50 pies for 50 states: Baking through the eyes of an immigrant

All Butter Crust

Crust is the foundation of all your pies. Bakers have their preferences of which fat to use, like lard or vegetable shortening, but I’m all about the butter, baby. Fat is flavor and using a butter with a high fat percentage when making your dough means a pie crust that you’re gonna wanna eat crimp first! The All-Butter Crust recipe is the one I riff on for all the other flavored crusts and whole wheat crust recipes. So start here. The crust’s the limit!

Ingredients 

ALL-BUTTER CRUST—SINGLE

• 1¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
• ½  cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces ½  cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• ½  cup ice

ALL-BUTTER CRUST—DOUBLE

• 2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ -inch pieces 1 cup cold water
• ¼ cup cider vinegar ½ cup ice

Instructions

1. Stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl with a flat bottom. Add the butter pieces on top of the dry ingredients. Using your fingers, toss the butter in the dry mixture so each cube is coated. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to cut or rub the butter into the mixture until it is in pieces a bit larger than peas (a few larger pieces are okay; be careful not to over-blend). You want to be able to have big butter chunks in your crust: It helps create a flakey effect, as well as adding delicious buttery hits of flavor!
   In a separate large measuring cup or small bowl, combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice.

2. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture; do not add the ice, which is just there to keep your water cold. Using your hands in a circular motion, bring the mixture together until all the liquid is incorporated. Continue adding the ice water mixture, 1 to
   2 tablespoons at a time.

3. Carefully mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until it comes into one mass; you don’t want to overwork it.

4. Shape the dough into a flat disc (if making double recipe, first separate the dough into two equal portions), wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight before using.
   Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the fridge.

Artichoke pie
with savory almond crumble and red wine reduction

Makes one 10-inch pie

Prep Time: 1 hour • Cooking Time: 45 minutes • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Instead of an avocado pie to represent California (too obvious!), artichokes with an almond crumble and red wine reduction honor the Golden State. Photo by Alanna Hale.

Ingredients 

CRUST

• All-Butter Crust (single, page 332), rolled out, fit into a greased 10-inch pie pan, crimped, and partially blind baked (see page 339)
• Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing (California olive oil if you have it!)

FILLING

• 2 cups thawed frozen artichoke hearts
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing (California olive oil if you have it)

TOPPINGS
Red Wine Reduction

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup chopped carrot 1 clove garlic, minced 2¼ cups dry red wine 11/2 cups ruby port
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Almond Crumble

• 1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup chopped almonds
• 2 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs (parsley, sage, thyme)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Instructions

1. MAKE THE RED WINE REDUCTION: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic and sauté until soft and translucent, 10 minutes.
   Add the wine and port, bring to a simmer, and reduce the heat. Simmer for 1 hour, or until the liquid has reduced by half in volume. Strain the mixture through a sieve and return the liquid to the saucepan. Continue to simmer to reduce the liquid to 11/2 cups, about 10 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.

2. MAKE THE ALMOND CRUMBLE: In a medium mixing bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan, flour, almonds, and herbs. With your fingers, incorporate the softened butter until the mixture looks like wet sand and everything is mixed well.
   Set aside in fridge until ready to use.

3. MAKE THE BÉCHAMEL: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk until smooth.Continue to cook and whisk until the mixture turns golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate saucepan until it’s just about to boil. Slowly add the hot milk to the flour mixture 1 cup at a time, continually whisking, until smooth. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat once the sauce has thickened, and season with the salt and nutmeg. Set aside to cool.

4. MAKE THE FILLING: Cut the artichoke hearts into halves or quarters. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the artichoke pieces and onion, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the onion is slightly caramelized, 6 to 8 minutes. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, until the artichokes are tender. Drain the artichoke mixture and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the parsley and béchamel, stir to combine, and season to taste.
   
   
5. ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE PIE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the partially baked crust on a baking sheet. Fill the crust with the artichoke filling and top with the almond crumble. Bake the pie on the center rack for 35 minutes. Brush the crust with olive oil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the pie is golden brown. While the pie finishes baking, warm the red wine reduction in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Serve the pie warm with red wine reduction drizzled on top and a big glass of your favorite California wine. Enjoy!