Make a Cookie-Cutter Pie Crust

Top your pie with a fancy crust made using cookie cutters.

Roll out a pie crust top and vent it by using a cookie cutter to cut a hole from the center. Position the crust dough on top of the pie. Before baking, embellish further by rolling out a second crust dough and using the cookie cutter to cut out dough shapes. Position the cutout shapes on top of the first crust, overlapping each slightly until the crust is completely covered by cutout shapes. Leave the venting somewhat open. Brush the crust with an egg-white glaze, and then bake as usual.

Another quick and easy embellishment is to use the dough to shape a flower. For the pie crust rose seen here, start with a stiff dough and flatten six or seven 1/2-inch diameter balls of it between floured pieces wax paper. Keep the dough cold so it's easy to work with - refrigerating it between steps if necessary. Roll the first flattened piece of dough into a cone-shaped or S-shaped center piece.

Wrap each of the remaining flattened pieces around the cone, one at a time, shaping petals. Refrigerate the dough rose until it's time to bake, glazing it with an egg-white mixture just before putting it into the oven. Once the pie is out of the oven and cooled, dress up the rose with a washed, plastic leaf or edible foliage. Just remove the leaf when serving.