How to Make the Perfect Pie Crust
Are you pie-crust challenged? Better call Paul. Sun Basket’s Paul Conte has been baking professionally for more than 20 years and has made a few pie crusts in his day. In this recipe, he shares some of the most helpful tips that he’s learned over the years.
- Make sure that everything, especially the butter and the water, is very cold. If the butter softens it loses its ability to form flakes. You want those flakes. Freezing the butter for 10 minutes before you begin can help prevent it from warming.
- Dissolve the salt in the water to make sure that it’s distributed evenly throughout the dough.
- Use a combination of all-purpose and pastry flours to help make the dough both tender and easy to handle. (You can also use only all-purpose flour, but the lower-protein pastry flour gives the dough a little extra tenderness.)
- Incorporate the butter with a technique called fraisage by smearing the cold butter into the flour using a rolling pin to form long sheets of dough that cook into a flaky crust.
- Freezing the pie crust in Step 3 will yield the best crust without changing the baking time. Make sure you freeze it all the way through and you crust will not only shrink less while baking, but the butter will melt slower, making the crust flakier.
Note: You should have enough dough left over to make another small pie, a few tarts, or roll a top layer. This pie crust is perfect for just about any pie filling. The pre-bake time for the crust varies, depending on the bake time required for the filling. For example, cream fillings require a longer pre-bake time than fruit fillings.
The Perfect Pie Crust Recipe
Makes two 8-to 9-inch pie crusts
Each pie serves 8
Ingredients
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup water
½ pound chilled unsalted butter, preferably cultured, such as Plugra
1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
1⅓ cups pastry flour or all-purpose flour
2 cups rice or dried beans, for weighing down the dough
Tools
Rolling pin, scraper, optional, medium pie pan (8 or 9 inches), plastic wrap
Instructions
1 Prep the ingredients
- Dissolve the salt in the water and place in the freezer until well chilled, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes.
2 Make the pie dough
Set the flour in a mound a work surface. Scatter the butter cubes over the flour and toss gently to coat the butter with flour.
With a rolling pin, flatten the butter into the flour, smearing it away from you. Gather the flour-butter mixture together and continue rolling the butter into the flour until the butter forms dime-size flakes, about two to three more times.
Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture. Gradually sprinkle the salted water into the well, mixing with your hands and scoop the mixture on the outsides into the center, just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix.
Shape the dough into 2 equal discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
3 Roll out the pie dough
Sprinkle a work surface with flour. Working with one disc at a time, and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to form a round about 13 inches in diameter and ¼-inch thick. Carefully fold the round into quarters and transfer to the pie pan. Unfold the round and gently press it into the sides and bottom of the pan without stretching. Trim the excess dough. With a fork, prick the bottom and sides of the pie shell. Wrap the pie shell in plastic wrap and return to the freezer for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
If making 2 open-faced pies, repeat Step 3 with the remaining disc. If making a traditional double-crust pie, keep the 2nd disc refrigerated while you bake the first disc in Step 4, then repeat Step 3 with the remaining disc, transferring the round to a sheet pan instead of a pie pan to chill.
4 Bake the pie crust
Heat the oven to 350ºF.
Line the pie shell with foil and fill the foil with rice or dried beans to weigh down the crust. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
Carefully remove the foil and rice or beans and let the crust cool completely; then fill with your favorite filling and bake your pie.
If making a double-crust pie, fill the baked shell with the filling of your choice and top with the chilled dough round. Trim off any excess. Cut vents in the top and bake your pie.
Nutrition per serving: 360 calories Protein: 5g (10% DV), Fiber: 1g (4% DV), Total Fat: 24g (37% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 14g (70% DV), Cholesterol: 60mg (20% DV), Sodium: 190mg (8% DV), Carbohydrates: 33g (11% DV), Total Sugars: 0g, Added Sugars: 0g (0% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.
Bonus recipe—ingredients not included in box.
Thanksgiving Kitchen Jams
There’s nothing like a sweet mix of music to get the cooking juices flowing. Here’s what we’re moving to while we prepare to get stuffed, and groovin’ to once the meal is over and we need to make room for dessert.
Find our Thanksgiving Kitchen Jams playlist here.
