The Flying Kitchen

Fresh Fruit Glaze

• Heat 1 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan on medium heat.
• Add 1/2 cup sugar, whisk to combine.
• Add 2 tablespoons cornstarch, whisk to incorporate.
• Stir constantly, as the mixture heats and thickens. When the mixture is thick and bubbly, turn heat off and continue to stir. This should only take a few minutes.
• Add the lemon juice and drop of food coloring. Stir well.
• Pour gel through a sieve and into a medium bowl.
• Set aside to cool to lukewarm.

Fresh Whipped Cream

• Pour 1 cup of heavy whipping cream into the bowl of a heavy duty mixer. If your house is warm, chill the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes before you whip the whipped cream.
• Using the balloon whip attachment, whip the cream until stiff – about a minute.
• Add the sugar and (scant pinch) of cornstarch and whip again until the cream is stiff.
• I used a piping bag and star decorator's tip to pipe a nice design on the pie. See video instructions on how to load an icing bag.

Assembling the Pie

• Arrange as many strawberries as you can into the pre-baked pie shell.
• Pour glaze over the strawberries. Reserve some glaze to paint over the strawberries with a pastry brush. Reserve one strawberry to top the central dollop of whipped cream.
• Pipe the whipped cream over the strawberries. I piped a full ring around the pie in a zigzag design, then a dollop of whipped cream on top.
• Chill pie until ready to serve. Same-day is best.

• At least an hour in advance, cube the 1/2 cup unsalted butter and 1/2 cup lard, and freeze it together in a ramekin or small bowl.
  
• Sometimes I do this step in bulk if I know a big pie event (like Thanksgiving) is coming up. I freeze each batch in a separate ramekin so I can just grab a batch and go. Batches of lard and butter cubes can be kept in the freezer for a week uncovered. If you plan to freeze them for longer, cover with plastic wrap.
  
• In the bowl of your food processor, combine 3 cups flour, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Whir to mix.
  
• Add the ice cold butter and lard in batches, whirring between each addition. You will know it's time to move to the next step when the mixture clumps together in your hand like wet sand. See video for more instructions.
  
• Add the ice cold water one tablespoon at a time while the food processor is whirring. You will know it's time to turn your mixture on to your work surface when it clumps together in your hand like clay. See video for more instructions.
  
• Your mixture will look like a mess, but please don't be scared and for heaven's sake don't add more water or anything. Start to work to push the pastry crumbs together.
  
• This is when you trust the process and keep moving and squeezing the mixture together. See video for more instruction.
  
• When the mixture has formed into a lump, do your best to form it into an oblong log shape.
  
• Slice it in half with your pastry scraper.
  
• Working each section in a circular motion, form into discs. See video.
  
• Wrap each disc in plastic wrap. You can simply set on the counter for a couple hours before rolling it out for pies, but I recommend putting it in the fridge overnight, then bringing it to room temperature (4-5 hours) before you roll it out. You can keep it in the freezer for up to 8 weeks. Again, let it come to room temperature before you begin to work with it.
  

Mixing By Hand

• To make pie crust by hand, use 1/2 of this recipe at a time, as you will need a smaller quantity of ingredients to mix by hand properly.
• Measure out 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar on your work surface.
• Create a little well in the center of the dry ingredients and add 1/4 cup butter (cubed and frozen) and 1/4 cup lard (cubed and frozen).
• Using your thumb and forefinger on each hand, press and shift the chunks of lard and butter so sheets of butter and lard are formed.
  
• If you are having trouble working with your cubes, take two cutlery knives and holding one in each hand and crossing them like an "x", slice them each away from each other. See video. Or you can use a pastry cutter.
  
• Once your chunks of fat are smaller, continue to work with your hands until your fat chunks are flat and about pea-sized
• Gather the flour/fat mixture into another mound and form a well in the mound.
• Gently add 3 Tablespoons of ice cold water right into the middle of the well, making sure to keep the moisture in the well of the flour and fat. Pinch the water into the flour with your thumb and forefinger and soon you will have a thick paste. At this point, you will be safe to start working the pastry with your whole hand and not worry that you will lose moisture to your work surface. See the video for more instruction.
• Gently and patiently work the pastry with your hands, pressing it together and turning it as you go. See video.
• Form into a "hockey puck" shape and wrap with plastic wrap. The handmade pastry will not be as good for sculpting and decorative flourishes, but it will be superior to the food processor pastry in flakiness and bubbly texture.

Rolling out the Pastry

• When rolling out a pie pastry, it's important to lightly dust your surface with flour, and to roll the pastry out gently; avoiding any divots. Meaning, keep the pastry the same thickness as you roll it out.
  
• Your goal here is to form a circular shape and to keep a circular shape throughout this whole process.
• Periodically, inspect the edges of your circle and push any fissures or cracks together.
  

Putting the Pastry in the Pie Pan

• To transfer the pastry from the work surface either fold the pastry into fourths, pick up the fold pastry and unfold in the pan, or roll up the pastry around the rolling pin, place the rolling pin on the pie pan and unroll on the pan. Settle the pastry and pinch the edges decoratively. See video.
  

Blind Baking the Pie Shell

• Blind baking is essential if you are going to fill your pie shell with a stovetop cooked custard like chocolate custard – and you don't intend to cook the filling and the crust at the same time.
• After your pie pastry is settled in the pan and you've done some decorative pinching around the sizes, nestle some parchment paper in the pie, making sure the parchment paper hangs over the edges of the pie (to protect the rim from over baking).
• Pour ceramic pie weights into the pie shell, over the parchment paper. You can use dry, raw, uncooked beans in the place of ceramic pie weights if you wish.
• Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes.