UPDATED:  May  2007

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PIES

[Pastete]

*

Cherry Pie

[Kirschepie]

Apple Pie

• Apple Pie
  • Apple Pie = Apfelpie
  • Apple Pie = Aepfelpie
  • Apple Pie = Apflepie
  • Apple Pie = Apelpie
  • Appel Pie = Aepflenpie
  • Apple Pie = Fleischklossenpie
• Apricot Pie
  • Apricot Pie = Aprikosapie
  • Apricot Pie = Aprikosepie
• Black Bird Pie = Scwartzvogelpie
• Cheese Pie = Kaespie
• Cherry Pie
  • Cherry Pie = Kirschepie
• Chocolate Pie = Scokoladepie
• Chokecherry Pie
• Custard Pie = Eierpie
• Lemon Pie
• Meat Pie
  • Meat Pie = Bimzas
  • Ground Meat Pie = Hackfleischpastete
• Mixed Dried Fruit Pie
• Peach Pie =
• Pie
  • Pie = Pastete
  • Pie = Pie
• Pie Crust
  • Pie Crust = Piekcrust
  • Pie Crust = Piekruste
• Prune Pie =
• Pumpkin Pie = Kuerbispie
• Rhubarb Banana Pie = Piestrangelbrananepie
• Rhubarb Custard Pie = Piestengelpie
• Raisen Pie
  • Raisen Pie = Rosienlapie
  • Raisin Pie = Rosinenpie
• Sour Cream Raisin Pie = Saurrahm Rosienla Pie
• Strawberry Pie
• Spice Pie
  • Spice Pie = Gewuertzpie

RECIPES

Crust

Filling

PIE  FILLING

Ingredients

3 1/2 to 4  cups of fresh fruit  (cherries, currants, grapes, peaches, pineapples, plums or rhubarb)

2/4 to 1 1/4 cups sugar

2 tbs flour or 1 tbs of cornstarch or instant tapioca mix

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbs melted butter or margarine  

1 tbs milk

Add if necessary:

1. If fruit is too sweet  add 2 tbs of lemon juice

2.  2 tbs water if the fruit does not seem to have enough juice

Preparation:

1. Mix the pastry first
2. Prepare the fruit by washing and removing bad spots and stems if needed
3. Mix in a bowl the fruit and  sugar [as much sugar as you think is needed for the fruit you are using)
4. Start oven at a high of 450 degrees
5. Place the one eight inch pie crust dough into pie plate or pan
6. Place the fruit on top of the dough and keep the mound higher in the center of the pie
7. Pour butter over fruit as evenly as you can
8. Place the other eight inch pie crust on top of the fruit and pinch the edges of the top crust with the lower crust to seal in the juices
9. Take a knife and cut 3 slits into the upper crust which will allow the steam to escape
10. Add fancy decorations if you'd like
11. Brush the top pie crest with milk
12. Place into HOT oven and let it bake for 10 minutes
13. You may want to place a flat cookie  pan on rack below pan to catch any fruit juice that may bubble over and out of pie dish or pan
14. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for about 25 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown

PIE CRUST

Grandma Wendorf's Perfect Pie Dough

from Jan Wirch-Wright

Makes: one 12" pie round

I am including the recipe and the technique used to make this dough.

The recipe is OK to double, and this freezes well.

Your mission: Flaky Pie Crust!

Keep everything as cold as possible, including your hardware. My Grandma used glass bowls, and put all the hardware (including her rolling pin) into the refrigerator until they were chilled. This step is crucial for flaky pie crusts.

Tools of the Trade (aka: the hardware) for the Perfect Pie Dough:

1 Wire Dough blender

Measuring cup and spoons

Spatula or knife to level ingredients

1 Wood rolling pin with stockinette cover or an ice filled glass rolling pin, if you have it.

1 large wood Chopping board with covered surface - personally, I use a flour sack cloth.

1 very small metal or glass bowl, filled with ice and water, for ice cold water

1 small metal or glass bowl

1 medium to medium/large metal or glass bowl

8" or 9" metal or glass pie pan /plate (leave in refrigerator until last step!)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit - put racks in middle of oven. If you have a baking stone, use it.

Ingredients for the Perfect Pie Crust:

1 1/2 cup flour - don't pack or over fill; level off the measuring cup.

3/4 cup Crisco - if you can chill this, all the better.

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon white vinegar (* see note below)

1 egg

2 Tablespoon ICE cold water

* NOTE: don't use apple cider vinegar; I think it leaves an undesirable taste.

Directions:

Dry Ingredients: in a cold, medium sized bowl, cut Crisco, flour and salt together using a wire dough blender, until pea size and crumbly.

Wet Ingredients:

In a cold, small size bowl, beat egg, vinegar and ICE COLD water together.

Immediately add wet ingredients to flour mixture.

The Technique for a light, flaky crust:

With a light touch, work all ingredients together quickly with wire dough blender.

Add flour sparingly (no more than 1/8 of a cup) only if the dough is really sticky.

Don't over blend.

Don't over process the dough--this toughen the dough.

Try not to handle the dough too much either; your hands will transfer heat to the dough, which can toughen it.

Roll dough into a ball and let it rest for about 15 - 30 minutes. The colder it is, the easier it will be to work with. Alternatively, you can cover and place in refrigerator for several hours if you are not ready to use it right away, or you can freeze it for later use.

Using a cloth covered rolling pin, roll out the dough on a floured or floured and cloth covered pastry board. Lightly flour your rolling pin, or if covered, lightly flour that. Use light zig-zag strokes, roll it out to about 12" round and 1/4 inch thin.

To place dough in pie pan:

Roll dough back onto rolling pin and drape over pie pan. Unroll. Fit into pan, tapping with fingers into the edges. Trim edges to 1-2 inches beyond the pie pan to allow for shrinkage, and finger pinch or crimp the edges.

If a baked shell is needed, prick with tines of fork and bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned (about 12-18 minutes)

Then fill with your choice of filling! Yum!

My Grandma Wendorf

My Grandma Wendorf wasn't like other Grandmas - she wasn't above cooking and baking for the sake of eating, but she was the original (and best) fashionista and was this all of her life. She was as misplaced, fashion-wise, in Kulm, ND as a fish is to sand. 

She ran her own Beauty Salon, named aptly, "Johanna" in Portland, Oregon during the mid-1930's, after she was divorced my Grandfather Emil Hugo "Bob" Wirch. During the mid-1940's she moved to Chicago, Illinois with her second husband, Gus Wendorf and worked as a hair stylist. In 1950, she was divorced again and came to San Francisco to be closer to her two sons, who had moved there and started families.  She worked in Downtown San Francisco worked at Joseph Magnin's. In fact, she went to Vogue Finishing School in San Francisco in 1958, when she was 57 years old!  She lived in a old studio apartment, complete with a original Murphy pull-down wall bed.

My Grandmother was a wonderful cook - and the fact that she was able to whip up anything at all in her tiny studio apartment, with an even tinier kitchen, on Turk Street in San Francisco is a testament to her skills! She was skilled at marzipan, cookies, and especially pies.  I still remember her apple strudel and apple pies. 

In 1966, she moved across the Bay to Walnut Creek, CA and lived in a 1 bedroom apartment with a gorgeous Olympic size pool.  She would host her sons, daughter-in-laws and especially her Grandchildren, over at her place during the summers and we would have picnics by the pool.  She'd make Fried Chicken, Hamburgers, German Potato Salad (which I didn't like then) and chocolate cake with boiled marshmallow icing - yummy!

 Jan Wirch-Wright