Apple-Blackberry Pie

Recently I picked up some blackberries at the local farmer's market.  I intended to make a peach and blackberry pie, but none of the peaches at the local groceries were ripe enough to make for a good pie (they were all too hard, and would need a few days to ripen and soften).  That being the case, I instead used apples.  The Granny Smith apples in the grocery looked good, and I knew they are good for baking, so that's what I went with.

I didn't have a specific recipe for a pie using both apples and blackberries, so I had to extrapolate from what I did have, then wing it.  I knew the juicy blackberries would release a lot of liquid, which meant I'd need to add a fair amount of thickener in order for the filling to set at all.  I wasn't sure exactly how much, though.  I went with two tablespoons of ground instant tapioca, but that didn't turn out to be quite enough.  My first pie was delicious, but the filling hadn't set as much as I'd liked, which made it difficult to cut a piece that retained any shape.   Thankfully, I had enough blackberries for two pies, so I made a second one, this time using 3 tablespoons of the tapioca.   That did the trick. 

Juli and I ate some from the first pie, and I took the rest to work to share with my coworkers.  Juli brought the other one to a church function, where it was very well-received.   I learned that apples and blackberries together made for a really nice, flavorful pie.  I'm sure I'll be using that combination again.

Apple-Blackberry Pie

yield = 1 pie

3                     cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2                     tablespoons + 1 cup + 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated
                          sugar
1                     teaspoon + 1 pinch table salt
7                     teaspoons vegetable shortening, chilled
10                   tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch slices
                         and frozen
10                   tablespoons ice water
6                     cups peeled, sliced Granny Smith apples
1 1/2               cups fresh blackberries
1                     tablespoon lemon juice
3/4                  teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8                  teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg
3                     tablespoons instant tapioca, ground fine
1                     egg yolk

Add flour, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt to a food processor.  Pulse to combine.  Add shortening and process until the mixture has a texture like coarse sand.  Add butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with some small (pea-size) bits of butter.  Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl.

Sprinkle five tablespoons of ice water over the mixture, then use a rubber spatula to fold the water into the flour mixture.  Sprinkle with the remaining water and continue folding to combine until the dough starts to hold together when pressed (add a bit more ice water, one tablespoon at a time, if necessary).  The dough will still be quite moist.  Turn the dough onto a clean, dry work surface.  Gather it together into a ball, then divide it into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other.  Flatten each piece into a thick disc, wrap separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours. 

Remove the smaller piece of dough from the refrigerator.  Roll the smaller dough piece on a lightly-floured work surface.  Transfer to a pie plate that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Working around the circumference of the plate, ease the dough into the plate, leaving a bit of overhang.  Refrigerate the dough-lined plate for about 30 minutes.

Roll out the larger piece of dough and cut into 1-inch strips using a fluted pastry wheel or pizza cutter and a straight edge.  Arrange dough strips on a cookie sheet and refrigerate.  Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position.  Place a cookie sheet on the oven rack and preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Toss apple slices, blackberries, lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, a pinch of salt and the ground tapioca.  Spoon apple mixture into the dough-lined plate, using a spatula to spread it to the edges of the pie plate and leaving a bit more filling mounded in the center. 

Lay the dough strips atop the filling, weaving them over/under to make a lattice.  Trim off overhanging dough strips, fold the overhanging dough over the strips and crimp to seal.

Beat the egg yolk with one tablespoon of water.  Combine 1 1/2 teaspoons and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl, stirring to mix.  Brush the lattice top and edge of the pie with the egg mixture, then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. 

Place the assembled pie on the preheated baking sheet and bake until the crust has started to brown (about 25 minutes).  Rotate pie, reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees and continue to bake until the crust is a deep golden brown and the filling is bubbly (about 30-35 minutes longer).  Cool on a wire rack 2 hours before serving. 

