheese and bake. You can also add jalapenos and top with salsa, sour cream and crushed taco chips.
- Open a can of Dinty Moore stew and pour it in a pie shell. Top with mashed potatoes for an easy Shepherd’s Pie.
- Have leftover macaroni and cheese? Add some chopped ham or bacon and put it in a pie shell.
Think about making a Reuben Pie (corned beef, sauer kraut and swiss cheese), or a Pot Pie (Turkey or chicken and some cooked vegetables). The list is endless and with a crust, some leftovers and imagination, you’ll be making pies in no time.
