# 277: The ABC's of Pie for TDay
A big post with lots of tips, tricks and recipes for your T-Day Pies!
I've been studying pie for decades, teaching pie and offering recipes and tips for over sixteen years so today I present to you The ABC's of Pie for TDay.
A is for Apple
Apple is such an iconic pie. Some say it is what comes to mind when we think of pie---that great big, mile high apple pie emerging from the oven, with a golden brown top, and with steam coming out of its vents. Here's the recipe for The Quintessential Apple Pie that I've been making for decades. I’ve lost count of how many newspapers, books, blogs and magazines where it has been featured.
B is for Blind Baking and Baskets
If you are making a lemon meringue pie, or a pastry cream, you'll want to know how to make a blind baked crust. How to do it?
You’ll need to dock (pierce) the dough with a fork all over the bottom and sides. Then place it in the freezer for a chill. Even 10 or 15 minutes will help with dough shrinkage when it is baked. Remove from the freezer and place a piece of parchment paper or butter greased inside and then fill with pie weights. These can be ceramic pie weights, dry rice or beans (a combo is just fine), coins, or sugar. Bake at 425F for 20-25 minutes for a par-baked crust that is used for a pumpkin pie. Remove from oven and carefully remove the weights to be used for another time. For a completely baked crust, turn oven down to 375F and bake for another 6-10 minutes to dry it out a bit more and give it a nice color. Let cool completely before using.
To carry our pies over the river and through the woods, I have a collection of pie basket and pie boxes are nifty too. If you are transporting a hot just out of the oven pie, you'll want to keep the top of the basket or box cracked a bit to let the steam out.
C is for Cherry, Chill, Cookie Cutters, and Crostatas
C is for Cherry Pie which, after apple, is the one folks tell me that they like best. This recipe has won its share of ribbons. If you use sweet cherries, cut down the sugar a bit and add a little more lemon.
Cookie Cutters are a great way to decorate pie tops.
as are edible food gels.
If you don't have a pie pan or want to serve up individual desserts without having to cut them make crostatas. They're easy and you can have them for breakfast the next day, too.
C is for Chill
Those who have followed me for years (thank you very much by the way) know that Rule #1 is : Keep Everything Chilled, Especially Yourself!
D is for Dough
One of the most important parts of pie making is knowing how to make a dough. There's no one dough that is the be all and the end all, and no golden ticket that can by-pass experience. There are many dough recipes and techniques to choose from and we learn something from each...even if it is to move on to another recipe or technique because the one what we tried isn't to our liking.
Never ever feel that you have failed if on TDay you decide to buy a store bought dough. When you arrive at the door, no one is going to say, "I'm sorry. You can't come in because you have not made your dough from scratch." Most likely you will be greeted with a variation of "You brought pie!" You’ll find recipes for dough, both gluten-full and gluten-free, in the Recipes Index.
E is for Eggs
With eggs in my fridge, I can whip up a meal lickety split, and for those who don’t want crust on TDay try making a crustless quiche which is nice any time of the year.
F is for Flavor, Fresh, Frozen, Fruit, and Fat
When you are planning the filling for your pie use the most flavorful fruit you can find. Sometimes this will be fresh, and sometimes it will be frozen. Remember that Fruit No Flavor = Pie No Flavor and all the sugar and spice in the world cannot change that.
Fat
Fat is not a four letter word. We need it for our brains to function. Whether butter, leaf lard, shortening, oilm, use the fat of your choice and enjoy every bite!
G is for Gluten Free Dough
Years ago I created a four-part video series that will take you through GF pie-making from beginning to end. I spent a lot of time making that series. I may have been a little too detailed in it, but I truly wanted to you see everything I do, from start to finish, to make GF pie.
I made that series back when I was making my own GF flour mix. There are great off the shelf GF flours now and that makes things super easy.
H is for Hot
Protect your hands from burns. Use a good set of oven mitts, gloves, or potholders. Never ever pick up anything that is hot hot hot with something that is wet. That wet towel or potholder will transfer that heat very quickly to your hand, and you probably will get burned and that is NOT going to feel good. So please use a good set of potholders, heatproof gloves, or oven mitts, and before you even think about putting them on, plan your landing place, too.
A landing place is something that we may not think about until we've removed that hot steaming pie, turkey, or casserole, from the oven, and we have no place to put it down. So, we try to hold and balance it with one hand, while clearing off a heat safe place on which to put it down with the other.
Please plan for this before that hot dish comes out. And a potholder or heat-proof glove is not meant to hold a pipping hot vessel for two, three, or more minutes. No matter what the marketing materials say, heat will transfer to your hands if you hold it too long. So, please take this advice from one who has been there, plan your landing place.
I is for Ice Cream
A freshly baked pie served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is my idea of a perfect...or shall we say...piefect meal. I mean, just look at this picture and think of all the food groups that are represented--Dairy, Eggs, Grains, Fats, and, since that is a rhubarb pie, Vegetables, too. Did you know that rhubarb is also known as pie plant?
What about the calories, you say? Well, I think that the calories are all baked out and replaced with love, and love is a very good thing. So, go ahead and add the à la mode!
J is for Juicy
Fruit that is juicy and sweet is exactly what I look for when I'm gathering ingredients for fruit fillings, but all that juice in the filling will expand while a pie is baking. That's why the top of a pie puffs up when it comes right out of the oven, and five minutes or so later it has settled back down. Because of this, you could have a Clean the Oven Pie--that's the pie that erupts over the side of the pan, and drips on to its floor causing smoke alarms to go off, a few choice words to be uttered, and the oven needing to be cleaned.
If you are using juicy fruits like berries, cherries, peaches, rhubarb, and such, fill the pan to about 1/2 inch below the rim. Then you won't have to clean the oven. Oh, by the way, a nifty trick for super sensitive smoke alarms is to cover it with a shower cap while you are preparing your meal. Please, be sure to take it off as your preparations are finished and the oven is off.
K is for Kindness
With my hands and heart and the simplest of ingredients, I roll out a tender dough, place inside a filling bursting with ripe sweet fruit, bake it until it is all bubbling and steaming on the inside and golden brown outside and then happily give it away. Sharing pie is a small act of kindness. Simply put, what pie means to me is that it is one small way that I can share the love that is inside of me.
L is for Lattice, Leftovers and Love
At Pie Camp when I say we'll be learning how easy it is to weave a lattice on top of a pie I am often met with unbelieving looks and replies like Oh, lattice is too hard! I could never do that. No way!
Well, yes way. It is easy, and about halfway into demonstrating, I hear, I can't believe that this is so easy! I have taught thousands to do this, either at Pie Camp®, through a video, or by reading the words in Art of the Pie. I truly hope that the video below will help demystify weaving a lattice top for you.
L is for Leftovers
Oh, leftovers are some of my favorite do-overs. I like to turn last night's supper into tomorrow's breakfast or lunch. There's a saying in my family and maybe yours, too...We'll just put it in tomorrow’s eggs and since there are often so many TDay leftovers, you have many ingredients to choose from.
Use turkey in a Bacon, Cheese, and Turkey Pot Pie. For a complete leftover sensation, butter an oven-safe baking dish, and fill it with a mix of all your leftovers like turkey, yams, brussels sprouts, gravy, and dressing, cover it with mashed potatoes, or mashed yams, and place in the oven to heat, and serve with cranberry sauce. No recipe is really needed. It's the TDay version of Shepherd's Pie.
L is for Love
I could write a lot about love and there would still be tons more to write. My wish for you is that you have a blessed TDay surrounded by those you love and those who love you. If your day finds you alone, consider volunteering at a shelter, baking a pie and taking it to your local fire station.
And wherever you are please smile at the next person you see. Showing this small act of kindness and love may be the most important thing that happens to them—and you—all day.
M is for Morning Glory Muffins
We cannot live by pie alone so and Morning Glory Muffins are great to make and nosh before beginning your TDay preparations. They too are delicious any time of the year and hold up well for a few days, too.
N is for Nanabanna Cream Pie
I made one for the photo shoot for Pie Camp in NYC and sent it off to my publisher’s office. A few hours later I received an email thanking me with these words, You would have thought that no one in the office had ever seen a pie before – everyone went crazy for it! There’s none left! I’ll be sharing this recipe with you in a coming up newsletter.
O is for Oats
Who here has heard of Atholl Brose? Not too many I would wager. You need oats and whiskey to make this libation which is attributed to the 8th Duke of Atholl.
The 8th Duke of Atholl’s Recipe for Atholl Brose (1475)
3 ounces (3 heaped tablespoons) oatmeal
1 tablespoons liquid heather honey
whiskey to make up 1 quart
1 pint water (approximately)
How To Make It
Put the oatmeal into a bowl and mix with the water until it is thick paste.
