Wednesday, October 3, 2018
How to Make Tiropita - Tiropita Recipe
2 pounds of feta cheese, drained of any excess liquid and crumbled.
How to Make Potato and Pea Samosas - Potato and Pea Samosas Recipe
How to Make Potato and Pea Samosas
Ingredients
2-3 large chopped potatoes
1 cup peas
1 diced onion
1 tsp masala powder
Herbs of your choice (recommended: ginger, garlic, jeera/cumin seeds)
1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vegetable oil
How to make it
Steps
1 Mix the dough ingredients.
2 Knead in order to moisturize all of the flour.
3 Wet if dough is hard, until all parts are wet; added moisture will allow the dough to reach the correct consistency.
4 Knead additionally until dough is soft and pliant.
5 Heat a frying pan coated with a slight amount of oil.
6 Add herbs and seeds to heated pan.
7 Wait until garlic/ginger has been heated sufficiently and is no longer raw.
8 Fry potatoes, peas, and onions in the pan, with masala powder stirred in, until readiness (for three to four minutes; tasting will ensure filling is fully cooked).
9 Separate the dough into six to eight even chunks.
10 Flatten these chunks with rolling pins into circular shapes.
11 Halve the circles, yielding semicircles of flat dough.
12 Place about a tablespoon of filling in the center of the half-circle.
13 Fold the edge of the circle over the filling, creating a triangular cone shape.
14 Pinch the two open edges of the three-sided shape closed with a small amount of water.
15 Repeat steps 12-14 until you have created twelve to fifteen samosas.
16 Place samosas into frying dish in about 3/4 inch (1.9 cm) of oil.
17 Fry in the vegetable oil until the whole of each samosa’s crust is an even golden-brown color.
18 Move individual samosas as they reach completion out of the pan and onto a paper towel to absorb excess oil, replacing them with uncooked samosas after doing so.
19 Cool samosas on paper towel for two minutes.
20 Serve with ketchup or other sauces of your choice.
How to Make Zongzi (Chinese Tamales) - Zongzi (Chinese Tamales) Recipe
How to Make Zongzi (Chinese Tamales)
How to make it
Method 1 Traditional Zongzi
1 Prepare the glutinous rice and filling.
This may require overnight soaking. Some recipes also suggest soaking the bamboo leaves overnight.
Glutinous rice goes by many names depending on country, culture or region: sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, mochi rice, biroin chal, and pearl rice. It's especially sticky when cooked. It does not contain gluten.
Fillings are usually savory, but there are many, many variations:
Skinless mung beans
Red bean paste
Jujubes
Char siu (Chinese barbecue pork)
Chinese Northern sausage
Chinese black mushrooms
2 Boil the bamboo leaves.
Let cool and pat dry.
3 Scoop the rice onto the bamboo leaves.
4 Scoop the filling onto the rice.
5 Fold the leaves around the rice and filling and secure with twine.
This is the trickiest part, so see the video illustrating one of the many ways you can wrap zongzi.
6 Simmer the zongzi for 2 to 5 hours (as instructed by the recipe; it will depend on the filling).
Method 2 Zongzi with Pork and Chestnut Filling
1 Gather your ingredients
5 cups glutinous rice
1/2 pound dried mung beans
20 dried chestnuts
1 tablespoon salt
1/8 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
10 dried Chinese black mushrooms, soaked with stems removed and caps sliced
20 bamboo leaves
1/2 pound pork belly, sliced
2 Add glutinous rice, mung beans and chestnuts to separate bowls.
3 Add enough warm water to cover the ingredients in the bowls.
Soak overnight.
4 Drain the rice, mung beans and chestnuts before combining them in a large bowl.
Do this after the ingredients have soaked overnight.
5 Add the salt and five-spice and stir to coat.
6 Soften mushrooms by pouring warm water over them.
Cover and let stand approximately 20 minutes. Drain.
7 Discard the mushroom stems and thinly slice the mushroom caps.
8 Add bamboo leaves to a large pot.
9 Pour in enough water to cover.
Bring the water to a boil and let the leaves cool.