Blueberry Pie

Although it was very hot last weekend, I decided it was time to make another pie.  My goals were to make a different kind of pie, and to make a more traditional pie crust, rather than relying on the excellent but somewhat fussy vodka pie crust made famous by Cook's Illustrated.  I decided to make a blueberry pie, so I consulted various sources before coming up with my own recipes for the dough and the filling. 

The crust was pretty easy, really, as most of the recipes didn't differ a lot.  The biggest points of difference were in regard to the amount of sugar to use and whether to use butter, shortening or a mix of both.  I went with butter, and decided to go with a modest amount of sugar since I was planning to top the pie with a sprinkling of sugar.  There were a lot more decisions to make regarding the filling.  

Many recipes required nothing in the filling but blueberries, a bit of lemon juice, a thickener of some sort and a bit of seasoning though they differed markedly in regard to the types of seasoning.   Different thickeners were also recommended, including flour, cornstarch and tapioca.  I went with tapioca, having gotten good results with it in the past.  I also decided to use some grated apple along with the blueberries, as I knew from experience that the apple helped absorb some of the juices and served as a supplemental thickener.  For seasonings, I went with the traditional - cinnamon, a bit of salt and a few pats of butter - but I used a bit more cinnamon than some recipes call for, and also used a bit of fresh-ground nutmeg.  Juli's father calls the nutmeg his "secret weapon" for pie fillings, and given how good his pies are, that was enough for me.   I also used lemon zest along with lemon juice, as had some of the recipes I consulted, and cooked some of the blueberries down ahead of time, to make for a thicker filling and also to concentrate the flavor somewhat.

I was very, very pleased with this pie.  It looked great, with nice, golden-brown crust.  The filling bubbled over the crust in a few places, but that just served to make the pie look more juicy.  When I first cut some slices for me and Juli, the filling was a bit more runny than I'd have preferred, but the pie was still quite warm even after cooling for about 4 hours, mostly because the house was pretty warm (our air conditioning still isn't working very well).

I put the pie in the fridge overnight, and subsequent slices turned out great, with much firmer filling.   I served the first slices with a bit of vanilla ice cream, which was predictably great, but I had one for lunch the next day without ice cream and it was just as good on its own.

I thought the pie tasted great, too - as good as any blueberry pie I've ever had.  I took most of the pie to work, and based on how quickly it disappeared, and on the comments I got, I'd say my coworkers were also very pleased.  However, Juli found it a bit sour, saying she could taste the lemon flavor more than the blueberries.  She's not as fond of tartness as I am, but if you are also not much for sour flavor, you might want to cut back some on the lemon juice and zest if you make this pie.  I hope some of you will make it, though, with or without the recommended amounts of lemon.  Based on my results, I predict that if you make this, you will be pleased. 

Blueberry Pie

Pie Dough
2 1/2             cups unbleached, all purpose flour (+ extra for rolling)
1                   teaspoon table salt
1                   teaspoon granulated sugar
1                   cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4                cup + 2-3 tablespoons ice water

Blueberry Filling
6                   cups fresh blueberries
1                   Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated
3/4                cup granulated sugar + extra for sprinkling
2                   tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca, finely ground
1                   tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2                   teaspoons fresh lemon zest
1/2                teaspoon cinnamon
1/8                teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
1                   pinch table salt
1                   large egg yolk
1                   tablespoon heavy cream
2                   tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:
Making the Pie Dough

Pulse flour, salt and sugar in a food processor.  Add butter and pulse a few times, until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Drizzle 1/4 + 2 tablespoons water and pulse until the mixture just begins to cohere.  If the dough is too dry to start to come together, add 1 more tablespoon water and pulse.

Lay out two sheets of plastic wrap.   Halve the dough and place half on each sheet of plastic wrap.  Gather the dough into two balls, wrap loosely in the plastic and press each into a disc with a rolling pin or by hand.  Refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to one day.

Assembling the Pie, Part 1:  Bottom Crust
Prepare a pie plate by spraying with nonstick baking spray.

