Tag Archives: pie

Blood Orange Chess Pie

This upcoming Monday, March 14th, is Pi Day, y’all! It’s the day when we celebrate math (Pi = 3.14) by eating pie! And while I don’t so much care about math, I really like pie.

But I make hideous pies. Oh, do I ever.

Maybe one day I will be a grandma, and then I’ll make pretty pies. But today, I am thirty and make stupendously ugly ones.

You should know that I made a second one at 2am in an attempt to have something more beautiful to post, but instead, I somehow made it even more hideous!

But the good thing about ugly pie is that it’s still pie. It doesn’t really matter how it looks, as long as it tastes good. And while this pie is not going to win any beauty contests, it is still really fun to make, and totally delicious.

This Blood Orange Chess Pie is a new favorite. Now, you know what blood oranges are, but why is it called chess pie? Well, the short answer is that nobody really knows. Chess Pie is from the southern U.S. by way of England, so there are a lot of theories. Some say it’s because it can be kept at room temperature in a pie chest (“chess”) due to the high sugar content. Others say it’s a southern take on the word “just,” i.e. “It’s jes’ pie.” The most widely believed is that since this pie is like a cheesecake without the cream cheese, the word “cheese” somehow became “chess.” All I know is that it has nothing to do with the board game.

But really, who cares where the name came from? It’s pie and it’s delicious.

This chess pie is made with blood orange juice and zest, so the soft, custardy filling is perfumed with all sorts of orange goodness. I so hoped the interior would be some shade of pink or red, but the pigment of blood oranges dissipates with heat. But it doesn’t matter when it’s so simple and so good. If you really want a red or pink color though, I suppose you could add a few drops of food coloring, but I don’t think it needs it.

Blood Orange Chess Pie is a snap to put together. Make the crust (I like this one), fit it in the pan, and crimp the edges. Put that in the fridge to chill while you make the filling. Use your fingers to rub blood orange zest into some granulated sugar. This releases the oils in the blood orange peel and starts to melt the sugar. Whisk in four eggs and two egg yolks until everything is really thick and frothy. Make sure your eggs are room temperature–this will help them to fully incorporate into the filling. Slowly whisk in some melted butter. Don’t go too quickly or use piping hot butter, or you’ll get scrambled eggs. Next comes some whole milk and fresh-squeezed blood orange juice. Lastly, whisk in a couple of tablespoons of cornmeal and some salt. The cornmeal acts as our thickener, and the salt helps to offset all that sugar.

Pour the filling (which will be thin) into the pie crust and bake for 45-55 minutes at 350F, until the filling is firm. If the filling wobbles at all when the pan is jostled, keep baking or you’ll have soup. Everything will get puffy in the oven, but it’ll settle down while it cools.

This pie is best served in small slices with coffee or tea to offset the sweetness. I like it room temperature, but love it straight from the fridge. The top gets crackly, and the interior stays soft and smooth. And it’s full of orange flavor, but not overwhelming at all. Oh, and there’s buttery, flaky pie crust. Yum.

Are you going to make pie this Pi Day?

Blood Orange Chess Pie
filling heavily adapted from Southern Style Lemon Chess Pie Filling
makes 1 standard 9″ pie

1/2 recipe Cream Cheese Pie Dough or other good crust
3 tablespoons freshly-grated blood orange zest*
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks, room temperature*
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed blood orange juice
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt

Roll out the pie dough, and fit it in a standard 9-inch pie plate. Cut it to 1/2-inch of overhang, then fold the excess under and crimp. Place the prepared crust in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the blood orange zest and granulated sugar. Using your fingertips, rub the zest into the sugar until well-combined. Add eggs one by one, whisking after each addition. After all the eggs have been added, whisk the mixture vigorously for two minutes, until frothy and lighter in color. Slowly whisk in melted butter, followed by whole milk and blood orange juice. Mix in cornmeal and salt. Let filling sit for five minutes so large air bubbles can be released.

Pour filling into prepared crust. Bake 45-55 minutes, or until filling is firm when the pan is jostled.

