Dessert does not come easy form me. I find it the most challenging part of the meal. When I have people over the house for a meal I angst over what to prepare. Usually I can do the entrée and the sides but I usually buy dessert. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, I feel I should be able to come up with something. Once again this recipe prepared on the Rachel Ray show this past week is totally doable.
You cut up fruit, mix it with sugar and tapioca starch then put it in the middle of a pie crust. I used Pillsbury to make it a little quicker but the pie dough from the recipe looks easy enough. Next time I will do it from scratch. I used peaches and blueberries but the recipe calls for any fruit. It looks good and tastes good with vanilla ice cream. Here is the link. See for your self.
http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/18428_buddy_valastro_s_easy_fruit_pies/index.html
Pie really can be easy as long as YOU take it easy. Having made pie crust since I was probably 8 years old, I can tell you it isn't rocket science. I've seen recipes for butter versus shortening, using vinegar versus just water, you name it. The secret, just between you and me, it keep it simple. Period. After not making pies for a while, I tried to get fancy and use a food processor and succeeded in making cardboard. One day, my mother-in-law asked me to whip up an apple pie, and I just used the 2 knives I always used before. What a difference! To 2 cups all-purpose flour, add 1 tsp. of salt (if it's a savory pie) or sugar (if it's a sweet pie). Cut in 2/3 cup of COLD fat (I generally think shortening is best, but I've used butter just as well) by using 2 butter knives almost like scissors or a pastry cutter until you have pretty evenly distributed oat to pea-sized pieces. Then, start tossing (really - toss it with a spoon or even a knife - it keeps you from overworking the dough) the flour with 6-8 Tbls. of water until it's not dry and crumbly anymore (think play dough rather than thick batter). Wrap it in plastic and chill until you're ready to roll.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the pie crust recipe. I am going to give it a try!
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