Lay out a piece of waxed or parchment paper.  Sprinkle with a generous amount of flour.   Remove one dough disc from the refrigerator.  Unwrap and place in the middle of the parchment paper.  Roll the dough out into a large circle (11 inches for 9" pie plate, 12 inches for 10" pie plate).  Roll the dough loosely around the rolling pin and unroll into the pie plate, leaving an inch or so overhang on each side.  Ease dough into the plate by gently lifting the edge of the dough with one hand while pressing the dough down into the plate with the other, moving around the circumference.  Place pie plate with dough in the refrigerator.

Adjust oven rack to lowest position.  Place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Making the Blueberry Filling

Add 3 cups of the blueberries to a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Using a potato masher or the side of a wooden spoon, mash berries several times to release juices.  Continue to cook, stirring frequently and continuing to mash, until the berries are about halfway broken down and the mixture has reduced and thickened significantly. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Dry grated apple by wrapping it in a kitchen towel or two layers of paper towels and wringing dry.  Transfer apple to a large bowl.  Add the remainder of the berries, 3/4 cup sugar, ground tapioca, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Pour the cooked blueberries atop the other ingredients and stir to combine. 

Add egg yolk and cream to a small bowl.  Beat together with a fork. Set aside.

Assembling the Pie, Part 2:  Top Crust and Filling
Remove the pie plate with bottom crust from the refrigerator.  Set aside.  Lay out another sheet of waxed or parchment paper, sprinkle with flour, remove second dough disc from the refrigerator and roll it out as detailed above.  Slice the dough into 3/4-inch strips. 

Pour blueberry filling into the bottom crust, with the middle somewhat piled up.  Scatter the butter pieces over the filling, then press them into the filling. 

Lightly brush the edges of the bottom crust with water.  Carefully arrange the dough strips on top, weaving to form a lattice.   Trim strips to 1-inch overhang and press the strips into the bottom crust.  Fold overhang inward, then crimp with the tines of a fork or by hand to make a decorative edge to the pie crust.  Brush the top of the dough strips and the edge of the crust with the egg mixture, then sprinkle the dough strips and crust modestly with sugar. 

Baking the Pie
Transfer pie plate to the heated baking sheet in the oven.  Cook about 20 minutes or until the crust begins to brown.  Top pie with a pie shield to prevent over-browning, if desired).  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue until the crust is a deep golden brown and the juices bubble around the lattice crust, another 55-60 minutes.  (Remove the pie shield, if used, during the last 10 minutes of cooking time). 

Transfer pie plate to a wire rack and allow to cool completely, around 3 hours, until serving.  If the room temperature is warm, transfer pie to refrigerator for an hour or so before serving.   Slice and serve.

NOTES:
For good results with the dough, it is important that it not be too warm as you make it and work with it.  That's why the directions call for chilled butter and ice water, why the pie dough is refrigerated, and that's also why I recommend refrigerating the bottom crust before assembling the pie.  If your home is really warm, you might even want to refrigerate the assembled pie for 15-30 minutes before baking it. 

Cherry-Apple Pie

Over the recent holiday weekend, I decided it was time to bake a pie again.    I decided to stick with the tried-and-true Cook's Illustrated vodka pie crust recipe, but to experiment some with the filling.   The local stores have been having good cherries for awhile now, so I decided to do a cherry pie, but I wanted it to be different from the last cherry pie I made.  I decided to grate a couple apples in a box grater to make a Cherry-Apple Pie.  I also decided it was time to try my hand at topping a pie with a lattice crust.

Things went together great.  The pie looked great, and more importantly, it tasted great.   I was a bit worried about how the filling would turn out, because I didn't realize until the pie was half-baked that I'd forgotten to add a thickener, but I needn't have worried too much.   The filling was just a tiny bit juicy, but not to a degree that was really problematic.  Still, I corrected that oversight in the recipe below.  