10 Pat bamboo leaves dry before using to make the "tamales".
11 Place 2 bamboo leaves, slightly overlapping, on a clean work surface.
12 Add about 1/3 cup of the rice mixture in the center.
13 Top each mound of rice with a slice of pork and 3 to 4 slices of mushrooms.
14 Cover with about 2 tablespoons of rice and the mung bean mixture.
15 Fold the leaves over the "tamale" filling to enclose the filling completely.
16 Use kitchen twine or string to secure the "tamale".
17 Place tamales in a large pot, pour in enough water to cover them, and bring to a boil.
18 Lower the heat and cook until the tamales are tender, about 4 to 5 hours.
Add more water, as needed, to keep the "tamales" covered with simmering water. Cook until the tamale filling feels tender when you squeeze it gently, four to five hours.
19 Drain the water from the "tamales" and serve warm.
Method 3 Sweet Zongzi
1 Gather your ingredients.
50 sheets of bamboo or reed leaves
Glutinous rice (1 kilogram), about 2.2 pounds
Chinese red dried dates (250 grams)
2 Cover both rice and dates with water.
Cover the bowl and let mixture soak for 12 hours or until thoroughly soaked.
3 Wash the leaves.
4 Lay out leaves on a cutting or chopping board.
5 Fold the leaves flat at the leafstalk to make a sheet.
6 Hold the sheet, fold it round in the middle and make a funnel till both ends are laid over each other in one direction.
7 Add about 1/10 of a kilogram of rice and about 6 dates.
Be sure to cover the dates with the rice.
8 Fold the leaves up to seal the open side of the funnel and tie the bundle with a band made of twisted leaves.
9 Put the tamales in a pot with water to cover.
Make sure the tamales remain covered and pressed together during boiling.
10 Boil tamales for about 2 hours or cook in a pressure cooker for about 40 minutes.
How to Make Lumpia - Lumpia Recipe
How to Make Lumpia
Ingredients
1 tablespoon (15 mL) vegetable oil or canola oil
1 pound (455 g) ground beef
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 teaspoon (2 g) ground black pepper
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
1 teaspoon (3 g) garlic powder
1 teaspoon (5 mL) soy sauce
30 spring wrappers
2 cups (475 mL) vegetable oil or canola oil (for frying)
How to make it
Method 1 Precooking the meat
1 Heat on high heat, one tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok.
Place the ground beef in the skillet and cook thoroughly; get an all-around cooked/brown color leaving no pink. Remove pan from the heat and drain all the grease from the pan
2 Use the same exact pan and put the onion and garlic in.
Cook these for 2 minutes and then add the green onions, cabbage, carrots, and ground beef in the mixture. Cook these together and sprinkle pepper, salt, soy sauce, and garlic powder. Stir and then remove pan from heat again.
3 Grab one of the lumpia wrappers and place it down on a cutting board (or a hard surface).
Scoop up a good 3 tablespoons of the cooked mixture near one corner in a diagonally direction. Try to leave at least 1 1/2 inch (3.8 cm) space at both ends of the wrapper. Grab the corner nearest to the filling and fold it over the filling. Keep rolling and when you reach around the middle, tuck in both sides. Continue to wrap, but be sure to roll tight to keep everything in. When you reach the end, use a little water to seal the edge and then wrap it to create your roll. Use Saran Wrap or any plastic wrap to wrap each roll as you do the rest of the rolls. This is to keep the moisture in the roll.
4 Get a heavy skillet and pour a half inch depth of oil.
Heat the oil for about 5 minutes. Use the sides of the skillet to "slide" the rolls into the oil. When you use the sides, you're preventing oil from splattering when each piece hits it.
5 Fry about 3 to 4 rolls at a time for about 1 or 2 minutes.
Depending on how hot it is, you can also wait until the lumpia is golden brown. Place done rolls onto paper towels to drain excess oil. Serve immediately.
6 Finished.
Method 2 Cooking everything at once
1 Use the following ingredients:
1 tablespoon (15 mL) vegetable oil or Canola oil
1 pound (455 g) ground beef or ground pork
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 finely grated carrot
4 button mushrooms, finely chopped
4 spring onion, finely chopped
1 egg
1 teaspoon (2 g) fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon (6 g) iodized sea salt
1 teaspoon (3 g) garlic powder
1 tablespoon soy sauce
30 spring wrappers
2 cups (475 mL) vegetable oil or Canola oil (for frying)
2 Mix all raw ingredients.
3 Wrap in spring roll "cigar" style, just roll with open ends.
Freeze in tightly sealed freezer bags or containers for make ahead lumpias.
