Best-Ever Pie Crust

Best-Ever Pie Crust

yield: Makes 2 pie crusts (enough dough for 1 double-crust pie, 1 lattice-topped pie, or 2 single-crust pies)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chilled lard or frozen nonhydrogenated solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
5 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Preparation:
Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and lard; using on/off turns, blend until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Add 5 tablespoons ice water and mix with fork until dough begins to clump together, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Gather dough together. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into disk. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. If necessary, soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.



Via: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Best-Ever-Pie-Crust-238816#ixzz1gXIhWk8e

Summer Peach Pie with Vanilla and Cardamom

Tip: No need to peel the peaches — the peel provides great color, texture, and flavor. Just gently rub off the peach fuzz with a kitchen towel.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (scant) ground cardamom
• 3 3/4 pounds firm but ripe unpeeled peaches, halved, pitted, each half cut into 4 slices (about 10 cups)
• 2 Best-Ever Pie Crust dough disks 
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• Whipping cream (for glaze)
• Vanilla ice cream

Preparation: 

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Combine 2/3 cup sugar and vanilla bean in processor; blend until vanilla bean is very finely minced. Sift vanilla sugar through strainer into large bowl; discard any large bits in strainer. Mix flour and cardamom into vanilla sugar. Add peaches to flour-sugar mixture and toss gently to coat.

Roll out 1 pie crust disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Spoon peach mixture into crust; dot with butter. Roll out second pie crust disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Drape dough over peach filling; trim overhang to 1 1/2 inches. Fold top and bottom edges under, pressing together to seal. Crimp edges decoratively. Using small sharp knife, cut 2-inch-long X in center of top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush crust lightly with whipping cream; sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar.

Place pie on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden, peaches are tender, and juices bubble thickly through cut in top crust, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool until lukewarm, about 2 hours.

Serve pie lukewarm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

Via: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Summer-Peach-Pie-with-Vanilla-and-Cardamom-238821#ixzz1gXHpqi4M

Layered Pumpkin Butter Dip

Layered Pumpkin Butter Dip

• 8 oz Cream Cheese at Room Temp
• 1/2 Jar Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter (sold at William Sonoma)
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
• 3 Slices Bacon Crisp and Crumbled
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Green Onion

• Spread cream cheese in a small baking dish or gratin. Top with pumpkin butter then bacon, pecans and green onion Serve with crackers.

Microwave Caramels

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light Karo syrup
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Cook 6 minutes, stirring every two minutes.
3. Stir and pour into lightly greased dish.
4. Let cool.
5. Cut, wrap in wax paper & store in air tight container.
   

Baked Fontina

Baked Fontinasource: adapted from How Easy is That? by Ina Garten
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs Italian fontina, rind removed and cubed into 1-inch pieces
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Adjust top rack of the oven so that it sits about 5 inches under the broiler unit. Preheat broiler.
2. Spread cheese out in the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron pan.  Drizzle olive oil over the cheese.  Mix together the garlic and herbs in a small bowl and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the cheese.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top of the cheese.
3. Bake for 6 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and melted through.  Carefully remove the pan from the oven and set it on a heatproof surface – the pan will be hot!  Serve immediately.