My Favorite Pie Crust

Well here it is!
How many of you have this cookbook in your kitchens?
Mine is so dirty, that it's an embarrassment to post,
but non the less, it works well and it's fed many crowds.
My book's coyrighted in December 1962.
It's printed by Derksen printers from Steinbach, Manitoba.

I love the Pie Crust on page 99.
As you can see it's the most used and tattered page.
It's almost too dirty to touch.

Pie Crust
5 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1lb. lard or shortening (I use White Crisco)
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 eggs.

Sift dry ingredients and work in lard.
Beat eggs in cup, add vinegar and fill cup with cold water.
Mix well.
Remember you don't want to over beat this dough!
Keeps will in refrigerator.
The pastry is enough for about 3-4 /10inch pies,
depending on how thick you make the crust.
I prefer more crust than real thin.
The tender crust is the substance that makes the pie.

Pie Filling
I use the recipe from Betty Crockers Book.
10 - inch filling
1 Cup Sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
Dash salt
8 Cups thinly sliced pared tart apples
3 Tbsp. butter

First of all, don't go and look for your old re-cycled apples.
Keep those for applesauce.
I try to find the most crisp apples.
(Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Jonagolds, Spartans)
Anyways I make my apple pies in the summer and fall,
and berry pies with frozen fruit in the winter.

Heat oven to 425Degrees, Prepare Pastry
Stir together sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt;
Mix with apples.
Turn into pastry-lined pie pan;
dot with butter.
Cover with top crust which has slits in it.
seal and flute.
I don't cover the edges with alum foil as it suggests,
to prevent it from browning.
I bake it at 425 for 15 minutes and then reduce
to 350 for the next 45 minutes.

Apple Pie is a favorite at our home any time.
Add ice-cream and that becomes our breakfast on Sunday mornings.
Somebody's always snitching pieces here and there.
Pies have replaced Birthday cakes in our home.
Somehow I never exceeded at baking cakes,
so I resorted to making pies.
Strawberry, Banana Cream, Cherry, Lemon Meringue.
Blackberry is also a winner.

I will post the filling at a later date.

Pies are a standard for me to bring to any Special occasion.
I think they would pass the test of the
Chilliwack Airport Pies.


Marg

Tender Pastry

"So what do we do? - Anything. Something.
So long as we just don't sit there.
Try something else.
If we wait until we satisfy all the uncertainties,
it may be to late."

These words inspired me to quit thinking about my failure,
but to get off the couch and find a more creative way to share my recipe.

Now I must admit, that about two weeks ago I did stacks of baking.
I taught myself how to take pictures with one hand and stir the bowl.
I had a great time, because I was keeping my kitchen as clean as possible,
because most Mennonite women do not want to be seen with a dirty kitchen.
Alas, maybe I was feeling too light aired about these pictures,
but just for your info, you never will see them,
because in my rush somewhere, I deleted them all.
OK Enough of that. So today I thought,
"How could I still recreate this recipe without all the fuss?"
AH!! There it was, two pieces of my favorite rhubarb in my freezer.
Here goes.

Tender Pie Crust

4C Flour
1 Tbsp Salt
1 lb Crisco Shortening
1 Tbsp. Vinegar
1 C. Water
1 Egg

Measure the flour, salt and shortening. Cut with the metal pie tool cutter.

Beat egg whites till stiff.
Combine egg yolk & vinegar & water.

Now combine these three ingredients and yes it will look a bit mushy, but don't add to much flour because this dough is different than the other dough I posted. This one needs be be handled with more care. Keep it as light and fluffy.
Add more when you roll it out so it's not to sticky.
I only use this recipe in the large cookie sheets.

Divide into halves and roll out the first sheet at the measurements of your cookie sheet.
Sprinkle sugar on top.
Take about 6 large rhubarb stalks and cut very fine.
Slice the stalks very thin making up to 5-6 Cups.
Then layer the bottom crust with the rhubarb.
Add about 11/2 cups sugar distributed evenly over the whole rhubarb filling.
Roll out another pie crust the same size and flip it on top.
Sprinkle again with sugar lightly on top.

Bake at 425' for 20 min.

First treat yourself. Go out and buy the pamper chef pastry board.
I have made pies for many years, I don't know why I didn't buy this sooner.

Take a look! The rhubarb is no more than 1/2 -1'.
This is what allows the pie to cook at a high heat for only a short while.

Oh my goodness, Does anyone recognize this rose?
Lovella's ears must be ringing....
I don't really think it's the right touch.
Each to it's separate identities.

Rather get yourself a big tub of ice-cream,
because this pie does not have left overs very often.
I think that looks much better.
Big Families, Big Pies, & Big Ice-Cream Buckets.