vodka

Vodka Pâte Brisée Pie Crust /  by Judy Kim

by Judy Kim

Vodka Pâte Brisée Pie crust

Yield: One 8 to 10-inch double-crust pie or two large half sheet pan galettes

This is a far cry from the pie dough recipe I remember as a kid. We used a recipe my Mom saved from a school bake sale, the recipe card was so cute. It was written on red construction paper in the shape of an apple and the recipe was made with pure Crisco. It guaranteed flaky results, but now I expect more from pie crust. Luckily I spent a fair amount of my previous career traveling to France, and like anyone that visits the Pâte Brisée motherland, you'll never turn down an all butter pastry. I wanted to create my own version of an all butter pie crust recipe, one that takes the anxiety out of pie making and is friendly for decorative pie making. Vodka is certainly not traditional to French baking, but I now use it regularly. This recipe yields an unusually pliable dough that is so much easier to roll out and handle. My first pie dough, Vodka Pie Crust is made with butter and shortening is even more fool proof, but similar, so it's really a matter of preference in terms of texture and flavor.

INGREDIENTS

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks, up to 2 sticks for extra buttery pastry), cut into 1/2-inch cubes and frozen in advance. I prefer Vermont Creamery European butter  

1/2 cup vodka

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, crushed by hand

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes and freeze overnight, minimum of 5 minutes if you're short on time.

  2. In a liquid measuring cup pour vodka, then add several ice cubes. Wait until vodka is chilled and remove ice. Most likely you'll reach 3/4 cup measurement from the melting ice cubes, but if not just add a touch of chilled water. If your vodka is frozen, just add 1/4 cup iced water.

  3. Combine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add frozen butter and toss together quickly until each piece of butter is coated with the flour mixture, this will ensure an even dough. Break butter pieces apart if they are stuck together. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade; pulse 2 to 3 times until the size of chickpeas.

  4. Pour vodka mixture through feed tube in a steady stream while constantly pulsing until dough begins to pull together. Avoid running the machine automatically or it may overmix. Butter and shortening should be about the size of dried lentils. Pro tip: Pour all the liquid into the feed tube, it's designed to stream an even amount and will help absorb all the flour evenly.

  5. Carefully turn dough out onto a very lightly floured work surface and remove the blade. Try to use no more than 1 tablespoon bench flour as flour can make the dough tough. Working on marble or granite countertop will help keep the dough cool. Note, the dough is slightly wet and more elastic than typical recipes. It's not necessary to knead the dough, just enough to pull it together with a few turns at the most.

  6. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and shape the dough into a round or rectangle. I find the dough will stay cooler if I shape it after wrapping and it reduces the need for additional bench flour. If you are using a round pie dish, shape dough into a flattened disk or rectangle if you are making a galette or lattice strips; this will help eliminate wastage. Refrigerate for minimum of 2 hours, preferably overnight.

  7. You can freeze the dough up to 3 months, just wrap well. If you have left over scraps I cut them into manageable pieces and wrap them in parchment paper and stack the pieces. The parchment will prevent them from sticking. Wrap in plastic wrap tightly and freeze to use for cut outs on a future pie.

**For decorative pie tips, read the notes written on my Vodka Pie Crust recipe.

 

 

Vodka Pie Crust /  by Judy Kim

by Judy Kim

VODKA PIE CRUST

Yield: Two 8 to 10-inch single-crust pies or one double-crust pie

I've been working on this recipe for years and love the results. It's been rewritten and improved every few months. It's particularly great for decorative pies or anyone new to pie making because the vodka makes it very pliable. By using both butter and shortening, it creates a silky consistency. Vodka may seem to be the star, which does help reduce the formation of gluten, but I think technique reigns supreme for success. The key is evenly distributed butter and flour, which is easy to control in a food processor if you use the pulse feature. Big butter chunks may seem ideal, but they create an unevenly textured pie.  For another simple dough I prefer to make by hand, try my Buttermilk Pie Dough.

