Pies

Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor’s Onion Pie

Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor’s Onion Pie
Source of Recipe
Cooking New York Times
Serves/Makes/Yields
Serves 8

Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor’s 1970 cookbook, “Vibration Cooking, or the Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl,” combined memoir and recipes in a new way, and introduced many readers to a brilliant new voice in American food culture. This onion-pie recipe is like many of her recipes, simple and deeply satisfying home cooking rooted in the South, but with a truly global point of view. If you want, you can toss a handful of cooked ham or grated cheese or fresh chopped herbs into the mix before putting it in the oven.

Apple-Cranberry Pie

Recipe Photo: Apple-Cranberry Pie
Source of Recipe
Published November 1, 2007. From Cook's Illustrated.
Serves/Makes/Yields
Makes one 9-inch pie

Adding cranberries to an apple pie can result in out-of-balance flavors. Cranberries in an apple pie can overwhelm the subtle perfume of the apples and shed a lot of liquid, making for a soggy bottom crust. We wanted to find a way to combine these two classic fall fruits so that the full flavor of both came through and the crust remained crisp. Cooking the cranberries with a little sugar in a saucepan allowed the berries to completely break down (whole berries delivered a sour burst in the mouth) and the cranberry juice to thicken, eliminating the soggy crust.

Blueberry Pie

Recipe Photo: Blueberry Pie
Source of Recipe
Published July 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.
Serves/Makes/Yields
Makes one 9-inch pie

This recipe was developed using fresh blueberries, but unthawed frozen blueberries (our favorite brands are Wyman’s and Cascadian Farm) will work as well. In step 4, cook half the frozen berries over medium-high heat, without mashing, until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, 12 to 15 minutes. Grind the tapioca to a powder in a spice grinder or mini food processor. If using pearl tapioca, reduce the amount to 5 teaspoons. Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor; do not substitute.

Sweet Cherry Pie

Recipe Photo: Sweet Cherry Pie
Source of Recipe
Published July 1, 2010. From Cook's Illustrated.
Serves/Makes/Yields
one 9-inch pie serving 8

Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor—do not substitute. This dough will be moister and more supple than most standard pie dough and will require more flour to roll out (up to 1/4 cup). The tapioca should be measured first, then ground in a coffee grinder or food processor for 30 seconds. If you are using frozen fruit, measure it frozen, but let it thaw before making the filling; if you don’t, you run the risk of partially cooked fruit and undissolved tapioca.

Lime Tart with Blackberries and Blueberries

Recipe Photo: Lime Tart with Blackberries and Blueberries
Source of Recipe
Bon Appétit | June 2010 by Cindy Mushet
Serves/Makes/Yields
8 to 10 servings

A press-in crust makes this party-worthy dessert easy to put together. For a pretty presentation, don't cover the lime curd completely with berries. The contrast between the dark berries and the bright lime curd is striking.

Foolproof Pie Dough

Recipe Photo: Foolproof Pie Dough
Source of Recipe
Published November 1, 2007. From Cook's Illustrated.
Serves/Makes/Yields
one 9-inch Single-Crust Pie

Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor—do not substitute. This dough will be moister and more supple than most standard pie doughs and will require more flour to roll out (up to 1/4 cup).

Foolproof Pie Dough for a Single-Crust Pie

Recipe Photo: Foolproof Pie Dough for a Single-Crust Pie
Source of Recipe
Published November 1, 2007. From Cook's Illustrated.
Serves/Makes/Yields
one 9-inch Single-Crust Pie

Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor—do not substitute. This dough will be moister and more supple than most standard pie doughs and will require more flour to roll out (up to 1/4 cup).

Pre-Baked Pie Shell

Recipe Photo: Pre-Baked Pie Shell
Source of Recipe
Cook's, Published September 1, 1997
Serves/Makes/Yields
8- to 9-inch single pie shell

Once the pan is in the oven, leave the foil lining and weights in place until the dough loses its wet look, turns an off-white from its original pale yellow, and the edges just start to take on a very light brown color. Carefully (the dough is hot) touch the side of the shell to make sure that the crust is set: firm and able to hold itself up. If you remove the weights too soon, the dough sides will slip down, ruining the pie shell.

Quick Dutch Apple Crisp

Recipe Photo: Quick Dutch Apple Crisp
Source of Recipe
Cook's, November 1, 2000
Serves/Makes/Yields
8

This quick variation on our Dutch Apple Pie eliminates the pie crust, allowing you to have dessert on the table in less than an hour. 

Butter-Shortening Food Processor Crust and Mixed Blueberry Filling

Butter-Shortening Food Processor Crust and Mixed Blueberry Filling
Source of Recipe
The Boston Globe, July 15, 2009
Serves/Makes/Yields
Makes enough for one high 9-inch pie

The quality of a woman’s pies used to matter. Every good baker had a crust she knew by heart because she made pies all the time. Her pies broadcast her skills. Those fruit-filled crusts were made with lard rendered from her own pigs (later the fat was bought from the local butcher), or lard combined with butter (also made on the farm), a method suggested in cookbooks as far back as 1796. In the early 20th century, two brands of solid vegetable shortening hit the market. First came Crisco, then Spry.