I made a pie. (!)
On Tuesdays, I post a picture and just a few words.
Long-time readers know that while I do enjoy a good baking session, pies are rarely on my to-bake list.
I don't really like pie, is the thing. Pie crust in particular seems like a huge waste of calories to me. Why would I eat pie crust when I could eat cinnamon rolls? Or macaroons? Or any number of more delicious things?
But I made an honest-to-goodness pie, with a real crust.
It was because of the 14 Days of Valentines, where I do something special for Mr. FG each day from February 1-14th. I might not really like pies, but Mr. FG does enjoy a good key lime pie and lemon meringue pie.
I'd made him a key lime pie for Father's Day this year (It has a graham cracker crust. Yay!) so I opted for the lemon meringue this time around.
I think I've only made pie crust twice in my life before, but I followed a Cook's Illustrated recipe, and mine turned out passably well.
I've also never made a meringue pie before in my life, but my trusty Cook's Illustrated book helped me out, and the pie was quite edible.
I still think bread-baking is easier, though. And tastier.
Pie is so overrated.
(The pie-lovers among us can now rake me over the coals. 😉 )
I love me a good pie crust, but only a GOOD one. If it's dry, or tough, or chewy, forget it. But homemade apple pie with just the right amount of sugar and a nice, flaky, buttery, just-right crust? Yes, please. The discouraging thing about pie crusts is that for most people it takes a lot of tries before you get it figured out, and sometimes despite how hard you try, you just can't get the feel of how the dough has to be for the crust to turn out right. Pie crust can be one of the most frustrating things to make in the baking world.
I completely agree. I used to be a pie disliker. Now I'd rather have pie than cake. I was inspired by two sisters at our church. They grew up in an orphanage and were taught to bake there. Their pies are awesome, and I've learned from them.
First, I discovered lard. Huge improvement in the pie crust. Second, I've practiced a lot at it. I'm not at the "making it near perfect each time" mark, but I'm doing better than 50%. It's a challenge to me, and I'm NOT letting it best me 🙂
Kristen,
Ditto on pie. It's just not where I want to spend my calories. Although we do occasionally make Pecan Pie Bars and I do have to admit that they are to die for.
Yessss. I could take or leave most pies too, but pecan pie is amahzing!!! Nom nom nom...
I love pie crust. Always have. When I made them with my mother when I was little, I liked it better uncooked. However, I'm not a fan of meringue, so I've never learned to make that. Yours looks beautiful.
Agreed- the crust is the best part and soooo worth the calories!
We're in the opposite situation here. I just made a lemon cake for my husband's birthday. It was good. For my own birthday though I always make pie. My daughter is gluten- and dairy-intolerant, and when we found out I thought that was the end of pie for us. Then I discovered pie crusts made with oats, nuts, oil, and maple syrup. It's all pulsed together in a food processor and then pressed into the pan. So delicious. You might want to try one at some point.
Hubby and I are avoiding gluten. Could you give me the recipe for your crust? Thanks!
Would you mind sharing your recipe? Sounds great~
I would love that recipe too. My niece is cannot have gluten and one recipe I tried was not good.
That pie looks beautiful - how did you get it so, when you don't make them often?
FG, I agree about pie crust. I made very good pie crust but it doesn't meet my William Morris standard for food, that it should be either nutritious or beautifully to my taste.
Not all pies require pie crust. A good friend likes pumpkin pie but not pie crust, so sometimes I make Pumpkin Pieless if I'm feeding him. Pumpkin pie is just pumpkin custard in a pie crust, so I make the custard and cook it in a bain marie.
To make a good pie crust, I recommend three things, two of which come from Cooks Illustrated:
1. For the fat, use half lard and half butter; the lard makes it extremely flaky.
2. Freeze the fat before adding to the flour, and grate the butter on the large holes of a box grater. This is a bit of a time consuming hassle but it goes a long way to avoiding overworking the crust.