4 Deep fry or pan fry in 1 inch (2.5 cm) oil until golden brown, adding more oil as necessary while frying.
Don't let them get dark brown, which is burned.
5 Drain fried lumpias in paper towels.
How to Make Pumpkin Pie - Pumpkin Pie Recipe
How to Make Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
Classic Pumpkin Pie
1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) salt for crust
4 tablespoons (48 g) shortening
5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons (44 ml) to 5 tablespoons (74 ml) ice water
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) salt
1/2 teaspoon (1 g) ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 (15-ounce or 425 g) can pumpkin puree
1 (12-ounce or 355 ml) can evaporated milk
Whipped cream for serving
Makes a 9 in (23 cm) pie
Pumpkin Slab Pie
4 cups (480 g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 g) salt
1 teaspoon (4 g) granulated sugar
3 1/2 sticks (400 g) unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
3/4 cup (180 ml) ice water
2 (15-ounce or 425 g) cans pure pumpkin
2 cups (400 g) light or dark brown sugar
4 eggs
2 cups (470 ml) heavy cream
1/4 cup (59 ml) whole milk
1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (16 g) cornstarch
2 teaspoons (4 g) ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon (0.5 g) ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) salt
1/8 teaspoon (.2 g) fresh ground pepper
Whipped cream to serve
Makes a 10 x 15 in (25 x 38 cm) pan
How to make it
Method 1 Baking Classic Pumpkin Pie
1 Preheat the oven to 425 °F (218 °C) and adjust the oven rack.
Move an oven rack so it's in the center of the oven.
Consider placing a rimmed baking sheet underneath it to catch any drips.
2 Combine the flour and salt with the shortening and butter.
To make the pie crust, measure 1 1/2 cups (180 g) of all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) salt into a mixing bowl. Stir and then use a pastry cutter or your fingers to mix in 4 tablespoons (48 g) of shortening and 5 tablespoons (70 g) of unsalted butter.
The mixture should be crumbly once the fats are incorporated.
If you prefer, use a pre-made pastry dough that you place in the pie shell.
3 Mix in ice water to form a dough.
Get out 3 tablespoons (44 ml) to 5 tablespoons (74 ml) of ice water. Start by putting 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the water into the dry mixture. Use a fork to toss the mixture until it begins to come together. Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of water at a time until dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.
Avoid adding too much water or it will become sticky and difficult to work.
4 Roll out the crust and place it in the pie plate.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 12 in (30 cm) circle. Carefully lift the circle of dough into a 9 in (23 cm) pie plate. Press it into the plate and crimp the edges.
If you want to make the dough ahead of time, wrap it tightly and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.
5 Beat 2 eggs in a large bowl and stir in the sugar, salt, ginger, and cloves.
Crack 2 eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk them until they're completely combined. Pour in 3/4 cup (150 g) of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon (2 g) of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) salt, 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) of ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) of ground cloves.
Stir well so the spices are incorporated.
6 Stir in the pumpkin and evaporated milk.
Open a 15-ounce (425 g) can of pumpkin puree and stir it into the spiced egg mixture. Open a 12-ounce (355 ml) can of evaporated milk and slowly stir it into the mixture until it's incorporated.
7 Pour the filling into the shell and bake the pie for 15 minutes.
Scoop the pumpkin filling into your pastry-lined pie plate. Put the pie in the center of the preheated oven and bake it for 15 minutes.
Starting the pie at a high heat will help the crust become crisp.
8 Turn the temperature to 350 °F (177 °C) and bake it for 40 to 50 minutes
Let the pie cook at the reduced temperature until it only jiggles slightly in the center. You can also check the pie by inserting a knife or skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, the pie is finished.
If the pie needs more time, continue to cook it for 5 more minutes and check it again.
9 Cool the pie for at least 2 hours.
Remove the pie from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool. It should be completely cool before you slice it into pieces. Serve the pie with whipped cream.
Refrigerate leftover pie in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days.
Method 2
1 Preheat the oven to 375 °F (191 °C) and adjust the oven rack.
Adjust your oven racks so you have 1 in the middle of the oven. You'll also need to get out a 10 x 15 in (25 x 38 cm) jellyroll pan for the pie.
