f O O C l
AMERICAN
CLASSICS
■ On lightly floured surface, roll out
cold dough to an even V s-inch
thickness. W ith 3-inch ro u n d cutter,
cu t 24 circles, rerolling dough as
needed. (If dough becom es w arm ,
tran sfer to baking sh eet and
refrigerate about 5 m inutes.)
■ Spoon a generous teaspoonful of
filling on cen ter o f each circle. Lightly
m oisten dough edges. Fold in half,
p inching edges to seal. R efrigerate
sealed pies until ready to fry.
■ Fill a very deep 10-inch cast-iron
skillet half full w ith oil. H eat over
m edium h eat to 365°F. Fry pies, a few
at a tim e, about 3 m inutes, until
golden brow n, tu rn in g as needed to
cook evenly. D rain on cooling racks.
Cool slightly; roll in sugar. Serve w arm
or at room tem perature.
MAKES
24
PIES.
SWEET POTATO-FIG FILLING
H eat oven
to 350°F. On foil-lined baking sh eet
bake tw o m edium -size
sweet potatoes
for IV
2
hours or until very soft.
M eanw hile, rem ove stem s and halve
dried figs
(to equal V
4
cup, packed).
Place in sm all saucepan; barely cover
w ith
water.
B ring to boiling. R educe
heat; sim m er, covered, about 15
m inutes until softened. Cool slightly,
drain, and finely chop. Stir in 1
tablespoon
honey;
set aside. Rem ove
potatoes from oven and cool slightly.
Peel potatoes. In a large bow l m ash
potato flesh until sm ooth. M ix in
1 tablespoon
unsalted butter
,;
1V
2
te a sp o o n s
granulated sugar,
IV
2
teaspoons packed
brown sugar,
V
4
teaspoon
kosher salt,
and
Vs teaspoon freshly
grated nutmeg.
Stir figs into sw eet potato m ixture.
Cool com pletely before filling pies.
EACH PIE
187
cal,
12
gfat (6gsat.fat),
24
mgchol,
190
mgsodium,
19
gcarbo,
1
gfiber,
2
gpro. D aily Values:
44
% vit.A,
1
% vit. C,
1
% calcium,
5
% iron.
LEARN MORE
about fried pies and other
American Classics from Scott at
bettertv.com.
For m ore how-tos, log on to
BHG.com/
americanclassics.
FOLD DOUGH IN THIRDS
“Folding stacks the layers of
fat and flour, which makes the
pastry extra flaky. Chill again.”
SPOON ON THE FILLING
“Resist the temptation to
overfill. It’s important to leave
V3 inch around the edge.”
ROLL THINLY AND
EVENLY
“Flour the rolling pin—not
the dough. Using assertive
pressure, quickly roll the
cold dough from the
center outward.”
UNEVEN MARBLING
‘The experience of making this
pastry by hand is satisfying and
rewarding resulting in a dough
that is beautifully marbled with
obvious streaks of butter and
lard. After the first rolling be
sure to brush off any excess
flour before folding in thirds.”
MOISTEN THE EDGES
“Use a finger dipped in
cold water to barely
moisten around the edge
of the dough, helping to
ensure a good seal.”
Make a tight seal.
“ Carefully press the edges together,
then gently pinch along the seam,
flipping the pie over and pinching
again to make sure both sides
are well sealed.”
FRY UNTIL GOLDEN
“Fry a few at a time, without
crowding the pan, and remove
the pies as they brown.”
COOL, ROLL IN SUGAR
“A wire rack prevents the hot
pies from steaming as they cool
and keeps the pastry crisp.”
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SEPTEMBER 2009 BETTER HOM ES AND GARDENS
