Five Happy Things
Pie!
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It’s pie season!
Who am I kidding? Pie is one of my very favorite things, and I wrap my meals in pie crust whenever humanly possible, all year long.
But this is the time of year when I feel like I MUST share my foolproof pie crust recipe/method.
I’ve made decent pie crust for years. Mostly good, but not always consistent. Once I started using this recipe/method I have consistently made the best pie crusts of my life. It always works.
The worst thing about it is that you have to clean the food processor after you’re done. 😭 I make this worthwhile by usually making three batches (6 crusts total) and freezing the extras.
I keep saying recipe/method because it really is both. When you go to that link, it starts with a long, detailed (but easy to understand) explanation of what makes pie crust flaky. I love understanding the “why” behind things, so I found this intro fascinating, but you can totally skip it.
If you scroll straight to the recipe, you’ll be fine. Just follow it to the letter. It’s VERY detailed and specific. I use all butter for mine.
So now that you have the perfect pie crust recipe, here are four of my favorite pie recipes. . .
Cherry Pie - one of my very favorite pies, especially eaten warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. For me, the almond extract is not optional, and I always use butter. These are the cherries I like. If you’re looking at your local grocery, make sure you’re getting tart cherries, which I can only ever find in a can. Most frozen cherries are sweet and those don’t make a great pie, in my opinion.
Apple Pie - of course. I don’t remember where I got this recipe, but it’s been my go-to for years. It’s a cooked apple pie filling and I find that makes a HUGE difference. Apples cook down a lot and pre-cooking the filling eliminates that big gap that can form between the crust and the filling. Also, you can make absolutely sure the apples are fully soft. I don’t like apple pie with hard apples. Apples that hold their shape when cooked? Fine. Apples that are still hard by the time the crust is golden brown? Definitely not. I usually use a mix of varieties for a more interesting flavor.
Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Praline Topping - this is a delicious pumpkin pie from Smitten Kitchen. She concentrates the flavor by cooking the pumpkin a bit - which is amazing - but I’ve made it without this step and it’s just fine. The pecan praline topping is delicious, but I skip it if I’m just making a pie to eat for breakfast all week. I’m not the only one who does that, right?
Pecan Pie - yum! I have a huge sweet tooth and I kind of love the unrelenting sweetness of a regular old pecan pie made with corn syrup. But this version from Smitten Kitchen is just light years better! The secret is deeply toasting the nuts, and using Golden Syrup. I don’t add the layer of chocolate she pitches as a suggested option. It’s perfect just as it is.
If you have a favorite pie recipe, please share a link in the comments so everyone can give it a try!
You can find past newsletters with recipes here.
Enjoy!
Best,
Wendi
❤️
I used to live in northern California, just south of the Oregon border. The best pie in the world, hands down is blackberry pie. I picked wild blackberries by the gallons and my mother would make pies. You bake them in a crust, with some sugar and a bit of cornstarch, and eat it warm with ice cream on top! TO DIE FOR!
The refrigeration time is really there because it will take that long to clean the food processor :-)