Let pie cool completely on a rack. Blood Orange Chess Pie may be served at room temperature or cold. Pie will keep covered at room temperature for up to three days, or in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Notes:

1. I buy two pound bags of blood oranges at Trader Joe’s. If you do not have or want to use blood oranges, you may use any oranges you like.
2. Eggs may be brought to room temperature quickly by setting whole eggs in a bowl of warm tap water for 5-10 minutes.
3. This recipe requires whole milk. Do not substitute 1%, 2%, fat free, or skim milk.

Cranberry Apple Pie

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Updated 11/14/2020 to add better photos, and adjust the baking temperature and time. The pie was originally made with Cream Cheese Pie Dough, but the current photos are All-Butter Pie Dough. They are both linked in the recipe.Welcome back to pie season! In the last couple of weeks I’ve posted my go-to Cream Cheese Pie Dough, a Pumpkin Pie that is super light and fluffy thanks to the addition of whipped egg whites, and a showstopper Black Bottom Pear & Almond Pie. Yum! Make sure to check them out while you’re writing your Thanksgiving menu! Today, I’m bringing you a pie that is sweet and tart thanks to a mixture of apples and juicy fresh cranberries. Apples, cranberries, orange, and spices? Sign. me. up. Cranberry Apple Pie This recipe starts out like most do, by rolling out pie dough. Fit it in a pie plate, and trim the edges to 1-inch. Since this is a double crust pie, we need extra long edges for a good crimp. Put the bottom crust in the fridge to chill while we make the filling.

Peel some apples. In this pie, I used two Granny Smith, two Honey Crisp, and one Golden Delicious. In a regular apple pie, I’d use more tart apples (like Granny Smith), than sweet, but as we’re adding all those tart cranberries, I figured it was better to go sweet. Dice the apples into 1/2-inch pieces and set them in a large mixing bowl. In a traditional apple pie, I would slice the apples, but here I recommend chunking them so that they are similar in size and shape to the cranberries–this promotes even baking. Rinse some fresh cranberries and pick over them to remove any that aren’t in great shape. Place the cranberries in the bowl with the apples. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and arrowroot powder. I use arrowroot powder as the thickener in my fruit pies, but if you don’t have any, use an equal volume of cornstarch or instant tapioca. Zest and juice an orange. Pour your sugar and spice mixture, orange zest and juice into the bowl with the apples and cranberries. Use your clean hands to toss everything together.Let the filling sit at room temperature for thirty minutes to release some excess liquid. If we put the filling into the crust without letting some of the liquid drain off, our filling will seep out of the crust while the pie bakes and bake/burn itself onto the bottom of the oven. No thank you! Also, our filling will shrink down below the top crust, leaving a huge gap between the top crust and the bottom. Again, no thank you! So, once the filling has sat for a while, drain off the excess liquid (there will be a lot!) before putting the filling in the prepared bottom crust. Dot the filling with butter (I forgot and had to dot with butter after the top crust was on 😁). Put the filled pie plate back in the refrigerator and roll out the top crust.

Roll out the top crust dough to a 12-inch diameter. From here, you can either place the whole crust over the top of the pie or get a little fancier. For a full top crust, lay the rolled dough over the filling, trim and crimp the edges, and cut a few vents (lest you have an exploding pie) before proceeding. If you want to do something a little more exciting, cut your dough into 1/2-inch strips. Lattice crusts are classic and simple to weave. Deb Perelman has written a great tutorial, if that’s the route you’d like to take.I have been into braided top crusts lately. To achieve a braided top, take three strips at a time and lay them on a floured surface. Gently (very gently) braid the strips together. Set the finished braids aside while you complete the rest of them (I made five). Lay the braids (or the lattice) on top of the pie and trim the ends.

Remember those extra long edges we left on the bottom crust? Fold them in toward the filling, effectively enveloping the ends of your decorative top crust. Once this is finished, crimp the edges and brush the exposed crust with cream before sprinkling with additional sugar. Put the pie in the fridge while you preheat the oven. Bake the pie for 45 minutes to an hour, until the apples are tender, the cranberries are bursting, and the crust is golden brown. If the crust starts to get too dark during baking, loosely tent it in foil.

Let the pie cool for at least four hours before slicing and serving. I know warm pie is tempting, but the pie needs to be room temperature or cold to slice nicely. Each slice can be quickly warmed in the microwave, if you’re not into cold pie. I don’t know about you, but I am into pie at any temperature.Cranberry Apple Pie is fantastic with whipped cream. Or a la mode. Or with caramel sauce. Or with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar. Or plain. Or with yogurt for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving. What?! There’s fruit in there! It’s totally breakfast-appropriate. Trust me.

