Any pie thread.

[KohanMike]

The apple pie thread prompted me to do an any pie thread because I didn't want to hijack the apple pie one with my pumpkin pie.

The only pie I've ever made, which I make every Thanksgiving, is a very easy pumpkin vegan cream cheese pie in a ready made graham cracker crust. I buy a can of pumpkin pie filling, two tubs of Tofutti plant based cream cheese (it really, honestly, truly is like cream cheese, no one knows it's not real), and candied pecans. Thoroughly mix together the pie filling and cream cheese, pour it into the pie crust, spread the pecans around the top and refrigerate overnight.

 

[Mike $]

I find the best pumpkin pie recipe is on the can of Libby's Pumpkin Pie filling. Even when I make it from raw pumpkins, I still fall back on that recipe. I have tried others, but they don't quite make it.
Also, as a former professional baker, I have made a ton of pies from custard to pecan. One of my favorites is Cherry pie. I love to pit fresh cherries, add a bit of sugar, spice and some red wine with a bit of cornstarch, heat it on the stove. let it thicken, then pour it into the pie crust on the can of Crisco (the best all purpose pie crust recipe, in my opinion) and bake it at 420F for 15 minutes, then turn it down to 350F for about 45 more minutes +/-.

 

[badhabits]

Easy and good dessert, can qualify as a pie if you make it in a pie pan (we usually use a square pan): One can of you favorite pie filling, dumped in pan (we usually use apple). One small box of cake mix, dumped on top. You can add a little butter if you want. Bake per directions. Done. We call it dump cake (not a joke), but it's more like a cobbler. Goes well with ice cream, esp if warm.

 

[badhabits]

Another easy, not-quite-a-pie pie...key lime. Mix a 12oz can of no-fat sweetened condensed milk, 3 egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of Nellie and Joe's key lime juice. Pour into a premade graham cracker crust and bake for 20min at 350°F. Let cool then refrigerate. Top with cool whip and lime zest before serving.

 

[ploverwing]

One of my favorites is Cherry pie.

We grew tart cherries in our orchard specifically for making cherry pies (and hand pies - we use a pastie recipe to make mini cherry pies that are awesome). Sadly, there wasn't great pollination this year and the birds got whatever was turned into cherry = no pies :'(

And I'm about to offend countless people: lard. Essential pie crust ingredient IMO.

My friend used to make French silk pie, which is some kind of chocolate mousse kind of thing, it's pretty nommy.

Lately, we've been making ground duck "pasties" - again, I have a Cornish friend, they're not at all like proper pasties, but we call them that - they're pastie-shaped objects. So ground duck, salt, pepper, mace, and carrots & potatoes. YUM. We also do a lot of chicken pot pie (although I don't actually know if that's what it's called) where we take leftover roast chicken, add a bunch of chopped up sauteed veggies, and turn it into pie format.

Everything is better en croute.

 

[TimWilson]

And I'm about to offend countless people: lard. Essential pie crust ingredient IMO.

I have two stories about lard, both of them from professional bakers when I asked if they used lard.

The one in Texas said, "I would NEVER make a pie WITHOUT lard."

The one in Oregon said, "I would NEVER make a pie WITH lard."



Both of them were as furious as if I'd asked them what they weighed, but only the baker in Oregon looked like she was gonna hit me. LOL And for the record, I thought her pies were way better, even before I asked.

Also for the record, this was at Powderhorn Cafe & Pie in Grants Pass, and deffo the best pies I've ever had. A gloriously adorable place, as is much of Grants Pass. If you're ever driving I-5 in southern Oregon, very much worth hopping off the highway for a slice and a nice meal. Pie is the best, but all their stuff is terrific.

I borrowed this photo from Google reviews....



...and this one from Powderhorn's Facebook page...



So my thinking about lard is pretty much the same as it about gluten free vs. wheat -- there are good and bad ways to do everything, and if you do it right, nobody will know the specifics.

Everything is better en croute.

No doubt about that!

 

[Patty]

And I'm about to offend countless people: lard. Essential pie crust ingredient IMO.

Lard is good. Don’t apologize.

 

[Patty]

Lately, we've been making ground duck "pasties" - again, I have a Cornish friend, they're not at all like proper pasties, but we call them that - they're pastie-shaped objects. So ground duck, salt, pepper, mace, and carrots & potatoes. YUM.

So Amie, so you not only herd (or wrangle) ducks, but eat them? I think my husband would go for these.

 

[badhabits]

Lard is good. Don’t apologize.

Unless you're using that old mid-70s insult "tub of lard" or the more recent "lard*ss"...

 

[Mike $]

I find it hard to tell the difference between a lard crust and a crisco crust. That's why I won't eat pie unless I know which it is.

 

[badhabits]

So Amie, so you not only herd (or wrangle) ducks, but eat them? I think my husband would go for these.

I love duck...(usually) always order if on a menu... it's a real mess to cook at home though.

 

[Patty]

Also, as a former professional baker, I have made a ton of pies from custard to pecan. One of my favorites is Cherry pie. I love to pit fresh cherries, add a bit of sugar, spice and some red wine with a bit of cornstarch, heat it on the stove. let it thicken, then pour it into the pie crust on the can of Crisco (the best all purpose pie crust recipe, in my opinion) and bake it at 420F for 15 minutes, then turn it down to 350F for about 45 more minutes +/-.

Mike, if you’re using tart cherries—and aren’t they absolutely necessary for REAL cherry pies?—where do you find them? FL groceries have only frozen sweet cherries, and in cherry season the produce section has only sweet ones.