There's really not a lot else to say about this one.  It turned out well, and I've had enough pie successes now that I think I'm ready to try my hand at a more traditional pie crust next time, instead of sticking with the tried-and-true Cook's Illustrated standard.

Cherry-Apple PieCook's Illustrated's Famous Foolproof Pie Dough
2 1/2      cups unbleached all-purpose flour + more for work
                 surface
2            tablespoons granulated sugar
1            teaspoon table salt
12          tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into thin slices
1/2         cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 8 small pieces
1/4         cup cold water
1/4         cup vodka, chilled

Filling
4            cups fresh, pitted sweet cherries
2            sweet apples (I used Pink Lady), peeled and grated
                on the large holes of a box grater
1/2         cup granulated sugar + more to sprinkle
1            tablespoon instant tapioca, ground
1            tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/2         teaspoon ground cinnamon + more to sprinkle
1/8         teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
1/8         teaspoon table salt

Assembly
1            large egg yolk
2            tablespoons half-and-half


Making the Dough:
Process 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar and salt in food processor until combined, then add butter and shortening.   Process until dough just starts to collect in clumps, about 15 seconds (the dough will resemble cottage cheese curds).  Scrape down bowl with a rubber spatula and distribute it evenly around the processor blade.  Add remaining cup flour and pulse until the mixture is evenly distributed around the bowl and the dough mass has broken up.   Empty mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water over dough.  Use rubber spatula to fold and press the dough until the liquid is absorbed and the dough is tacky and sticks together.  Divide dough into two balls and flatten each into a disk.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. 

Prepare for Baking:
Lightly spray a pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.

Remove one disk of dough from refrigerator.  Unwrap and place the dough on a generously-floured sheet of waxed paper.  Roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle.  Lift waxed paper and flip the dough circle into the pie plate, leaving at least 1 inch of overhang on the sides.  Ease the dough into the plate gently with fingers.  Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 40 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to lowest position.  Place a baking sheet on the oven rack and heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Making the Filling:
Add the pitted cherries, grated apple, 1/2 cup sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to a medium bowl.  Gently stir to combine. 

Assembling the Pie:
Roll out the second disk of dough from the refrigerator and roll out, using same method as with the first disk.  Slice the dough into inch-wide strips. 

Transfer cherry mixture into the dough-lined pie plate.   Over pie filling, lay one half of the dough strips parallel to each other, leaving a gap between them.  Weave remaining dough strips to cross the first batch of strips.  Trim ends even with bottom crust, then fold the bottom crust over the lattice strips and crimp the crusts together.  

Whisk together egg yolk and half-and-half.    Brush the egg mixture on the crust lattice and the edges of the crust.  Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and sugar.

Baking the Pie:
Place the pie on the preheated baking sheet and bake 30 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake until the crust is a deep golden brown and the filling bubbles around the edges of the lattice, about 30 minutes.

Transfer pie to a wire cooling rack.  Let the pie cool to room temperature, about 3 hours.  Cut into wedges and serve.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Recently I made a couple different pies within a short amount of time, and during the same time, we were gifted with yet another pie.   That's a lot more pie than we need, and good as pie is, it is possible to have too much of some good things.   Thankfully, we had the ideal solution.

The pies I made were my Lemon Custard Pie and my New and Improved Coconut Cream Pie.   As I've posted previously, both turned out great.  The pie we got as a gift was even better though.  Juli's parents were in town for a visit, and her father gifted us with one of his fantastic apple pies.    I've mentioned before that my father-in-law is a fantastic baker, and his pies are particularly superb.  This one was no exception.  We found it delicious, as always, and it was particularly good served warmed up with some vanilla ice cream.

So, what to do with that much pie?   Why, share the wealth, of course.

