Pies

I've made two intersting pies in the last week. One is chocolate and the other is beef. They are both pretty easy.

In the past I used to buy Marie Calendar's frozen pie crust but I have discovered that I enjoy the work of making pie crust more than I enjoy a "perfect" pie crust. Also, my son Basil gave me a beautiful olive wood wolling pin a couple of years ago and I enjoy using it.


The crust for both is pretty standard:
-6 cups flour (I keep the flour in the refrigerator if I am going to make pie) -3 sticks of unsalted butter. (Yes, it bothers me that they got rid of Mia but Land o' Lakes still makes the best butter.)
-5 tablespoons of ice cold water
-1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
I know many people use a food processor to make their pie dough but I don't have one of those and if I did, I think, I would not want the hassle of cleaning it. It is more fun to just use a pastry blender to cut in the butter.

Once the butter, flour, water, and vinegar are mixed, I shape the dough into two disks, about 6 inches across, wrapt them in plastic food wrap, and put them in the freezer until the night before I want to use them. The night before I use them I move them to the refrigerator. They roll out easly. Oh, you can keep them in the freezer for weeks.

The Meat Pie
The day before you make the meat pie you need to prepare the meat.
1. Brown both sides of beef chuck roast. I salt and pepper boat sides, sprinkle with a little bit of garlic powder, and put it into a six quart pan with a little olive oil in the bottom over hight heat. I turn it over when the bottom side just starts to turn black. Then I do the same thing to the otther side.

2. Add flavor and cook. Once both sides have been browned I add to the pan 1/2 diced onion, 1 tablespoon beef base,
and 1 cup of water. Then I put the lid on the pan and put it in a 200 degree oven for 4 hours. When you take it out of the oven the meat will fall apart. Empty the contents of the pan into a tupperware container and put in the refrigerator.

3. The next day open the lid of the tupperware container and remove the fat that floated to the top. I throw it away but you might want to use it for something.

4. Then dump the meat and all the gelatin and liquid from the tupperware into a big mixing bowl. (My step daughter gave me some a couple of Christmases ago).

5. Pull the meat apart with a fork so all the chuncks are bite-sized.

6. Add 2 cups of mixed chopped vegetabels. Or do what I do and just add a can of Green Giant mixed vegetables.

7. Add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and stir it all up.

8. Take one of your pie crusts and lay it in the pie pan.

9. Then you pour the meat and vegetable mixture into your readied bottom pie crust, smooth it out so that it evenly fills the crust.

10. Then you put on the top crust and crimp the crusts together around the edges of your pie pan. Then you poke lots of holes in the top crust. I just use the tip of a knife and make a spriral from the outside edge to the center of the top crust. It's easier than cutting fancy vents in the top crust.

11. Then bake at 400F for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 300 and bake another hour.

12. Then take it out of the oven and eat it.

The Chocolate Pie
Roll out one pie crust disk and lay it in your pie pan. Lay a sheet of parchment paper in it and then fill it with dry beans or pie weights. Your are going to blind bake it so it is nice and crispy and flakey when you fill it with chocolate custard.
The filling is a chocolate custard, and it is easy to make. (This is enough for 2 pies.)
-3 cups granulated sugar
-8 oz 70% cacao chocolate bar, chopped
-1 tablespoon Hershey's cocoa powder
- 10 egg yolks
- 5 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 corn starch
- 4 table spoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Add the corstarch, sugar, salt, cocoa powder together in a large pan and mix them all up completely.
2. In a mixing bowl whisk together completely the milk, cream, egg yolks, and vanilla extract.
3. pour the liquids into the pan of sugar etc and mix it all of together completely.
4. put the pan (I use a 6 quart all-clad) over medium heat and stir constantly.
5. once the custard starts to thicken remove from heat and add the butter and chopped chocolate, stir stir stir until it is completely mixed in.
5. pour into pie crust and chill in the fridge for 4 hours before serving. Most people seem to like whipped cream on top.