Easy Refrigerator Pastry For Pies Recipes

QUICK AND EASY FLAKY PASTRY

Steps:

• Mix the sieved flour and salt in a bowl. (add sugar if using)
• Weigh out the butter and divide into 4 amounts.
• Add one portion of the butter to the flour and using a round bladed knife, incorporate the butter and flour, whilst slowly adding enough cold water until the mixture comes together to form an elastic dough.
• Dust the rolling surface with flour, and turn the dough out. Roll out the dough into a rectangle shape (see photo) and keep rolling, adding more flour if necessary to stop from sticking, until the dough is about 4 mm thickness.
• Rub any excess flour from the surface and using the next portion of butter, dot the butter (about 1 cm dots) on two thirds of the rolled out pastry evenly. (see photo).
• Fold the pastry into three portions, bringing the end without butter to the centre, then folding down the other third. (see photo)
• Press together pastry edges with your fingers, give the pastry half a turn and roll out lightly again until the pastry is 4 mm thick (same size before you dotted with butter).
• Repeat steps 5 - 7 twice more, then fold into three, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

NEVER, NEVER FAIL PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together water, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and vinegar. Stir into flour mixture and knead dough briefly, just until smooth. Allow to rest 15 minutes before rolling out. Pastry is easier to work with when chilled. Can be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

EASY REFRIGERATOR PASTRY FOR PIES

Steps:

• Crumble the dry ingredients and shortening by hand or with an electric mixer on low speed.
• Add the egg, water and vinegar.
• Mix all together and store in the refrigerator.
• This will keep for a very long time.
• Roll out and bake according to the pie recipe being used.
• Makes 5-6 pies shells.

REFRIGERATOR DAY BEEF POT PIE

Steps:

• In a skillet heat bacon and cook until bits have rendered. Strain and reserve the bits for later. In remaining fat in skillet (add some oil if not enough) add onions and saute for 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and mushrooms and continue to saute a couple of minutes or until cooked through. Remove the skillet from the heat and strain out any excess fat and liquid by pouring contents through a sieve; add bacon bits to onions and mushrooms in a mixing bowl. Stir in leftover pot roast and peas and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons of butter and add the flour. Cook for a minutes to make a roux. Add broth and whisk vigorously . Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes or until thickened. Add dill weed and pickle and adjust the seasoning.
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Pour sauce over the beef, peas, etc. and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture in a quartsize, 2 inch deep round baking dish. Roll out pastry and set over the pie. Tuck excess dough under the rim and crimp the edges decoratively if you wish. Cut a couple of slits in the crust to allow steam to escape. Set pie on a baking sheet and set in middle of oven. Bake at high heat for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 375 degrees and bake for 15 minutes more or until crust is golden and the filling is hot.

BASIC PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk and ice water and work that in with your hands. (Or do the whole thing in a food processor, pulsing a couple of times to combine the dry ingredients, then pulsing in the butter, and then the egg.) Check the consistency of the dough by squeezing a small amount together between thumb and forefingers: You want there to be just enough moisture to bind the dough so that it holds together without being too wet or sticky. If it's still crumbly, add a little more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time. When you get it to the right consistency, shape the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic. Put it in the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.

PASTRY FOR PIES AND TARTS

Steps:

