Be courageous this holiday season and learn how to make homemade pastry dough for all of those pies you'll be baking. This video by Handmade TV includes a recipe and step-by-step instructions for a crust worthy of any filling.
To crimp something -- say, pastry, pizza or pie dough -- is to decoratively fold the edges of it, slightly overlapping the folds to create a rounded border.
Crimping is easy to do and makes the edges of sweet and savory pies, empanadas, dumplings and calzones look more finished. Crimping also seals two pieces of dough tightly to keep the filling ingredients from leaking out during baking.
Aluminum foil or parchment paper is also crimped when used to make a papillote. The sealed package seals in the steam that cooks the meat or fish.
Pâte brisée is French for short cut pastry.
It is made from equal parts fat (butter, lard, margarine or shortening) and flour, which is worked together and then bound with a small amount of water or egg yolk.
A pâte brisée has a fragile, crumbly texture and does not rise when baked. It is the pastry of choice for quiche and tarts and can be used for both savory and sweet dishes. The pastry can also be made with or without a small quantity of sugar (about 1 tablespoon or to taste).
Pâte sablée is the richest of the French short pastry crusts. It is used to make sweet flans and tarts.
A pâte sablée is made with butter, flour or powdered almonds, butter, egg, sugar and flavored with vanilla. It has more calories than a pâte brisée or pâte sucrée and the most flavor.