2 Combine the flour, salt, and sugar with the butter.
For the crust, measure 4 cups (480 g) of all-purpose flour into a large mixing bowl. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 g) of salt and 1 teaspoon (4 g) of granulated sugar. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to mix in 3 1/2 sticks (400 g) of cubed unsalted butter.
The smaller the cubes, the easier it is to cut in the butter.
Mix in the butter until it forms pea-sized clumps.
3 Add ice water to form a dough.
Get out 3/4 cup (180 ml) of ice water. Put 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the water into the dry mixture at a time. Toss the dough together with a fork and keep adding 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of water at a time until dough begins to form a ball.
The dough should pull away from the side of the bowl but it shouldn't become tacky or sticky.
4 Set aside 1/4 of the dough and roll out the rest to fit the pan.
If you'd like to make decorative leaf cut-outs for the top of the pie, put 1/4 of the dough off to the side. Then roll the remaining dough on a lightly floured surface. Make it a large rectangle about 18 x 13 in (45 x 33 cm) so it fits in your jellyroll pan.
If you don't want to make the decorative leaf cut-outs, just roll out the entire ball of dough for the crust.
5 Arrange the pastry in the baking pan.
Transfer the rectangle of dough to the jellyroll pan so some of the dough hangs over the sides. Use your fingers to press the dough into the sides and bottom of the pan. Then crimp the dough along the edges.
At this point, you can refrigerate the pastry in the pan while you mix the filling.
6 Mix the pumpkin, sugar, eggs, cream, milk, vanilla, cornstarch, and spices.
Open 2 15-ounce (425 g) cans of pumpkin puree and scoop them into a large mixing bowl. Stir in 2 cups (400 g) of brown sugar, 4 eggs, 2 cups (470 ml) of heavy cream, 1/4 cup (59 ml) of whole milk, 1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons (16 g) of cornstarch and these spices:
2 teaspoons (4 g) ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon (3 g) ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon (0.5 g) ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) salt
1/8 teaspoon (.2 g) fresh ground pepper
7 Spread the filling into the crust.
Remove the pastry-lined pan from the refrigerator and spread the thick pumpkin pie filling into it.
Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to ensure the filling is even.
8 Bake the pie for 35 to 45 minutes.
Put the slab pie in the preheated oven and cook it until it barely jiggles in the center. You can also insert a knife into the center to see if it comes out clean.
If it jiggles a lot or the knife doesn't come out clean, return the pie to the oven for 5 more minutes. Continue to check it until it's firm.
9 Cool the pie and roll out the pastry leaves if desired.
Remove the pie from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool completely. If you'd like to make the decorative pastry leaves, get out the reserved dough and roll it to 1/8 inch (3 mm) thickness. Use a leaf cookie cutter to cut out shapes.
10 Bake the pastry leaves if you're using them.
Place the leaves on a baking sheet and bake them at 350 °F (177 °C) for 10 minutes while the pie cools. The leaves should puff up and turn light brown.
Remove the leaves to a wire rack to cool.
11 Serve the pumpkin slab pie.
Once the optional pastry leaves have cooled completely, arrange them on the top of the cooled pie. Cut the pie into squares and serve it with whipped cream.
Store the leftover pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
How to Make Gluten Free Savory Pie Crust - Gluten Free Savory Pie Crust Recipe
How to Make Gluten Free Savory Pie Crust
Ingredients
Servings: 1 10" pie tin or 5 5" tart tins
Prep Time: 10 minutes + 30 minutes refrigeration time
Cook Time: 20 minutes + Extra to cook the filling
1/2 cup rice flour
3/4 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. dried mixed herbs
1/2 tsp. salt
125 g chilled butter + 1 tablespoon (14.8 ml). butter, melted
1 egg
How to make it
Method 1 Prepare the Dough
1 Combine all of the dry ingredients into a food processor and pulse them a few times to ensure they’re well mixed.
2 Dice the chilled butter into cubes and add it to the dry ingredients.
3 Pulse the mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs.
It's important to do this fairly quickly so that the butter doesn't have a chance to melt.
4 Add the egg next and pulse for longer increments until combined.
The mixture should begin to clump together.
