Pie Crust, Grandmother-style

Pumpkin Pie, from Gourmet Magazine

Well, this Thursday on Thanksgiving morning, I woke up in an unusual bed...my own. We always go to see my fabulous mother in Oklahoma City, but since I had to work the Friday after Thanksgiving this year, I rose to two items that were on Kara's list for our first Thanksgiving at Birdeye. Pumpkin Pie and Spinach Casserole. First things first, of course. I knew I had a package of those refrigerated pie crusts but being at home in my own kitchen, I'd have to venture off and try to make a pie crust. It was time consuming, frustrating but rewarding.

I wanted to make the Pumpkin Pie recipe from the November Gourmet Magazine, so I started there (pic #4). After the pie crust was dry and funky, I pulled out my legendary Grandmother Melva Dickey's recipe for pie crust. Her pies have always been a centerpiece of conversation at Thanksgivings in Weatherford. I got the recipe from a cookbook she made for me years ago with all her recipes in it. And here is how it goes...(now I did HALF this recipe since I was only making a single pumpkin pie, but this recipe is what it is)

Perfect Piecrust (Melva Dickey)

5 single crusts or 2 double crusts and a single

4 C. flour, lightly spooned into cup
2 t. salt
1 T. sugar
1-3/4 C. Crisco
1 T. vinegar
1 large egg

Put first 3 ingredients in a large bowl and mix with table fork. Add shortening and mix with fork until ingredients are crumbly. In a small bowl, beat the egg, 1/2 c. COLD water and vinegar. Combine the two mixtures, stirring until all ingredients are moistened. Divide dough into 5 portions and, with hands, shape each portion in a flat round patty ready for rolling. Wrap each in plastic or waxed paper and chill at least 1/2 hour. When ready to roll piecrust, lightly flour both sides of patty, put on lightly floured board. Cover rolling pin with a little flour. Keeping pastry round, roll from center to 1/8" thickness and 2" larger than inverted piepan. Fold in halves or quarters, transfer into piepan, unfold and it loosely in piepan. Press with fingers to remove air pockets.

For baked single shell, bake 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. (I had to bake this 25 minutes, then add the following pie filling....)

Bourbon Pumpkin Pie (Gourmet Magazine, November 2009) Pic #1

1 15 oz. can Pumpkin
1 C. heave cream
1/3 C. sour cream, use whole here, dang it
2 large eggs, just look at Chloe's farm-fresh eggs, much darker and just as big (Pic #3) the ligher one is an Eggland's best
3/4 C. sugar
3-1/2 T Bourbon, I used Maker's Mark, found in the back of my butler's pantry, I had to dust it off, it had to be 5 years old
1 t. cinnamon
3/4 t. ginger
1/4 t. allspice
1/4 t. salt

Whisk all ingredients and pour in a half-baked cooled pie shell and bake 45 minutes. Cool completely. Serve with Whipped Cream with 1 t. bourbon per 1/2 c. cream

Wonderful and what a PAIN, I may never do a homemade pie crust again...but there's always next year...