Chapter One: Completely Nuts!

As promised, I began researching in earnest on pie-baking and pie variances. I was excited and engrossed, determining that for my first post I wanted to ease into 2017 with a fairly simple pie. Starting with an American classic, Apple, sounded perfect. I'd finished my research (which will be featured later this year, I assure you) when my husband, the dear voice of reason and enlightenment, suggested that perhaps I shouldn't start quite so simple since I have baked before and besides, isn't apple pie more of a summer thing?

So I went back to the drawing board. I really asked myself what I was getting into with this project. What is pie?

I didn't realize the scope of the rabbit hole I had sent myself down until I came across this article from UK based publisher, The Telegraph. The article tells the tale of a petition drawn up to present to Parliament to lawfully define pie. I suppose it's better for me to deal with this issue at the beginning rather than later.



To start, we begin with the basest explanation; definition. I won't quote Webster's or the Oxford dictionary, because both essentially boil down to the same thing: pie is a filling, be it sweet or savory, inside a pastry crust. Some definitions made distinctions on the placement of crust, such as bottom, top, and fully encased in crust. This didn't seem to narrow the field much at all because I can imagine a plethora of pastry that are filling and crust in different fashions. I explored a bit further to define "pastry," as in, the crust of a pie. That definition deconstructs pastry as a dough made of flour, fat, and liquid, such as water. My head was spinning at this point and I determined I was nuts for biting off more than I could chew. Let me explain.

Culinary items that are known as pie (to Americans, such as myself) include pizza and tarts. There is debate about whether cheesecake is pie or cake. Pizza is a topping or filling, depending on your geography, on or in a yeast risen crust. Yeast is not a defining component of pastry, so can pizza be considered pie? Tarts are baked to be served independent from their fluted-side pans in a cookie crust. Does the addition of eggs to the crust, the shape of the pan, or the service style mean that tarts are not Europe's pie equivalent? The debate on cheesecake is old and continuing... is it cake, as the name implies, or a thick custard pie? What parameters are out there for what is and isn't a pie?

I didn't find anything definitive, so I thought I'd refer to the rules of an American tradition, the Pillsbury Bake-Off. I mean, who better to explain to me what pie is and isn't than a dough boy? That's when I stumbled across the interesting blog about the Bake-Off's history and speculations about why Pillsbury has indefinitely ceased the competition. You can read that blog here. So, without that resource to draw from, I was led to find pie rules in other outlets. Fairs and community events often have baking competitions, so with their help I was finally able to decide on my parameters!

In the 2017 Experiment, pies will be baked with at least a bottom crust. My featured pies will have a crust to filling ratio greater than 1:2. (For example, I'm planning on doing sweet hand pies, which hearken also as a POP-ular toaster pastry. But that breakfast TART has a smaller ratio of filling to crust and will not be considered a pie in this venue.) Pies may be served independent of a pan. Crusts will be made using a variety of pastry dough recipies and methods, including shortcrust and puff pastry. I might even throw some filo around if I'm feeling crazy.

To introduce us to a year that promises a wild ride and as a homage to my crazy idea, my first pie is nuts, just like I am. I'm sharing the Maple Nut Pie recipe I altered from epicuious.com.


Maple Nut Pie
yield: 1-8" pie

Ingredients
Crust:   1 1/4 cup All purpose flour
            1/2 teaspoon salt
            1/8 cup vegetable shortening
            5 tablespoons unsalted butter
            3-5 tablespoons ice water

Filling: 3/4 cup dried cranberries
            1/2 cup bourbon
            1/2 cup each pecans, walnuts, and hazelnuts; chopped and toasted
            3/4 cup maple syrup
            1/2 cup packed brown sugar
            1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
            3 eggs
            1/8 teaspoon salt
            1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

For the crust:
Mix together the flour and salt. Cut the fats into the flour to resemble cornmeal. Add water sparingly until the dough just comes together. Form into a ball and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on a flour dusted surface and transfer to pan. Crimp edges and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Line pie crust with parchment and add baking weights. Bake at 375º F for 10-15 minutes. Remove the baking weights and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the crust is a light golden brown. Cool completely.

For the filling:
Soak the dried cranberries in bourbon for at least one hour. Whisk together maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, vinegar, eggs and salt. Stir in bourbon from cranberries. Put nuts and cranberries in the cooled crust and pour filling on top. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet at 375º F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350º F and continue baking for an additional 25-35 minutes, or until set. Cool completely before serving.  
              

What I learned from this pie:

Though the crust turned out beautifully flaky, it needed a longer bake without the filling. After the final bake, slices were impossible to get out of the pan because the crust was soft and a touch soggy. The filling could use A LOT less bourbon. That is the main flavor and the maple was completely lost. I suggest soaking the cranberries in 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup bourbon and mixing all ingredients for the filling together rather than layering the nuts and berries on the bottom.

Next week, more on crusts!