Pie Baking Season

Pie Baking Season

Ladies of Ant Farm Journal

74 Ant Farm

Issue Eight 75

Peace pie

recipe by samantha moats

My primary goal in following a blog is to learn something new; therefore, most of the blogs I follow are not reflections of me personally. I have followed Kirsten Rickert’s blog Magnesium Blue for almost a year now. Kirsten and I have very little in common, but I deeply respect for her lifestyle and her aesthetic.

In February, Kirsten made a Peace Pie with her daughters Maya and Elle. I never was the sort to tote peace signs about, but Kirsten has an inspiring effect. As I read her post, I knew if I ever got around to baking a homemade pie, it would most assuredly be a Peace Pie. And thanks to the Ant Farm ladies, I finally gave myself an opportunity to attempt it.

Basic Pie Crust

2/3 cups of butter 2 cups of unbleached white flour 5-6 tablespoons of cold water

Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips. Once the mixture is evenly grainy, blend water into the dough and form a ball. Let the dough sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Next, divide the ball into two equal parts: top and bottom. Roll one of the parts onto parchment paper – naturally, you may need some additional flour to prevent sticking. Prep your pie plate by greasing it with a little coconut oil; transfer the dough and trim any excess. Roll out the rest of the dough on parchment paper, then enjoy decorating the top as you please. You can use cookie cutters or try free-handing your designs.

Filling

3-4 cups of fruit ¼ cup of sugar 1 tablespoon of butter 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons of water*

*If using berries, omit water.

Use a seasonal fruit, be they berries or otherwise. If you are using apples or pears, be sure to slice the fruit thin. Combine fruit, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and water; then fill the pie with mixture. Top the pie with your decoration and pinch the edges.

Bake at 425 degrees for a total of 20 minutes, then savor each piece.

76 Ant Farm

Issue Eight 77

78 Ant Farm

Garden Blackberry Pie

Filling: 4 cups of fresh blackberries 1 cup of sugar Dash of nutmeg 1 teaspoon of lemon juice 3 tablespoons of flour

Crust: 2 cups of all-purpose flour 2/3 cup of shortening 6-7 tablespoons of cold water

To begin making the crust, stir together flour and a ½ teaspoon salt. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut in shortening until all pieces are pea-sized. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the mixture, and gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Repeat using 1 tablespoon of water at a time until all the dough is moistened. Then divide the dough in half, forming each half into a ball.

On a lightly floured surface, flatten one dough ball. Roll from center to edges into 12-inch circle. To transfer the pastry, wrap it around the rolling pin, unrolling into a 9-inch pie plate. Ease the pastry into the pie plate, being careful not to stretch the pastry.

Gently mix filling ingredients together, generously coating the blackberries. Transfer the filling to pastry-lined pie plate. Trim the pastry even with the rim of the pie plate. Roll the remaining dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter.

Place the remaining pastry over filling; trim ½ inch beyond edge of plate. Fold the top pastry under the bottom pastry, and crimp the edge as desired. Cut slits into the pie, allowing steam to escape; then brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Cover the edges of pie with foil for the first half of baking time.

Bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes.

Issue Eight 79

Pear Pie Recipe

RECIPE BY eleanor hilley

While sand pears aren’t available in our area until July, this delicious homemade treat is worth the wait.

Ingredients: Filling 1/3 cup of granulated sugar 6 cups of sliced pears 3 tbsp all-purpose flour

Crust: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 8 tbsp cold, salted butter a pinch of sugar 4 - 5 tbsp ice water

Crumb Topping 1/3 cup all-purpose topping 4 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp cold butter

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and mix the sugar and flour for the filling in a large bowl. Add pear slices and toss until completely covered. In a separate bowl, knead together pie crust ingredients and roll out flat with a rolling pin. Cover pie dish with flattened crust, and form into the crevices of the dish. Take a fork and poke small holes in the crust, all around the dish. Spoon pear filling into the newly made pastry shell.

For the crumb topping, toss flour, brown sugar, salt and cold butter with hands until mixed together and crumbly. Sprinkle over pie, and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until pears are tender and top is golden. For the last ten minutes, cover edges of pie crust with aluminum foil, to keep from over-browning (or burning). After removing, let the pie cool on a wire rack or pot holder.

Eat alongside a scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream.

80 Ant Farm

Issue Eight 81