Pie Day Promises
By Corey Coleman · March 15, 2017 · Originally published on makingsomedough.wordpress.com
I am fairly unfamiliar with this thing called Pi Day. As the date coincides with the first three digits of Pi, I guess it was decided that everyone should celebrate it by eating pies. Whether that’s correct or not I haven’t any idea, but that is the sole concept I have for that entire day.
Being that people eat pie on Pi Day, the company I work for was hosting a Pie Day where all the employees bring in pie and we all eat it and our work ethic and morale improves, and everyone is happy. I took this opportunity to work on some of the culinary training I have yet to tackle in this blog: pies and tarts.
In order to approach this new subject with a little more gusto, I decided to make three pies for work. Starting with the dough, I went through the steps to ensure the dough would be nice and flaky. In part, this requires you to keep the butter quite cold. If it’s not cold when you cut it into the dry ingredients, the dough will be much tougher and chewier than it’s supposed to be. The butter needs to be cut into tiny pieces so it can be evenly disbursed throughout the entire mixture. That way when you bake it, it becomes flaky and beautiful!
The pies I decided to make were:
Glazed Strawberry Pie
Blackberry Pie with a Lattice Top Crust
Mayan Chocolate Cream Pie
Each pie requires different things; the blackberry pie is baked without too much fuss, the Mayan chocolate cream pie has the crust blind baked (baked empty of any fillings) and the filling is custard based which I, of course, had to make from scratch, then the strawberry pie, which also had the crust blind baked, required you to make a glaze from concentrate cranberry juice.
Each pie was something different to allow me to practice with a wide range of fillings. They all turned out rather well, however, I did forget a step with the strawberry pie. I was supposed to take the crust out of the oven and brush it with egg whites, then bake it for five more minutes. This is to ensure the crust has a bit of “water proofing” so the crust doesn’t get soggy after the filling is added, but….I forgot. I suggest to anyone making a pie like this, not to forget that step. The pie wasn’t ruined but it was a bit on the softer side of life.
In the end they all turned out quite well, the ingredients only cost me about $25.00. The supervisors and coworkers who managed to snag a piece raved about all of them and by the end of the day, I was being congratulated on winning the pie contest. Funny story, it actually wasn’t a competition. The head of HR thought my pies were so good that she created a competition, just so I could win it. I actually rather pleased I can officially say “one time I made pies so good a competition was created, just so I could win it.”
I will, of course, continue vigilantly to be the best baker and pastry chef I can. Until then, I will store days like these in my mind as a day I achieved my one true goal in the pursuit of my passion.
Lattice-Top Blackberry Pie
A double-crust fruit pie is one of the oldest forms of American baking, and blackberry is among the most traditional fillings, made every summer wherever the brambles grow wild. This version uses an all-butter flaky dough, a lightly thickened filling that slices cleanly, and a woven lattice top that lets steam escape so the juices concentrate.
Ingredients
All-butter flaky pie dough
- 315 g all-purpose flour (2 1/2 cups)
- 15 g granulated sugar (1 tbsp)
- 6 g fine salt (1 tsp)
- 225 g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1.5 cm cubes (1 cup)
- 115 g ice water, plus more by the teaspoon if needed (1/2 cup)
Blackberry filling
- 900 g blackberries, fresh or frozen and not thawed (about 7 cups)
- 150 g granulated sugar (3/4 cup), up to 200 g for tart berries
- 35 g cornstarch (1/4 cup plus 1 tsp)
- 15 g lemon juice (1 tbsp)
- Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 g fine salt (1/4 tsp)
- 15 g unsalted butter, in small pieces (1 tbsp)
Finish
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk or cream
- 15 g coarse or demerara sugar (1 tbsp)
Method
- Make the dough. Toss the butter in the flour, sugar and salt, then flatten each cube between your fingers, leaving pieces the size of walnut halves and large peas. Drizzle in the ice water and toss with a fork until shaggy clumps form.
- Press the dough together, divide in two, shape into disks and wrap. Chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Roll one disk to a 33 cm (13 inch) round and line a 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate, leaving the overhang. Roll the second disk to a 30 cm (12 inch) round and cut ten to twelve strips 2 cm (3/4 inch) wide. Chill both.
- Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the lowest position and a baking sheet on it. Toss the berries with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, zest and salt.
- Scrape the filling into the lined plate and dot with the butter. Lay half the strips across the pie, fold back every other strip, lay a cross strip, and unfold. Repeat, alternating, to weave the lattice.
- Trim the strips, fold the bottom overhang up over the ends and crimp. Chill the assembled pie 15 minutes, then brush the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake on the hot sheet for 20 minutes, then lower the oven to 375°F (190°C) and bake 40-50 minutes more. The crust should be deep golden and the juices should bubble thickly in the centre, not just at the edge.
- Cool on a rack for at least 4 hours before cutting so the filling sets.
Chef’s notes
- A runny pie almost always came out too early. Cornstarch only thickens fully once the filling boils, so wait for slow, thick bubbles in the middle.
- If the dough softens while you weave, slide the whole pie into the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Warm butter means a tough, greasy crust.
- Baking low in the oven on a preheated sheet is the best insurance against a pale, soggy bottom crust.
- Shield the rim with a ring of foil if it browns before the centre bubbles.
All-butter crust or butter and shortening?
All-butter dough
Stella Parks, Claire Saffitz, Rose Levy Beranbaum, Erin Jeanne McDowell
Butter alone gives the best flavour and, handled cold with large flattened pieces, bakes into crisp, distinct layers. It softens quickly, so it asks for a cool kitchen and regular chilling. This recipe uses this method.
Butter and shortening or lard
King Arthur Baking Company, Julia Child, generations of American home bakers
Replacing a quarter to a half of the butter with shortening or lard raises the melting point of the fat, so the dough is easier to roll, holds crimps and lattice shapes better, and bakes up very tender. The trade is a milder, less buttery flavour.
Drawn from the methods of
- Rose Levy Beranbaum, The Pie and Pastry Bible (1998)
- Stella Parks, BraveTart (2017)
- Erin Jeanne McDowell, The Book on Pie (2020)
- King Arthur Baking Company
Corey has not published his own formula for this piece. This reference recipe is compiled from the published methods of the chefs and bakers listed above, written in our own words.
Glazed Fresh Strawberry Pie
A fresh strawberry pie leaves most of the fruit raw. Whole ripe berries are folded into a glaze cooked from crushed strawberries, sugar and cornstarch, then piled into a baked shell and chilled until just set. It is a staple of American strawberry season, and sealing the crust with egg white keeps it crisp under the juicy filling.
Ingredients
Single-crust pie dough
- 160 g all-purpose flour (1 1/4 cups)
- 8 g granulated sugar (2 tsp)
- 3 g fine salt (1/2 tsp)
- 115 g cold unsalted butter, cubed (1/2 cup)
- 55 g ice water (1/4 cup)
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten, for sealing
Strawberry filling
- 1.4 kg ripe strawberries, hulled (3 lb, about 9 cups)
- 150 g granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
- 28 g cornstarch (3 1/2 tbsp)
- 120 g water (1/2 cup)
- 15 g lemon juice (1 tbsp)
- 1 g fine salt (1/4 tsp)
To serve
- 240 g heavy cream, whipped with 15 g powdered sugar (1 cup cream, 2 tbsp sugar)
Method
- Make the dough by flattening the cold butter into the flour, sugar and salt, then tossing with the ice water until it clumps. Shape into a disk and chill 2 hours.
- Roll to a 33 cm (13 inch) round, line a 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate, fold the overhang under and crimp. Freeze 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Bake the shell with parchment and weights for 20 minutes, remove the weights, prick the base and bake 12-15 minutes more until deep golden.
- Brush the inside of the hot shell with a thin coat of egg white and return it to the oven for 2-3 minutes until the white is dry and shiny. Cool completely.
- Choose about 350 g (12 oz) of the softest or least attractive berries and crush or purée them. Leave the rest whole, or halve any that are very large, and dry them well.
- Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan, then stir in the crushed berries and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils, thickens and turns from cloudy to translucent, about 2 minutes at the boil.
- Stir in the lemon juice and let the glaze cool for 10-15 minutes until warm but not hot. Fold in the whole berries gently until every one is coated.