Let it stand for about 1/2 hour then put it through a strainer, pressing down well with a spoon so that the oatmeal is quite dry.
Throw away the meal, and mix the liquid with the run honey, and stir with a silver spoon until well blended.
Pour into a quart bottle and fill up with whiskey.
Cork well, and always shake before using.
Let sit for a few days for the flavors to develop.
Keeps in the fridge for about one month.
P is for Pie Plates and Pie Pans
Ah, you say...now we are getting to the meat of it...or perhaps the PIE of it. (I'm sorry, I couldn't resist that one.)
When asked which type, ceramic, glass, or metal, that I like best, it’s hard for me to pick just one. If a pie pan works, and most all do, I use it. Here are some tips from my decades of experience using each kind.
Glass
If you are a newbie to pie baking, you might want to start with Pyrex since you can see if you’ve gotten a nicely baked bottom crust. Glass gives an even bake. It also bakes up faster than a pottery pan. I’ve had the newer limewear pans shatter on me. Be sure to set it on a dry towel when it comes out of the oven.Ceramic/Pottery
Ceramic pans are inspiring for both the new and experienced pie maker because they come in an abundance of pretty colors to match your kitchen, the season, or your mood. I use all the ceramic makers (Emile Henri, Le Creuset, and Staub) with excellent results. Staub has handles on the sides which makes moving in and out of the oven really easy. I’ve had my Emile Henri 8” and 9” pans for over twenty years and they are still going strong. In fact ALL of my ceramic pans are doing exceptionally well.Metal
I don’t use shiny metal as shiny defects heat. I scrounge around at estate sales for well loved metal pie tins that are in good shape (i.e. not rusted through). Some have holes that have intentionally been placed there by their manufacturer and are supposed to help achieve a crust that is baked on the bottom. I honestly can’t say that I notice much difference but there are others who swear by them.Disposable Aluminum
If you must use a disposable pie pan for some reason, like a pie contest where you will not get your beloved Auntie Ruth’s pie pan back, try placing it inside of a slightly larger Pyrex pan for an even bake. The stronger pie pan underneath will also give your flexible aluminum pan a bit of body. Once I witnessed a beautiful steaming baked apple pie fall to the floor as it emerged from the oven when the flimsy aluminum pan that held it, folded in half in the pie makers hands.Hand-Thrown
I have been gifted with some beautiful hand-thrown pie plates from artisan potters. If you are buying one for yourself or to give to a pie maker as a special gift, make sure that the walls and bottom of the pan are of the same thickness, otherwise you may have an uneven bake. And, if possible, find out what temperature it can safely go up to and if it can go from freezer to oven. I know, I know…so many details.
P is for Pie Birds
They're cute. 'Nuf said.
P is for Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
It just ain't TDay without a pumpkin pie, right? Ever made a Pumpkin Chiffon Pie? It’s a very nice alternative to the classic I've been making and serving for well over <ahem> fifty years.
Q is for Questions
There are days that I scratch my head when clearly written specific directions are ignored or I receive emails from readers who wonder if they can leave out major ingredients or change drastically the directions for a recipe to work.
For a little humor please enjoy this piece my alter ego The Piechiatrist® wrote a few years back about following them...directions that is. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did writing it.
And be sure to join me tomorrow for a live session so you can ask your burning questions! Info is at the link below.
R is for Refresh
If you have a piece or two of leftover pie, or even an entire pie, you can refresh it easily and bring the crust back to a more optimum condition. Place the whole pie in an oven preheated to 325F oven for 6-8 minutes.
S is for Spices
After the summer blitz of fruit pies and apples and pears in the fall, Thanksgiving rolls around and I replenish and refresh my spices. Here are the basics.
Spices can’t go bad, spoil, or become rancid, but they do lose potency and flavor as they age.
Rule of thumb is that ground spices will last 6 months to 1 year, and whole spices will last 18 months.
Spices that you find on the shelves of the average grocery chain most likely have been there for a year or more, and probably have been sitting in a warehouse for up to a year before that! Although quality may not be the first thing on the supplier’s mind, let it be the first thing on yours.
Store spices correctly; no extreme temperatures, either hot or cold.
Store in a dark cupboard away from light sources or in darker glass airtight jars.
Only buy what you think you’ll use in a 6 month to 1 year period. You can always get more when needed.
