Fried Pies
|
| |
| makes: 12 (5"inch) pies. |
| |
| 3 cup | all-purpose flour |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| 3/4 cup | crisco or other good vegetable shortening |
| 1 | egg, lightly beaten |
| 1/4 cup | cold water |
| 1 tsp | vinegar (preferably white vinegar) |
| |
| mix together the flour and salt. cut in the shortening with a pastry |
| blender, fork, your hands, or whatever method works best for you, until |
| mixture resembles coarse crumbs. stir together the beaten egg with the |
| water and sprinkle over flour mixture. sprinkle in the vinegar, mixing |
| lightly, until ingredients are well combined. form the dough into a ball |
| and wrap in plastic wrap. refrigerate for at least one hour. |
| |
| |
| the filling: |
| |
| this is where you can get creative. although the basic recipe is listed, |
| please note that, for each cup of dried fruit, you need at least a |
| half-cup and probably more of water, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. i |
| mention this because, if you make a dozen pies, you may want to mix up the |
| flavors. using the proportions in this recipe, for example,you can make |
| six apricot and six apple/cherry by using approximately 1 1/2 cups of |
| dried apricots and 1 cup of apples and 1/3 cup of dried cherries, of |
| course, the apricots were cooked separate from the apples and cherries. |
| |
| 3 cup | dried fruit (apricots, peaches, apples) |
| 1-1/2 cup | water |
| 6 Tbsp | sugar |
| 1/4 tsp | cinnamon |
| 1/4 tsp | ground allspice |
| |
| in a nonreactive pan on very low heat, simmer the dried fruit in the water |
| for 30 to 45 minutes, or until very tender. add water if necessary to |
| prevent scorching. allow to cool; mash fruit slightly. stir in the sugar |
| and spices. this step of the preparation may be done in advance and |
| refrigerated; however, warm up the fruit (microwave is fine) enough to |
| take the chill off and make it workable before filling your pies. |
| |
| putting it all together |
| |
| remove the pastry from the refrigerator and cut it into four equal pieces. |
| you can then cut each of the four pieces into three equal pieces, leaving |
| you |
| with 12 golf-ball-size dough balls. |
| on a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a 5- to 6-inch circle. |
| your circles don't have to be perfect, and ragged edges are okay. |
| |
| put about 2 generous tablespoons of filling onto one side of the circle of |
| dough. seal the pie by wetting the inside edge of the dough with water |
| (use your finger) and then fold over the dough, making the familiar |
| half-moon shaped pie. make sure the edges of the dough are even, and |
| press and crimp to insure a good seal. you can use a fork to give you a |
| bit of a decorative edge if you like. you can also correct the more |
| ragged edges during this step because the dough is pliable. just make |
| sure the filling is sealed in and that any holes in the dough are crimped. |
| |
| frying |
| |
| two methods, and both are good. deep frying: carefully lower the pies |
| into hot oil, one at a time, and each one will cook remarkably fast. |
| they will turn a nice even golden brown in 3 or 4 minutes. you don't have |
| to worry about cooking the filling, it's already cooked. the frying |
| process is merely cooking the dough. pan-frying: the second method used |
| is pan-frying, rather than deep frying. fry the pies in about a half inch |
| of oil in skillet. these take longer to brown and, of course, you will |
| have to turn them, but the end result will be every bit as good. |
| whatever the frying method, be sure your oil is very fresh. you don't |
| want your pies to take on the flavor of last week's onion rings. |
| sprinkle the hot fried pies with confectioner's sugar, but cinnamon sugar |
| would be good, too. |
| |
| these little pies are so good. the process is certainly not difficult and |
| could even be fun, especially if you have little helpers. the really fun |
| part, though, is watching them disappear. make a batch for your family. |
| they'll love you for it. |
| |
| -- |
| william barfieldsr |
| |
| -- |
| (ID: 10961) Mirror: rec.food.recipes: Sat, Sep 6, 2003 |