kalamazoogal wrote:

pairs4life wrote:

Pie Lady wrote:I usually don't bake in summer, but when I do, I want to avoid attracting bugs when something is cooling on the rack. Would it be wise to cover the hot item with one of those nets you use at picnics or are the holes in those too small to let heat escape?

Year round, assuming no rain, I put items outside to cool and cover with a dish/kitchen towel. I've never seen bugs.

Hear, Hear PAIRS4LIFE! I agree and I bake pies year round. There is a pie (or two or three) for every season, every month, and Hell, for EVERY DAY, I say! I too use the 'Brooklyn Icebox' for cooling. When we lived in Brooklyn, it was my fire escape outside the guest bedroom window. Nowadays, I cool the pie on our 3 season porch. And a light tea towel cover helps keep away the flies if need be.

but a towel doesnt keep away the squirrels.... i had a pair of them several years ago who ate anything i tried to put on my back porch to cool off. so keep an eye on your cooling desserts or you'll have little footprints on your pie....

Busghetti wrote:

BR wrote:I call this cherry pie season, sour cherry pie that is. It arrives shortly after strawberry rhubarb season. And I was back at it yesterday, using the recipe I detailed on the 3rd page of this thread (but upping the almond extract to a 1/2 teaspoon, for a subtle almond flavor. Something about the tart cherries with almond and a buttery crust is just perfect to me.

That looks amazing! What method do you use for incorporating the butter? I have been trying out using the stand mixer method to get those longer streaks of butter (i.e. greater surface area) similar to rolling out the butter and it has been very successful IMO. Below is a link to this method but yours looks awesome!


http://thelunacafe.com/quick-easy-flaky ... st-pastry/

Thanks - I use the Cuisinart and maybe 20-30 really quick pulses to mix the butter & flour. I find that it gets the pea sized butter pieces I'm looking for, and quickly so that the butter doesn't have time to warm up and so the flour is not over-mixed. I've used my KitchenAid but worry that it doesn't break down the butter enough and may result in over-mixing the flour for a less tender crust.

So the controversial Momofuku Milk Bar's Crack Pie finally got made.

I will add photos adorned and sliced once that occurs.

Folks seem to either love it or meh about it. Kalamazoogal served it at dessert exchange. It was super decadent but I enjoyed the bite I had.
https://goo.gl/photos/DH31mhqhViTubAfU7

'Tis a fine pie. Then again I'm a bit biased...

Pie Lady wrote:'Tis a fine pie. Then again I'm a bit biased...

Have you made it? What were your experiences?

Nope, I had it at an exchange once.

I had it at the source once. It was tasty but SOOOOOOOO sweet that only one bite and I was done. Yet, you want to keep eating it. Crack.

Hi,

I have not yet tried this myself:

Prepare a fruit pie until it is ready for the oven, then freeze it.

When you wish to cook it from freezer to oven: 400 degrees F for 25 minutes, then lower temperature to 375 degrees F for 40-60 minutes.

Regards,
Cathy2

That reminds me of something I saw on the Good Eats episode on pies --- or was it the episode on berries? Alton Brown showed how to make and freeze big pucks of blueberry pie filling---no crust, just the filling. You take one out and cook it with a fresh crust whenever you want. Ah, here it is: Alton Brown's frozen blueberry pie recipe. I wonder if between the two techniques it's better to freeze the pie with the crust or without. It also seems to me that ought to work with other types of fruit fillings. Well, those will be some fun tests to run later this year.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I have not yet tried this myself:

Prepare a fruit pie until it is ready for the oven, then freeze it.

When you wish to cook it from freezer to oven: 400 degrees F for 25 minutes, then lower temperature to 375 degrees F for 40-60 minutes.

Regards,
Cathy2

My neighbor gifted me a pie in that mode. My instructions were to thaw it first followed by popping it the oven at 400 degrees for 75 minutes. Came out beautiful.

Hi,

I have no idea which is better, though I have a lot of pie tins. I especially favor Baker's Square or Poppin' