I have enjoyed baking as long as I can remember. I'm sure that a lot of us have similar memories of standing on kitchen chairs, honoured to contribute in anyway to the preparation and gleefully stalking the oven window while nibbling on the remaining bits of batter. I predominantly remember making snickerdoodles with my Mom and hearth bread and tea scones with my Dad. Kitchen memories are so cozy and heart-warming.
My mother remembers pie making from her childhood. My Grandma had quite the hand at pie filling, but no patience for pastry, which worked great because her mother was an excellent pastry maker. I visualize my mother's stories of watching her mother and grandmother collaborate on pie making. I can imagine my Mom with her short golden blond hair and her striking freckles hanging out in a 1940's kitchen, waiting as anxiously for the pies as I did for cookies and tea scones.
I was thrilled to have the opportunity to create my own pie-making memories with one of my sister-in-laws. I was fortunate to get a copy of my Great-Grandmother's pastry recipe. Neither Marcy or I had ever made pastry. Both novices, we gathered our ingredients, prepared our pie fillings and gave it our best shot. I cooked up chicken-pot pie filling the night before, and she whipped up two different fruit pie fillings on the fly (one strawberry, the other raspberry). Though we said it ourselves, echoed by other willing taste-testers, our first stab at pastry making was indeed a success!
I was very nervous as I scanned the recipe. I had always heard that pastry was supposed to be kept as cold as possible and that the lard is cut in rather than melted, but this recipe called for the lard to be melted on a stove top. I was left with two pots of translucent liquid. I called my mother in a panic before my sister-in-law arrived. Unfortunately, my Grandma is not around to give me tips and my mother had been too little at the time to recall. Feeling my nerves rising, I prayed that my baking date would not be a complete disaster. With a little Google research, I discovered that this was a "Hot-Water Pastry" recipe. Who knew? I learned that it was good to use with heavier pie fillings. That worked for me and my chicken pot pie, too!
My mother remembers pie making from her childhood. My Grandma had quite the hand at pie filling, but no patience for pastry, which worked great because her mother was an excellent pastry maker. I visualize my mother's stories of watching her mother and grandmother collaborate on pie making. I can imagine my Mom with her short golden blond hair and her striking freckles hanging out in a 1940's kitchen, waiting as anxiously for the pies as I did for cookies and tea scones.
I was thrilled to have the opportunity to create my own pie-making memories with one of my sister-in-laws. I was fortunate to get a copy of my Great-Grandmother's pastry recipe. Neither Marcy or I had ever made pastry. Both novices, we gathered our ingredients, prepared our pie fillings and gave it our best shot. I cooked up chicken-pot pie filling the night before, and she whipped up two different fruit pie fillings on the fly (one strawberry, the other raspberry). Though we said it ourselves, echoed by other willing taste-testers, our first stab at pastry making was indeed a success!
 |
| Strawberry Pie (left), Chicken Pot Pie (right) |
By the end of the morning, we were chatting, rolling our dough, laughing at our awkward moments in handling our pastry, and trying to add nice details to our uncooked masterpieces. You can see by the picture that Marcy's has all the aesthetics that mine lacks! I was shocked at how easy it was to make such delicious pastry. With no experience or assistance, we pulled it off! After a quick clean up, we enjoyed some herbal tea and the wafting aroma of buttery pastry, herbed chicken and sweet berries.
Of course, you are on this site to get a pastry recipe, aren't you? And some of you have probably scrolled down by-passing my paragraphs. Enough, then! Here is my old family pastry recipe for one shell.
Of course, you are on this site to get a pastry recipe, aren't you? And some of you have probably scrolled down by-passing my paragraphs. Enough, then! Here is my old family pastry recipe for one shell.
- ½ c. shortening (cut into 1 inch cubes)
- ¼ c. boiling water
1. Melt on stove or in a warm place.
2. Beat until cold & creamy.
3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- 1 ½ c. flour (all-purpose)
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/8 tsp. baking soda
4. Sift into bowl and mix.
5. Beat shortening & water into flour with wooden spoon.
6. Stir until smooth ball is formed.
7. Refrigerate 1 hour.
8. Roll out dough on ample floured surface, taking care not to over handle.
9. Wrap ready-shell around the rolling pin and unwrap into the pie shell.
10. Spoon in filling.
The dough will keep for 8 to 10 days.
If you require 2 shells, double recipe except the baking soda.
**For fruit pies, making the
boiling water ½ lemon juice and ½ water. Add 1 Tbsp sugar to every 1 ½ cups of
flour.
As for the tasty pie fillings? I do not know Marcy's recipe. To my recollection, she used 2 cups of berries mixed with sugar and possibly water and heated it up in a frying pan. It made a thick, gooey berry mixture. The chicken pot pie filling is not my own recipe. It is from the Hillbilly Housewife's
Freezer Cooking Made Simple E-book. I recommend the resource and the recipes in it; especially the Chicken Pot Pie. Not helpful? Well, the family heirloom I offer you is the pastry recipe, what can I say? :-) But now is the chance for you to find the recipe for the pie of your dreams, use this 100 year old recipe, and create your own proud to serve masterpiece!
Freezer Cooking Made Simple E-book. I recommend the resource and the recipes in it; especially the Chicken Pot Pie. Not helpful? Well, the family heirloom I offer you is the pastry recipe, what can I say? :-) But now is the chance for you to find the recipe for the pie of your dreams, use this 100 year old recipe, and create your own proud to serve masterpiece!
·
·
Have questions or suggestions? There is a comment section waiting just for you!
