Cooking Experiment: Miniature Peach Pies

[tuftears]

Inspired by haikujaguar's link to how to make single-serving pies in bottles, I decided to try making some myself! Documented in all its gory excesses with phone-taken pictures, below the cut.

The first step was to make the dough for the pie crust. Worried by talk of shortening, I started off with a "healthy pie crust", using a mix of cold milk and olive oil in place.



My first discovery was that when you make miniature pies, the surface area relative to the actual amount of filling becomes a lot larger. This recipe, which I presume would have been sufficient for a single large pie, only allowed me enough material to fill two ramekins. (Safeway didn't have any of the widebrim mason jars I'd needed)



While I was making the dough, I drained a jar of sliced peaches into a pot and started the filling going, per this recipe. Looked pretty simple, right?

Second discovery: it does not work to add cornstarch directly into a boiling pot. What happens is that it basically flash-fries and you get these white lumps in your sauce. Worked far better to mix cornstarch into some cold water and then add that.

Once I'd rectified that, I filled these ramekins up to the brim and bottled the rest (in the same jar I'd gotten the peaches from, being economical) then put the rest of the crust on top, and fork-crimped around the edges. Looks professional! Yay!



I baked these for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. The one on the right is one that I've decanted.

But is it a pie?



Third discovery: fruit shrinks when you cook it. Weird! There's a very noticable air gap between the crust and the actual filling. Apparently the better way to do this in the future is to cut around the crust and have it be just floating on top of the filling, or to use lattice strips.

Well, that explains the huge amount of open space in the 'Single Serving Pies' article, anyway!

I still have the other pie I baked but I'll save it for tomorrow's dessert, I think. I can just push the top crust down and maybe mix in a bit more filling before I microwave it. Still tastes good, and that is what is important!

Also, the crust isn't that tasty. Next time I will just use regular butter! The peaches came out just fine though.

Note to self, per Ace: "You can't use liquid fat for pie crust, it's the same idea as biscuits, you don't get flakey yumminess with liquid fat. You work solid fat into flour without melting it until it's a homogenized mass, then add cold liquid until it barely comes together, then let it rest to soak up liquid. You get a stiffier and easier to work with dough that way instead of a gummy mess if you make it into a dough by giving it all the water it could possibly want."

Comments

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

You tried to make a pie crust with milk and olive oil...?

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

It seemed like a good idea at the time. <_<

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

Now you know. And knowing is half the battle. >.>

[beetiger.livejournal.com]

If you want a fruit pie that feels "full" after baking, precook the fruit filling.

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

I did, it settled even more! Amazing. :)

[chefmongoose.livejournal.com]

Swap out about 25% of the water in your dough recipe for vodka. nto kidding. It makes the dough excellently pliable, evaporates while cooking leaving nil flavor, and minimixes gluten development for a nicely flankier, tender crust.

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

I mentioned that to someone who suggested applejack - which sounds a touch more flavorful.

Anyway, I think I may wind up using some of my leftover phyllo dough with the rest of the pie filling! Mm, peach phyllo turnovers.

[chefmongoose.livejournal.com]

Also, cornstarch in cold water is called a 'slurry'. very well-known cooking trick. :)

[stryck.livejournal.com]

haikujaguar seems to have started a mini sensation (my jars are on the way from Amazon).

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Fun to watch chain-sparking of cooking neurons, isn't it? };)

[rowyn]

I like those cookie-crumb crusts you can get at stores, even though they're nothing like regular pie crust. I don't know how they're made or if they're just as bad for you as the butter/lard style. :) Good luck with future teeny pie experiments!

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Actually I think I'm going to try to make phyllo turnovers with the remaining peach filling this coming weekend. ^_^

[sassinak.livejournal.com]

Thank you Lynxity for posting the link to haikujaguar's blog. Wow! Wonderful sounding recipes, beautiful photos, great tutorials. I made my first recipe from there for a bake sale at Isabelle's school tomorrow. (Cinnamon Caramel Corn with Pecans and White Chocolate.) There are no words for this much yum! I predict it will be a bit hit.

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Well, to be specific, haikujaguar provided a link to a separate blog, 'ourbestbites' is not her blog per se. };) But the caramel corn pies did look tastee!

[sassinak.livejournal.com]

Ah - okay. My mistake. Thank you, anyway! I might not have stumbled across ourbestbites otherwise.