Thanksgiving Dinner Party Part 1: Dessert

I have so much to share with you guys about our Thanksgiving dinner party I don’t even know where to begin.  I decided to break it down into parts so that neither you nor I will get overwhelmed J First, we’re going to talk dessert…more specifically, PIES.  Then, I will post Part 2: The Turkey And All That Goes With It.

This post will reveal my family’s tried-and-true pie crust recipe.  I’ll be back ASAP with pumpkin and pecan pie how-tos.  Stay tuned!  But for now, let me tell you a few details about my Thanksgiving dinner party…

As usual, I took on a little more responsibility than I bargained for…but I pulled it off in the knick of time.  It was a learning experience and, most importantly, really fun!  They say never to try anything new on guests, and “they” are probably right…but who’s gonna cook a turkey, make homemade gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin and pecan pie for a Monday night dinner?!  Not I, I assure you.

It all started Wednesday night when I called Maw Maw to get her “recipes.”  It was hilarious, because she called me at least five times after we hung up the phone with one another to tell me things she had forgotten and things she had accidentally lied to me about J The problem is, she does it all by heart and could cook a turkey in her sleep while stirring the gravy and fixing the cornbread dressing.  I don’t think she’s had to verbalize her recipes EVER, and to ask her to reveal a multitude at one time was probably a little bit much.  Nevertheless, she did it, and because of her, the party was a success!

I decided to start this Thanksgiving-themed-post-marathon with dessert first because, in all honesty, dessert is almost always my favorite part of the meal.  I made the decision to make good ole’ pumpkin pie and pecan pie.  The whole Paula Deen Pumpkin Cheesecake sounded good in theory, but like I stated earlier, I bit off a little more than I could chew, so there was no time for the unknown (I was already cooking a turkey and making gravy from scratch J).

Ok, enough babbling.  First thing’s first…THE CRUST.

You cannot make a great pie without first making an amazing pie crust.  It wouldn’t matter if the filling were perfection if the crust was a disaster.  I’ve tried many pie crust recipes, but this is one I can always count on.  It is tried and true and has been around for at least 80 years…and it personifies the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

So, ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, Bea Bea’s Pie Crust...

 You will need:  vegetable shortening, butter, flour, sugar, salt, and ice water.

**Note:  You may make this pie crust in your food processor.  It saves lots of time.  I returned mine (long story that I'll save for later), so that's why I did it by hand.  If I had a food processor, I wouldn't hesitate to use it.

Measure out two cups of flour and put it in a medium-sized bowl.

Be sure to level off your flour.  This step will guarantee that your dough will have the right consistency.

Next, add in 3/4 teaspoons of salt and a pinch (or two) of sugar.

Measure out 3 tablespoons of vegetable shortening.

**Very important:  Your vegetable shortening and butter MUST be cold!!  I'll explain why later.

 I put mine in the freezer while I'm working on the butter...

 Remove your cold butter from the refrigerator.

 Cut it into small cubes.

 Remove the vegetable shortening from the freezer and add it into the bowl along with your cubed butter.

 Pull out your pastry cutter (or go buy yourself one if you don't have one)!

They are inexpensive and will save you SO much time and frustration when making crust of any sort!  If you don't have one, you can use 2 knives to do the same job, but believe me...it takes SO much longer!!

 "Cut" the butter and shortening into the flour until you get a "coarse meal."

(If you are doing this in a food processor, pulse the dough until you get the same texture).

 Like this.

(You basically don't want any large chunks of butter or shortening left in your mixture).

It takes a few minutes of intense "cutting" to get a "coarse meal" consistency...by the end your triceps will be yelling at you.

 Pour in 1/4 cup of ice water (or a little more if your dough won't cooperate) and mix together until just combined.

(If using a food processor, turn it "on" and slowly pour in the ice water.  Continue to blend until the dough forms a ball.)

 You want to add just enough water until you can squeeze the dough with your hand and it sticks together like this.