• One-Crust Pastry: In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender or fork, until mixture forms coarse crumbs the size of small peas. Sprinkle with water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary). Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface. Wrap flattened round in plastic wrap and refrigerate 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly at room temperature before rolling. Using floured rolling pin, roll pastry on lightly floured surface (or pastry board with floured pastry cloth) into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate or 3 inches larger than 10- or 11-inch tart pan. Fold pastry into fourths and place in pie plate or tart pan, or roll pastry loosely around rolling pin and transfer to pie plate or tart pan. Unfold or unroll pastry and ease into plate or pan, pressing firmly against bottom and side and being careful not to stretch pastry, which will cause it to shrink when baked. For pie, trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold edge under to form standing rim; flute edges (see Decorative Crust Ideas, page 00). For tart, trim overhanging edge of pastry even with top of tart pan. Fill and bake as directed in pie or tart recipe.
• Two-Crust Pastry: In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender or fork, until mixture forms coarse crumbs the size of small peas. Sprinkle with water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary). Gather pastry into a ball. Divide pastry in half and shape into 2 rounds on lightly floured surface. Wrap flattened rounds in plastic wrap and refrigerate 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly at room temperature before rolling. Using floured rolling pin, roll one round of pastry on lightly floured surface (or pastry board with floured pastry cloth) into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths and place in pie plate, or roll pastry loosely around rolling pin and transfer to pie plate. Unfold or unroll pastry and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side and being careful not to stretch pastry, which will cause it to shrink when baked. Spoon desired filling into bottom crust. Trim overhanging edge of bottom crust 1/2 inch from rim of plate. Roll out second pastry round. Fold into fourths and place over filling, or roll loosely around rolling pin and place over filling. Unfold or unroll pastry over filling. Cut slits in pastry so steam can escape. Trim overhanging edge of top pastry 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold edge of top crust under bottom crust, forming a stand-up rim of pastry that is even thickness on edge of pie plate, pressing on rim to seal; flute edges (see Decorative Crust Ideas, page 00). Bake as directed in pie recipe.

HOMETOWN PASTY PIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. Whisk water, egg and vinegar; gradually add to flour mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide dough in quarters so that two of the portions are slightly larger than the other two; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until easy to handle, about 1 hour., Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook 5 minutes. Add carrots; cook until vegetables are tender, 6-9 minutes longer. Drain and set aside., In a Dutch oven, cook beef and sausage over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Saute mushrooms and onion in drippings until tender. Add soups, peas, sherry, salt, seasoned salt, pepper, beef mixture and potato mixture; heat through., Preheat oven to 375°. Roll out one of the larger portions of dough to fit a 9-in. pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate. Trim pastry even with edge. Fill with half of the meat mixture. Repeat with remaining larger portion of dough and filling., Roll out smaller portions of dough to fit tops of pies. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry. , Bake until crust is golden brown, 45-50 minutes. Cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary. Sprinkle tops with cheese; let stand 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

REFRIGERATOR FRENCH PASTRY DESSERT (NO BAKE)

Steps:

• Prepare an 11 x 7-inch baking dish, you can even prepare this in a large glass trifle bowl.
• Arrange a layer of crackers on the bottom of the dish (you might have to break some to fit).
• Prepare pudding as directed on the box (using half and half cream in place of milk) chill in the fridge for 15 minutes, then spread over the crackers in the dish.
• Whip the 2-1/2 cups of whipping cream with the confectioners sugar and vanilla (add more confectioners sugar than 4 tablespoons for a sweeter taste if desired).
• Spread the whipped cream over the pudding in the pan.
• Arrange remaining crackers on top of the whipped cream.
• For the topping: in a bowl, mix the 2-1/2 cups confectioners sugar with the whipping cream or half and half (start with 5 tablespoons adding more to make a smooth spreadable glaze.
• Spread thinly over crackers.
• Melt the chocolate with butter in the microwave until melted; stir with a small spoon until smooth.
• Drizzle the melted chocolate on top of the glaze and run a knife through to create swirls or designs.
• Refrigerate for a minimum of 12 hours (can be prepared early in the morning, and served in the evening, but better if refrigerated overnight).

PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• Rub the lard and butter into the flour with a generous pinch of sea salt until completely combined. Add the beaten egg and 100ml ice-cold water and mix until you have a soft dough. Transfer to the fridge and chill for at least 1 hr, or until needed.
• Divide the pastry into 12 equal pieces and roll out into rounds on a lightly floured surface. Use six of the rounds to line the bottoms of six individual pie dishes, leaving an overhang. Fill the pies with the mixture of your choice, brush the rims with some of the egg yolk, top with the remaining pastry rounds, then trim and crimp the edges. Decorate with the trimmings, if you like. Glaze with more egg yolk, or as indicated in the filling recipe, and chill until you're ready to cook.
• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 6 with a baking tray inside. Put the pies on the hot tray and bake for 30-35 mins until golden. Leave to rest as directed, then serve in the dishes or turn out onto plates.