Fancy Pie

 Remember when I went to Shipshewana in June with my daughters and I bought a pie crust cutter?

And, at the time, I said I rarely make two-crust pies, but would try to remember to make them more often so I could use my fancy new cutter?

Well, I finally remembered to use it.  Now that the apple trees in my orchard are getting ripe in turn (the four varieties I have all have staggered ripening dates), I made an apple pie and remembered to make it a two-crust pie rather than the crumb crust that has been my go-to for apple pies for decades.

I'm really pleased with how easy it was to use the pie crust cutter.  Directions said to lightly spray it with non-stick pan spray before using, but I don't use pan spray (I use old butter wrappers to smear around a touch of softened butter), so I tried doing it the cookie cutter way and just dipping the cutter in flour, then placing it on the pie crust dough.  

That worked really good in that it did not stick to and tear the dough.  It released cleanly both times (you cut one half then line up the straight edge of the cutter to meet up with the straight edge you just cut and do the other half).  About half of the cut-outs I had to lightly pry out using the tip of a plastic knife once the crust was in place, but that wasn't a big deal.  I think having those still in place while transferring the dough to the pie plate helped keep the crust from tearing.  It did tear a little near the center where the bigger cut-outs came out when I lifted it off the rolling mat.

For a first time ever use, I give it two thumbs up.  I'm sure the more I use it the better I will get at handling the cut-out dough.  Just a matter of technique and it will be perfect.  In fact, I liked the end result so much that I'm thinking of putting at least another one of these, in a different design, on my Christmas Wish List.

Side note: I also love my French rolling pin that I bought at the same time.