Don't fear the crust

Since writing about pie, I've heard that many people are intimidated by pie crust. There have been quite a few people that point out that you can buy pie crust in the freezer section now. And it's not bad. In a pinch, it would probably do just fine. But really, are you ever "in a pinch" when it comes to pie crust? It's not like it goes out of season.

I like a crisp, flaky crust. I've found that I generally like to blind bake my crust in advance. Blind baking is baking the crust prior to putting in the filling. It's not always possible, such as with double crust pies. But when it's possible, I think it makes a better crust.

One common problem with blind baking is the pie crust sliding down the side of the pan. This is especially true of crusts that have a high butter content, as the fat melts prior to the structure of the crust setting. One solution, my favorite solution, is to bake the crust upside down. You read that correctly.

This is a great crust to put something sweet and soft in, like maybe chocolate pudding, or chocolate mousse. Yum.

Here are ten steps to making a fine (and not difficult) crust. And you get to bake it upside down.

1 C. flour

¼ C. Wondra

½ tsp. salt 

6 Tbsp. butter, cut into 1/2 tablespoon sections, kept cold

½ C. sour cream

You will also need two identical pie pans (like the cheap metal ones,) and parchment paper.

#10 Get fresh ingredients. If you can't remember when you bought that butter sitting in your fridge, it's most likely not fresh. Unless you're like me, and you go through so much butter in your life that buying it is nearly a weekly activity.

Maple Walnut Pie - Who Knew Syrup Was For More Than Pancakes?

Guest Written by the Pie Guy’s Wife

When my husband came up with the idea of a pie blog I was, to say the least, skeptical about the possibility of it coming into fruition. Then the planner part of me started in and helped sketch out a whole year of pies so if we decided to do this we were completely read to dive in for 52 weeks of a different pie each week. Yes, the Pie Guy will tell you I have a problem. I think he has actually, at least once.

When we started filling in the months after choosing some seasonal favorites I looked up National Holidays to tie into. In December I found National Syrup Day celebrated December 17^th. The Pie Guy has a bit of an obsession with maple syrup. He stops at a specific restaurant on our trips to his parents’ house to pick up“local” syrup that he hasn’t found an equivalent to local to our home. He also had a friend who swears by Grade B syrup, which we finally located in time to make this week’s pie.

A Tale of Two LMPs

On a business trip recently, a quick Yelp search yielded a result that sounded promising. A local diner, more than one person gushed about their desserts. Specifically, they gushed about their pie. Including this teaser:

"The pies...you must try coconut creme or lemon meringue."

So, of course, I went.

Look, Ma! No Pan!

Your average pumpkin or apple pie at Thanksgiving looks good. It looks like some effort has gone into the crust, maybe a top crust, possibly some artistically piped whipped cream. It's charming, in it's own way. It looks like the boy or girl next door, plenty attractive, but not likely to star in a movie. And really, we like them (both the pie, and the neighbor,) just the way they are.

There are pies that are all dolled up. They sport carefully cut out top crusts in the shape of autumn leaves, perfect lattice tops, delicately brushed with milk and sprinkled with glistening sugar, and they stand out among the plainer specimens around them. They're the prom queens and kings of pie. They might be made by pastry chefs or the neurotic woman that goes to your church. Carefully coiffed, every meringue wisp artistically draped and singed, just enough of the filling showing to show what they got. They look great, and they look like a lot of work.