Cranberry Apple Pie
makes one 9″ pie

1 recipe Cream Cheese Pie Dough or All-Butter Pie Dough
2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
5 cups peeled, 1/2-inch diced baking apples (about 5 large apples)
1 cup fresh cranberries
juice and zest of one large orange
3-4 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder*
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Cream or milk, for brushing

On a floured surface, roll 1 disc of cream cheese pie dough so that it is 12 inches in diameter. Fit it in a standard pie plate, and trim the overhang to 1 inch. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, spices, salt, and arrowroot powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples and fresh cranberries. Toss with sugar/spice mixture and orange juice and zest. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for about thirty minutes to release excess liquid. When the time is up, dispose of the excess liquid. Transfer the filling to the bottom pie crust. Dot with butter and refrigerate.

Roll out the second crust to a 12-inch diameter. Slice the dough into 1/2-inch thick strips. Lay them on the top of the pie in a decorative pattern.* Fold the bottom crust overhang over the ends of your strips so that the edges are about 1/2 inch all the way around. Crimp the edges. Brush the exposed crust with milk or cream, and sprinkle with sugar. Refrigerate the pie while the oven preheats.

Place a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400F. Place the pie on the top rack and bake for 65-75 minutes, until the cranberries are bursting, the apples are tender, and the crust is cooked. If the top crust starts to get too dark at any point, loosely cover the top of the pie with foil for the remainder of the baking time.

Let pie cool on a rack for at least three hours before slicing and serving. Pie will keep covered at room temperature for up to three days or in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Notes:

1. I prefer my Cream Cheese Pie Dough or All-Butter Pie Dough, but any good pie crust will do.
2. I use a combination of sweet and tart apples, the majority being sweet. I recommend Honey Crisp, Macintosh, or Golden Delicious for the sweet variety, and Granny Smith for the tart. See more information on baking apples here.
3. If you do not have or do not want to use cornstarch or arrowroot powder, I recommend an equal volume of instant tapioca. Looking for arrowroot in Brooklyn? Take a trip to Sahadi’s.
4. I have linked to a lattice top tutorial in the content above. If you would like to braid your crust, braid three strips at a time and lay them over the filling before proceeding.

Black Bottom Pear & Almond Pie

4 Replies

On our anniversary last year, Henry and I went to al di la, an absolute treasure of a restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn…with my parents. They were visiting and wanted to take us out to celebrate, and who were we to turn down a (very) nice free meal? At the end of a dinner that I’m still thinking about almost a year later, we decided to split a dessert. This is a big deal. You see, Henry’s not much for sweets. I make dozens of cookies every week (not to mention all the cakes and pies and cinnamon rolls), and he politely turns down almost all of them. He digs gingersnaps and chocolate cake without frosting, but that’s pretty much it. So when he wanted to split a dessert at this restaurant, I leapt at the opportunity. Seeing as he is pickier about sweets than I am (I just had a cookie and called it breakfast), I let him choose. And he went for the one thing on the menu that didn’t look wonderful to me: an almond cake with pears and bittersweet chocolate. You see, for me, fruit and chocolate don’t really go together. I mean, if you give me a piece of chocolate cake with raspberry filling, I’m not going to turn it down. (As a rule, I don’t turn cake down.) But it’s not my favorite. So when this cake showed up at the table, I expected to take two bites, say how good it was, and be finished with it. That’s where I was wrong. This cake was dense and rustic, with a good almond flavor, soft pieces of pear, and a magical layer of melted chocolate. I’m pretty sure I ate all of my half and most of Henry’s too. And here we are, two weeks away from our anniversary, and I’m still thinking about it…so I took that cake and made it pie.This pie, you guys. This pie. It’s got soft pears in an almond filling, all suspended over a puddle of chocolate ganache. And all of that is in a cream cheese pie crust because that’s how I roll. It’s elegant and seasonal. There’s fruit, there’s chocolate–it covers all the bases. I won’t lie to you, it takes time and there are many steps, but none of them are difficult. This pie is sooo worth the effort. Don’t let the length of the recipe scare you away. You can do this. Let’s get started.We start by poaching pears. If we put raw pears in the pie, the result could be…crunchy. And while crunchy pies can be amazing (pecan pie is my jam), fruit pies should have a softer filling. So, let’s poach. We need four firm pears, like Bosc, about seven ounces each. Leaving them whole, peel them and set them aside. Bring some water and sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Squeeze in the juice of an orange (about 1/4 cup) and throw in the two halves of your squeezed orange. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat and drop in the pears. Simmer for 20 minutes, then let them cool to room temperature in the poaching liquid. You can do this up to 24 hours ahead, and then put the pears and liquid in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the pie. If you want to cut the poaching step altogether, you may use canned whole pears in juice.Then, take one good pie crust (I like this Cream Cheese Pie Dough), roll it to a 12-inch diameter, fit it in a pie plate, and crimp the edges. Then, throw it in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 425F. This crust has to be partially blind-baked, or baked without filling, because the wet filling in this pie could give us a soggy crust otherwise. When the oven is preheated, take the pie crust out of the refrigerator and prick the bottom of the crust several times with a fork. This is called docking; it keeps the crust from puffing up by allowing trapped steam to escape. Then, line the crust with foil and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crust for 17 minutes. Remove it from the oven and take out the foil and weights/beans. Bake the crust for an additional three minutes. Let the crust cool to room temperature while you prepare the ganache.
This part is easy. Chop four ounces of bittersweet chocolate and put them in a bowl. Heat 1/4 cup of heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat. When it just barely comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and pour it over the chopped chocolate. Once the chocolate looks melty, stir it all together with a fork until you have a smooth, beautiful sauce. Let that cool a little bit while you make the frangipane.
Frangipane (almond filling) sounds difficult, but it really couldn’t be simpler. Put blanched almonds and a little flour in a food processor, and blitz until it becomes a fine meal. Then, pulse in sugar and salt, followed by six tablespoons of butter. Once that all comes together, put in one egg and 1/2 teaspoon of pure almond extract. It’s ready when it vaguely resembles hummus. Do not over-process, or you’ll have almond butter. Delicious, but not what we need here.
Now, to assemble. Spread your ganache in the room temperature pie crust. Let it chill in the fridge for five minutes, just to set. Then, spread half your frangipane over the ganache, and then top that with half your pears. Spread the pears with the second half of your frangipane, and then decorate the top with the second half of your pears. Brush the exposed pears with heavy cream and sprinkle them with sugar. Cover the exposed crust with a pie protector or foil; I use a 9″ hoop that I made out of foil, and it works like a charm. Place the pie in a 350F oven for 45-55 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Let it cool for at least two hours before slicing and serving with lightly sweetened whipped cream and a dusting of confectioner’s sugar. If you want to make it ahead, the pie will keep covered at room temperature for two days or in the refrigerator for three.Now, look how fancy you are with your fancy pie. You can throw the word “frangipane” around at your Thanksgiving dinner and be all sophisticated and stuff. And then you can eat two slices in a very unladylike fashion and tell everyone that there are no leftovers as you shove the last piece in the back of the fridge. You’ve earned that last piece. You are the pie queen/king. You nailed it.

Want more pie? Check out this light and fluffy Pumpkin Pie, and come back next week for one more pie recipe before Thanksgiving.

Black Bottom Pear & Almond Pie
heavily adapted from Pear and Almond Tart by Deb Perelman
makes one 9″ pie

Pears
4 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 whole orange, washed
4 whole pears*, about 7 oz each, peeled

Crust
1/2 recipe Cream Cheese Pie Dough

Ganache
4 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate*
1/4 cup heavy cream

Frangipane (Almond Filling)
4 ounces whole blanched almonds*
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold-ish room temperature, cut into cubes
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

heavy cream, for brushing
1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Start by poaching the pears. In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Slice the orange in half. Squeeze the juice into the water, then drop both halves of the orange into the pot. When the liquid comes to a boil, turn the heat to medium high. Drop in the pears and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. They should be tender, but not falling apart. Let the pears cool to room temperature in the poaching liquid.*

On a floured surface, roll out the pie crust to a 12-inch diameter. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate*, and trim the edges to 1/2-inch of overhang. Crimp the edges. Place crust in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Blind bake the crust. Preheat the oven to 425F. Remove chilled crust from the refrigerator. Prick the bottom of the crust several times with a fork. Line the inside of the crust with foil, and fill with pie weights or 1 lb of dried beans. Bake for 17 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven, and gently lift out the foil and weights/beans. Bake the crust for an additional three minutes. Let crust cool to room temperature.

