In his play Boston Marriage, David Mamet said, “We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.” And how can it truly exist when baking, unlike cooking, requires a gratuitous amount of patience? From chilling the pie dough to waiting for it to finish baking in the oven, pulling it out, and then letting its piping hot filling cool just enough before cutting it into wedges for serving, the creation of a pie is a long yet fulfilling process that will temporarily chase all your cares away.
Test your patience (and your willpower!) with this Peach Strawberry Strudel Cream Pie that you can make with your kids this summer vacation!
Peach Strawberry Strudel Cream Pie
Prep time: One hour
Makes eight to 10 servings
Ingredients:
Pie Dough:
2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shortening or butter
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1⁄4 cup cold water
Filling:
1 can peaches
1 cup strawberries
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
A dash of salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanill
Strudel:
1⁄2 cup quick-cooking oats
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup brown sugar
1⁄4 cup butter
Procedure:
For the pie dough:
1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Mix the egg and water. Pour into flour all at once and blend with a fork until the dough forms a ball. Wrap with plastic and chill in the refrigerator.
3. Once chilled, unroll into a pie plate and bake blind at 170°C for 10 minutes. To blind bake is to bake the pie before it’s filled.
For the strudel:
In a separate bowl, mix all the ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs.
For the filling:
1. Place fruit in pie shell. Beat eggs slightly in a bowl and add the lemon juice. Blend in the sugar, flour, and salt. Stir in the cream and vanilla and blend well. Pour over the fruit.
2. Top the pie filling with the strudel and bake at 190°C for 30 to 40 minutes or until the center shakes slightly when moved. Cover the crust’s edges with foil to prevent it from becoming too brown.
Serve warm. For a firmer pie, chill it first before serving.
(Photograph by Erwin Obcemea. Food styling by Chiqui Lloren. Recipe by Gen Oliva, Gwen Oliva, and Mylene Tan of Enderun Colleges.)
