Tips and Tidbits
- Use refrigerated and frozen piecrust before the expiration date printed on the package.
- Bake a refrigerated piecrust in a glass pie plate--it absorbs the radiant heat of an oven, unlike shiny metal or aluminum pie pans that reflect heat and can prevent the bottom of the crust from browning. When using a frozen piecrust in a disposable aluminum pan, bake the pie on a preheated cookie sheet.
- Brush an unbaked piecrust with lightly beaten egg white before adding the filling. The egg white acts as a seal, keeping the bottom crust crisp. Bake pies on the lowest oven rack, and cool on a wire rack after baking.
- Leave the excess dough around the outer edge of the pie plate for fluting, or use it to seal the top crust of a double-crusted fruit pie.
- When preparing a single crust pie, fold the excess dough underneath itself, even with the pie plate's rim, and crimp.
- After folding dough under, create a checkered border by cutting decorative slits at 1/2-inch intervals. Gently press the tabs in opposite directions.
- Rather than cutting and weaving strips of dough, use a small canapé cutter to create the look of a lattice-top crust for fruit pies.
Related Recipes For Shortcakes
- Caramel-Apple Shortcakes
- Cinnamon-Crunch Shortcakes
- Ginger-Pear Shortcakes
- Party-Perfect Strawberry Shortcakes
This article is from the June 2005 issue of Southern Living.
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