Pastry Essentials Cream Cheese Pie Crust Recipes

PASTRY ESSENTIALS: CREAM CHEESE PIE CRUST

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
• 3. Add the flour, salt, and white pepper, and baking powder to a food processor, fitted with an S-blade, and give the ingredients several one-second pulses to combine.
• 4. Place the butter, cream cheese, cream, and vinegar into the blender.
• 5. Use one-second pulses to bring the ingredients together.
• 6. Chef's Note: Do not completely blend... you should still see bits of butter, and cream cheese.
• 7. Remove the dough from the food processor, and place on a clean work surface, lightly dusted with flour.
• 8. Knead, once or twice, and then press, or roll into a 10-inch (25.5cm) round.
• 9. Cover and place into the fridge for up to two days, or freeze for up to several months.
• 10. PLATE/PRESENT
• 11. Blind bake the pie dough in a preheated 350f (175c) oven for about 10 minutes, and begins to brown. Remove and fill with your favorite savory pie ingredients. Enjoy.
• 12. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

CLASSIC BUTTER PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• Combine flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed., Shape dough into a disk for a single-crust pie; for a double-crust pie, divide dough in 2 with 1 piece slightly larger than the other. Shape into 2 disks. Wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight., On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. , For a single-crust pie: Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Fill or bake according to recipe directions., For a double-crust pie: Add filling to pie. Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Bake according to recipe directions.

CREAM CHEESE PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Combine water and vinegar in a small bowl. Combine flour and salt in another bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut butter and cream cheese into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining.
• Add water mixture to dough in a slow, steady stream, stirring, until mixture just begins to hold together. (Alternatively, pulse ingredients in a food processor.) Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap, and wrap. Press dough into a disk using a rolling pin. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight. (Dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw before using.)
• Roll dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Trim edge, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Turn overhang under so that edge is flush with rim. Flute edge. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Make filling (see our Pecan Pie recipe).

CREAM CHEESE PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• Process the butter, cream cheese, and cream in a food processor, electric mixer, or by hand to thoroughly combine.
• Add the flour and salt. Process just until combined and the dough holds together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Divide into 2 pieces. Flatten into disks and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. If the dough is chilled overnight, take it out 15 minutes before rolling out.
• Rub flour all over a rolling pin. Working with one dough disk at a time, place the disk on a clean, well-floured surface. Applying some pressure with the rolling pin, roll gently from the center of the dough to the top and bottom edges. Rotate the disk and roll to the top and bottom edges again. Reflour the work surface and rolling pin, turn the dough over, and continue to roll the dough from the center out to the edges. Turn over and roll again, rotating the disk to ensure even rolling until the dough is about 12 inches in diameter, thin but not transparent.