I brought most of the Lemon Custard and Coconut Cream Pies to work to share with my coworkers.  Both were very well-received, and neither lasted long, which I found quite gratifying.  It's gotten to the point that some of my coworkers have mentioned not-too-subtly their favorite types of cake and pie, but that's cool with me.  I might well make some of those suggested treats, and I take it as a compliment that people are happy enough with my pies and cakes to want me to make their favorites.  That's something of a challenge, too - if I do a less-than-excellent job with someone's favorite, that person at least is likely to be disappointed - but I can deal with that.

And besides, a less-than-perfect pie or cake is still pie or cake, so unless I really, really screw up (like, using salt in place of sugar...), it's still going to be a good thing.

Jeffrey's Coconut Cream Pie: New and Improved!

A couple weeks ago, I reported on my first-ever attempt at making a Coconut Cream Pie.   That had turned out pretty good, but I was pretty sure I could improve on it.   The thing I'd been most disappointed with the first time around was the crust.  It had tasted good, but it had been overly crumbly.   I also wondered if perhaps I could maintain a big, satisfying flavor while cutting down a bit on fat and calories.   Not that the pie would be super-healthy no matter what I did, but every little bit can make a difference.

In regard to the crust, I'd recently made a Lemon Custard Pie featuring a variation on the famous Cook's Illustrated "vodka pie crust" recipe.   That variation - adding some lemon zest to the pie dough - had turned out great, so I thought I'd try something similar here, but since shredded coconut isn't as flavorful in small amounts as is lemon zest, I decided to instead add a bit of coconut extract.   I was concerned this would have a negative effect on the dough - even the base recipe makes for pretty moist dough - but I decided to try it anyhow.

In regard to reducing the calories, while I had that in mind, the way I ended up actually doing it happened by accident.   The recipe I'd used last time, which was closely based on one from Cook's Illustrated, had called for some butter to be stirred in to the coconut cream filling right at the end, once it is taken off the heat but before it is poured into the pie crust.  As sometimes happens in our kitchen, I got busy doing too many things at once, and I forgot to stir the butter until after I'd already poured the filling into the crust.   After considering options, I decided to just roll with it and see how the filling turned out, as I figured anything else I might try at that point was certain to ruin the pie. 

As it turns out, both changes worked out fine and dandy, and together they made for a better pie.   The dough wasn't noticeably more moist than it had been without the bit of extract, and it cooked up into a light, crispy crust with a hint of coconut flavor.    The filling also turned out great, with wonderful texture and flavor; the butter wasn't missed at all, and the pie sure didn't hurt for flavor.  In fact, this pie had better flavor than the first one had, in every way.  I ended up adding an additional bit of coconut flavor by using coconut extract in the whipped topping instead of vanilla.

So, while the first recipe I posted is still an adequate one, this one is better in every way.   This is the one I'm going to be going with in the future, and if you're interested in a delicious and satisfying Coconut Cream Pie, I'd recommend you try it out for yourself.

Jeffrey's New and Improved Coconut Cream Pie

yield = 8 servings

Crust
1 1/4       cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
1             tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2          teaspoon table salt
6             tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch slices
                 and chilled
1/4          solid vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces and chilled
2             tablespoons vodka, chilled
2             tablespoons cold water
1/2          teaspoon coconut extract.

Filling
17 1/2          ounces coconut milk (one 13.5 ounce can + 1/2 cup)
1 1/4            cups whole milk
1/4               cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2               cup + 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2               teaspoon table salt
6                  large egg yolks
1/2               cup + 1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2               teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4               teaspoon coconut extract
1/8               teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg

Topping
1 1/2            cups heavy cream (cold)
2                  tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2               teaspoon coconut extract
1/4               cup sweetened, shredded coconut, toasted in a
                    small skillet until lightly browned and cooled

Instructions:
Crust:
Add 3/4 cups flour, sugar and salt together in a food processor until combined.  Add butter and shortening and process until dough starts to collect in uneven clumps (there will be some very small pieces of butter remaining).  Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around the processor blade.  Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until combined.  Empty mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle vodka, water and coconut extract over dough.  Use a rubber spatula in a folding motion to mix, pressing down on the dough until it sticks together (it will still be a bit tacky).   Flatten dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour (or up to 2 days). 

