Nancy Fuller Pie Crust Food

NANCY FULLER'S DOUBLE-CRUST APPLE-CHEDDAR PIE

Steps:

• Make crust: Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine, 2 to 4 times. Add cheese and pulse to coat, 5 to 6 times. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 6 to 7 times. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until dough begins to come together.
• Divide dough into two piles (one with two-thirds of the dough, the other with one-third of the dough); wrap each with plastic wrap. Use the plastic to flatten and press dough into disks. Refrigerate until firm, 2 hours.
• Make filling and assemble: Toss together apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar in a bowl.
• Preheat oven to 425°F with the rack in the center. On a lightly floured work surface, roll larger piece of dough into a 13-inch circle. Transfer to a standard-depth 9-inch pie plate and trim to a 1-inch overhang. Chill at least 30 minutes. Transfer apples to crust.
• Roll remaining dough disk into a 12-inch circle. Lay dough over filling; trim to a 1-inch overhang. Fold the top crust under the bottom crust; crimp as desired. Place on a rimmed baking sheet; cut 5 large vents in the top.
• Brush crust with egg and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake until crust is golden brown and apples are tender, 45 to 55 minutes. (If browning too quickly, loosely cover with foil.) Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool, at least 1 hour.

SHEPHERD'S PIE WITH TATER TOT TOPPING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish.
• Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter has melted.
• Shred the potatoes and add to a medium bowl. Pour the butter-oil mixture over the potatoes, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and stir to combine. Set aside.
• In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Add the spring onions and garlic; stir, and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and the chili powder.
• Add the tomatoes, beef broth and flour. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat further and stir in the peas and Cheddar; cook until the cheese is melted. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish.
• Evenly cover the top of the casserole with the grated potato mixture and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until crisp on top and bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

PECAN PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll the pie crust into a 13-inch round, about 1/4-inch thick. Fit the crust into a 9-inch pie plate and trim the edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang underneath itself and crimp the edges. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before filling.
• Roughly chop 2 cups of the pecans by hand or in a food processor; set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the corn syrup, vanilla bean seeds and eggs. Fold in the chopped pecans and pour into the prepared pie shell. Arrange the remaining 1 cup pecan halves around the edge of the pie to make a decorative top.
• Bake until the center is set, 60 to 70 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Slice and serve with a scoop of ice cream.

CITRUS TART WITH SHORTBREAD ALMOND CRUST

Steps:

• Add the eggs and cream to a medium bowl and whisk together until combined.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar, clementine juice, grapefruit juice and cornstarch. Cook, whisking, until the sugar dissolves, 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly add the egg-cream mixture and stir to combine. Cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Pour the citrus custard into the prebaked Shortbread Almond Crust and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours or overnight.
• Remove the tart from the refrigerator, top evenly with Citrus Whipped Cream, and sprinkle with the citrus zest.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the cookies and almonds into a food processor and pulse to chop fine. Add the sugar, cinnamon and salt and pulse to combine. Drizzle in the melted butter and process until the mixture holds together.
• Press the crust into a 9-inch fluted tart pan, evenly covering the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, then bake until golden and crisp, 18 to 20 minutes.
• Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
• In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar and 1 tablespoon of the citrus zest until stiff peaks form.

FROM SCRATCH PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• For the pumpkin: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the stem from the pumpkin and scrape out the insides, discarding the seeds. Cut the pumpkin in half and lay the pieces cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Rub canola oil all over the skin and bake until fork-tender, about 1 hour. Let cool.
• For the easy pie crust: While the pumpkin is cooking, make the crust. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add in the butter and work into the dough with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in just enough cold water (4 to 5 tablespoons) with a fork just until the flour is moistened. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a ball and flatten slightly. Wrap one ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for another use.
• Roll out the remaining dough ball on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold the overhangs under and crimp decoratively. Pierce the dough all over with a fork. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
• Line the crust with foil, fill with dried beans or pie weights and bake until the sides are set, about 12 minutes. Remove the foil and beans. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• For the filling: Scoop out the pulp from the roasted pumpkin and puree in a food processor until smooth (you should have about 4 cups). Add the condensed milk, cream, cornstarch, molasses, canola oil, cinnamon, ginger, salt and eggs and combine thoroughly.
• Pour the filling into the crust and bake until the filling is set in the center, about 1 hour. Transfer the pie to a rack and cool for 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

BANANA AND COCONUT CREAM PIE WITH GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a 9-inch pie plate with butter to grease.
• In a medium bowl, stir to combine the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt, then press into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie dish. Bake until lightly golden and crisp, 12 minutes. Set aside on a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the pie: Whisk the granulated sugar and flour together in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk in the milk, coconut milk, condensed milk, coconut extract and vanilla extract. Whisking occasionally, bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then temper the egg yolks: carefully remove a cup of the hot milk mixture and whisk in the beaten eggs yolks. Add the yolk mixture to the milk and then add the butter. Remove from the heat and fold in the bananas, then transfer the pie filling to the cooled graham cracker crust.
• Cover the pie with plastic wrap, placing the wrap directly onto the surface of the filling. Chill until completely set, at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
• Whip the heavy cream and confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form, then spoon the whipped cream over the chilled pie. Garnish with toasted coconut chips and slice to serve.

FROM SCRATCH PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• For the pumpkin: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the stem from the pumpkin and scrape out the insides, discarding the seeds. Cut the pumpkin in half and lay the pieces cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Rub canola oil all over the skin and bake until fork-tender, about 1 hour. Let cool.
• For the easy pie crust: While the pumpkin is cooking, make the crust. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add in the butter and work into the dough with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in just enough cold water (4 to 5 tablespoons) with a fork just until the flour is moistened. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a ball and flatten slightly. Wrap one ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for another use.
• Roll out the remaining dough ball on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold the overhangs under and crimp decoratively. Pierce the dough all over with a fork. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
• Line the crust with foil, fill with dried beans or pie weights and bake until the sides are set, about 12 minutes. Remove the foil and beans. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• For the filling: Scoop out the pulp from the roasted pumpkin and puree in a food processor until smooth. Add the condensed milk, cream, cornstarch, molasses, canola oil, cinnamon, ginger, salt and eggs and combine thoroughly.
• Pour the filling into the crust and bake until the filling is set in the center, about 1 hour. Transfer the pie to a rack and cool for 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
• Decorate with whipped cream before serving, if using.

AUNT NANCY'S FLAKY PASTRY CRUST

Steps:

• Cut shortening into flour with a pastry blender or with two butter knives until it resembles a coarse meal.
• Add cold water gradually and mix until the flour/shortening comes together to form a ball that holds its shape and is not sticky. If necessary, add more water or flour.
• Divide ball in two, and roll each separately into a circle large enough to fit your pie pan.
• For a double crust filled pie, place one shell into pie pan. Add pie filling and top with other crust. Bake as directed on pie filling recipe.
• For 2 single crust pies, place each shell into 2 pie pans, add filling and bake as directed on pie filling recipe.
• For 2 single crust pre-baked shells, place each shell into a pie pan and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before filling.