3. Use half vodka, half water for the liquid. Vodka doesn't have much water, and it's water that potentially contributes to crust toughness. You end up with less than a teaspoon vodka per slice, assuming none of it bakes out (FYI, some does bake out).
I conducted an extensive survey of friends, online colleagues, and religious and medical personnel about the vodka. The consensus was that you should tell the eaters that there might be a miniscule amount of alcohol in the crust. Its so little and tasteless that while those who ethically object to alcohol probably won't eat it, it's not enough to push alcoholics off the wagon or interfere with medication.
I've tried the vodka thing, but I like adding some vinegar to the water instead. I think it works better, and it's already on the counter (whereas the vodka is in a locked away place and is harder to grab). So for people who don't want vodka, vinegar really does well.
What a neat idea What sort of vinegar do you use? Do you find that a flavorful vinegar, such as cider, has an effect on the flavor?
I use cider, but maybe because I use just a small splash or maybe because the filling just takes control of the flavor, I haven't noticed it. Before it bakes, I do notice a bit of a smell, but not afterwards.
I make my crust with vodka and have never tasted it (or had any complaints!) It makes a good, flaky crust.
I just followed a Cook's recipe, to the letter. Their recipes are quite infallible, as you know!
And yes, exactly, about the experience of eating pie crust. If pie crust had all the nutrition of broccoli, I'd eat it. But given that it's just empty calories, I don't feel like it's worth it. I want my empty calories to be breathtakingly delicious. 😉
Looks like you nailed it!
Totally with ya. Even for traditional "pie" holidays like Thanksgiving, we don't have pie. I hate it and have trained my family to hate it too!
A good homemade pie can't be beat in my opinion! It is a lot of work though, so I don't make one often either. I would rather have a good pie than cake any day, but they are hard to come by!
Well, I'll eat anything sweet and I love pie. However, I am one who will almost always opt out of a pie crust and make a cobbler or something in bar/pan form. 🙂
I do like crisps. Apple crisp, with its crumb topping? Totally great. Apple pie? Not so much.
I'm curious: what's the difference to you? These seem very similar to me. I also love pie crust though so maybe I'm biased 🙂
In an apple crisp, the topping is sweet. My main beef with pie crust is that it's not sweet, so it feels like it doesn't go with the rest of the pie. That's why I like crumb crusts too...the sweetness makes all the difference.
I love love love love Key Lime pie! Can you tell?
Beautiful pie! That's the thing about pie...they're so PRETTY. A work of art, is the way I look at it! And I LOVE pie, love love love. (Especially when whipped cream is involved in some way., lol) I set out to conquer pie crust and pie making years ago, much the same way I set my mind to conquering layer cakes; I had had it with lopsided cakes with uneven layers and domey tops, and I'm happy to say, I mastered them and now bake professionally as a part-time, on-the-side caterer. All it takes is PRACTICE. Just like everything else!
Mmmm . . . Pie! Picture perfect pie!
I just made a new pie recipe this weekend. It's called Amish mock pecan pie. It has oats in place of the pecans so great for people with nut allergies. I made my crust from scratch from a recipe that you don't have to roll out, just push the dough into the pie dish. This pie truly tastes just like a pecan pie and my family devoured the whole pie in minutes. It was really delicious and uses ingredients most everyone already has on hand. I do love pies myself, much better than cakes. Your lemon meringue looks great!
See, that kind of crust is fine with me. I like cookie crusts and crumb crusts, but regular pie crust is just very...not delicious. At least, to me!
I never knew so many people don't really like pie that much. This is an eye opener since my go to is usually a pie when I have to bring something to a function, lol. Maybe I will switch to brownies.
Oh, I think you should probably keep bringing pie if it seems to get eaten! Lots of people like pie. I meet way more people who like pie than who don't, so I think pie-dislikers are in the minority.
NOOOO! Everyone brings brownies ... or chocolate chip cookies. You will make the pie lovers happy if you keep doing what you are doing. Those who don't like pie are just leaving more for those of us who do.
