My first two attempts with the Bella Mini Pie Maker - Long but perhaps funny (?)
Despite this comedy of errors, the pies taste delicious, and some of them even looked pretty! (photos to follow)
Lessons Learned:
1. Read and Reread all directions and advice before starting.
2. Don’t just read everyone’s advice, follow it!
3. Have everything ready before starting.
4. LISTEN TO SCOOP! The crust, board, rolling pin, etc must be COLD
5. Don't give DD pies near where she is sitting in the car.
I got the Bella pie maker (Kohl’s) for Christmas, and right away bought refrigerated pie crust dough and frozen puff pastry dough, as recommended. I decided to start with mini pumpkin pies, since I had a can of pumpkin and a can of evaporated milk on hand. I started out ok, oiling and preheating as instructed. I also read the instruction book and checked TUG to ensure that Heath said to make the pumpkin pie using the recipe on the can.
First Big Mistake:
The package of puff pastry dough said I could thaw it by microwaving for 90 seconds. It didn’t say that when you microwave frozen dough for 90 seconds you end up with warm glop. The dough had been folded in thirds, and it’s really really hard to unfold glop.
No problem, I’d just roll it out and have 3x the layers. Did that.
Second Big Mistake:
Left the warm flat dough on the board on the counter instead of putting it in the refrigerator or freezer. Yes, Scoop, I know
Third Big Mistake:
Started making the pie filling after rolling and cutting the dough, instead of before.
Followed the directions on the can, beat the eggs, fished out the broken shell pieces (should have broken each egg into a separate bowl first), beat in the sugar and spices, pierced the can of evaporated milk with a “church key” can opener, and started pouring it in. It was very thin and watery.
Fourth Big Mistake:
Didn’t shake the can well before opening and pouring.
No problem, removed the lid with a rotary can opener and scooped out the “custard” at the bottom, and beat it in.
Filling’s done, time to make the pies. Filling seems a bit too liquidy.....forgot Heath's extra flour. Used a spatula to lift/scrape circles of warm dough from the board, and put them over the bottom “pans”. Squished them down with the plastic dough squisher.
Fifth Big Mistake:
Didn’t flour the dough squisher. I lifted it and the dough was stuck to it. Tried peeling it off with my fingers and ended up with a warm gloppy mess.
I got a bowl with some flour and floured the squisher, and the other three circles stayed in the pie maker rather than sticking to the squisher, BUT they seemed to shrink in, not staying out around the pretty fluted edge. Dough too warm? Well duh, not only was it warm to begin with, but it was sitting over the preheated bottom "pans" getting even warmer. See Mistakes One, Two, and Three.
Quickly re-rolled the rest of the warm dough, cut a circle, floured the squisher, and succeeded in positioning and squishing the fourth bottom crust.
Ran back to the direction book to see how much filling to use – hmmm, warnings about not putting in too little or too much, and just rough guidelines for the amount. I used a half cup measure, but that seemed like too much, so I probably used about a third cup each. (Later cross sections of pies cut in half showed air between the top of the filling and the bottom of the top crust, so I could have used a bit more filling.)
Started cutting the top crusts from the now VERY warm puff pastry dough. It stuck to the cutter, stuck to the board, lost shape when I picked it up. Used odd pieces to patch holes and edges. See Mistakes One, Two, and Three.
Finished assembling the pies, closed the lid, and timed the suggested 14 minutes, peeking frequently. The pies were actually quite pretty except for the patches – despite the mistakes, it worked!
While those were cooking, I re-rolled the EVEN WARMER trimmings (separately) to try to get four top and four bottom crusts. I did manage to cut out that many from the now very thin dough, but by the time the first four pies were done and I was ready to place the very thin and very warm crusts, they fell apart, shrank, stuck, etc. I took all the dough – both types – squished it together, rolled it out, and somehow managed to make four bottom crusts (complete with lots of patchwork) and two top crusts (ditto), so had two double-crust pies and two open-faced ones.
Cooked them for 12 minutes – they looked pretty sloppy, but still tasted good!
Next Mistake - but not mine Used foil to wrap up the two very-best-looking pies to give DD and her BF. Gave them to her in the car; she put them on the seat next to her and then shifted around and sat on them. (Not my mistake so I’m not counting it.)
Possible next mistake The next night, talked DH into keeping me company while I made more pies to use up the rest of the filling. (This may have been the Sixth Big Mistake.)
Beat some extra flour into the filling per Heath's suggestion.
This time the dough was cold, and the dough and board stayed in the refrigerator whenever I wasn’t actually using the dough. The first four bottom crusts still stuck to the squisher even though it was floured; DH decided it would be better to press them in with a spoon or his fingers (no, no burns). I thought the best solution was to use the press but then hold the crusts down with a spoon while pulling up the squisher. We didn’t reach an agreement. Used bits of dough to patch holes and edges.
Skipped top crusts, baked 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, I realized we didn’t have enough dough for four more bottom crusts, only two, so decided to use some of the frozen puff pastry dough. Sawed off about 1/3 from the end of the frozen dough, and put the rest back in the freezer. Put the piece of dough in the microwave for 30 seconds – part of it got warm and bubbly, but it survived. Managed to unfold it - sort of - rolled it out and cut two bottom crusts, put the board and cut out crusts into the refrigerator. Took the regular dough and board out of the fridge, rolled, and cut. Again, used a combination of floured press, spoon, fingers, and patches to create the four bottom crusts, two with regular dough and two with puff pastry dough. Not pretty…..but filled them and cooked them open-faced, and they were still yummy. (PS - the puff pastry DID work for the bottoms.)
DH came to the conclusion that it’d be a lot easier to use a store-bought pie crust and a tinfoil-pan and bake it in the oven, or just buy a pie. I tried to convince him that this was fun and the mini-pies were cute, but I don’t think I was successful.
We both decided that it might work better to form the crusts in a cold piemaker, and then freeze the pre-shaped crusts for later use. I'm going to try that.
Next up, chicken pot pies, following Heath’s recipe of course!
PS to Muranojo - it stands up and literally takes up about the same space as a bag of potato chips or pretzels, so I just stood it up on the same pantry shelf where those live.