Dana Cowin’s oven died, but she still made our Baked Shrimp
For more than 20 years, Dana Cowin’s job has been to maintain some of the highest culinary standards in the country, first as the longtime editor of Food & Wine, as a Top Chef guest judge, and now as the Creative Director of Chefs Club International. Despite her long career in the center of the food world, Cowin admits to being an amateur at the stove. She even wrote a cookbook titled Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen. Still, she gamely ordered up a three-recipe Sun Basket to take to her weekend home north of New York City and reported back.
The box
My Sun Basket arrived Wednesday night. I loved that it looked like my mother had packed three lunch bags for me. After I took everything out of the box, I discovered the steak and shrimp being kept cool in their own compartment on the bottom. I had plans to go out to dinner that night, so I put everything in the fridge and put the ice-pack in the freezer so I could use it to transport my Sun Basket to my weekend house on Friday.
Friday night: Baked shrimp with tomato, feta, orzo, and mint
I was groaning as I prepped the ingredients. I didn’t think it was necessary to halve the tomatoes and squeeze out the pulp, and frankly, I got very lazy with the chopping, too. It ended up being completely fine, since the tomatoes cook down. But once I was done, I was so excited: the sauce looked so pretty with the feta on top, I thought it was going to be the most perfect thing I’d ever made. I took the pan with the shrimp to the oven—and it was dead cold. My broiler had died. I dumped the orzo into the pan with the shrimp and mixed it together. It ended up looking like penne alla vodka, a cheesy, tomato-y, pink sauce, with tomatoes and shrimp. It was delicious and the servings even stretched to feed an extra guest. When I was looking at the ingredients, I kept thinking, that’s not enough orzo, that’s too many tomatoes. But when it all came together, it was perfect —and then it was all gone. Everyone cleaned their plates. Big thumbs up from everybody.
The verdict
It was super-fun. My only quibble, besides the chard and tomato prep, was that everything took me twice the given time. But that’s true whenever I cook, I’m a slow chopper. I don’t think I’ve ever made three meals, one after the other, that people have liked so consistently. I have to say, cooking with Sun Basket was very rewarding.
How to Have a Stress-Free Holiday
NEW: For the first time ever, Sunbasket is delivering a chef-crafted, extra-delicious, Holiday Dinner to your doorstep.
Two weeks ahead.
Make the call and order your turkey early. Your butcher will love you for it. Assume you’ll be serving about 1½ pounds per person. Everyone will be well-fed and you’ll have plenty of leftovers.One week ahead.
Plan your sides and desserts. Here’s something you may not know: cranberry sauce is actually jam. That’s right, this high-pectin fruit gels naturally and will keep for weeks in the refrigerator, so go ahead and make it early. You should also make your pie crust early, and freeze it. On the big day (or the day before) you can roll it out and bake your pies.Five days ahead.
Defrost your turkey. Most turkeys are sold frozen and can take several days to defrost in the refrigerator. You’ll want to make sure that it’s completely defrosted and ready to be brined or salt-cured 36 to 48 hours before cooking.Two days ahead.
You don’t have to wait until the turkey is done to make your gravy. Retrieve the neck and giblets from the bird and use them to make the gravy. It will keep in the refrigerator for several days and reheats beautifully.The day before.
Set the table. Go ahead and cross it off your list. While you’re at it, pull out your serving dishes (make sure you have all that you’ll need) and match them with the proper serving utensils. Pour a glass of wine and put your feet up. You’ve got this.Data analyst by day, beer maker by night, Sun Basket’s Koji Hamada is always hopping
Get the Most Out of Your Sun Basket
1. Unpack your box as soon as you receive it
Remember that meats and seafood are beneath the divider underneath the ingredient bags. Put the recipe cards in the bag with the ingredients for that meal and refrigerate everything until you’re ready to cook.
2. Recycle your box and packing materials
Our brand manager, Tyler MacNiven has put in long hours making sure that every last piece of our packaging is either reusable or recyclable. The box, obviously, goes into the recycling bin—and so does the insulation. The freezer packs can be snipped open—the plastic covers go into a recycling bin. Put the gel (which is 98% water, 2% organic cotton) directly into a planter or garden bed and use it to water your plants. (It can also be composted). Use the small jars and ziploc bags to store leftovers. Emily, on our content team, loves how they’re just the right size to fit into her daughter’s lunchbox.
3. Start with seafood
We pride ourselves on sending the freshest seafood, but even in the most ideal conditions, fresh seafood never lasts long. Plan to cook any seafood meals first, beef, chicken, and pork next, and produce-based meals last.
4. Read the recipe all the way through before you begin
Cooking is more relaxing if you take a minute to read the recipe from beginning to end before you begin. Think of it like plugging your destination into your GPS before heading out on a trip. The journey is more enjoyable when you know where you’re headed.
5. Brown-bag your scraps
When you unpack the meal, fold down the edge of the brown ingredient bag and use it to collect your kitchen scraps as you cook. When you’re done, throw it all into the compost.
6. No recipe book?
No problem. You can find any Sun Basket recipe anytime on our website. Click on your name in the upper-right corner of the page and select Rate Recipes from the drop-down menu. Click on a meal’s title to view its digital recipe card.
7. Rate your meal
We love to hear from you. Remember to rate your recipes so we can give you more of what you like—and please leave a comment. We review these when we plan new menus and incorporate the best suggestions when we revisit past recipes.
8. Hungry for more?
You can now order your meals up to 3 weeks in advance. To customize your menu, start by logging in to the Sun Basket website and clicking “My Menu.” To switch between delivery weeks, click the blue arrows to the right and left of the arrival date. Remember: You’re not restricted to any one meal plan; you can order any meals that work for you. You can even order 3 of the same meal to throw a dinner party for 6.
How to Cook the Juiciest Pan-Roasted Pork Chops
Sun Basket’s pork loin chops are a lean, quick-cooking cut that’s terrific for weeknight meals—but it’s easy to overcook them. The trick is to get a good sear so that the surface is crisp and browned and the center is tender and juicy. It’s not hard to do, as long as you pay attention to a few simple details.
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Pat the meat dry with a paper towel. Wet meat will steam, while dry meat cooks up crisp. Once the meat is dry, season it well with salt and pepper.
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Get the pan good and hot. The meat should sizzle when it comes in contact with the pan.
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Turn frequently. As soon as the pork begins to take on some color, flip it. Continue turning frequently, every 30 seconds or so, until the surface of the meat is well browned and beginning to develop a crust. The constant turning keeps the juices moving through the meat so there’s less chance of it drying out.
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Check the temperature. The USDA recommends cooking pork to 145°F. Pull it from the pan when it’s just shy of that. The meat will continue cooking as it sits.
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Give it a rest—this is important. The meat will finish cooking and the juices will be redistributed. When you slice into the loin chop, you’ll have slightly pink meat that’s tender, sweet, and full of flavor.
Salmon Skin Makes You Smarter, Stronger, and Better Looking. Did We Mention That it Tastes Like Bacon?
Many Sun Basket salmon fillets come with their skin intact. One reason for that is that skin-on salmon is easier to cook. The skin helps hold the meat together making it less likely to break apart when you lift it from the pan. But salmon skin is also delicious and loaded to the gills with good-for-you fatty acids. While farmed salmon may contain unhealthy levels of PCBs, the skin on our wild Alaskan salmon is something you should definitely be eating.
Brains
Omega-3’s, salmon skin is packed with them. These superstar fatty acids offer plenty of health benefits, from easing the effects of depression to helping infant brain development to improving eyesight and warding off dementia and heart disease. And because salmon’s fat is in the layer just below the skin, when you cook a filet with the skin on, it soaks up more of this healthy fat. Salmon skin is also rich in many B vitamins, which offer a host of benefits, including mood stabilization and stimulation of blood flow to the brain.
Beauty
Especially rich in connective tissue, with one-third collagen by weight, salmon skin is wonderful for our skin health and elasticity. And those omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins don’t just stop in the brain. B vitamins help regulate your metabolism. Niacin, in particular, makes it easier for the skin to maintain its moisture, leaving it smoother and addressing any imbalances. And the omega-3’s anti-inflammatory properties can help reduce outbreaks of acne.
Muscles and bones
In addition to all those good-for-you fats, salmon skin is over 50 percent protein, which forms the building blocks of bones, cartilage, and muscles. Its vitamin D levels help regulate calcium absorption, which is great for bones and teeth, and salmon’s rich potassium reserves provide stamina for long workouts.
It tastes like bacon
Yes, we said bacon. Cook it right and you’ve got a crisp, flavorful piece of skin that’s a stand-in for everyone’s favorite breakfast meat.
All that fat concentrated in the skin also means that it’s full of flavor. If you render out that fat while you cook the fish, you’ll end up with an irresistibly crisp piece of skin. Follow our test kitchen’s technique for crispy salmon skin, every time.
Later, Zucchini. Butternut is Back and She’s Bringing Her Friends
Soups, salads, risotto, pastas, and even desserts, it seems there’s nothing winter squash can’t do. And they pair well with an incredible range of flavors, both savory (curry! chiles! sage!) and sweet (apples! oranges! coconut!). But squash offer more than good looks and great flavor. They also deliver significant nutritional benefits—including vitamins A, B6, C, and E, as well as magnesium and potassium.
Acorn
The most iconic of the winter squash, these nut-shaped gourds are relatively small with thin skins so they don’t need to be peeled. We love their deep seed cavities, too, perfect for filling with a savory stuffing like the one in our Roasted Acorn Squash with Grapes, Goat Cheese, and Quinoa.
Butternut
These amber beauties can be a beast to handle. Their awkward shape and thick skin are a challenge to even the most experienced chef’s knife skills. Chef Justine recommends cutting a slice off both ends of the squash and then dividing the narrow neck from the bulb-like base. Working with one piece at a time, use a small chef’s knife to cut off the peel. Then cut the squash pieces in half and scoop out the seeds. Even better, try our Smoky Turkey Chili with Butternut Squash and Watercress or Afghan-Style Butternut Squash Stew with Garlic Yogurt and get ready-to-cook cubes of squash.
Delicata
These little guys are a favorite in the Sun Basket test kitchen. Like acorn squash, they don’t require peeling, making them easy to cut and cook. Enjoy them as a side dish in our Roast Pork Chops and Delicata Squash with Pear-Date Chutney, as the star of our Simple Squash Fajitas with Sweet Peppers and Queso Fresco, or roasted in our easy Sheet Pan Pork Sausages with Roasted Apple and Squash.
Behind the albacore: A visit with Fishpeople’s Lars Holmdahl
Lars Holmdahl got hooked on fishing (pun intended) when he was eight years old and caught a cod off a pier in Sweden. Today, he captains his own boat, the Virginia Anne, and sells his catch to our supplier, Fishpeople. Every summer, Holmdahl and his two daughters, Inga (pictured) and Annalee, fish the ocean waters from Vancouver Island in British Columbia to California in search of Pacific albacore. The mild-tasting, firm-fleshed tuna is featured in this week’s Seared albacore with green beans and slow-cooked eggs.
Here at Sun Basket, we love tuna, but it’s been in the news in ways that make us uncomfortable. Mercury is one issue that concerns us. Why is Fishpeople’s albacore a good choice?
Mercury is an issue with all big fish. The longer a fish lives, the more time it has to take in dangerous chemicals. We target albacore that weigh between 10 and 35 pounds. These juveniles have the lowest mercury levels of any variety of tuna.
We’ve heard that albacore is overfished and that stocks are running low. Is this true? What steps do you take on your boat to ensure that healthy numbers of albacore remain for years to come?
In fact, Pacific albacore stocks are very healthy. We’re a jig fishery, which means that we catch one fish at a time. Unlike other methods, such as purse seines, which bring up a lot of bycatch, we only bring in fish that we can sell. We throw back any tuna that weigh less than nine pounds.
Tell us a little about living the fisherman’s life on the Virginia Anne.
The albacore season generally runs from July through early October, though this year it started in June. The season ends when the fish move on, or the weather gets too rough.
We typically go out for two or three weeks at a time. But if we run into bad weather, we head back early. We typically travel from 30 to 150 miles from the coast, and find most of our fish between 60 and 90 miles offshore. Our boat is small, with a limited capacity, so once our holds are full, we have to turn back. I always have enough fuel to last for 40 days, but in over seven years, we’ve never been out for longer than 25 days.
We start fishing at first light and keep going until it gets dark. The only thing that changes is the weather and the number of fish we catch.
Any cooking tips you can share?
Like Sun Basket’s Chef Justine, my favorite way to cook albacore is to give it a quick sear in a hot pan so that it’s still rare in the middle. And or course, I love it raw, but I go to a good sushi restaurant for that.
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