I agree, pie is dumb. What a waste of a perfectly good dessert! HOWEVER, I happen to LOVE baking pies (with a "real" pie crust!) and I'm fortunate to live in a family of people that love pie. So I get the enjoyment of baking pie and my people get the enjoyment of eating it. A win-win! But... since I am the reverse of you and I've made a lot of pies and not-a-lot of bread, I think that pie making is WAY easier!
I think pie is... meuh.... so ordinary. Except if it's a thick strawberries and rhubarb one!!!!
I love pies, although I don't make them that often. When my mom used to make pie crusts, she would cut the leftover scraps into pieces, sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar and bake them while she finished making the pie. We ate them as snacks while we waited on the masterpiece pie to come out of the oven. I've never had too much trouble with the crusts, myself, which I attribute to luck rather than skill. And yes, lard, real lard and real butter are key.
My sister used to request egg custard pie for her birthdays, and my mother's fried apple or peach pies were to die for -- they were those folded, fruit-filled pie crusts fried in a little butter in a heavy skillet. All calorie free, of course, ha, ha.
Kristen your pie looks really good. Since I hate meringue, my husband doesn't see a pie with meringue but once a decade or so, but he would love yours -- lots of meringue!
Thanksgiving wouldn't be right without our pumpkin pies -- even my son-in-law learned to bake those-- and the banana pudding pie with crushed vanilla wafer crust and chocolate drizzle is in high demand at my house. Key lime is also a favorite. And blueberry. And apple. And peach. And... you get the drift.
Cinnamon-sugar mini-pies are great. I line an individual-sized pie tin with very thinly rolled crust, sprinkle liberally with cin-sugar, and bake. Tasty!
My mom did that with pie crust scraps, too! Happy memories. 🙂
Honestly, I can't pass up sweets no matter what form they are in. However if I have a choice, pie is not my #1 either. Brownies are where it is at!
I prefer brownies too. Anything chewy beats out pie for me!
I love pie, but the crust isn't my favorite part. And forget store pies--so gummy and cornstarchy!
Oh I so agree about store pies. to me, ANY homemade baked good beats store bought any day!
I only like one kind of pie......round!
Looks delicious!
I lol'd 🙂
Give me pie over cake any day. Preferably fruit-filled with a tender, flaky crust. I admit, I do find pie crusts kind of fiddly to make and calorie laden, so pies around my home are more of an event than an everyday affair. I am sure I am wayyyy in the minority, but I make my crusts with oil and they are super tender and flaky. The crusts don't hold up as well as the ones with butter/lard, though. Must be eaten SOON. What I find to be most helpful in pie crust making is ... to use chilled water and to handle the dough minimally--kind of like with muffins, you don't want to over-work your dough.
To each his own. I love most baked goods but I do love to make and eat pie. Good recipe is important, I have been making it since Home Ec in 6th grade. Apple at Thanksgiving but my favorite is a triple berry pie - strawberry, rasberry, & blueberrry. I put more fruit in it and less sugar.
I do like pie, but have not spent time mastering the crust so I don't make them much. A friend brought a chicken pot pie to church last Sunday and it was so good... crust and all! My son loves apple pie and requests that more than cake for birthday and treats... I guess I need to start mastering that crust! 🙂
Give me a fresh strawberry pie any day over any dessert, even chocolate!! And a good chocolate pecan pie or peach pie is delicious. Have you tried ATKs chocolate cream pie? Oh my goodness. It has a chocolate crust. A lot of work. But amazing.
But really I like cookies and crisps better. Crusts take too long. Crisp topping can be thrown together so much faster.
I'm not a pie fan either. At Christmas I opt for open-topped mince-pies to reduce the amount of pastry I have to eat. It is very dry, and also can give me heartburn (although puff-pastry is worse). Love the idea of a key-lime pie, it isn't something we have on menus over in the UK very often - I remember eating it in Key West 2003 - such good memories!
I make my pie crust with oil, not lard/shortening/butter - it is impossible to overwork and has a nutty flavour that we really like. And while it's far from low-cal, at least the fat calories are a healthy fat (I use canola oil). Different strokes for different folks!