INGREDIENTS

12 tablespoons unsalted butter ( 1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1/2-inch cubes and frozen in advance. I prefer Vermont Creamery European butter

1/2 cup vodka

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons shortening, frozen

DIRECTIONS

  1. Pour vodka into a liquid measuring cup, then add several ice cubes. Wait until vodka is chilled and remove ice after a few minutes. Vodka water mixture should reach 3/4 cup measurement. (If you prefer to use less vodka, try 1/3 cup vodka with 1/4 cup ice water.)

  2. Combine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl; add frozen butter and shortening. Toss together quickly with your hands to coat each piece of butter and shortening with flour mixture, helps ensure an even dough. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade; pulse 2 to 3 times until the size of chick peas.

  3. Pour vodka mixture through feed tube in a steady stream while constantly pulsing until dough begins to pull together. Avoid running the machine automatically or it may overmix. Butter and shortening should be about the size of dried lentils. Pro tip: Pour all the liquid into the feed tube, it's designed to stream an even amount and will help absorb all the flour evenly if you keep pulsing.

  4. Carefully turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and remove the blade. The dough is very hydrated, so use bench flour when needed. Working on marble or granite countertop will help keep the dough cool. Knead dough until smooth, turn 5 to 6 times.

  5. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and shape the dough into a round or rectangle. I find the dough will stay cooler if it's shape after wrapping and it reduces the need for additional bench flour. If you are using a round pie dish, shape dough into a flattened disk or rectangle if you are making a galette or lattice strips; this will help eliminate wastage. Refrigerate for minimum of 2 hours, preferably overnight.

  6. You can freeze the dough up to 3 months, just wrap well. If you have left over scraps I cut them into manageable pieces and wrap them in parchment paper and stack the pieces. The parchment will prevent them from sticking. Wrap in plastic wrap tightly and freeze to use for cut outs on a future pie. Or cut out decorative pieces using a pie cutter and freeze in a single layer, when frozen solid keep in air tight plastic container.

NOTES FOR DECORATIVE PIES:

If you desire a decorative pie using cut out shapes, try purchasing pie cutters at a local specialty store, Williams Sonoma or online such as Amazon . Cookie cutters are another favorite. Generally I prefer pie cutters since they give a detailed impression mark due to their plunger design. The texture will give a rich detail to your pie.

Using pie cutters is a great way to use excess dough. Keep pastry cut outs in the freezer and bake them off as needed. Brushing with cream or an egg wash will make them golden. I suggest using them for a topping on desserts like ice cream or berries with whipped cream. I've even been known to put them with skillet eggs and arugula. 

If you want to layer a lot of cut outs on your pie such as a fallen leaf layout, roll the dough a bit thinner since they will overlap. Cut out the shapes and place in a single layer on a parchment lined quarter sheet pan or any tray that will fit in the freezer. Once frozen use the them right away or stack the shapes into an airtight container for future use. The shapes can be scattered all over a fruit pie in place of a top crust.

For a custard pie that requires blind baking, create the pie cut outs a few hours in advance or the day before and freeze them solid. This will help them resist heat to maintain their shape and placement while baking. Roll the bottom layer 1/8-inch thick, place into a pie dish and trim neatly with scissors or a sharp paring knife. The shapes can be attached to a simple crust and form a wreath by brushing the backside with heavy cream. Freeze pie crust for about 5 to 10 minutes before blind baking. Pro tip: preheat oven with Baking Steel or your favorite pizza stone. There's no need to blind bake the pie! Place your pie dish on top of a rimmed sheet pan and place on top of the Baking Steel, and your bottom crust is be crispy. Eliminating blind baking is a huge time saver. I bake all my regular and custard pies on the steel, I just left it in the oven.