5 Dump the dough onto a clean cooking surface and shape it into a ball.
6 Wrap the dough ball in cling film and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
7 Unwrap the chilled dough and turn it onto a piece of wax paper on your counter top.
8 Begin to flatten it with your hand.
9 Place a piece of cling film on top of the flattened dough and roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it's 2 centimeter (0.8 in) thick.
10 Peel off the cling film and slide the wax paper and dough onto your cutting board.
11 Grease your pie tin with the remaining tablespoon of butter.
12 Place the greased tin on top of the dough, facing down.
13 Flip the board and pie tin right side up and remove the board from the top of the pie tin.
14 Use your hands to gently push the dough into the corners of the dish.
15 Pierce the base of the pie crust with a fork numerous times to create a place for the steam to eventually escape when it bakes.
16 Place a new piece of wax paper on top of the dough and place pie weights or beans on top of the wax paper.
This is to help prevent the base of the crust from rising and bubbling as it cooks. This process is called blind baking.
Method 2 Baking
1 Blind bake the pastry for 20 minutes at 430°F (200°C).
2 Remove the crust from the oven, take out the weights and greaseproof paper, and return it to the oven for another 5 to 7 minutes to ensure that the base of the crust will not be soggy.
3 Finished.
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
How to Make a Lemon Chiffon Pie - Lemon Chiffon Pie Recipe
How to Make a Lemon Chiffon Pie
Ingredients
8-inch single pie crust, baked, or 8-inch graham cracker crust
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind (zest)
3/4 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
How to make it
Steps
1 Prepare baked pie crust or graham cracker crust, your choice.
2 Soften gelatin in cold water.
3 Beat egg yolks slightly.
4 Add lemon juice, rind and half the sugar.
5 Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken.
This should take between 10 to 15 minutes.
6 Add gelatin and stir until dissolved.
7 Chill until mixture begins to thicken.
8 Beat egg whites until foamy.
9 Add salt and beat until stiff peaks begin to form.
10 Add remaining sugar, slowly to incorporate sugar granules into egg whites, beat constantly until stiff.
11 Fold egg whites into chilled egg yolk mixture.
12 Pile into prepared pie crust.
13 Chill.
14 Finished.
How to Make Oreo Pie Crust - Oreo Pie Crust Recipe
How to Make Oreo Pie Crust
Ingredients
24 whole Oreo cookies (or similar style of cookie)
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
Filling of choice
How to make it
Steps
1 Blend the Oreo cookies in a medium-sized bowl or a food processor.
Blend until the cookies take on the texture of coarse crumbs.
2 Add the melted butter.
Blend until the fat is well combined.
3 Put the mixture into a deep pie dish of around 9.5 inches in diameter.
4 Press the mixture evenly across the bottom of the pan and up the sides of the pie dish.
Spread the mixture as evenly as possible. Aim to have crust about a third of a centimetre or one eighth of an inch thick.
5 Refrigerate the pie crust for at least one hour.
This will allow it to set and harden before adding a filling of your choice.
6 Add the filling.
It may need to be returned to the refrigerator to chill the filling to the same temperature as the crust or you can keep the pie in the refrigerator until serving time for the sake of keeping it at the right temperature.
7 Serve.
To serve, simply cut as for a normal pie, into pie slices. Use a spatula to remove a slice and slide it onto a plate.
8 Finished.
How to Make Coconut Flour Pie Crust - Coconut Flour Pie Crust Recipe
How to Make Coconut Flour Pie Crust
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted. Organic and grass fed is better.
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 - 3 tablespoons of raw honey (Only use the honey if creating a dessert crust)
3/4 cup of coconut flour
How to make it
Steps
1 Preheat the oven to 400 °F (204 °C).
2 In a medium sized bowl, beat the butter, eggs, honey, and salt together.
3 Add the coconut flour.
4 Mix together until the dough is holding its shape.
5 Roll the dough into a ball and then pat it into a 9 inch (22.9 cm) greased pie pan.
6 Prick the dough with a fork.
7 Bake for 9 minutes and then let it cool.
If using for something like a pumpkin pie or cheesecake, don't cook the crust until you have the filling inside.
How to Make Pie Crust Letters - Pie Crust Letters Recipe
How to Make Pie Crust Letters
How to make it
Method 1 Selecting or Making Your Dough
1 Use packaged pie dough.
Purchase pre-made pie dough from your local grocery store to the quickest and easy way to make pie crust letters. Refrigerated dough is especially easy to work with, though you can also go with a frozen option and thaw it according to the directions on the package.