Lightly spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray (preferably a variety designed for baking).  Lay out overlapping sheets of waxed paper and generously flour the wax paper.  Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on the waxed paper, making a 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick.  Lift waxed paper and carefully tip it downward so one edge of the dough touches the outer rim of the pie plate, then carefully flip it so the dough settles onto the pie plate with a bit of overhang on all sides.  Ease dough into the pie plate by gently lifting the edge with one hand while carefully pressing the dough into place with the other.  Refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.  Adjust oven rack to lowest position.  Place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack and heat oven to 425 degrees.

Trim overhanging dough to 1/2 inch beyond the lip of the pie plate.  Fold overhang under dough so the folded edge is flush with the edge of the pie plate.  Press tines of a fork against the dough to flatten it against the rim of the pie plate, or flute it using fingers.  (If the dough has started to get warm or to soften, refrigerate again until firm, about 20 minutes).

Line crust with foil and fill with pie weights.   Bake for 15 minutes.   Remove foil and weights, rotate the pie plate and bake until the crust is golden-brown and crisp (5-10 minutes).  Remove pie plate from oven, transferring it from the baking sheet to a wire rack.

Filling:
Add the coconut milk, whole milk, shredded coconut, 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar and salt to a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and prevent burning. 

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks, cornstarch and remaining sugar (1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) until thoroughly combined.  Gradually ladle 1 cup hot milk mixture over the yolk mixture and whisk to combine.  Continuing to whisk constantly, gradually ladle the remaining milk mixture to the yolk mixture. 

Return mixture to saucepan and cook the mixture thickens and reaches a boil, whisking constantly.  (You know it's boiling if you briefly stop whisking and large bubbles quickly burst on surface.  The mixture must boil to thicken properly).  Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and coconut extracts and nutmeg until fully incorporated.  

Pour hot filling into cooled pie crust; smooth surface with a rubber spatula.  Tightly cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the surface of the filling, and refrigerate until firm (at least 3 hours).

Topping:
Chill mixing bowl and whip attachment of stand mixer in freezer for a few minutes.  Beat cream, sugar and coconut extracts until soft peaks form.  Top pie with whipped cream, shaping into peaks, then sprinkle with the browned coconut.  Cut into slices and serve.

Lemon Custard Pie, Done Right This Time

I recently wrote about my misadventure with Lemon Custard Pie.  It would have turned out great, except that I got distracted while putting it together and used salt in place of sugar in making the crust. This resulted in the pie being so salty that it was not edible.  I could tell this one had a lot of potential, though, so I decided to give it another try - this time without the added salt - and to try out some ideas I'd come up with to boost the lemon flavor.

First off, credit where due.   The recipe I ended up with is closely based on two different Cook's Illustrated recipes.   CI originally printed their recipe for Lemon Custard Pie in the May 1999 issue, while their Foolproof Pie Dough for a Single Crust Pie recipe (a variant of their famous "vodka pie crust") was published in November, 2007.   I started with these recipes and made changes from there.

The biggest change I made to CI's Lemon Custard Pie recipe was to up the amounts of the lemon zest and lemon juice in order to boost the lemon flavor.  I balanced out these changes by adding a bit more cornstarch, to help the custard set while including a bit more liquid.   I also added just a bit of fresh-ground nutmeg to the custard.  Juli's father, who is a vastly better baker than I, uses a bit of nutmeg in a lot of his creations, and I've found that this adds a bit of depth to a variety of baked goods without being overwhelming or obvious.   

In regard to the crust, the big change I made was to add in some extra flavoring, so the crust would reflect and support the lemon flavor of the filling.   I've experimented with this concept in a couple different pie recipes (I'll cover the other in a different post), and so far it's worked like a charm.  In this case, I added a bit of lemon zest to the dough, to give the pie crust a bit of lemon flavor of its own.  I was a bit worried this addition would mess with the texture of the crust, but that wasn't the case, and several people - starting with Juli - said they found the crust delicious. 