Make the ganache. Chop 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate and place in a small bowl. Place heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it just barely starts to boil, remove it from the heat and pour the cream over the chocolate. Once the chocolate looks soft, stir it together with a fork until you have a smooth chocolate sauce. Let cool a bit while you prepare the frangipane.

In a food processor (or very good blender), grind blanched almonds and flour until the mixture is a fine meal. Pulse in salt and granulated sugar. Pulse in butter. Pour in egg and almond extract, and process until frangipane is a homogenous paste.

Prepare the pears. Discard the poaching liquid. Slice the pears in half and core them. Then cut each half into 1/4-inch slices width-wise.

Assemble the pie. Spread an even layer of chocolate ganache onto the bottom of the pie crust. Refrigerate five minutes to set. Spread half the frangipane over the ganache. Layer half the pears on top. Then, spread the pears with the rest of the frangipane. Decorate the top of the pie with the remainder of the pears. Brush the exposed pears with heavy cream and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Cover the exposed crust with foil or a pie protector. Bake the pie for 45-55 minutes, or until the pears are light golden brown. Let the pie cool for at least two hours before slicing and serving with a sprinkling of confectioners sugar and sweetened whipped cream.

This pie keeps covered at room temperature for two days, or in the refrigerator* for three days.

Notes:

I use Bosc pears. Anjou and Bartlett are also good choices. Make sure your pears are firm.
I use Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Dark Chocolate.
If you can’t find whole blanched almonds, an equal weight of slivered almonds (without skins) or almond flour will do.
The pears may be prepared up to 24 hours in advance. Just let them cool to room temperature, discard the orange halves, and then refrigerate the pears in the poaching liquid until you are ready to use them.
Use a standard pie plate, not deep dish.
Let refrigerated pie sit at room temperature for 60-90 minutes before slicing.

Pumpkin Pie

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With pie season now in full swing, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about pie this week. On Monday, we made pie dough. On Tuesday, we mixed together pumpkin pie spice. Today, we make pumpkin pie! If you are celebrating Thanksgiving in the United States, there’s a pretty solid chance that there will be a pumpkin pie on your table. Some may be lovingly homemade, some may be store-bought, but all of them will get eaten. As one of my favorite food bloggers, Julie Van Rosendaal says, “The very best kind of pie is the kind on your dinner table.” She’s right–store-bought pie is better than no pie at all (especially if there’s whipped cream involved). But homemade pie is always better than store-bought. Sara Lee is fine and all, but we can do better.

We can make a light and fluffy pumpkin pie. Where traditional pumpkin pie is a little on the dense side, given the very wet combination of pumpkin purée, eggs, sugar, and dairy, ours will be a little airier thanks to whipped egg whites. Three egg yolks will go into the filling as-is; they’ll make our pie rich and delicious. The two egg whites, however, will be whipped until they are foamy and hold soft peaks, then gently folded into the filling right before it’s poured into the crust. Egg whites help with structure in baked goods. By whipping air into them before adding them to the filling, we are ensuring a lighter, airier texture. As the pie bakes, the filling will puff up. This happens with a traditional pumpkin pie too, but it deflates as it cools. Ours will stay a bit puffy even after it reaches room temperature. The egg whites will also give us a very large volume of filling. If you are using a standard pie plate, you’ll probably have some filling leftover; if you use all the filling in a standard pan, it will overflow in your oven. I don’t know about you, but pretty much the only thing I don’t love to do in the kitchen is clean the oven. If you use a deep dish pie plate, you should be able to use all of the filling. I don’t have a deep dish pan, but if you try this recipe in yours, leave me a comment to let me know how it turns out!

