Let’s Talk Pie

 
“There’s nothing prettier than pie, with scalloped edges and slits in the top for the heat to escape. Pie gives you the sense that you’re a square person, living in a square country. A pie says home … I wish I invented pie.” (Name that movie.)

Sweet or savory, baked or frozen, double crust or even crustless, offer someone pie and you’re almost sure to get a smile and an eager, “Yes, please!” Pies are welcome at the table any time of the year but we tend to really bring our A-game around the holiday season. Which, coincidentally, is right about now. So here’s our topic for this week:

Got any great pie tips?

Even if you don’t have any tips, do you have any questions that perhaps other members can answer for you? Any persistent pie issues you’d like to solve or techniques you wish you’d finally master?

 
Let me start by saying I will be of absolutely no help to you whatsoever. I think I understand enough to be able to properly follow a recipe and that’s about it. We have an awesome pie crust tutorial here at Tasty Kitchen Blog, courtesy of our friend Calli of Make it Do and I love her method as well as the nifty pie-making tools she uses.

 
Around these TK parts, Nanci is probably the one most well-equipped to provide tips for making pies, particularly when it comes to the crust. She uses her great grandmother’s crust recipe (which is super flaky and tender) and her mom has been tutoring her over the last year or so, so that she can pass along the family pie-making tradition. 

Nanci’s grandmother’s recipe just calls for flour, Crisco, ice water and salt. She says the key for her is working with very cold ingredients, from the Crisco (which she keeps in the fridge until she’s ready to cut it into the dry ingredients) to the water. Nanci likes to make her pie dough the night before she makes her pie, so that the dough is really cold when she rolls it out. She also freezes her marble rolling pin. Having that frozen surface to roll out the dough seems to work great to keep the Crisco nice and cold.

 
Now it’s your turn! All pie-related tips, questions, problems, troubleshooting tricks are welcome. I can’t wait to read what you share! Hopefully, I will finally be able to advance from my pie-novice status and actually know exactly what I’m doing the next time I attempt a pie.

Thanks, and happy Wednesday, everyone!