pie!

i LOVE baking pies. it seriously is one of my favorite hobbies. it's really therapeutic to me. takes a lot of patience to make and i just love getting my hands in there and testing out new ideas. imperfection is the key to the perfect pie :) while peach is my favorite to make, i need to branch out. this winter i'm working on pecan pie and this weekend i'm testing one out. i'll be sure to let you know how it goes! and with that, some tips for pie baking:


i use a few different sugars in my pies. i definitely think it ads flavor and gives you different filling consistencies based on the combination of sugars and flour/cornstarch used. i prefer to thicken my fillings with flour or cornstarch rather than gelatin. i don't like the consistency or flavor of a gelatin filling.


HUGE tip for when you're rolling out the crust; be sure the crust has had plenty of time to get good and chilled. if it's not well chilled, the crust will be crumbly and really hard to place over the pie plate or the top of the pie. it takes patience, but i usually put my crust in the freezer for 45 mins or more before rolling (except for the pie pictured. apparently i got impatient! hence the scrappy crust!) i also put a few pats of butter on top of the filling below the top crust to keep the filling moist and add some flavor.


when baking any pie, be sure to put the pie on a tinfoil-covered cookie sheet to catch any of the drippings (and trust me, the drippings WILL happen no matter how full the pie is); this prevents having to scrub and scrub and scrub the bottom of your oven for hours to get that burnt sugar off!


ta-da! pie. i typically sprinkle a little sugar on top of the crust before i put it into the oven to give it a little extra something. be sure to cut some vent holes too (if you're not doing a lattice crust) to let the filling breathe a little while it's baking. wait at least an hour or so to cut into the pie so the filling sets. it will still be warm, i promise :)