Liz Schillingers Shenandoah Berry Pie Recipes

THREE BERRY PIE

Steps:

• Combine the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the mixture, then gently toss with a fork. Push moistened portion to the side of the bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until all is moistened. Divide the dough in half. Form each half into a ball and flatten slightly. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Transfer one piece of dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough from the center to the edges to form a 12-inch circle. Wrap the crust around the rolling pin. Unroll it onto a 9-inch pie plate. Ease the crust into the pie plate, being careful not to stretch it. Trim the bottom crust evenly with the rim of the pie plate, and return the pastry-lined pie plate to the refrigerator.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries; gently toss until berries are coated. Allow fruit mixture to stand for about 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
• Roll out the remaining pastry for the top crust. Stir the berry mixture and pour the filling into the pastry-lined pie plate. Place the top crust over the pie and trim the edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the top crust under the bottom crust, pressing lightly to seal. Crimp the edges of the crust and cut vents in the top to allow steam to escape. To prevent over-browning, cover the edge of the pie with foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven on the baking tray for 25 minutes. Remove the foil.
• Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden. Cool on a wire rack.

EASY BERRY PIE WITH FROZEN BERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a 9-inch pie plate with 1 of the pie crusts.
• Combine berries, sugar, cornstarch, liqueur, and lemon juice in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally as berries thaw and the mixture thickens, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat when it reaches the consistency of a runny jam or a sundae fruit topping.
• Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Moisten the edge of the crust with cold water, top with the second crust, and seal by pinching. Poke at least 3 holes in the top crust.
• Whip half-and-half and egg yolk together in a bowl with a fork. Brush over pie crust. Place pie on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool so filling becomes solid, about 1 hour.

CONTEST-WINNING FRESH BLUEBERRY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. On a floured surface, roll dough to fit a 9-in. pie plate. Trim and flute edge. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Line crust with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights. Bake on a lower oven rack until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake until bottom is golden brown, 3-6 minutes. Cool on a wire rack., In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and water until smooth. Add 3 cups blueberries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly., Remove from the heat. Add butter, lemon juice and remaining berries; stir until butter is melted. Cool. Pour into crust. Refrigerate until serving.

THE BEST SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the topping: Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Season with 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the saucepan.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, thyme and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and tender, about 15 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it turns brick red, about 8 minutes. Add the lamb, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, about 7 minutes.
• Stir in the peas. Stir in the flour until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the broth and Worcestershire and cook until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• To finish the topping, melt the butter in the large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cabbage and leeks and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the heavy cream, 1 tablespoon salt, and a few grinds of black pepper, and cook until warm, about 1 minute. Return the potatoes to the pan with the cabbage and add the cheese. Mash with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the egg yolks.
• Transfer the filling to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the topping, swirling to create texture. Make sure that the sides are sufficiently covered so the filling doesn't leak through. Bake until the filling is bubbly and the top is lightly golden, about 35 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

MIXED BERRY PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Divide dough into 2 portions so that 1 is slightly larger than the other. Shape each into a disk. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight., For filling, in a large saucepan, whisk sugar, cornstarch, salt, water and, if desired, cinnamon until smooth; add blueberries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool slightly., Preheat oven to 400°. Gently fold raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and lemon juice into blueberry mixture. On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger portion of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate. Add filling; dot with butter., Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; cut into 1/2-in.-wide strips. Arrange over filling in a lattice pattern. Trim and seal strips to edge of bottom crust; flute edge. Bake 10 minutes. , Reduce oven setting to 350°; bake 45-50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.

LIZ SCHILLINGER'S SHENANDOAH BERRY PIE

Steps:

• Place a marble pastry slab and marble rolling pin in the freezer until very cold, at least 4 hours.
• To make the pie dough, in a medium bowl, whisk the flour and salt together. Place the lard in a glass measuring cup and microwave on high until almost but not completely melted, about 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir until completely melted. Pour into 1-cup measuring cup and then remove 2 tablespoons of the lard. Add 2 tablespoons of water and mix; you should have exactly 1 cup liquid. Stir liquid into flour with a wooden spoon for a few seconds until the dough holds together.
• Remove the slab and pin from freezer. Flour the slab lightly. Place a cloth cover on the marble rolling pin and flour lightly. Working quickly, roll the dough out to a thickness of between 1/8 and 1 1/816 inch. If the dough is sticky and doesn't roll smoothly, it may be too warm; pop the whole thing (slab and dough) back in the freezer for a few minutes to chill it before working it again. If the dough is too stiff and begins to crack and shatter, it is too cold; walk away for a few minutes and then try working it again. Use your fingers to press together any cracks or fix any holes in the dough.
• Invert a 9-inch pie plate onto one side of the dough. Using a paring knife, cut a circle around it, making the circle 1/2 inch larger in diameter than the plate. Using 2 spatulas, loosen the dough from the slab; it should be very stiff and come up easily in one piece. (If it sags or sticks, pop the whole thing back in the freezer for a few minutes.) Lift the dough with the spatulas and center it over the pie plate. Let it sit on the plate until it warms up and sags into the plate. (Don't worry if it has some cracks.) Press the edges in gently with your fingers and fix any tears by pressing the dough together. Crimp the edges.
• Cut small basset-hound shapes, or any decorations you like, from the remaining dough. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. To make the filling, in a large bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, zest and salt. Add the fruit and toss to combine. Add the lemon juice and butter and toss again. Scrape into the prepared crust and lay your decorations over the top. Bake until the crust is browned and the fruit is bubbling, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool.