The Man Who Ate Everything - Jeffrey Steingarten [216]
Cover the bottom crust with plastic wrap.
Roll out the other disk of dough into a 13-inch circle and lay it gently over the plastic wrap. Unless the kitchen is cool and the dough is firm, cover with more plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, finish making the fruit filling—if there is anything left to be done. Then remove the pie plate and dough from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature for 5 minutes. Remove the plastic and gently fold the top crust into quarters and set aside.
Spoon the filling into the dough-lined pie plate, keeping it away from the rim. Cut the cold butter into thin slices and scatter them over the fruit.
12. Align the point of the folded top crust with the center of the filling and gently unfold it over the filling and the rim. With a large pair of scissors or a knife, uniformly trim the edges of the dough so that it extends a generous ½ inch beyond the edges of the bottom crust, patching where necessary.
Working quickly, fold the ½-inch margin of top-crust dough around and under the edge of the lower crust so that it rests on the rim of the pie plate. With one hand, press lightly to seal, using your other hand to keep the dough even with the edge of the plate.
13. Shape the edges of the dough into a decorative pattern. Here are two easy ones to use when you can’t think of anything else.
a. Flatten the pastry all around with the tines of a dinner fork held level with the rim, leaving deep parallel grooves pointing toward the center of the pie. To avoid catching the soft dough each time you lift the fork, tilt the handle of the fork upward first, and then remove the point end.
b. Raise and flute the edge; this will help create a rampart against the boiling juices. Squeeze the dough on the rim of the pie plate to form a ridge all around about ½ inch high and ¼ inch thick. Be careful not to press your fingers down into the dough against the walls of the pie plate or the crust may become thin and the filling leak profusely in the oven.
Next, shape the ridge into a scalloped edge by placing the tips of your left thumb and index finger on the inside of the ridge, holding them about an inch apart. Place the tip of your right index finger on the outside of the ridge, between the fingertips on the inside. By pressing the fingertips against the dough, you will form a V. Continue all the way around the pie, repeating the same motion, until the entire ridge of dough has been transformed. Then go around again, trying to make the pattern even and regular.
14. Now the pie should be baked without delay; otherwise the fruit juices can make the bottom crust soggy. Lightly brush the milk over the crust. You will probably not need the full tablespoon. Do not allow the milk to puddle in the valleys of the crust; if it does, mop it up with the corner of a folded paper towel.
15. Sprinkle the crust with the granulated sugar.
16. With a small, sharp knife, cut decorative vents into the crust (for example, three V-shapes pointing toward the center of the pie cut along each of three or four radii). Use the knife to open the cuts slightly so that they will not reseal in the oven. You can also make a ¼- or ½-inch circle, square, or triangle in the very center. These vents allow steam to escape, helping to avoid soggy crusts and relieving pressure when the juices begin to overflow. Marion Cunningham does not believe in vents.
17. Set the pie on a baking sheet with raised edges, and bake immediately