2 Make pie dough from scratch.
Pie crust is notoriously hard to get just right, but by sticking to a proven recipe you can make a delicious pie dough on your own. To make about one pie’s worth of dough, gather 2½ cups of all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons white sugar, ¼ cup vegetable shortening, 12 tablespoons cold, cubed butter, and ¼ cup of ice water.
Use a food processor to pulse the flour, salt, and sugar until mixed. Add the shortening and butter incrementally, until the mixture is crumbly. With the processor running, add the ice water one tablespoon at a time until a firm, consistent dough is produced.
Press the dough into a ball or hockey puck shape. If you’re preparing the dough ahead of time, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
3 Make sure you have everything you need.
Though you don’t need eggs in the dough recipe, have a few on hand to assist in baking. You’ll want to beat the eggs and brush them onto your pie crust letters to seal any small separations and hold them together as they bake.
Note that you’ll also need parchment paper and a pastry brush.
Beat an egg yolk into a teaspoon of water for the perfect beaten egg equivalent.
Method 2 Cutting the Letters
1 Roll the dough flat.
With the dough at room temp, begin to flatten it with flour-covered hands and lay it between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll the dough until it is about ? inch (? centimeter) thick.
If you're planning on sticking the letters on a crust, get your pie in the oven and prepare the letters while the pie begins to bake.
2 Go the easy route with cookie cutters.
Cookie cutters are the easiest way to cut individual letters out of pie dough. You can find letter-shaped cookie cutters in all sorts of sizes and fonts, at home goods store or online. If you want a budget option, see if your local dollar store has plastic letters for crafting. These will likely work just as well.
3 Use a parchment paper guide.
Cut a piece of parchment paper that is roughly the same size as your flattened dough. Draw all of the letters you’ll need on the paper to make sure you’ll have enough room. Once finished, place the parchment paper on top of the dough with your markings facing up. Use an item with a thin point, like a skewer or toothpick, to gently trace the letters into the dough beneath the paper.
Remove the paper and use a knife to carefully cut out each letter.
You can also print a sheet of paper with whatever letters you wish and trace them onto the parchment paper.
Always use parchment paper for tracing letters onto the dough, as it will stick to the dough much less than other types of paper. Further, parchment paper won’t leave behind any chemicals or become damp and tear apart.
4 Use the strip technique.
Another way of fashioning letters involves cutting ? inch (just under a cm) thick strips of dough. Cut the strips into smaller pieces and attach them to one another to form letters, or simply twist and bend the strips. Store letters on parchment paper until you’ve got as many as you need.
For instance, to make a capital “T”, cut off two short pieces of the strip, one a bit longer than the other. Use the shorter piece to cross the top of the longer piece, and viola.
When making letters with multiple small pieces of dough, brushing the letters with beaten eggs is especially important.
Method 4 Baking Letters and Pies With Lettering
1 Cook letters on their own.
After cutting and shaping the letters you need, use the pastry brush to add a layer of beaten egg to each individual letter. Place the letters on a cookie sheet and bake them in the oven at 450° Fahrenheit (232° Celsius). Six minutes should be just about perfect. Allow the letters to cool on a wire rack.
For a different consistency, you can also try baking letters at 350°F (177°C) for 10 minutes.
Consider sprinkling cinnamon and sugar on your letters before baking, especially if you intend to serve them alone. Pie crust letters sweetened this way are especially good accompaniments to hot apple cider.
2 Bake letters onto the top of a crusted pie.
For pies that have crusts on top, such as classic fruit pies, you'll want the letters to bake onto the upper crust of the pie. For instance, you can arrange the letters however you wish on top of the upper crust when you add the crust to the pie. This will allow for the careful placement of lots of letters.
Alternatively, pull the pie out of the oven after the upper layer of crust has baked for a few minutes and then add the letters to the still-soft crust. This will make the letters more distinct from the rest of the upper crust, though it will be harder to adjust any lettering after its initial placement.
