It's a Wonderful Slice: Dangerously Delicious Pies

| Print Post This | Like (10) | Comments (0)

FOR MANY DESSERT DEVOTEES, the idiom "pie in the sky" is nothing short of gospel. Synonymous with heaven, perfect pie is no cakewalk for amateur pastry chefs. (Easy as pie? Not so much.)

But before trading your apron for a Costco card, take it from flour-splattered pros: You, too, can achieve flaky goodness — no Sara Leegene required.

"Everybody's mom or grandma made pies. It's wholesome," says Rodney Henry, who brings Dangerously Delicious Pies, the pie shop he founded a decade ago in Baltimore, to D.C. this month (1339 H St. NE; 202-398-7437).

But pie goes back much further than your childhood kitchen. "It's a holdover from Anglo-Saxon cooking," says James Peterson, author of "Baking," ($40, Ten Speed Press). "It's a very old French technique to wrap things in pastry then stick them on the hearth to cook." In the olden days, bakers didn't stress about crust, since the dough wasn't eaten but functioned simply as an archaic ancestor of Pyrex.

From diners to downtown restaurants, the modern crust has evolved into, arguably, the best part. The first rule of pie club: Don't talk about how scared you are of crust failure. "Relax!" consoles Henry. "As soon as you tighten up, your pie will fall apart."

Certainly, baking is a science (there's a reason Cook's Illustrated mag is still kicking), but combining ingredients in slow motion allows you to monitor dough consistency. "You want it to feel like a baby's butt," Henry says. "If it turns into something the consistency of pizza dough, chuck it — it's going to be hard as a rock."

Use an oversize rolling pin, which'll flatten dough and make you feel chef-like. And whether a recipe comes from Grams or Emeril, tweak the ratio if it doesn't call for two parts salt to one part sugar. "You want the ying and the yang of a more savory crust with sweet filling," says Avis Renshaw of Leesburg's Mom's Apple Pie Company. "Pie should dance in your mouth with the tension."

Once you've achieved crust mastery, turn your sights to the filling. Unless you're an aspiring Top Chef, you can't misstep with fall-inspired flavors (think classic apple, pumpkin or pecan).

"Everybody in America does pie at Thanksgiving, wherever you're from," Renshaw says. "In Minnesota, you're going to have rhubarb pie; if you're from Georgia, you'll probably have sweet potato."

Of course, traditions are meant to be broken — or at the very least, updated. Mom's Apple Pie Company slings bourbon walnut pie; Henry swears by his White Trash Creme Brulee, a white custard pie topped with meringue.

Even if you stick to the classics, serving pie ensures your meal ends on a sweet note. Unlike other trendier desserts (which will remain nameless, but rhyme with schmuck-shake): "Eat pie, and you don't feel like sugar wrecked your brain," Henry says. Not to mention, one bite of your fresh-from-the-oven treat, and Aunt Helga might stop asking when you're going to settle down.

TIPS
» Like buttah: When breaking in butter, aim for the consistency of BB pellets, says Dangerously Delicious Pies’ Rodney Henry.
» Get fruity: "Most fruits release a lot of liquid while baking," cookbook author James Peterson says. To combat soupy pies, he first lightly cooks fruit and drains excess liquids.
» Don't chill out: Most recipes call for chilling dough before rolling it out, but Peterson nixes that step. "I find all that does is harden the dough."

» Recipe File: Cherry Pie

» Recipe File: Basic Pie and Tart Pastry Dough (Pate Brisee)

Written by Express contributor Katie Knorovsky
Photo by Lawrence Luk for Express