This pie starts with a single crust of cream cheese pie dough. We roll it out, fit it into the pie plate, trim and crimp the edges, and chill it while we make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, we combine pumpkin purée, light brown sugar and granulated sugar. Then, we have to separate some eggs. Separate two eggs, reserving the egg whites in a separate bowl. Separate a third egg, but discard the white. Mix the three egg yolks into the pumpkin mixture. Then stir in cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, followed by heavy cream. Now, go grab those two reserved egg whites and your electric mixer (hand- and stand-mixers are both fine). Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Then, with a silicone spatula, gently fold them into the pumpkin mixture. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust, brush the crust with some additional cream, and chill it again while you preheat the oven. Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 425F, before turning the oven down to 350F for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the crust looks too brown, cover it with foil or a pie protector for the remainder of the cook time. I use a 9-inch hoop that I made out of foil, and it works like a charm.

This pie will definitely be one of the best things on your Thanksgiving table. Traditional Pumpkin Pie is a classic for a reason, but I think this light and fluffy version gives it a run for it’s money!

Make sure to check back in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving for two more pie recipes!

Pumpkin Pie
heavily adapted from Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie on Simply Recipes
makes one 9″ pie (deep dish or standard)

1/2 recipe Cream Cheese Pie Dough
2 cups pure pumpkin purée (1 15-ounce can)
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs (separated) + 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream + extra for brushing

On a floured surface, roll out pie dough to a 12″ diameter. Fit into a 9″ pie plate and trim the overhang to 1/2-inch. Crimp the edges and chill the crust while you prepare the filling.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together pumpkin purée, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Whisk in three egg yolks, and reserve the two egg whites. Stir in cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Add in heavy cream. Set aside.

Pour the egg whites into a separate mixing bowl. With an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form, 3-4 minutes. With a silicone spatula, gently fold the whipped egg whites into the pumpkin mixture. Pour pie filling into prepared crust.* Brush the crust with a little heavy cream. Chill prepared pie while oven is heating.

Preheat the oven to 425F. When it reaches temperature, bake the pie for 15 minutes. Then, turn the oven temperature to 350F and bake for an additional 32-45 minutes,* covering the crust with foil if it starts to get too brown. The pie is ready when the filling no longer jiggles, or when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool pie on a rack for at least two hours before slicing and serving. Pie will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Notes:

If you are using a regular pie plate, you will have roughly 1/2-3/4 cup of leftover filling. If you are using a deep dish pie plate, you should be able to use all the filling.
Thirteen minutes is a huge gap in doneness time, but ovens and pies are all different. Mine (made in a standard pie plate) are done at exactly 35 minutes.

Cream Cheese Pie Dough

9 Replies

This was a big weekend in New York City. It was Halloween, which is always a production (I skipped it). It was the weekend of the New York City Marathon. And most importantly (to me anyway), it was the beginning of pie season! I celebrated by making three apple pies with my friends, Liz and Kat, and watching the final game of the World Series while eating too much pizza. But back to pie season–it’s wonderful time of year when we make and eat pie for two months straight and don’t care who knows it! The holidays demand pie, and I am happy to oblige. Between now and Thanksgiving, I’m going to post three pie recipes! Make sure to check back each week–you may just find your new favorite holiday dessert. But before we get to the pies themselves, we have to talk about crust.

Pie crust is notoriously intimidating. If you let it get even the slightest bit warm before it goes in the oven, it loses flakiness. If you don’t add enough liquid, it’s crumbly. If you add too much liquid, it’s a sticky mess. Even if you get the dough right, there’s the rolling, transferring to the pie plate, and crimping. And there are so many options! Butter, shortening, ice water, buttermilk, vodka, vinegar, sugar, no sugar–it’s enough to make your head spin before you’ve ever turned on the oven! All that said, the method is very simple: cut cold fat into dry ingredients, stir in cold liquid, knead and chill, roll and bake. That’s it. Simple. But not easy.

For years, I’ve used Deb Perelman’s All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough. It’s an excellent recipe, and her accompanying pie tutorials simply cannot be beat. But I am one of those people who can’t leave perfection alone, so last April I threw some cream cheese in there, just to see what would happen. It was a good decision. The combination of cream cheese and butter guarantees a rich, flaky crust–it never turns out dry. The cream cheese also allows for easy rolling. It helps prevent tears–this dough can be flipped and turned and rolled and cut every which-way, and it almost always remains intact. If you do get a tear, just patch it back together with your fingertips–no problem! Instead of using ice water in my dough, I am partial to cold buttermilk. While ice water would do, it adds no flavor and makes this particular crust a little tougher than I’d like. We need acid to make things tender, and if we’re going to use one, it should add a little flavor. Buttermilk is the answer (isn’t it always?). And there is no question as to how much liquid we’ll need in this crust–it’s 1/4 cup every single time. There is no guess-work here!

