how do you make your pie crust pretty?

[abeautifulworld]

Hello everyone! Currently, I'm on a pie kick. I've made chocolate pie every week for the past month! :D

But for some reason, I just can't get my pie crust to look nice in the pan, and it never seems to come out evenly. I'll have a ton on one side, and not enough on the other. I want it to be like a true, cooked crust, pretty pinched edges and all. Any suggestions? Is there a magical pie trick that I'm missing out on?

[roundingthecorner]

i have two cookie scoops from pampered chef, one big and one small (you can find similar ones at many, many stores). once i mix my crust, i take the small scoop (which holds about 2 tsp.) and put a spiral of scoops on my pie plate. in the center, i only put one dollop because it's easy to always get the middle too thick. anyway, that helps to distribute it more evenly to start with. then, pampered chef has an "I" shape hand rolling pin with the pin on one end being about 4" wide and the other end is 1/3 the length. so first i put the dollops down, evenly spaced, then i begin to smoosh (don'tcha just love my technical terms) gently with wet fingertips to begin spreading the crust. and then i whip out my handy-dandy rolling pin and run it under water and begin rolling to get a beautifully even crust. this pin works well because it can go around the side nicely and get it all even before you pinch with fingers. i'm not a pampered chef rep and don't mean to be tooting their horn but i use to "cook" a lot and i have tons and tons of tools. their stuff is still quite useful for me:) my friend didn't want to invest in the rolling pin so she went to a big box store and bought a 1" and a 2" piece of PVC pipe and uses them as rollers with her hands. she's makes beautiful pies too:) have fun experimenting!

[RawKnitster]

These tips are from "Sweet Gratitude Raw World of Desserts".

"The ingredients may include nuts or coconut flakes, salt, date paste (dates that have been chopped and processed in the food processor to a paste like consistency), liquid vanilla, cacao powder/nibs.

Add the recipes ingredients to the food processor. In recipes that include dates, add half the amount in this step.

Process until the crust starts to rise on the sides of the processor bowl. Stop the machine and mix with a spatula or spoon.

Repeat a few times, add the remaining date paste and continue processing until the mixture is consistent.

The result you want is to have the crust hold together when pressure is appled, and be able to break apart with a clean break. If it is not sticking together you can add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of water and try again.

Lightly grease the entire inside of the pie pan with coconut oil. Distribute the crust evenly on the bottom and sides of the pie pan and lightly compact by hand. Crust should rise above the edges of the pan, but not more than 1/2 inch."

At this point I like to gently compact the crust on bottom and sides with a stainless steel measuring cup. "Too much pressure and the crust will stick to the pan, too little pressure and the crust will be crumbly and messy."

Pinch the edges with the thumb and index fingers of both hands at the same time and push towards each other. Just like a pastry pie crust.

I've found that just like a pastry pie crust, the less handling the better. It can get tough with too much handling and compacting.

You probably didn't need all that info. :) I hope you find some of it useful. Practice helps a lot, too. :)

[Jewels]

Here's a video you might find interesting. Jennifer Cornbleet uses a 9" tart pan in her recipe for Chocolate Mousse Tart and gives tips for using it. It looks gourmet when she is done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsP3E73bAJw

[abeautifulworld]

Well... thanks so much to everyone!!

[Revvell]

This is a raw vegan site. We don't use any of the ingredients you've mentioned.. well, water and sea salt maybe.


* 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup vegetable shortening
* 7 tablespoons ice-cold water
* Softened stick of butter (slightly unwrapped at top)