The crust wasn't the only thing that turned out great, though.  The filling was wonderfult - rich, creamy custard with a bold lemon flavor - and the pie as a whole was just plain excellent.  The last one looked fine, but this one looked just as good, and it tasted even better.  I've made a few pies now, and this one was very possibly the best one I'd made to date.

Lemon Custard Pie

yield = 8 servings

Crust
1 1/4       cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
1             tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2          teaspoon table salt
6             tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch slices
                 and chilled
1/4          solid vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces and chilled
1             teaspoon freshly-grated lemon zest
2             tablespoons vodka, chilled
2             tablespoons cold water

Filling
2             cups whole milk
1             cup heavy cream
3             large eggs
2/3          cup sugar
3             tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1             teaspoon vanilla extract
3             tablespoons + 1 teaspoon freshly-grated lemon zest
2             tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1/8          teaspoon table salt
1/8          teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg

Instructions:
Crust:
Add 3/4 cups flour, sugar and salt together in a food processor until combined.  Add butter and shortening and process until dough starts to collect in uneven clumps (there will be some very small pieces of butter remaining).  Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around the processor blade.  Add lemon zest and remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until combined.  Empty mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water over dough.  Use a rubber spatula in a folding motion to mix, pressing down on the dough until it sticks together (it will still be a bit tacky).   Flatten dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour (or up to 2 days). 

Lightly spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray (preferably a variety designed for baking).  Lay out overlapping sheets of waxed paper and generously flour the wax paper.  Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on the waxed paper, making a 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick.  Lift waxed paper and carefully tip it downward so one edge of the dough touches the outer rim of the pie plate, then carefully flip it so the dough settles onto the pie plate with a bit of overhang on all sides.  Ease dough into the pie plate by gently lifting the edge with one hand while carefully pressing the dough into place with the other.  Refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.  Adjust oven rack to lowest position.  Place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack and heat oven to 425 degrees. 

Trim overhanging dough to 1/2 inch beyond the lip of the pie plate.  Fold overhang under dough so the folded edge is flush with the edge of the pie plate.  Press tines of a fork against the dough to flatten it against the rim of the pie plate, or flute it using fingers.  (If the dough has started to get warm or to soften, refrigerate again until firm, about 20 minutes).

Line crust with foil and fill with pie weights.   Bake for 15 minutes.   Remove foil and weights, rotate the pie plate and bake until the crust is golden-brown and crisp (5-10 minutes).  Remove baking sheet and pie plate from oven, keeping the pie plate on the baking sheet.  Reduce heat to 375 degrees.

Filling:
After you put the pie crust into the oven, heat milk and cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming.  While the milk mixture is heating up, whisk together eggs, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, two tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Once the milk mixture is steaming, pour it into the egg and cornstarch mixture in a slow, steady stream while whisking. 

Pour the egg and milk mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat.  Stir constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping bottom of the pan, until the custard begins to thicken; when a layer of custard sticks to the spoon when scraping the bottom of the pan, the custard is ready.

Pour custard into the hot pie crust and return pie and baking sheet to the oven (if the crust isn't still hot, or if you baked it ahead, put it in the oven for a few minutes to warm it up).  Bake until the custard has set around the edges but still jiggles in the center when shaken (12-15 minutes).  Transfer pie plate from the oven to a wire rack.  Sprinkle remaining tablespoon lemon zest evenly atop the custard.  Allow pie to cool to room temperature (about 2 hours).  Cut into individual portions and serve. 

Cooking Tip:
The recipe above is for a 9-inch pie.  To make a pie for a 10-inch pan (such as the Fiesta pie plates), adjust the amounts of ingredients in the filling by approximately 1/4.  You can do the same with the crust, but the pie will also bake up just fine if you simply roll the crust out a bit thinner.