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Crusty veteran coach bakes pies
July 17, 2011 1:00 AM
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Yields enough dough for one double-crust pie Pie crust 2 cups flour, sifted 1 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup shortening 7 tablespoons cold water 3 tablespoons butter Cinnamon and sugar, to taste Sift salt and flour together. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture is the size of small peas. Gradually add cold water and toss with a fork until all is moistened. Divide into 2 balls. Roll and flatten 1 ball on a lightly floured surface. Place in a greased and floured pie plate. Trim edges. Roll out top crust. Fill pie with fruit mixture (see below), and place top crust. Trim edges and flute upper and lower crusts together. Spread melted butter over top crust and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Cut slits to vent. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until the crust browns. Fruit pie filling 4 cups fresh berries 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 tablespoons minute tapioca 1/4 teaspoon salt Crush 1 cup berries; mix with sugar, tapioca and salt in a medium sauce pan. Stir while cooking over medium heat until bubbly; cook 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Add remaining whole berries. Pour mixture into prepared pie crust. Editor's notes: Spencer suggests raspberries of all colors for this pie. He harvests berries — from his property or at you-pick farms — and freezes them in measured quantities for ease of pie and jam baking. He prefers plain shortening, not butter flavor.
Yields enough dough for one double-crust pie Pie crust 2 cups flour, sifted 1 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup shortening 7 tablespoons cold water 3 tablespoons butter Cinnamon and sugar, to taste Sift salt and flour together. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture is the size of small peas. Gradually add cold water and toss with a fork until all is moistened. Divide into 2 balls. Roll and flatten 1 ball on a lightly floured surface. Place in a greased and floured pie plate. Trim edges. Roll out top crust. Fill pie with fruit mixture (see below), and place top crust. Trim edges and flute upper and lower crusts together. Spread melted butter over top crust and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Cut slits to vent. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until the crust browns. Fruit pie filling 4 cups fresh berries 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 tablespoons minute tapioca 1/4 teaspoon salt Crush 1 cup berries; mix with sugar, tapioca and salt in a medium sauce pan. Stir while cooking over medium heat until bubbly; cook 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Add remaining whole berries. Pour mixture into prepared pie crust. Editor's notes: Spencer suggests raspberries of all colors for this pie. He harvests berries — from his property or at you-pick farms — and freezes them in measured quantities for ease of pie and jam baking. He prefers plain shortening, not butter flavor.
Fresh Berry Pie
WAYNESFIELD — He built his own home — with no building experience — so it shouldn't be too surprising that Chad Spencer also took on the challenge of baking a good pie from scratch.
“I'm not afraid to try something,” Spencer said.
Spencer teaches history and coaches baseball at Shawnee High School. Those subjects are two of his loves. But baking also ranks high. As a young man, he bought some land that was on his grandfather's farm with dreams of building on it someday. There are wild raspberry bushes in the woods around his house, and he decided to make use of the fruit.
“I think of different ways to use them because I love the flavor,” he said. “Now it's to the point where we have bags and bags and bags of berries in the freezer of all flavors.”
Jam is a clear choice — and he's preparing to make his usual batch of 50-odd jars this week — and berry sauce for ice cream or pancakes is also in his repertoire. But pie was the obvious berry outlet. He found an old Betty Crocker pie crust recipe and tweaked it, explaining he likes the roll the flaky crust so thin it is in danger of tearing on its journey to the pie plate. The cinnamon-sugar topping was his idea, too, and he usually carves the recipient's initials into the top crust as vents when taking pie to a party.
Spencer learned a lot by watching his grandmother bake, and it helps he has a sweet tooth. Asked why he enjoys cooking, he replied, “I like to eat. I only cook with the things I like. I love the flavor of it, and I really like to share it with people. I really enjoy people enjoying something I've made.”
His co-workers have gotten to the point where they request pies at carry ins.
“Yeah, that's pretty bad when your co-workers sign you up,” he said.
Have a suggestion for who should be featured in this spot? Email amcgee@limanews.com.
WAYNESFIELD — He built his own home — with no building experience — so it shouldn't be too surprising that Chad Spencer also took on the challenge of baking a good pie from scratch.
“I'm not afraid to try something,” Spencer said.
Spencer teaches history and coaches baseball at Shawnee High School. Those subjects are two of his loves. But baking also ranks high. As a young man, he bought some land that was on his grandfather's farm with dreams of building on it someday. There are wild raspberry bushes in the woods around his house, and he decided to make use of the fruit.
“I think of different ways to use them because I love the flavor,” he said. “Now it's to the point where we have bags and bags and bags of berries in the freezer of all flavors.”
Jam is a clear choice — and he's preparing to make his usual batch of 50-odd jars this week — and berry sauce for ice cream or pancakes is also in his repertoire. But pie was the obvious berry outlet. He found an old Betty Crocker pie crust recipe and tweaked it, explaining he likes the roll the flaky crust so thin it is in danger of tearing on its journey to the pie plate. The cinnamon-sugar topping was his idea, too, and he usually carves the recipient's initials into the top crust as vents when taking pie to a party.
Spencer learned a lot by watching his grandmother bake, and it helps he has a sweet tooth. Asked why he enjoys cooking, he replied, “I like to eat. I only cook with the things I like. I love the flavor of it, and I really like to share it with people. I really enjoy people enjoying something I've made.”
His co-workers have gotten to the point where they request pies at carry ins.
“Yeah, that's pretty bad when your co-workers sign you up,” he said.
Have a suggestion for who should be featured in this spot? Email amcgee@limanews.com.
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If you have any questions about what's acceptable, please refer to our user agreement. Thanks.
