I’ve been baking pies for as long as I can remember. Sweet or savory, it makes no difference to me. But, despite countless pies, I have never been fully satisfied with my crust. That is, until recently when I had one of those “A-ha!” moments. It all started after trying a piecrust recipe developed by the king of cooking himself, chef Christopher Kimball. The recipe called for vodka. Vodka you say? Obviously I was intrigued. Kimball notes in his recipe that by adding vodka to your pie crust, you get the moisture you need to form the dough without aiding in gluten formation. The result? A balanced crust that is flaky, tender and simply divine.
I was almost hooked, minus one small qualm: the recipe calls for vegetable shortening. Call me a purist, but the very thought of Crisco makes me cringe. I decided I would run with Kimball’s flour-to-water-to-vodka ratio, ditch the vegetable shortening, add some more butter, tweak a few other ingredients and cross my fingers. I’m happy to report that the result is a pie crust that is rich and buttery and equally well balanced in texture. And, no Crisco! That’s what I call success.
You can make this crust with your favorite vodka, or, kick-up the flavor with Idaho-based 44° North’s Rainier Cherry vodka. This gluten-free, potato vodka is infused with select-harvested cherries for an all-natural flavor that pairs well with this pie. If you decide to use a filling other than cherry, check out Heritage Distilling Company’s new line of flavored vodkas. With more than 20 flavors to choose from (several of which are fruit based), the boozy pie possibilities are endless.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Makes: one 9-inch pie
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (two sticks) butter, chilled and diced
¼ cup ice water
¼ cup vodka, chilled
2 cans cherry pie filling
Directions (for pie crust):
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar. Using a pastry cutter, cut butter into flour mixture until pea-size (or larger) crumbs form. (The larger the crumbs are, the flakier the pie.)
Add liquid (one tablespoon at a time), alternating between water and vodka. Using a spatula, combine until sticky, shaggy dough forms (don’t worry if it doesn’t look pretty, it’s not supposed to).
Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into a disc shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least one hour. (You can make this dough ahead of time and chill for up to two days.)
Directions (for the pie):
Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch pie pan (with butter) and set aside.
Remove half of the pie dough from the fridge and roll into a 12-inch circle. Place in pie pan, trimming edges if necessary.
Fill pie crust with two cans of your favorite cherry pie filling. Or, you can make your own filling easily by combining fresh or frozen fruit or berries with a few tablespoons of sugar and letting fruit and sugar marinate together in the fridge for an hour. Set pie in fridge.
Next, grab the other half of the pie dough out of the fridge and roll into another 12-inch circle. You can either place this entire piece of dough on top of the pie (being sure to add air vents by poking holes in the top of the pie with a fork), create a lattice crust, or use cookie cutters to cut out shapes that can be placed across the top of the pie to create a design.
Once your pie is assembled, set on center rack of preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, reduce your oven’s temperature to 350° Fahrenheit and continue cooking for about 35 minutes, or until piecrust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Remove pie and cool on cooling rack for several hours before serving.
Note: the key to creating flaky pie crusts is keeping your ingredients cold and handling the dough as little as possible. But, don’t worry—if your ingredients get too warm, your pie crust will still taste excellent. The texture will just be tenderer.
