With Thanksgiving just around the corner, many of us are eagerly looking forward to indulging ourselves silly at this classic American feast of bounty. Of course, we must also be wary and keep in mind the old adage, "All is best in moderation." While I would normally rally to the call of such sage wisdom, I must concede that all caution can be heartily defenestrated in a certain situation. That situation is when you are in the presence of pie.
Five out of my four housemates agree that pie is awesome. Indeed, the idea of food conveniently encased in a pastry crust is nothing short of ingenious. It actually goes back eons, originating in, historians believe, ancient Egypt. Tomb paintings depict a sort of bread dough container filled with nuts, honey and fruit: a confection fit for a pharaoh.
The ancient Greeks are credited with devising the first fruit-filled pastry-crust pie, which is more similar to today's pies. An ancient Roman cookbook also gives a recipe for a rye-crust, goat cheese and honey pie. In Medieval Europe, pies were known as "coffins." The crust was traditionally conceived of as the baking and serving vessel, not a culinary part of the pie. These hard, durable and decidedly inedible shells negated the need for a baking pan, and one would enjoy the filling only.
Today, we think of apple pie as an all-American specialty, but we have the first English settlers to thank for it. In 17th-century Europe, England was renowned for its unrivaled mastery of all things pie, and this lineage was passed on to the first English settlers of North America. Purportedly, one of George Washington's favorite foods was pie, and First Lady Martha, an excellent cook, made a mean Sweetbreads Oyster Pie.
Whether newly concocted or imbued with centuries of history, many different kinds of pies exist today. The filling can be sweet, as in fruit pie, or savory, as in pot pie or tourti?©re. Many other foods ("pizza pie," shepherd's pie, whoopee pie) are also called pies, but are not true pies because they lack the characteristic pastry crust.
Pies can be divided into two categories: one-crust or two-crust. One-crust pies just have a pastry crust as the bottom (think banana cream pie, pumpkin pie, etc.). Two-crust pies have an additional pastry "lid," which can be as simple as a flat round sheet of dough or as involved as a woven lattice that takes skill and patience to execute.
The lids are used to seal in moisture; they are especially important in savory pies where the meat might otherwise dry out while baking. Many cooks go to great lengths to make their pie tops attractive, such as cutting decorative steam vents or attaching cutout shapes made with extra dough. Our two featured dishes give a sample of both kinds of pies.
The first pie, tourti?©re, is a famous French-Canadian double-crusted meat pie made with pork, veal or beef. The original tourti?©re was actually made of a kind of passenger pigeon known as a tourte in French. Our modern version will use ground pork - much easier to find and quite delicious in such a recipe. Traditionally eaten around Christmas or New Year's, it can also be enjoyed year-round at family gatherings like ... Thanksgiving!! In fact, if you make one for your family this year, I guarantee that everyone will be impressed and eternally devoted to you.
The second pie is none other than good old pumpkin pie. Traditionally served in celebration of fall holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving, pumpkin pie consists of a pumpkin pur?©e custard flavored with various spices and is usually lacking a top crust. Pumpkin pur?©e comes in a can, but you can also make your own from scratch. If you'd prefer the latter, a Google search for "making pumpkin pur?©e" will provide you with the necessary know-how.
A word (or 122 words) on crusts: normally, a pie recipe would also direct you in making your own crust, but modern industry has provided us with the convenience of pre-made, refrigerated pie pastry crusts. This greatly expedites the college pie-making experience, so I suggest you start with a pre-made crust. (However, making your own isn't too hard either if you have an extra half-hour to spare. Again, Google will help you along. If you do make your own and it comes out fantastically - which I'm sure it will - remember to exercise your bragging rights to their fullest extent.)
Anyway, these "pie recipes" will assume that you start with a handy crust, so they are, in fact, pie filling recipes. Okay, less talk, more pie!
Tourti?©reIngredients:*1 ? lbs ground pork*1 large potato*1 onion*? teaspoon salt*? teaspoon black pepper*? cup water*2 9-inch pre-made pie pastry crustsDirections:1) Peel and chop the potato into chunks. Boil until soft, pour off water and mash.2) Chop onion.3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the mashed potato, onion, ground pork, water, and spices in a large skillet and stir to mix well. Turn heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for about half an hour, or until pork is no longer pink. (Don't worry if you can't see water pooling in the pan after mixing; it will still simmer nicely and not burn.)4) Scoop the filling into one pie shell and press it in firmly. Take the other pie shell out of its foil pan, flatten it, and place it on top of the filling. Pinch all around the edges to seal the top crust to the bottom, or you can press down with the tines of a fork. Lastly, cut some slits in the top as steam vents.5) Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the pie top looks light golden brown and crispy. Serve warm.
Pumpkin PieIngredients:*2 cups pumpkin pur?©e (one 15 oz. can)*3 large eggs*? cup heavy whipping cream*? cup brown sugar*1 teaspoon ground cinnamon*? teaspoon ground ginger*1/8 teaspoon ground cloves*? teaspoon salt*1 9-inch pre-made pie pastry crustDirections: 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2) In a large bowl, lightly whisk the 3 eggs.3) Throw in everything else except for the crust and stir briskly to mix well.4) Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 45-55 minutes, checking after 40 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a knife one inch from the edge; if it comes out clean, turn off heat and take out the pie. The filling center will still jiggle a little when it's done, but it will set as it cools. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or Canadian style, with a drizzle of maple syrup.
