My mother made the most beautiful pies using tools that fascinated me, including a glass rolling pin filled with ice cubes. She always let me bake the leftover scraps of pie dough topped with a little cinnamon sugar. It’s no mystery where my obsession with pie began.
I moved to New York in the summer of 1987 to be the private chef for a famous designer and his newlywed wife while they summered in East Hampton. In addition to preparing meals for the couple and their guests, my role included making sure there were always freshly baked pies, cookies, and bread on the counter. With the bounty of seasonal fruits available in the Hamptons, I was in heaven. I baked at least five pies a week: strawberry, blueberry, peach, and every combination that came to mind. That summer, I perfected my pie skills. I include some helpful tips in this chapter, but for a more comprehensive step-by-step tutorial see Crumbs and Crusts.
Here are some quick tips to get you started. If your dough is always cold, it will bake up perfectly flaky and delicious every time:
- Make sure your ingredients are cold, even the flour.
- If your hands are warm, run them under cold water.
- Handle the dough gently, work quickly, and don’t stretch your dough when rolling it out.
- Chill the dough in the pan before adding filling.
THE PERFECT PAN FOR PIES
Use metal or aluminum pie pans. Your pies will cook more evenly and the bottom crust will bake through and not be soggy.