We have to talk about one more thing: the food processor. So many people love to mix up their dough by pulsing everything until it comes together, but it’s never worked for me. I either get a crumbly crust, or a tough, over-worked mess. I use a pastry blender (pictured above). It allows you to get a feel for the dough while you are putting it together, rather than having to guess while looking at your ingredients through a wall of plastic. It takes the guess-work out of the mixing. Pastry blenders are roughly $5, and they can be used for lots of things: pie (obviously), biscuits, even guacamole and mashed potatoes! Get one–you’ll love it.

The dough begins with mixing together flour, sugar, and salt. Then, using your pastry blender, cut 8 ounces of butter and 8 ounces of cream cheese into the flour mixture. Next, stir in 1/4 cup of cold buttermilk, knead it all together for a minute or two, wrap it in plastic, stick it in the fridge, and you’re done…for an hour. Once the chilling time is over, place one disc of dough on a well floured surface. With a floured rolling pin, press down on the dough, rolling in one direction a few times. Turn the dough 90 degrees, and roll again. Repeat this until your dough is at least twelve inches in diameter. If it starts to stick to your surface or your rolling pin, dust with more flour. If it gets warm, chill it for ten minutes before starting where you left off. To transfer it to your pie plate, gently fold it into quarters, and place it in the pan with the scraggly edges hanging over the edge. Unfold the dough, and voila! The crust is in the pan. Trim the edges to 1/2 inch of overhang. Then fill with your favorite filling. If it’s a single crust pie, you can crimp the edges and put the pie in the oven. If you want a double crust pie, put the filled crust in the fridge while you roll out the second crust just like you did the first one. Cut it into strips if you want a lattice (more on that very soon!), or leave it whole if you want the whole thing covered. Trim the excess to 1/2 inch, crimp the edges, cut a few vents (if it’s fully covered), and it’s ready for the oven. Preheat the oven only AFTER you have finished assembling the pie. Now, you are roughly one hour from a hot homemade pie coming out of your oven!

Check back later this week for the first of my three pie recipes this month!

Cream Cheese Pie Dough
makes two crusts, enough for one double-crust or two single-crust 9″ pies

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into cubes
1 cup (8 ounces) full-fat cream cheese, very cold, cut into cubes
1/4 cup buttermilk, very cold

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Add cold butter and cream cheese into the bowl. With your pastry blender, cut the ingredients together until the largest bits of butter and cream cheese are the size of small peas. Add the buttermilk, and give it a quick stir to distribute. Put your hands* in the bowl to knead the mixture until it comes together.* Form the dough into two discs, and wrap them individually in plastic wrap. Chill for one hour, or up to two days.

Flour a surface and a rolling pin. Take one disc of dough out of the refrigerator, unwrap it, and place it on the surface. Press the dough with the rolling pin. Roll it in one direction 3-4 times, and then turn it 90 degrees. Roll in one direction 3-4 times. Repeat rolling and turning until dough is at least 12 inches in diameter, dusting with more flour as necessary to prevent sticking.

Fold dough in quarters, and place in a pie plate with the scraggly edges hanging over the outside of the pan. Unfold the dough to fill the pan. Trim the excess to 1/2 inch. Fill crust with filling and chill for at least 15 minutes. From here, there are two options.

For a single crust pie, crimp the edges, and brush them with additional buttermilk. Chill for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375F.* Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, covering the crust with foil halfway through. Let cool at least three hours.
For a double crust pie, roll out the top crust the same way that you did the bottom crust. Cut into strips for a lattice,* or leave whole to cover the whole pie. Trim the excess to 1/2 inch. Crimp the edges and brush the crust with additional buttermilk. Chill for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375F. Cut vents if the top crust is whole. Bake for 45 minutes to one hour. Let cool for at least three hours.

Notes:

If your hands are warm, run them under cold water for thirty seconds (and then dry them) before kneading.
There may be a tablespoon or two of unincorporated ingredients. Just pat them onto the discs before wrapping them in plastic wrap. They will incorporate during rolling.
Do not preheat your oven until after your pie is completely assembled. This is very important!

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