My grandma was a champion of pies, and this classic pie was her flagship, always with a different jam but the shortcrust base was always made with the same and foolproof recipe! Let’s be honest, a nice classic pie is always good, for breakfast, as a snack, and even after a meal! This pie with grandma’s recipe is foolproof, and you can also use the shortcrust pastry to make delicious cookies. Compared to my grandma, I only changed the decoration; she made the classic stripes (which I can never get straight!) and instead, I decorated with cookie cutters! At the end of the classic recipe, you’ll find a bonus for 2 different fillings and decorations!
If you love desserts with shortcrust pastry, also try:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Grandma’s Classic Pie
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 8 oz sour cherry jam
Useful Tools
- Stand Mixer
- Food Scale
- Bowl
- Knife
- Plastic Wrap
- Pie Pan
- Pastry Board
- Rolling Pin
- Spoon
- Cookie Cutter
Preparation of the Shortcrust Pastry for the Classic Pie
In the bowl of the stand mixer, pour the butter at room temperature and in pieces, also add the flour, set the paddle attachment, and work at speed 2 for 2 minutes, then stop.
Add the egg, the yolk, and the powdered sugar to the mixer bowl, turn the mixer back on at speed 2 and let it run for 3 minutes, then transfer the dough onto the lightly floured pastry board.
Work the shortcrust until you get a homogeneous dough (it will take 1 minute), wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
After resting in the fridge, roll out the shortcrust on the floured pastry board and bring it to a thickness of about 1/8 inch, line the pie pan and cut off the excess (which you will use to make decorations), fill the shortcrust shell with the jam leveling it.
Knead the scraps and roll them out again with the rolling pin, with the plunger cutters, cut out many small flowers and use them to cover and decorate the pie.
Heat the oven to 392°F and when it’s hot, bake the pie, cook for 35 minutes (always checking the baking because every oven is different) and once cooked remove the classic pie, let it cool before removing it from the pan and serve it! Bon appétit with grandma’s recipe!
Instead of sour cherry jam, you can use apricot jam and add almond flakes, you can then decorate either with the flowers or cover the pie as if it were a sweet quiche, here are examples of the variants!
PIE WITH APRICOT JAM AND ALMOND FLAKES
PIE WITH APRICOT JAM, ALMOND FLAKES, QUICHE-LIKE COVER
Advice
If you see that the shortcrust darkens too much during baking, cover with a sheet of baking paper to finish cooking!
If you like, you can flavor the shortcrust with grated untreated lemon peel.