* recipe updated August 2018

Apple & Blood Orange Garden Trellis Pie /  by Judy Kim

by Judy Kim

Apple & Blood Orange Garden Trellis Pie

Yield: 1 (9-inch) Pie

Created a new twist on apple pie. Blood oranges aren't a typical addition to pie, but I had them around and wanted to use them in place of lemon for some acidity. This design was inspired by a garden trellis woven with twisty vines. I've always had an affinity to gardening and all things floral, I get it from my Mother. I've included directions to create this design but the truth is, all designs don't go exactly as planned, so feel free to go rogue. I often utilize leaf and floral cut outs to cover up mistakes like broken pastry. There are some trouble shooting tips below. Regardless, true beauty and imperfection sit side by side in my book. 

You can watch my pie demo video below.

INGREDIENTS

1 double crust, such as Buttermilk Pie Dough

1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling pastry

1 egg

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 blood orange, zested and cut into supremes

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon kosher, such as Jacobsen sea salt

1/4 teaspoon aromatic bitters

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

5 (about 3 pounds) medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced on mandoline

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes and frozen

DIRECTIONS

  1. Prepare the Buttermilk Pie Dough recipe, which can be made in advance.

  2. Before rolling, let the pie dough come to room temperature, about 5 minutes, to prevent cracking. On a lightly floured surface, roll out round disk to thickness between 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch. Keep dough moving and apply just enough flour to prevent it from sticking. Try avoid using too much flour to prevent the pastry from getting tough. Gently fold in half and again into a quarter, then transfer over your pie dish. Drape dough and nestle into the corners of the pie dish. Trim pastry with scissors or a sharp paring knife along the rim, chill trimmed pastry; roll out pastry a bit thinner and cut out leaves using a small leaf pie cutter. These will be used to make the leaf crown around the crust. Place on a generously floured rimmed sheet pan. Keep pie dish and sheet pan in fridge until ready to use.

  3. Roll out rectangular piece of pastry to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a fluted edge pastry wheel, cut a variety of narrow and wide strips to create the lattice and twisted cables. Use remaining dough to cut out shapes such as flowers and leaves for decoration. To make the leaves look more realistic, try bending them a bit. Place lattice strips in a single layer on a new floured sheet pan; chill in refrigerator. Add flowers and leaves to previously prepared sheet pan with leaves and keep in the fridge, preferably freezer until ready to use.

  4. Place oven rack in middle and preheat oven to 425°F. In a small bowl beat egg with heavy cream; set aside.

  5. In a large mixing bowl, add blood orange zest and supreme orange segments. Drain and discard any excess liquid from the oranges. Mix in sugar, salt, bitters, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Fold in apples until well coated; sprinkle 1/4 cup flour and toss again. Transfer apple mixture into pie dish and try to keep the mixture even. Scatter frozen butter cubes evenly all over the apples.

  6. Remove sheet pans with remaining pastry from the fridge or freezer. To create a simple lattice design, place strips (any width you prefer) in one direction across the entire pie. Lift every other row, place another strip in the opposite direction and flip the strips back down. Alternatively lift every other row, place another strip in the opposite direction and flip strips back down again until the lattice is complete. Try to keep the lattice pieces close together to cover most of the filling, this will help trap in steam and make a tender filling.

  7. To create cable knit roping, loosely twist 2 strips of similar width together to create a cable knit effect. Try to keep the strips flat to create an even cable. For my Garden Trellis design I mixed in cable knit ropes, a row of leaves and a row of flowers with the wavy flat strips.

  8. Using a sharp paring knife, trim the excess lattice work. Gently lift the ends of the lattice work and brush a light coating of egg wash to glue down the strips to the pie shell. Brush the top edge of the crust with egg wash. Place leaves on a 45° angle, press down lightly and alternatively place leaves in opposite directions to create a crown crust.

  9. Brush a light coating of egg wash evenly all over the pie. Place pie dish on a sheet pan and bake on the center rack for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 375°F, bake until bubbling and golden brown, about 75 minutes. If necessary, rotate the pie for even baking and cover with foil if the top is browning too much. For best results, let pie cool for 4 to 6 hours before serving. Or bake the day before. Note: pie must be bubbling or filling will not be tender and crust will not be crispy.