GMA Recipe: Onion Pie (Zwiwwelkuche)

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Onion Pie (Zwiwwelkuche)
Presented by Julia Child
1996

Ingredients

1 recipes Yeast-Raised Butter Crust or any pizza dough

4 c. sliced onion

3 tbsps. safflower oil or butter

2/3 c. diced slab bacon

4 large eggs

1 c. sour cream or organic yogurt

1 tsp. caraway seed

Directions

Prepare the butter crust as directed. Cover and set aside to double in bulk. While the dough is rising, put the onions and the oil or butter in a heavy skillet, cover, and sweat over medium heat until soft and beginning to brown (about 15 minutes). Fry the bacon in a separate pan until golden, then drain and reserve. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Press down the raised dough and roll it out to 1/4-inch thick. Line a baking pan measuring 8 1/2 x 14 inches with the dough.

Roll the edges of the dough down and tuck under to form an even rim about 2 inches high along the sides. Let the crust recover for about 15 minutes, then spread the cooked onions and bacon evenly over the bottom.

Beat the eggs until lemon colored, then combine with the sour cream. Spread over the onions, then scatter caraway seed over the top. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until the filling has set and begun to turn golden brown on the surface. Serve hot or at room temperature.

For a meatless alternative, omit the bacon and scatter 1 c. chopped prunes over the cooked onions when filling the pie. Cover this with the sour cream mixture and scatter caraway seed over the top. Bake as directed above.

Yeast-Raised Butter Crust (Butterdeeg)
Ingredients

1/4 oz. active dry yeast

1 1/2 c. lukewarm water (98oF)

3 1/2 c. organic white-bread flour

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 c. cold unsalted butter, cut up

3 large eggs

Directions

Proof the dry yeast in the lukewarm water. Sift the flour and salt into a deep bowl. Add the butter and rub the mixture through a sieve or colander to form a fine crumb or process it in a food processor. Make a well in the center of the crumbs. Beat the egg yolks into the yeast and pour into the well in the crumb mixture. Stir and work into a stiff dough. Knead 5 to 10 minutes on a well-floured work surface until the dough is soft and spongy and no longer sticks to the fingers. Cover and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk (about 1 1/2 hours).

Knock down the dough and roll it out until 1/2-inch thick. Lightly grease a round baking pan measuring approximately 12 inches in diameter and line it with the dough. Push the dough about 3/4 to 1 inch up the sides of the pan. (If the side crust is lower than this, the filling may overflow.) Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork to prevent it from blistering during baking. Then set aside and let the dough recover for 10 to 15 minutes.

Preheat the over to 375 F. Fill the crust with the pie filling as directed and bake for 40 minutes or until the filling is set in the middle and the crust is golden brown. Note: Any sort of pie filling may be baked in this crust as long as the volume of the prebaked filling does not exceed 1 to 1 1/2 qts.

Julia Child was GMA's correspondent in Pennsylvania Dutch country and brought back William Woys Weaver's family's traditional recipes. From: Pennsylvania Dutch Country Cooking, by William Woys Weaver, Copyright 1993 by Abbeville Press.