Molly Yeh Pie Crust Recipes

SPICED BEEF PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onions and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the beef, sprinkle it with the cumin, cinnamon, Aleppo pepper, allspice, 1 teaspoon salt and a few turns of black pepper and cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon or spatula, until it is fully cooked and no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.
• Soak the matzo in warm water for a few minutes until it has softened. Line the bottom and sides of the prepared cake pan with the matzo pieces, breaking it up as needed and packing it down firmly. It will look a little rustic which is ok. Use a paper towel to blot away excess moisture once the matzo is in the pan, then pour in the beef mixture and pack it down firmly. Cover the top with soaked matzo, pressing the edges to seal, and then brush it with a healthy coating of egg wash. Bake until browned, about 30 minutes.
• Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate. Top with parsley or micro greens and serve.

SPINACH AND FETA RUGELACH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Set the frozen spinach out on a plate at room temperature to soften slightly.
• Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and a few turns of black pepper and cook until fragrant, 1 more minute. Add the flour and stir to combine, then stir in the spinach and a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is heated through and the mixture is combined. Stir in the feta, heavy cream, lemon juice and hot sauce, then remove it from the heat. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
• Roll out half of the pie dough on a lightly floured surface until it is a large round, about 1/4 inch thick. (If using store-bought pre-rolled dough, simply unroll it onto your surface.) Spread on half the spinach mixture in an even layer so that it covers the dough. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the dough like a pizza into 8 triangular wedges. Roll up each section starting at the wide end. Transfer the rugelach to the lined baking sheets, placing them 1 inch apart. Repeat with the other half of the dough and spinach filling.
• Lightly brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt.
• Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and enjoy. Store leftovers in the fridge and reheat in a toaster oven.

SPICED APPLE PIE

Steps:

• For the filling: Cut the apples into 1/4-inch slices and place them in a large bowl. Toss with the lemon juice to keep them from browning. Add the brown sugar, cornstarch, Warm Spice Blend, kosher salt and cinnamon and toss to combine. Mix in the boiled cider syrup and vanilla. Cover the mixture and let it sit at room temperature while you make the pie dough.
• For the pie dough: Add the flour, granulated sugar and kosher salt to a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse to incorporate so that about three-quarters of the mixture is mealy and the rest has some slightly larger, pea-sized bits of butter. Combine the ice water and cider vinegar in a measuring cup. Drizzle the water and vinegar into the food processor and continue to pulse just until the mixture comes together to form a dough. If it seems dry or is having a hard time coming together, add a bit more water, a few drops at a time, until it comes together.
• Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and use your hands to press on any stray crumbs. Divide the dough in half, then divide one of the halves in half again so that you have 3 pieces of dough. Pat each piece into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to roll out for the pie.
• For the assembly: Flour a work surface and roll out the largest disc of dough into a circle just larger than 12 inches. Place it in a 9-inch pie plate and refrigerate. Roll out the 2 remaining dough discs to about 10 inches each. Cut the dough into 2-inch-wide strips for making a lattice top. Set the strips aside.
• Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven (with a pizza stone if you have one) and preheat to 400 degrees F.
• Fill the pie crust with the apples (it will seem like a lot but they bake down!) and pour the juices over it. Distribute the butter over the top. Weave the dough strips together over and under to form a lattice crust over the top. Pinch the edges to seal, trim, fold the edges over and crimp. Give the edges a little hug to make sure they are sitting snugly on the rim of the pie plate; otherwise they could fall off in the oven. Freeze the pie for 15 minutes.
• Brush the lattice with the egg wash, then sprinkle with the turbinado sugar and flaky salt. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake until the internal temperature reaches 195 degrees F, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Serve the pie with large dollops of whipped cream.
• Layer the cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in a medium glass jar and tighten the lid. Shake to combine. Keep on hand to add to your favorite desserts and beverages -- or just toast with butter!

S'MORES PIE

Steps:

• For the crust: Whisk together the flours, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a very large bowl until well combined. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, work the butter and shortening into the dry ingredients until it has a coarse sand-like consistency. Combine the water and vinegar in a small bowl, then add that to the mixture and mix until a dough forms.
• Divide the dough into two discs, wrap each in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a quarter-sheet tray with parchment paper.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out one disc on a lightly-floured work surface. Lay the dough on the sheet tray, evenly covering the bottom. (Do not cut off the excess dough yet.) Lay the chocolate bars over the top of the dough. Sprinkle mini marshmallows over the chocolate. Roll out the second dough disc and lay that on top of the marshmallows, covering the pie entirely. Cut off excess dough from the top piece and fold the edge of the bottom dough over the edge of the top dough. Press the edges together with a fork or crimp the edges. Brush with the egg wash and poke several holes in the top with a fork. Bake until golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
• For the glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk and salt in a bowl until it has the consistency of thick glue. Glaze the top of the pie and immediately add sprinkles. Allow the glaze to set, about 15 minutes. Slice and serve.

PISTACHIO PUDDING PIE

Steps:

• Put the pistachios in a high speed blender. In a medium saucepan, gently bring coconut milk and salt (if using unsalted pistachios) to a boil, stirring with a rubber spatula. Pour over the pistachios. Put the lid on the blender and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes. Blend until smooth and transfer back to the saucepan.
• In a large, 8-cup liquid measure or a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and cornstarch until fully combined with no lumps.
• Gently bring the pistachio mixture to a boil over medium heat (it will be pretty thick), stirring and scraping the bottom continuously. Ladle about 1/3 cup of the pistachio mixture into the egg mixture, whisking vigorously. Add another 1/3 cup, whisking again. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low to medium heat until the pudding is bubbly and thick. Continue to whisk, alternating between this and scraping the bottom with a wood spoon. This will take around 6 to 8 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and add the rose water if using and the almond extract. Add in the food coloring if using and stir to combine. Set aside to cool completely, or cool over an ice bath. Pour into the crust and refrigerate until set- at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Once the pie is set, add a dollop of whipped cream on top.
• Decorate with dried rose petals, chopped pistachios and serve. Keep refrigerated.
• Set an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the food processor, pulse the cookies into fine and evenly-sized crumbs. Add the melted butter and salt and process until the mixture starts to clump. Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish. Using the flat bottom of a dry measuring cup (or a drinking glass) press the crumbs into an even layer on the bottom and sides. Bake in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
• Just before serving the Pistachio Pudding Pie, whip heavy cream and powdered sugar to soft peaks.