Buy from a reputable local spice store that has a good turn over of inventory, or online at places like Market Spice, Penzeys, The Spice House. And in case you are wondering, I have no relationship to any of these three spice companies other than liking their spices.
S is for Surface
To roll out a dough you need but two things, a cylinder and a flat surface. Give yourself plenty of elbow room, and I suggest that you roll a well-chilled dough a good distance away from your oven if it is preheating or baking. Give that dough the opportunity to put its best roll forward and that can't be done if it is feeling hot and wilted. Place frozen gel packs, bags of ice, or frozen peas on the counter if it is feeling hot. Butter starts getting soft at 59F and if the surface you are rolling out on is up in the 70s or 80s, or even higher it can make that dough rolling session less than optimal. All I am saying is Let It Chill and Give Dough A Chance!
S is for No Soggy Bottom
Here are a few ideas that just might help you to get a nice crisp crust on the bottom of your pie.
If you have a pizza stone, preheat it (30 minutes atleast) and place the pie directly on it.
If no pizza stone, preheat a sheet pan and place the pie directly on it.
Some place the pie pan directly on the oven floor for the first 20 minutes or so to get a good bake on the bottom crust. This of course only works if your heating element is on the bottom of the oven.
Some folks swear by par-baking the pie shell if they are making a custard pie.
Use a pie pan that doesn’t take as long to heat up like Pyrex or metal. Some pottery or ceramic ones can be so thick on the bottom that the bottom crust melts rather than sets up.
Avoid shiny pie pans. Shiny deflects heat. Opt for the pie pan that is darker or has a matte finish.
Some paint the bottom of the unbaked pie shell with egg white wash as a barrier for the filling.
Yes, I could go on and on.
T is for Travel
Travel
Pie is one of the things that TSA allows you to travel with. The 4 ounce rule will apply though so if your have a super runny cherry pie that didn't set up because it needed more thickener, you may be having a pie party before you get through the security gate. Add a little extra thickener to a pie like that, especially if you are planning on traveling with it, and then allow it to cool completely so it can set up. Here's the link to TSA's website on the subject. I place the pie in a sturdy box underneath the seat in front of me as my carry on.
U is for Universal
It seems that pie, in some form, is in just about all cultures on our planet.
V is for Vanilla Sugar
I make it to give as gifts and to have on hand for pies, pastries, and my morning tea. Now is just the right time to make this for gift-giving next month.
Place one whole vanilla bean in a quart canning jar.
Fill the jar with sugar. I use organic cane sugar but any sugar will do. A quart canning jar takes about 1 lb 6 oz (620 g).
Put the lid and ring on.
Put a little ribbon around the collar of the jar.
Let your friends know that they can add more sugar to the jar as they use it up. The vanilla bean will last a long time.
W is for Weight
A few months ago I shared with you that not all measuring equipment is equal and the tablespoon in a set can measure from 8g-17g.
So, here are some tips for you:
If you have both kinds of measuring equipment–scale, and measuring cups and spoons–test the amount in the recipe you are making for the first time with both.
Double check that your scale batteries are fresh.
If you have room and your budget allows, get two scales so you can compare accuracy.
If the recipe is written in both volume and weight (grams are most accurate), measure out first using a cup and then see how it weighs up on your scale in grams. Is it the same as what the recipe calls for?
If the amount that shows up on the scale is way off from what the recipe writer has given, zero the scale out and re-weigh it or, if you have that second scale, pull it out and use it.
If both scales are way off from what is specified you may have some very different results.
X is for (E)xtra Flour and (E)xtra Pie
Extra Flour
This truly is the season when bakers pull out all the stops. We bake, bake, bake, and then bake some more. and many stores have sales on flour right now. Two of my fav flour companies, Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur, are on sale at least in my store and hopefully in yours, too. Pop extra bags in your freezer so you can bake on later.
Extra Pie
Is that even possible? Well, yes, it is. If you haven't saved room for pie and cannot eat one more bite you can store most fruit pies on the counter for a day or so covered with a cloth. If a pie that has eggs or dairy in it for safety's sake it absolutely must be stored in the fridge.
Y is for Yummy
And here’s the link to the page where you can find all the recipes I’ve published on our newsletter here.
Z is for Zest
A little citrus zest in pie can notch a filling up a lot, too.
Well, there we are...at the end of our ABC's of Pie for Thanksgiving. I sure hope you’ll be joining me tomorrow when I share even more!
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