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Chloris
chloris
14 March 2013 @ 04:43 pm
Happy Pi Day!  
Today is pi day and by pure coincidence I made a pie! *g* I didn't even know until [personal profile] jelazakazone told me.



It is a mixed berry pie which I thickened with tapioca flour - not the pearls, this is ground into a meal. I didn't even know they made tapioca flour until recently when I was digging into the best ways to thicken berry pies and it kept getting mentions. And low and behold, they sell it at my local market! (Bob's Red Mill is a good source.) I also used frozen berries: blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. They are much cheaper this time of year and work just fine in a pie, only needing a longer cooking time and some extra thickener. And I tried a slightly different crust method. Lately I've been using a crust that you work quite a bit until it is a smooth dough but I was reading my Sur La Table baking cookbook (The Art and Soul of Baking) and decided to use their method of freezing the butter and just barely working it into the flour.

Anyone want to talk pie? What pies do you like? Fruit pies? Chocolate pies? Other pies? Favorite thickener? Store bought crust? Your own? Flaky (lightly worked) or tender (more intensely worked)? What's your favorite recipe? I love getting new recipes!

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aleysiasnape: dh5aleysiasnape on March 14th, 2013 10:31 pm (UTC)
Happy Pi Day to you! I didn't know it was today until I saw the Today show this morning. They had a lot of pies!

That one looks really good! I love german chocolate pie, peacan pie, and strawberry pie.
Chloris: Blackpool tastychloris on March 15th, 2013 04:49 am (UTC)
Mmmm...pie. And pi! One is tasty and one is useful. :)

I do love pecan pie and make one for Thanksgiving each year. And strawberry pie is awesome. I can't wait for strawberry season. There will be a few pies and crisps.
daybreak777: blackberriesdaybreak777 on March 15th, 2013 03:14 am (UTC)
I would love to talk pies! Only two things stop me. One: LJ won't always let me post! And two: I'm very sick with a cold.

But I'll be back!
Chloris: Once Upon Regina tastychloris on March 15th, 2013 04:53 am (UTC)
I look forward to you coming back to talk pie with me! But get some rest and feel better. *makes you soup*

Oddly enough though I make a fair number of pies in a year, I don't make ones with frozen fruit often so I'm on a learning curve at the moment. They are soupier than fresh fruit pies and I'm trying to figure out the right amount of thickener per cup of fruit. I have been requested to make another next week to keep practicing. :)
daybreak777: apple piedaybreak777 on March 15th, 2013 08:53 am (UTC)
Maybe cook the fruit a little beforehand. Or add a bit more of sugar or your tapioca flour? One lady on You Tube not only cooked her fresh Granny Smith apples, she drained that juice. But then she cooked that juice alone until it thickened and stirred it back in. Wow. I like juicy apple pies but it can be a lot of juice.

I don't suggest what she did. I just had an idea, Chloris! I got it from America's Test Kitchen and that wonderful but potentially soupy fresh peach pie I made last summer.

Lattice crust. Yup. It just allows some liquid to cook off while baking. Put foil underneath on the baking sheet. Bake on a preheated baking sheet so that dough underneath gets cooked crisp first and you should be good.

Let the berries flourish!
Chloris: Blackpool tastychloris on March 17th, 2013 02:12 am (UTC)
Cooking the fruit ahead is an idea but I really don't want to add any new steps to the process. Cooking the juice down will result in a thicker sauce but adding more steps will result in less pies. :)

I do like the lattice top idea! Lattice tops are fun to make and allowing more steam to escape may be just what these pies need. I think I'll try that with the next pie!

I WILL have an awesome winter berry pie!
daybreak777: blackberriesdaybreak777 on March 17th, 2013 04:10 am (UTC)
Lattice solves many pie woes. It's pretty and not that hard to do. And then the bits can crumble in all cobbler-like (when you cut it) and this should be yummy!

Glad to be of help. Though really it was Bridget on America's Test Kitchen that helped. ;-)

Oh, and show pics!

P.S. How long do you wait until you cut a pie? This seems very important. I've been waiting 1 hour and 45 minutes but that seems sooooooo long. :-)

Edited at 2013-03-17 04:12 am (UTC)
Chloris: crews fruit lovechloris on March 17th, 2013 02:47 pm (UTC)
America's Test Kitchen is an excellent resource for basic cooking/baking issues. I have used a fair number of their tips over the years. But I didn't see that one (or don't remember it) so it is you and Bridget since I wouldn't have thought of it otherwise.

