Pie with the Queen

My love for baking and sweet treats has definitely been passed down through my family. As you can see from my photo, Little Tipsy had no shortage of sugar growing up!

I was so excited that my Granny spent a weekend with me and the hubs. The only thing on the agenda was to make pie. Granny makes the best pie...and food in general! I thought if I could at least get her fabulous pie down that it would be an accomplishment in itself.

I do have to say a few words about Granny before we get to the baking. To sum her up...she has a bumper sticker that says, "I am the Queen" as she is the queen of her Red Hat Society group. And I quote, "It isn't easy being the queen." She also has a license plate frame that says, "Numero Uno Raiders Fan." Don't get between the woman and her football!

Needless to say, she is full of sass and this picture says it all!



So, my favorite thing about Granny coming over to make pie is that she packed a little cooler full of lard. "Well, I didn't expect that you keep lard around." Leave it to an Irwin to make a fruit pie that a vegetarian can't eat!

For One Pie---In a large bowl-
Filling:
Combine fruit ( we did a peach/plum combo and then a blackberry with berries from my dad's garden)
Tapioca-the box indicates how much to use depending on what fruit you use
Juice of half a lemon
1 cup sugar

Stir it up and let it sit while you make that flaky crust!

Crust: (double the recipe if you are making a pie with a top crust)
1 cup flour per crust
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Stir together and then add lard.

5 Globs of COLD lard-yes, globs. It is a little more then a tablespoon. Granny doesn't measure and a glob is aapparently just the right ammount!

Use a Pastry Cutter to mash the ingredients together. Mash until the mixture consists of small flaky pieces.

Then take one egg and whisk with a fork to combine the yolk & white. Make sure the egg is COLD and then also add about a tablespoon of COLD water. With a spoon, make a small dip in the flour to add a couple tablespoons of the liquid at a time and fold the mixture together in that area. Rotate the bowl to slowly integrate the liquid throughout the flour mixture evenly.

Do this until the dough starts to stick together. Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface where you can roll the dough out. Roll away with a floured rolling pin and then line your pie dish...or cupcake pan for your pie!

Then add the fillings. Make sure to make some slits on the top crust for steam.




Tillman got into the flour when we weren't looking. Love that guilty little face!



Our mini pies filled with the Plum/Peach combo. We sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on top for some extra sweetness!





Warm pie with ice cream! You can't beat that!

Cheers to family traditions and yummy lard crust....did I just say that?

xoxo,

Tipsy