- Mound the berries in the shell, turning the top layer pointed side up and filling the gaps. Chill at least 3 hours until the glaze sets.
- Serve the same day with softly whipped cream.
Chef’s notes
- This pie is only as good as the berries. Use fully ripe, fragrant fruit that is red all the way through.
- Wet berries dilute the glaze and it will never set. Rinse them before hulling and dry them thoroughly on towels.
- The glaze must come to a full boil and turn clear. A cloudy glaze is undercooked and will taste of raw starch.
- The egg white seal buys several hours of crispness, but the pie is at its best within 8 hours of assembly.
Drawn from the methods of
- Rose Levy Beranbaum, The Pie and Pastry Bible (1998)
- Erin Jeanne McDowell, The Book on Pie (2020)
- King Arthur Baking Company
Corey has not published his own formula for this piece. This reference recipe is compiled from the published methods of the chefs and bakers listed above, written in our own words.
Chocolate Cream Pie
An American diner classic: a crisp, fully baked pie shell filled with stovetop chocolate custard and covered in whipped cream. The Mayan variation adds cinnamon and a little chili, a nod to the spiced cacao drinks of ancient Mesoamerica, where chocolate was taken with chili long before it met sugar.
Ingredients
Single-crust pie dough
- 160 g all-purpose flour (1 1/4 cups)
- 8 g granulated sugar (2 tsp)
- 3 g fine salt (1/2 tsp)
- 115 g cold unsalted butter, cubed (1/2 cup)
- 55 g ice water (1/4 cup)
Chocolate custard
- 720 g whole milk (3 cups)
- 150 g granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
- 35 g cornstarch (1/4 cup plus 1 tsp)
- 10 g Dutch-process cocoa powder (2 tbsp)
- 2 g fine salt (1/3 tsp)
- 80 g egg yolks (4 large)
- 170 g bittersweet chocolate, 60-70% cacao, finely chopped (6 oz)
- 30 g unsalted butter (2 tbsp)
- 8 g vanilla extract (2 tsp)
Whipped cream
- 360 g heavy cream, very cold (1 1/2 cups)
- 30 g powdered sugar (1/4 cup)
- 4 g vanilla extract (1 tsp)
- Chocolate shavings to finish
Mayan variation
- 3 g ground cinnamon (1 tsp), whisked into the custard with the cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp ground cayenne or 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder, to taste
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon for the whipped cream
Method
- Make the dough by flattening the cold butter into the flour, sugar and salt, leaving large flakes, then tossing with the ice water until it clumps. Shape into a disk and chill 2 hours.
- Roll to a 33 cm (13 inch) round, line a 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate, fold the overhang under and crimp. Freeze 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line the shell with parchment, fill to the rim with pie weights and bake 20 minutes. Remove the weights, prick the base and bake 12-15 minutes more until deep golden all over. Cool completely.
- Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and salt in a saucepan (add the cinnamon and chili here for the Mayan version). Whisk in the yolks and a splash of the milk to make a smooth paste, then the rest of the milk.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly and reaching into the corners, until the custard thickens and comes to a boil. Let it bubble for 1 full minute while whisking.
- Off the heat, whisk in the chopped chocolate, butter and vanilla until completely smooth. Strain into the baked shell.
- Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and chill at least 4 hours until cold and firmly set.
- Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla to medium peaks. Spread or pipe over the filling and finish with chocolate shavings, plus a dusting of cinnamon for the Mayan version.
Chef’s notes
- A filling that will not set was not boiled. Egg yolks contain an enzyme that thins cornstarch unless the custard is held at a full boil for a minute.
- Blind bake the shell until it is properly brown. A pale shell turns soggy under a custard within hours.
- Start the chili low. Its heat builds as the pie sits, and it should arrive as warmth at the end of a bite, not as a burn.
- Add the whipped cream within a few hours of serving. The custard-filled shell holds a day in the refrigerator.
Drawn from the methods of
- Rose Levy Beranbaum, The Pie and Pastry Bible (1998)
- Erin Jeanne McDowell, The Book on Pie (2020)
- Stella Parks, BraveTart (2017)
Corey has not published his own formula for this piece. This reference recipe is compiled from the published methods of the chefs and bakers listed above, written in our own words.