3 Place letters on desserts without an upper crust after baking.
If you wish to add your letters to the top of a pie that does not have a crust on top, bake the letters separately and add them to an already-baked pie. Not only is this ideal for desserts like pumpkin pie, you can also add pie crust letters to other desserts, such as carrot cake.[8]
4 Finished.
How to Make a Pie Crust Ahead of Time - Pie Crust Recipe
How to Make a Pie Crust Ahead of Time
Ingredients
4 cups (500g) flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups (360g) butter
1/2 cup (120 ml) water
Steps
1 Mix flour, salt and sugar together.
2 Blend in the butter.
3 Mix together egg, water and vinegar.
4 Add to butter mixture.
5 Divide into 4 portions.
6 Refrigerate 30 minutes before using.
Freeze the dough if you want to preserve it for later. You may freeze balls of dough.
Don't refrigerate if freezing.
7 To thaw, take out of freezer for a couple of hours then roll out for pie.
8 Finished.
How to Bake Empty Tart Shells - Bake Empty Tart Shells Recipe
How to Bake Empty Tart Shells
Ingredients
2 1/3 cups (291 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon (4 g) sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) salt
1/4 teaspoon (1 g) baking powder
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch (12 mm) pieces and chilled
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon (5 ml) white or cider vinegar, chilled
1 to 2 teaspoons (5 to 10 ml) ice-cold vodka
Makes eight 4 to 4 3/4-inch (10 to 12-cm) tart shells or 12 muffin-sized tartlets
How to make it
Method 1 Making the Pastry Dough
1 Measure out the dry ingredients and mix for 5 seconds.
Get out a large food processor and measure all of the dry ingredients into it. You'll need 2 1/3 cups (291 g) of unbleached, all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon (4 g) of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon (1 g) of baking powder. Put the lid on the processor and pulse the dry ingredients for about 5 seconds so they're combined.
If you don't have a food processor, you can whisk the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2 Cut 1 cup (226 g) of chilled, unsalted butter into 1/2-inch (12 mm) pieces.
Put half of the butter into the food processor and pulse the mixture for 2 seconds. Put the rest of the butter into the processor and pulse the mixture three times (for about one second each). The dough will look somewhat crumbly.
If you're making the dough in a mixing bowl, use a pastry blender to cut the butter until it looks like coarse crumbs.
3 Mix in the egg yolks.
Place 2 large egg yolks into the dough mixture and pulse the dough twice. Each pulse should last 1 second. You'll still see bits of butter, but the egg yolks should be incorporated.
You can also stir the egg yolks in using a rubber spatula.
4 Blend in the vinegar and vodka.
Pour in 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of chilled white or cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of ice-cold vodka. Process the dough for one or two seconds or until the dough forms a shaggy ball. You might need to add another teaspoon of vodka to get the dough to come together.
If you'd like to leave out the vodka, just add an extra 1 to 2 teaspoons (5 to 10 ml) of cold water.
5 Shape the dough into a ball.
Remove the dough from the food processor. Sprinkle a little flour onto a work surface and place the dough on it. Use your fingers to roll the dough into a rough ball.
Try to work on a cold surface to prevent the butter in the dough from softening.
6 Wrap and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
If you'll be making mini-tartlets using a muffin tin, just wrap the ball of dough tightly with plastic wrap. If you'll be making classic tart shells, you can divide the dough into 8 evenly sized pieces and press them into 5-inch (12 cm) circles). Wrap each circle of dough in plastic wrap. Transfer your dough to the fridge and chill it for at least 30 minutes.
Method 2 Making Classic Tart Shells
1 Cut out parchment paper circles.
Tear off eight pieces of parchment paper. Measure and draw a circle on each piece of paper that's 9 or 10-inches (22 or 25-cm) in diameter. Use scissors to cut out each circle and set them aside.
2 Rest each piece of dough for 1 minute.
Sprinkle your work surface with a little flour. Unwrap one of the chilled dough circles and put it on the floured surface. Sprinkle a little more flour over the top and let the dough rest for 1 minute.
You'll need to do this for each circle of dough.
3 Roll the dough to an 1/8-inch (3-mm) thickness.
Use a rolling pin to roll each piece into a circle. Turn the dough occasionally to keep it from sticking. Keep rolling the dough until it's 1/8-inch (3-mm) thick and between 7 and 7 3/4-inches (17 to 19-cm) in diameter.
4 Press the dough into each pan.
Get out eight 4 and 4 3/4-inches (10 to 12-cm) wide tart pans. Lay one rolled circle of dough in each pan. Use your fingers to gently press the dough into the bottom of the pan and up along the edges. Don't worry if excess dough hangs over the edges.
If you're having trouble transferring the dough to the tart pans, try folding them in half before you lift them. Place the folded dough into the pan and unfold the dough so it covers the tart pan.
5 Trim and double layer the sides.
Take a small paring knife and trim off the dough that's hanging over the edges of each tart pan. Leave 1/2 inch (3-mm) overhang to prevent shrinking. Take the trimmed dough and press it into the sides of each tart to strengthen the walls of your tarts.
6 Weigh down and chill the tarts for at least 30 minutes.
Place one circle of parchment paper into each tart shell. Spread pie weights or dried beans over the parchment paper so it's weighed down against the dough. Remember to do this for each tart shell and wrap all of them with plastic wrap. Chill the tarts for at least 30 minutes.
You can refrigerate the prepared tart shells for up to 2 hours.
If you want to freeze the shells to use later, remove the pie weights and re-wrap the tarts in more plastic wrap. Freeze the tarts for four to six weeks.
7 Preheat the oven and remove the shells from the refrigerator.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Unwrap each tart shell and set them on a few rimmed baking sheets.
If you want to bake frozen tart shells, unwrap the shells and put them on the baking sheets. Lay parchment paper and pie weights in each shell before you bake them.
8 Bake the tart shells for 7 to 9 minutes.
Once the oven has heated, put the sheets in the oven and bake the tart shells for 4 minutes. Carefully lift the parchment paper with the weights out and return the shells to the oven. Bake the tart shells for 3 to 5 more minutes.
The tart shells will be pale golden once they've finished cooking.
9 Cool and fill the tarts.
Take the baking sheets out of the oven and let the tart shells cool completely in the pans. To remove tart shells from the pans, set a can on your counter. Place a tart shell directly on the can so the removable sides fall away. You should be able to lift the tart shell off of the bottom piece. Set your baked tart shells serving plates and consider filling them with:
Lemon curd
Dulce de leche
Chocolate hazelnut spread
Pastry cream and fresh fruit
Method 3 Making Scalloped Tarlets in a Muffin Tin
1 Roll the dough into a large circle that's 1/8-inch (3-mm) thick.
Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface. Unwrap the chilled dough and place it on the floured surface. Sprinkle a little more flour on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to roll the dough until it's 1/8-inch (3-mm) thick.
Turn the dough occasionally to keep it from sticking. You might need to sprinkle more flour over the dough as you roll it.
2 Cut the dough into 12 circles using scalloped cookie cutters.
Take a 3-inch (7-cm) round cookie cutter with scalloped edges and use it to cut about 12 circles from the dough. You might need to roll the scraps into a ball and re-roll the dough in order to cut more circles.
Avoid re-rolling the dough more than once or the pastry will become tough.
If you want to use a mini-muffin tin, use a smaller cookie cutter to make your circles.
3 Butter a muffin tin and preheat the oven.
Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray or brush each cavity with melted butter. Turn on the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
You can use a standard muffin tin or use a mini-muffin tin if you'd like very small tartlets. For a mini-muffin tin, try using a 2-inch (5-cm) round cookie cutter with scalloped edges.
4 Press the dough into each cavity and prick the dough with a fork.
Lift each scalloped circle up and place it into the prepared muffin tin cavities. Gently press it into the bottom and sides of the cavities. Take a fork and prick the bottoms of each a few times to prevent it from puffing up as it bakes.
5 Fill each tartlet with a muffin liner and weights.
Place one muffin liner on top of each tartlet in the muffin tin. Fill each muffin liner with pie weights or dried beans to weigh the muffin liner down. Filling the liners will help the tartlet shells keep their shape as they bake.
6 Bake the tartlet shells for 10 to 12 minutes.
Put the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake the tartlet shells until they're pale golden brown. This should take 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the tin from the oven and let the shells cool completely.
7 Remove the liners and fill the tartlet shells.
Lift the muffin liner and weights out of each shell. Don't worry if the muffin liners create ridges in the tarts. You shouldn't be able to see these lines once you've filled the tartlets. Fill each tartlet with your dessert filling. For example, fill the shells with:
Whipped cream and melted chocolate
Pudding
Ganache
Fruit or nuts
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