<p>I do not have a food processor. I used a knife to blend the flour/butter/crisco mix into fine crumbs, as I’ve always done. You can get a fairly inexpensive pastry blender tool to do the same job faster:</p>
<p>[Pastry</a> Blenders - Pie Making Tools - Goodhousekeeping.com](<a href=“http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/product-testing/reviews-tests/kitchen-cooking/pie-making-tools-pastry-blenders]Pastry”>Pastry Blenders - Pie Making Tools)</p>
<p>Today I visited my niece who had visited an Apple Orchard in Michigan where she purchased an apple pie baked in a paper bag - the crust was OUTSTANDING!!! I remember seeing this method on tv once…will have to look up the point of cooking the pie in the paper bag.</p>
<p>I have always used Martha Stewart’s recipe for pie dough(pate brisee) which is actually more like a tart crust. It’s really easy and stands up to a little more abuse than the regular crisco-based pie crust. You don’t have to use a food processor but it is a snap if you have one. </p>
<p>[Pate</a> Brisee (Pie Dough) and more delicious recipes, smart cooking tips, and video demonstrations on marthastewart.com](<a href=“http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pate-brisee-pie-dough]Pate”>Pate Brisee for Plum Crumb Pie Recipe)</p>
<p>I like the flavor of this crust since it’s butter based, and I like that it isn’t something you have to fuss over to have it turn out well.</p>
<p>I made the pear crisp this weekend and it was delicious. I cheated and did not make a crust, but I used chopped almonds in the crisp topping. I think I like this better than apple pie…</p>
<p>I love pecan pie but no Karo syrup or corn syrup or anything gooey in mine. I use brown sugar only and lots of chopped pecans mixed throughout - not just on top. Here is recipe - makes two pies - not deep dish</p>
<p>2 heaping cps brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 stick butter
2 tbsp dairy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans.
Mix together, bake 350 for 30 minutes</p>
<p>Definitely don’t need a food processor for pie crust, I only use it when I’m in a hurry, because I still get better texture from handmade. Get BunsenBurner’s pastry blender if you don’t have it. The one that looks like knife blades (pictured) is what you want, the wire ones don’t work nearly as well.</p>
<p>OK, got a good quality pastry blender (with blades) on Amazon.
Will make my first apple pie with homemade crust on Friday. Son is coming home this weekend. Wish me luck!
I’m not sure about the recipe yet. for the crust, it’s between the vodka one and the Martha Stewart one. For the filling, there’s a recipe on Allrecipes that got over 2000 positive reviews. So many choices!</p>
<p>tr: Why don’t you make two pies, one with vodka crust and one with the MS crust, so you guys can do a taste comparison? This will allow you to try a couple of different fillings, too. I know at our house, a pie lasts only one day, maybe two. I think another poster mentioned how good a slice of fruit pie is for breakfast. Glad to know we aren’t the only ones “guilty” of such decadence. I guess that explains why pies don’t last very long around here.</p>
<p>Bumping this up because I want to thank IloveLA for easy and delicious apple pie recipe (post #6). I made it this afternoon and it was a big hit in our house! Haha, nobody knows how easy it was to assemble either! I love easy and good recipes. This one is a keeper. Oh, about the “streusel” I packed it onto the pie so it was completely covered.</p>
<p>Must have been a day to cook apples. We went to the orchard yesterday and bought several varieties. I used the Jonagold today to make applesauce in the crockpot. I just peel, core and slice them, toss them with a quarter cup of water and a ton of cinnamon and let cook on low for about 6 hours. Not as good as apple pie, but the house smells wonderful and the applesauce will be great for a treat tonight.</p>
<p>^^Sounds yummy, and healthier too. Another great easy apple recipe!</p>
<p>I should also say thanks to lololu because I made her pear pie (Post 36) last month and it was great. Next time I’ll add a little more thickener because my pears were very juicy but it made such a nice change from apple pie. Thanks!</p>
<p>I should try that applesauce recipe…only 1/4 c. water???</p>
<p>My quinces are almost ready for picking. I use them in pies and make quince preserves, but that stuff has too much sugar and/or calories. I wonder if I can make quincesauce (with a dash of sugar?). :)</p>
<p>I have never used a food processor for piecrust. I cut in the shortening using 2 butter knives (learned this in 8th grade home ec). One of the tricks for piecrust is making sure the water is ice cold. I use the recipe in the Betty Crocker Cookbook.</p>
<p>I never used to use a food processor for pie crust either - probably 20 years of making pies at home - but when I broke my pastry blender in the middle of making a pie (metal fatigue I think), I had to try the FP. Its been a couple of years and I am not going back - much easier, much faster, and makes a lighter, crispier crust.</p>
<p>I will say that the key is having a very light hand on the go button. Just pulse a couple of times. If you over mix, it is like rolling out dough multiple times, it gets heavy and stiff.</p>
<p>Abasket - yes, I only use about a 1/4 cup of water and sometimes I think I could eliminate it entirely. Yesterday, I used 10 large apples. Some people might want it a little sweeter, but honestly, I think it is great just the way it is. I started my morning with a big bowl of oatmeal mixed with the applesauce. I heated the applesauce in the microwave before I put it on the oatmeal - it was so good.</p>
<p>worknprogress, I am going to try it. I won’t try it this week because I just made apple pie, but I definitely want to try to make this. Thanks for the cooking tips.</p>
<p>Well, I put about 10 apples and the water and cinnamon in this morning before I left for work…figured I could add some sweetener when I got home around 2:30 and let it cook for a couple more hours - will report back!</p>