Next, pour the dough onto a cutting board and work with it until it forms a ball.

 Put it in a large ziplock bag.

Then, using a rolling pen, smack it a few times.

Then roll it out a little.

This will help make your life easier when you roll out your dough.

You see those little white specks throughout the dough?  They are your best friend when making pie crust.  You’ve probably heard people say, “Make sure you work quickly when making the crust.  You don’t want the butter to melt.”  Here’s why…

Cold chunks of butter and shortening in the dough guarantee a flaky pie crust.  When the cold chunks of butter/shortening are put into the oven, they expand, causing tiny air pockets to form in the crust. 

Air pockets = flaky pie crust

If your butter and shortening were to melt into your crust, there would be no air pockets. 

No air pockets = a dense, chewy, non-flaky pie crust

So, heed the experts’ warnings and start with cold ingredients and work quickly to ensure your crust turns out flaky!

 Then place your dough into the refrigerator and allow to chill for 30 minutes or so.

At this point, you may freeze your dough and pull it out whenever you need it.  Just let it thaw on the countertop for a bit before you attempt to roll it out.

When your dough is ready to roll out, flour your surface with flour.

Flour is your friend!  Don't be afraid to use it to keep the dough from sticking. 

There's no point in making pie crust if you can't get it off of the counter.

Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour...

...and your rolling pen.

Begin rolling it out working from the center out.

Don't roll it back and forth and back and forth.  Simply roll from the center out to the edge, then rotate it 90 degrees.

Like this.

Continue to repeat, turning it over and adding more flour to your surfaces if you need to, until it reaches your desired thickness.  I like mine relatively thin.

I'd say 1/4 inch or so.

...I'm guessing.

I wish I had taken more pictures of this process.  But, by this point, I was in a huge hurry.

Place your rolling pen on one edge of your rolled out dough.  Fold the dough over your pen and continue to roll your pen towards the center of the dough until it is almost all rolled around your rolling pen.  

(This is a huge help when trying to transfer your crust to your pie pan).

Then, starting on one edge of your pie pan, unroll the dough so that it covers the pan.

Did that make any sense at all or is that my no-sleep-since-seven-a.m.-yesterday-morning talking?

Anyway...

Work with it until the pie pan is completely covered.  If you make a mistake and tear it, just add a little piece of extra dough to patch it like I did.  It won't change the flavor a bit and no one will ever know your pie crust had any imperfections whatsoever because we are going to hide it with fancy leaves.

(I'll show you a step-by-step how-to in the next post - it is much easier than it looks).

Finally, prick your crust all over with a fork.  This step prevents your pie crust from bubbling up and keeps it nice and flat under your filling.

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Like I said, I'll be back soon with pumpkin and pecan pie how tos so stay tuned!!

It's 8:21 a.m. and I worked last night...so needless to say, my eyelids are starting to get really heavy.  I work almost every day up until Thanksgiving, but I'll find the time.  It's all about prioritizing, right?  Who says laundry is more important than blogging??  Not I J

Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you guys again soon!  

HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING WEEK!!!  ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS, BECAUSE THEY ARE GOING TO BE GONE BEFORE WE KNOW IT!!!

Bea Bea's Pie Crust

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 pinch sugar

3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled or frozen

1 stick butter, chilled or frozen, and chopped into small cubes

1/4 cup (or a little more) of ice water

In a food processor or medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, salt, and sugar.  Add in the shortening and butter and pulse until you get a coarse meal (or use a pastry cutter).  With the food processor running, stream in the ice water until the dough forms a ball on the side of the machine (or mix until ingredients are blended).  Pour dough out onto cutting board and form into a ball.  Place in ziplock bag.  Pound dough ball flat to create a disk.  Roll out about 1 inch thick.  Place dough in refrigerator for about 30 minutes (or freeze until you need it).  Pull the dough out when ready to use and roll out until it is 1/4 inch thick.  Transfer to pie pan and pierce the entire surface of the dough with a fork.