(Easier Than) Pie!

Pie is love.

OK, guys, I know pie is kinda intimidating. Making your own crust? Psshaw. My mama didn't mess around with that kinda stuff. She didn't have the time. And honestly, a store-bought crust works just fine.

But really though. This crust (from thekitchn.com) is so simple, and so easy, the hardest thing about it is not overdoing it. Yes, you read correctly, the most difficult thing about this pie crust is putting as little effort into it as possible.

So grab your 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, 10 Tbsp. cold butter and 1/4-1/2 cup ice water and get to bakin'.

Here's the method:

I combined the flour, sugar and salt in the food processor. I then cubed the butter like so (worked like a charm) and added it in.

 This is what my daughter did while I cooked:

Of course I'd forgotten to put the blades in. So I scooped the butter up a little at a time so that I could mash the blades in.

I measured 1/2 cup water and poured it over ice. I let it sit in the fridge until I was ready for it.

I covered the top of the food processor with plastic wrap (thanks, Cooks Illustrated) to keep the mess to a minimum. This would pay off in ways I hadn't imagined. I pulsed until the butter looked like little white lumpy peas.












I grabbed the ice water and added it to the food processor 1 Tbsp. at a time, until the mixture looked clumpy and a little sticky, like this:

And now this is where the plastic wrap paid off. I simply turned the bowl of the food processor onto the lid and shaped the crust into a disc, right there in said wrap. Sealed it up and into the fridge it went for at least 30 minutes.


Half hour, go! I made dinner for my husband (spaghetti and pre-made meatballs) and chopped the fruit for the filling. OK, maybe it was longer than 30 minutes. Whatever.

4 cups of white flesh peaches, sliced. 1 cup of mango, sliced. 1 cup blueberries. No slicing. Into this goes 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Stir.


I attempted making tartlets. If you want to do this, I'd suggest less fruit. Maybe 2 cups peaches, 1 cup mango and 1 cup blueberries. Use just a little less of the sugar and flour. I also told my family as we ate it, "I'm gonna squeeze some lemon juice into the fruit next time. It needs a little tartness." They all looked at me like I was crazy, but I know it would be better. I suggest a teaspoon of lemon juice, that's all, if you're using super sweet fruits like these. Skip the lemon if you're using rhubarb.

375 degrees, 45 minutes. Yes, indeed. We couldn't not have a piece, even though we were saving it for a cookout the next day. Whoops. Nobody's perfect.
Go to town with some whipped cream, fresh vanilla custard or your favorite vanilla bean ice cream. Or enjoy it on its own. Share. Smile.