The Cuisine Scene




SUPER EASY PRESS-OUT PIE DOUGH
(2 crust pie)
It’s so simple. No rolling out, no adding more flour, just mix and press out on pie pan.

3 c flour
1 cup oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold water

For two-crust pie, I mix all the ingredients, divide in half for the bottom crust and press it out into the pan. For the top crust, I just press sections of the dough, about the size of a silver dollar or a little bigger, in my hand, getting them as thin as possible, then arrange on top of pie mixture. It comes out with a little different design than most pies and that’s okay with me.

I’m not the best cook, and what I make from scratch often comes out lopsided, split-in-the-middle, or deflated. But when cooking for home, I go for taste instead of looks. And I don’t have a lot of time to devote to cooking, so I usually ignore directions that say to fold in here, blend there. If I can’t just dump the ingredients into one bowl, I seldom bother.

My pie crust is like that. I don’t do a thing I was taught except mix it quickly, as the longer you work it, the tougher it gets. I prepare it in an unorthodox way by pouring everything into one bowl, mixing it, usually with my hands, and only until it sticks together enough to slightly form a ball. Then I take that ball and put it directly into the pie pan and press it out to fit the pan. When it tears, I just work it closed again, just as if it were children’s playdough. If I run out of dough before the pan is covered, I just ‘borrow’ some from a thicker section and work it in. It may not look like the best, but I prefer the taste.