It’s 3-14 and national Pi Day! I’m no mathmatical scholar, but it’s just plain fun to celebrate pie. There are so many options when it comes to good pie — soft and creamy, fruity and/or nutty.
I’m not going to be long winded on pie, but there are a few key things that make a good one. For starters, a good dough dotted in cold butter makes pie crust magical, making it lift in a hot oven and become crispy crunchy. Always bake pie dough cold from either the refrigerator or freezer, and if you’re blind baking (no filling in it), you want to make sure you dock the dough – or prick with a fork, so to speak, so it doesn’t rise up in uneven areas and fill it with dried beans or pie weights.
As far as filling, fresh fruit needs to be either super flavorful or go with frozen, and either place it in the pie shell undefrosted mixed with sugar and cornstarch, or defrost it, and drain before proceeding. There is one issue with using fresh fruit that’s probably a little more controversial. Do you cook the apple pie filling slightly before it enters the crust? Well, I tend to do it both ways and sometimes I cook half of it first, then add it back to the freshly sliced apples to give to pie just the right texture. I’ll leave it up to you to decide. Happy Pi Day!
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