Lemon Sour Cream Pie with Homemade Crust (Moderately Challenging)

I have found something that is not easy for me to do, bake!  I can cook but when it comes to baking, baking is a bit of a challenge for me.  I can bake, don't get me wrong, but when it comes to making a pie crust from scratch I am very challenged.  I will have to correct that in time.   I have only made this homemade pie crust twice and I will have to make it many more times before I really can perfect it, if I ever do.  We'll see.  I made this lemon pie for New Year's Eve dessert for my family.  It is a first for me.  I love lemon desserts.  They are so refreshing.  I tasted the filling, more like licked the pot I made it in and licked the spatula.  The filling is very tasty.  I already know the crust is delicious because I made a homemade apple pie with it and it was delicious!  I look very much forward to having a slice of this pie.  One thing I learned about making pie crusts is the secret to a great crust is substituting Vodka for water.  Why Vodka?  Since water bonds with flour to form gluten, too much of it makes a crust tough and then that makes rolling out the dough more difficult. Vodka is 60% water and the alcohol vaporizes in the oven so it leaves no alcohol taste to your crust.  Vodka in place of water creates a flaky and tender crust.  You do require 1/4 of a cup of more flour for rolling out your crust as a result.  So now that you know why Vodka, let's get started!

Note: If you want to skip the homemade crust altogether, then buy a frozen ready-made crust and bake it as directed on package and then just pour the lemon pie mixture into that and chill. 

This recipe makes a 9-inch single crust pie, if you want to make an apple pie with this crust, double the recipe and divide in half before chilling.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
6 tbsp. cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into two pieces
4 Tbsp. cold Vodka, Vodka can be put in the freezer, it never freezes

Directions:

1. In a food processor, process 3/4 cups flour, salt, and sugar until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter slices and shortening and process until the dough becomes uniform and just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape down side and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup of flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, about 4-6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle Vodka over dough. With a rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Dough will be in the shape of a ball when finished pressing down on. Transfer ball of dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and bring up the edges and seal them completely up around it like a ball and twist the plastic wrap and place inside a bowl, twisted side down to hold in place, and chill for 45 minutes to 2 hours or even for the day before.
3. When ready to roll out the dough, you will need 1/4 cup of flour for your surface and rolling pin.  Place your dough on your floured surface and roll out in a circular motion until you achieve the size required for your pie dish.  It should be about 1/8 of an inch thick when rolled out.  I recommend a pie mat (picture below) that has the sizes mapped out on it so you know how large of a circle you need to roll your crust out on. Remember you will roll it out slightly larger than the size because you want some to overhang over the edges so you can trim them.
4. When ready to place dough on your pie dish, roll the dough loosely around the rolling pin and then unroll onto pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around the circumference, ease the dough into place by gently lifting the edge of the dough with one hand while pressing into pie plate bottom with other hand. Leave the overhanging dough in place; refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
5. Trim overhang to about 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate. Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate because it will pull away when baking. Press the dough edges with the twine of a fork against the rim of the pie plate to make the edges pretty. 
6. Here comes the part where you bake it or leave it raw. If you are going to make a fruit pie, for example, an apple pie, that requires baking then do not bake the crust.  If you are going to make a custard filled pie that has already been stove top cooked, then bake it. 
7. How to bake: place a circular cut piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the unbaked crust and line with ceramic pie weights, pennies, or uncooked beans, I used lima beans. Bake at 425 degrees with the edges covered so they won't burn for 15 minutes, remove from oven, remove parchment paper and pie weights and return to oven for 5 minutes longer to brown the part of the crust that was covered, still leave the edges covered so they do not burn.

Sour Cream Lemon Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups milk

1 cup sour cream

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup melted butter

1 1/2 tsp. lemon zest

1/4 cup lemon juice (I used 2 fresh lemons, microwaved them for 45 seconds so I could squeeze all the juice possible out of them, I only needed to add about a tablespoon more juice from a bottle to complete 1/4 cup)

1 9-inch pie crust, baked

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, combine sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually stir in milk. I whisked my mixture while on the stove top.  Cook and stir on medium heat until thickened, be careful not to burn. Reduce heat, cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Beat egg yolks slightly. Stir 1 cup of the cooked mixture into the yolks. Return yolk mixture to saucepan, and bring to a gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 more minutes, be careful not to burn  Remove from heat, and stir in melted butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Fold in sour cream.
3. Pour filling into baked pie shell and cool in fridge. Top with whipped cream if desired.

Processed flour, salt, and sugar, first step for pie crust.

Butter and shortening now added.

1/2 cup of remaining flour added before I remove from processor to add the Vodka.

Adding the Vodka.

Folding the Vodka into dough, will be sticky.

Dough wrapped in a ball in plastic wrap, twisted side down to keep sealed. Refrigerate for 45 minutes to 2 hours or even the day before needed.

The pie crust mat for getting the right size of dough rolled out. I bought this one at Bed, Bath, & Beyond.

The pie crust unbaked, a bit thin in the edges, that is my fault, still learning.

Showing how the twines of a fork can make the edges pretty before baking.

The parchment paper in place before I place the weight on it to keep the crust from bubbling up during the baking process. Keeps it flat.

The dry lima beans I uesed as weights to keep the crust flat while baking.

Remember to cover the edges, either with foil or one of these pie thingys that I also bought at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. This one is silicone.

I am still trying to perfect making a homemade crust and as you can see here I did not come close. LOL! I covered my edges but they were still too thin and slightly browned more than I wish they would have, also they pulled away in places and that brown spot in the middle was because it was too thin there. Again, I am learning, only my second crust. I even debated on putting this picture up because I am embarrassed of it but if someone else can learn my from mistakes then a lesson taught.

Lemon pie filling cooking on the stove top.

The 3 slightly beaten egg yolks with the 1 cup of mixture added in.

It is not the prettiest pie but it will due just for my family. I know it will taste awesome and this is my first try. I will do better the next time!