Steps to ensure a pie crust comes out flaky
Dear Heloise: I have a few hints for those who worry that their pie crusts aren’t as flaky as they would like. First, while making the dough, place all utensils in the refrigerator.
Make sure they’re cold before taking them out. After you’ve made your dough and the utensils are cold, roll out the dough.
Always handle the dough as little as possible. Take a fork and punch a few holes in the bottom of the pie crust
but just a few.
After you have the dough in the chilled pie plate and a crust on the top, take a piece of tin foil and fold it in half. Cut out a circle the size of your pie and lay it over the edge of the pie to keep your crust from burning.
Some people like to use butter for their pie crusts, but I’ve always had better luck with a vegetable shortening.
Ann T., Majestic, Kentucky
Dear Heloise: I lost my recipe for your Cherry Surprise. Since my kids loved it, I’d like to make it again. But I need you
HELOISE
to publish the recipe because I don’t remember the measurements for all of the ingredients.
Thank you.
Jackie K., Owosso, Michigan
Jackie, here is my Cherry Surprise recipe:
Cream together 2 sticks of butter or margarine and 2 cups of sugar. Beat 3 eggs and add into the above ingredients. Mix in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons of almond extract and 1 pint of sour cream.
Then add 3 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt; mix to blend. Last, stir in 1 cup maraschino cherries and 1 1/2 cups of chopped nuts.
Bake in a greased and floured tube pan at 325 degrees for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
If you want icing for it, combine powdered sugar, cherry juice and a drop of vanilla. Mix well and spread over cooled cake.
Heloise
Dear Heloise: My mother always said I should never fry chicken in heated olive oil. Why is that?
Linda G., Colby, Kansas
Linda, there was a time when it was considered a bad idea, but that came from misinformation. It’s OK to cook chicken in hot olive oil but NOT if the oil is producing smoke. Current information says olive oil is safe for frying except when it reaches the stage of smoking, and then it’s actually too hot and not good to fry foods in.