I used to live in Connecticut, where a band of friends and I teamed up to buy flats of tart cherries from a local orchard. We’d each reserve a flat or a half-flat, then pit and freeze them in pie-sized baggies. So we had the makings for cherry pies all winter. Those were the good old days.

So where do you find tart cherries, assuming that’s what you use?

 

[Patty]

I find it hard to tell the difference between a lard crust and a crisco crust. That's why I won't eat pie unless I know which it is.

So you’re in the Crisco camp? Why? (Not trying to start an issue here, just curious.)

 

[Mike $]

Mike, if you’re using tart cherries—and aren’t they absolutely necessary for REAL cherry pies?—where do you find them? FL groceries have only frozen sweet cherries, and in cherry season the produce section has only sweet ones.

I used to live in Connecticut, where a band of friends and I teamed up to buy flats of tart cherries from a local orchard. We’d each reserve a flat or a half-flat, then pit and freeze them in pie-sized baggies. So we had the makings for cherry pies all winter. Those were the good old days.

So where do you find tart cherries, assuming that’s what you use?

tart cherries are hard to find and the season is really short. I don't worry too much about buying "according to hoyle" pie-baking cherries. I get whatever they have fresh and make 'em into pies. At this time of year, you're better off getting some cans of Dark pitted cherries for excellent pies. Or if you're a fan of "easy" things, which I am not, you can just get a few cans pie filling and stick them in a colander to get rid of most of that gooey filling that isn't cherries.

So you’re in the Crisco camp? Why? (Not trying to start an issue here, just curious.)

That's what we used in the bakeries I worked in and now I'm a vegetarian and lard doesn't go over too well in veg-head circles.

 

[ploverwing]

So Amie, so you not only herd (or wrangle) ducks, but eat them? I think my husband would go for these.

Yup. That's why I wrangle them. We raise Muskovy ducks, rabbits, chickens and turkeys for meat, some years we also raise pigs (hence lard).

I worked with Crisco (or functional equivalent) to make pies for a local fair for fundraising and it was the most horrific stuff to clean up after, and I found the pastry a lot less forgiving in handling than lard. But that's my experience. I do know a lot of people love pies made with it, but I really dislike the taste and working with it.

The one in Texas said, "I would NEVER make a pie WITHOUT lard."

The one in Oregon said, "I would NEVER make a pie WITH lard."

Lol that can be applied to so many things... Strap, no strap; soprano, tenor; fluorocarbon, Nylgut....

it's a real mess to cook at home though.

Our ducks are a lot less fatty than most commercial duck breeds. They are still somewhat fatty, but not at all to the same degree. So much so that I do not recommend roasting our ducks, there isn't enough fat and they'd be tough and awful if you did. People don't listen to me though, when they've bought a duck from us, and get annoyed that the duck isn't very good when they don't cook it properly for what it is.

BUT I digress... This is a PIE thread, not a DUCK thread.

I also love blueberry pie, but baked like apple pie, and using cinnamon and ginger like apple pie.

I just brought all of our squash in for storage and I think I have some serious pie futures waiting for me.

 

[ploverwing]

That's what we used in the bakeries I worked in and now I'm a vegetarian and lard doesn't go over too well in veg-head circles.

I should imagine that duck wouldn't, either

Oh my goodness I've derailed it to duck again

 

[EDW]

Many years ago I was up in Door County WI at one point during the summer. I had lunch a a local little coffee shop-diner kind of a place. The waitress suggested that I try the cherry pie for dessert. The crust was exquisitely flaky and light and the local tart cherries which were in season at that point were stunning.To this day, I still remember that pie.

One reason why most people prefer the canned pumpkin vs using a sugar pumpkin is that the canned product is made from a type of squash that is much closer to a butternut squash than the pumpkins we know. The baking wizard Stella Parks has a recipe for a butternut squash pie

Butternut Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Level up your pumpkin pie with made-from-scratch condensed milk and roasted butternut squash puree—a DIY alternative that delivers more flavor and less water than a traditional pumpkin.

www.seriouseats.com

Another pie that is great for the Thanksgiving table is sweet potato pie. In the original Paul Prudhomme cookbook, he has a sweet potato pecan pie, which has a layer of pecan pie filling on top of the potato filling! Of course, this time of year, you can't go wrong with a good apple pie

There are a lot of lousy pies out there with tasteless cardboard like crust and overly starchy filling, but a well made pie is a thing of beauty.

 

[EDW]

I do know a lot of people love pies made with it, but I really dislike the taste and working with it.

Many people like using half Crisco and half butter so that you can get the nice flaky quality and have the butter flavor.

Of course, that is not an option for the vegans out there.

 

[TerryM]

My wife has been making huckleberry pie since a friend gave us his recipe. The crust is ground almonds or walnuts drizzled with melted butter, toasted in the oven, mixed with brown sugar and a little cinnamon, then pressed into the pan. That's covered with a cream cheese and sugar blend (so quasi cheesecake). Then the third layer is huckleberries cooked down in sugar and lemon juice. We have a really short huckleberry season and they're hard to find fresh, so have had to resort to mail order huckleberry pie filling from Montana.

I'm in the butter + Crisco camp for pie crust but would never say no to a good lard crust. My Mom-In-Law used to make some killer peach dumplings using lard. (Also fried her french fries in it - wowzer were they good.)

 

[Patty]

Another pie that is great for the Thanksgiving table is sweet potato pie. In the original Paul Prudhomme cookbook, he has a sweet potato pecan pie, which has a layer of pecan pie filling on top of the potato filling!

That’s for me, brother!