Peach Pie, Pretty Flowers, Place Mats: an update

Look at that!  I love the burgundy, which I think is a type of clover.  The little yellow flowers are all through the grass, lower growing and sneaky, so they might survive the mower. 

This stuff is all over our yard, and I’m trying to convince Pa that we don’t *have* to mow the grass just yet.  I love wildflowers.  Some people call them weeds, but a weed is just a wildflower that’s growing in the wrong spot.  But who decides what the right spot is? 

And our rose is back in full bloom.  We pruned it over the winter, and I was half afraid we might have ruined it, but it’s back and beautiful.  I’d like to train it to be bushier rather than straight up.  It only blooms at the top, and I think if I could get it to grow more out than up I’d have more blooms.  But I have no idea what I’m doing, so any advice will be welcome!

Also, the trees we planted last month are thriving.  We've been doing our best to make sure they get watered at least every other day.  I've been using the calendar on the side of the refrigerator to help me keep track of the rains so I don't let them go too long without water.  I am looking forward to more shade and more flowers!

And if you're having a lovely day, you should have something lovely to munch on while you enjoy the lovely day.  

I know peaches aren’t a spring thing.  They’re just past blossom here, but I had one of those big 10# cans of peaches that I bought last year with hand pies and smoothies in mind, and I just never seemed to get to it.  Today, I had just finished up my last transcript, Pa was out digging in the root cellar, and I put on Little’s favorite movie, Polar Express -- yes, I know, it’s a Christmas movie, but that kid LOVES it.  It’s the only thing that will keep him transfixed for more than 15 minutes.  

With everyone occupied for a bit, I cracked that monster can of peaches and set to cooking it down.  They’re so blah out of the can.  I bought two cans, and we did use one of them for smoothies as initially intended, but they were so blah they watered down the smoothies and made them about as flavorful as adding plain ice cubes.  So I knew they weren’t going to make good pies unless I did something to them.  With some cinnamon, ginger, and a lot of patience, I cooked them down to something resembling pie filling. 

 Even with corn starch added, they never did get quite thick enough.  But I figured I’d roll with it.  Hand pies, and pie in general, just aren’t my strong suit.  My Gramma could make the most amazing hand pies.  I swear she used biscuit dough, but I’ve never been able to get it right.  They’re either all dough or they bust.  This time I used a pie crust recipe from a book Ms. Terri sent me, The Best of Amish Cooking.  

This is supposed to make 3 double crusts or 6 single crusts.  I made 9 hand pies, two bottom crusts, and two cut-out partial crusts. 

* 4 c flour

* 3/4 tsp salt (I would probably double this for sweet pies, leave it as it is for savory)

* 1 c butter/lard

* 1 egg

* 5 Tbs cold water

* 1 Tbs vinegar

Mix the dry ingredients, cut in the butter/lard with a pastry cutter, forks, or a knife.  The reason you don't want to use your hands is because you don't want to melt the fat.  The lumps are where the flakiness comes from.  Mix in the egg and vinegar, then add the water 1 or 2 Tbs at a time till it forms a dry ball that can be worked.  Lightly flour your work surface and dust your dough as needed.  

Pie crust is one of those things, like biscuits and bread, that you have to learn the feel of.  A recipe is a great jumping off point, but there is no way to have a perfect pie crust recipe that works every single time.  Or if there is, I have never found the secret. 

This recipe, for example, calls for 5 Tbs of water. 

This is after close to 12 Tbs of water, and obviously that was still not enough.  Last time I made a pie crust, I made a smaller recipe, about half this size, for a single double-crust pie.  I only needed 3 Tbsp of water.  So environmental factors are going to mess with you and your pie and no recipe will always be 100% perfect.  Find one that has the flavor you like and work with it. 

When I say partial cut-out crusts, I thought I’d try to be fancy and spread the dough out a little farther at the same time.  After the 9 hand pies, I thought I’d try my hand at rolling out actual pie crusts.  I had three sections of dough left and enough peaches for two regular pies.  Instead of having one double-crust and one single, this was my solution. 

I baked them at 425 until golden.  Maybe 25-30 minutes.  After the official taste-tester (aka Pa) declared them delicious, I figured I better try one, just to verify his opinion.  You know, thoroughness is a virtue.  *winks*

I think it needs a tad more salt to be my favorite pie crust ever, but it’s definitely flaky and delicious.  Making 3-6 crusts at a time is a lot more convenient, too, because I can freeze the extras (assuming there are any) and have them on hand for pot pie, pasties, homemade hot pockets, etc. 

And before I go taste test the pie again, I promised an update on those place mats. 

I have discovered that sharpie will indeed stay on through a regular wash, but burlap on the other hand... Who knew it would shrink by roughly HALF its original size?!  That was really unexpected.  I thought it might unravel some, maybe even unravel to the point of being unsuitable, but I never thought it would shrink.  The muslin is not the culprit, because it was well used before becoming a place mat.  It had been a diaper, a light hand towel, a cleaning cloth, and finally this incarnation as a place mat.  It was definitely the burlap.  So now I know, and it would appear that I am going to have to deconstruct the place mats, preshrink the burlap, and then reconstruct them.  Fortunately, I have a good bit leftover from when I made these originally. 

And on that note, it is time for dinner.  Because I can’t have (more) pie until I have dinner. 

Until next time!