Beautiful! I love pie. I now what you mean about pie crust being a waste. I've tried making pies (like pumpkin) without it, but it isn't as yummy.
If it's between cake and pie I'll choose pie. Pie and anything else...well it's a toss up. My hubs doesn't really eat sweets, but he loves pie. Fortunately he's not a stickler for homemade. I do want to get better at making them.
I just want to echo the comments above: your meringue looks amazing! Great job! You mentioned that you prefer chewy brownies over pie...maybe it's a texture and not taste thing? You have a good point about wasted calories in crust - unless you love crust like me! I pretty much love carbs in any form! 🙂
Kristen, I am with Mr. FG. I love pie. My favorite is pecan. I really enjoy the crust. It might be empty calories but, so good.
My favorite birthday cake is coconut cream pie. I like two kinds of pie-hot and cold, or with a "lid" or without. Put a cake and pie before me, and I will choose pie every day. For not liking pie, and not liking to make it, you did an awfully nice job. It is a Godly thing to make something you don't like for someone you dearly love. 🙂
My grandmother was a professional pie baker so, not wanting to compete with her, Mom and I never learned to do that. Our first Thanksgiving together, my husband announced he was making a pumpkin pie. He'd never made one before but he'd spent years watching his mother do it and he had her recipes so the pie turned out well. He is now the official family pumpkin pie maker and I have still never made a pie. But, I have been known to eat the filling first then eat the crust alone. That way neither gets diluted by the other.
Never understood the expression "easy as pie". Rarely make them as I don't see they are worth all the finicky work/effort. Like you, I only make them as a "gift" for someone special. Now, fresh, warm bread with butter....
Right? Why do we not say, "easy as muffins" or "easy as pancakes"? That would make so much more sense!
You GO Girl! That was a sweet thing to do for the hubby! I have never made lemon meringue before! did it come out great? What did the hubby say?
Linda- LOL. Eating both parts of a pie separately (filling and crust) so one doesn't "dilute" the other. Funny.
Gina- yes, round pies are ideal.....LOL
WilliamB- I've never heard of putting vodka in the crust....I wonder if any spirit would work. Rum anyone?
I think it turned out pretty well! It's a little hard for me to judge because I am not a lemon meringue pie connoisseur. Ha. Mr. FG said it was tasty, although I think he liked the key lime pie I made a little bit better.
Which is lucky for me because that pie was way easier!
The idea of vodka in the crust came from Cooks Illustrated. The basis is this: crust needs liquid to hold together but water activates the gluten in the flour, potentially making the crust tough. IIR CI chose vodka because it is flavorless.
Based on these premises, any hard spirit should work. I think a juice or flavored spirit - such as grand marnier or kahula - might not work as well as a hard spirit such as rum or gin. Give it a try and report back.
Completely forgot -- cream pies! Maximum sweet, fat, and deliciousness! There's so much fluffy yummy creamy stuff going on -- wait, there's a CRUST under all that? 😉
See now, I love creamy things. I just think that they're better without a crust. Give me a nice bowl of custard or pudding instead!
Can't argue with you there 😉
This makes me smile....because I would have made the opposite argument about spending calories. Why would I have a cinnamon roll with frosting when I could have pie instead? Too funny. Love that you made this for your husband, and I love the 14 Days of Valentine's idea. It would take a lot of advance planning, huh? Maybe we could pull it off when the baby days are over. Do you do anything special for the kids on Valentine's Day?
I love all the comments! Apparently nobody feels neutral about pie... I really like pie (any), so mention of all the different pies made my mouth water!
I agree with you about pies. There are so many other more delicious sweet things. Although, I do enjoy a chicken pot pie. I find making pie crusts to be incredibly frustrating and despite how much I try, I cannot make a good one. I am grateful to my sister in law who now makes all the Thanksgiving pies.
Yes. I always let other people volunteer to bring the pies. I bring rolls, because bread? THAT I can do. 😉