i love pie

canon digital rebel xsi

I am started to get excited about making Thanksgiving Day pie. We were watching Martha's pie show on the Tivo, and definitely inspired by the amazing pies.

It reminded me that I need to join the American Pie Council. I had planned on doing it over the summer, but didn't want to spend the $40 for a lifetime membership. But I figure if it keeps me dedicated to the art of pie making, why not? Did you even know that such an organization existed? Also, mark your calendars now - National Pie Day is January 23.

Today I also watched a live online pie crust demonstration by one of the bakers over at King Arthur Flour. Although I have made several pies from scratch now, I still have a few trouble spots. This woman was great! She went step-by-step on how to make a pie crust, and the pitfalls to avoid. Here are a few things I learned:

• When adding the water, do so a few tablespoons at a time, using a measuring cup designed for liquid measuring. It is very hard to get excess water out of a pie crust, so best to go slowly, and watch it.


• There is no magic formula to how much water a crust will need to take shape. It depends on the water in the air and in your flour as a result. At different times of the year, you may need significantly more or less liquid to get your dough to form a ball.


• When rolling out the dough, roll in one direction only. This will help keep the dough circular. [I think this may be my issue.]


• Also, when rolling dough, flip it from time to time. This will ensure that your dough isn't sticking to your work surface. If it does, lift your dough with a scraper, add some more flour to your work area, and continue rolling.


• Make sure you dough is rolled out enough so that you have an inch all around your pie plate. Hold your pie plate over your dough to figure this out - no ruler necessary.


• To get your dough to the pie plate without tearing, fold the dough in half twice. This will give you a quarter pie shape. Center the point of the dough, with the center of the plate, and carefully unfold. [This one I must try!]


• To prevent a pie that is gooey white on the bottom, roll out your top crust before adding the filling to the pie.

Even before I learned of the pumpkin shortage, I wasn't planning on making pumpkin pie this holiday. It truly isn't my favorite. I like it, but not enough to eat an entire pie, which is probably what would happen. I do really think that pumpkin is America's Marmite. I think that like Marmite, if you weren't raised on it, you just don't acquire a taste. We are having Germans to dinner. I suspect they would react to pumpkin the same way the French interns did that one year in San Francisco.

I am making an apple pie along with a chocolate pecan pie. We call the latter one brownie pie. I bet a certain little pilgrim cow might come join us for a slice.

on the night stand :: Pie by Ken Haedrich.