Pie Crust - Dinner & Dessert

When I make pie crust, I always make a double batch and then usually make one savory and one sweet dish from those. This week, I made two very ugly but very delicious dishes. I rolled my crust when it hadn't chilled enough and it slumped all over and was a bit of a mess. However, they tasted great and our farm is all about realness so I've chosen to share a photo of my creation despite my embarrassment.

Pie Crust double-batch
From Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything
2 c flour
1 c cold butter, cubed
Pulse in food processor, add a dribble of ice water until it comes together, chill until firm (I did not)

Berries and Cream Pie -- Original recipe and my modifications
This is a real crowd-pleaser and has a variety of tastes and textures!
Filling:
3/4 c sugar (sometimes I use maple syrup and adjust flour)
2 T flour
1 c sour cream (I substitute Mountain View fromage blanc and/or yogurt for the sour cream and adjust the flour as needed (usually 4-5 T) to get a pancake-batter consistency
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 c blueberries, raspberries, and/or strawberries
Topping:
3 T flour
2 T sugar
2 T cold butter

Roll, press, dock, and blind-bake your pie crust the way Mark Bittman says (not the way I did it, lol!)
Combine filling ingredients except berries. Adjust flour to get a pancake batter type consistency. Gently fold in berries. Pour batter into bind-baked crust and cover edges of the crust to prevent burning (or not!) Prepare streusel topping by rubbing butter into sugar and flour (don't let it get hot). Bake in a 375 degree oven about 40-50 minutes or until set. This pie is best eaten the day you make it, but refigerate leftovers in the unlikely event you have any.

Beet-Fennel Gallette

This is essentially a veggies-and-cheese tart and is easily modified to work with lots of over ingredients and the same idea. Try mushroom-onion-feta, turnip-and-beet, summer squash and pesto, the combos are endless.

First, caramelize some fennel by slicing thinly and sauteeing over low with a touch of sugar and water (1 tsp each) to start it off right. Then, roast some beet slices.

Take your other pie crust and roll it out. Top (artfully or not) with roasted sliced beets, caramelized fennel, and dobs of goat's cheese, kind of like you would a pizza (and actually, this would make a great pizza!), leaving a crust around the outside. Fold over the edge bits to get a rustic crust. Bake until golden, which will vary based on shape and thickness of your tart.