I'll take some pics definitely. Another thing I'm trying is I'm going to do a thickener combo - tapioca flour and clear jel. I just ordered some clear jel since I've seen many people mentioning it and I'll have it in a day or two. I am going to keep working this until I get it right!

How long I wait depends on whether I have managed to make the pie early in the day or not. Basically once dinner is over the family will NOT BE STOPPED in their quest for pie so it varies from about an hour to most of a day. I'm sure allowing it to cool properly is key in getting the pie to set so next pie will be a morning baking pie and I'll mix the crust together the night before.
daybreak777: apple piedaybreak777 on March 17th, 2013 04:09 pm (UTC)
What exactly is the clear gel? Gelatin?

I am still using cornstarch as a thickener but not a lot. Sugar helps. Hee! And a different brand of cornstarch (bought because it was on sale) made for desserts. Was a bit smoother.

I can never get it together for a morning pie. But that pie sets so well overnight. And you can always pop it in the over to reheat.

Bridget waits four hours! Heck, with that I'd have to make two. One hot one to just eat already and another to cool for four hours and look perfect. :-)

You know another tip I got from somewhere that helps? Tasting the fruit! Sometimes the fruit isn't exactly sweet and sometimes it's super sweet. I never thought of that! I grew up with making pies from canned filling which is the exact same every time.

I'm not into berry pies. But I'm still questing for the perfect apple pie. I'm against Granny Smiths but I have added a couple to the last pies. That's okay. They don't make good juice though and they are hard. Jona Golds and Cortlandts are the best for pies. With a few Granny Smiths thrown in for good measure. :-)

I have a frozen sweet potato pie leftover from Thanksgiving. I'm going to have to reheat that thing tonight!
Chloris: Food cupcakeschloris on March 17th, 2013 04:43 pm (UTC)
It's...uh...I have no idea! *looks it up* It is a modified cornstarch which is NOT affected by acid unlike regular cornstarch. And this a probably why is it popular in fruit pies!

For those who CANNOT wait there are hand pies and turnovers. They are designed to eat hot and directly out of the oven. I have a quick and simple apply turnover I make when I'm in the mood. In addition, they can be frozen and pulled out one at a time for munching.

I agree that Granny Smiths are not good pie apple by themselves. They don't have enough flavor or juice. I love to mix and match when I can. Some thinly sliced Granny Smiths mixed with the Cortlands or Empires or Braeburns is nice. When I can find them I love Northern Spies and Pippins.
Stacie: VD: Candicesheerpoetry on March 15th, 2013 06:43 am (UTC)
What a pretty pie! It looks delish!

My mom makes THE BEST pecan pies. And my dad will make a lemon icebox pie every once in a while, but that's about all we bake in terms of pies in our house. ;)
Chloris: Once Upon Regina tastychloris on March 17th, 2013 02:08 am (UTC)
It was quite tasty! But Jay thinks I need more practice so he willing to help me text another one next week.

Pecan pies are seriously awesome and I do love a nice lemon pie as well.
decadent to the point of heresytrickseybird on March 15th, 2013 09:02 pm (UTC)
your photos look divine! My Australian (as am I) bf can't wrap his head around pumpkin pie yet
Chloris: Tennant scruff yumchloris on March 17th, 2013 02:08 am (UTC)
Heh. I'm from the US I don't get it either. Though I do LOVE sweet potato pie. Yum.
beachy_geek: Hand Keybeachy_geek on March 17th, 2013 02:50 pm (UTC)
I'm not a fan of pie crust but I do like the Impossible pies using Bisquick--heresy I'm sure but they are tasty! I especially like the peaches and cream pie but the coconut is also very good.

And I love pumpkin pie, but I eat the pumpkin custard and leave the crust lol!
Chloris: Food cookieschloris on March 17th, 2013 04:48 pm (UTC)
I have to admit that I have no idea what a Bisquick Impossible Pie is! However, I have used premade rolled dough on occasion (I like it for chicken pot pies mostly) so I am not a purist. :)

Sometimes I like to make fillings and turn them into parfaits or individual custards. I love a good crust but it does take effort.
beachy_geek: Friends Rockbeachy_geek on March 17th, 2013 09:14 pm (UTC)
An impossible pie is sort of like a dump cake--you blend everything together and as it bakes the doughy part forms at the bottom and forms its own soft crust. There are tons of recipes online.
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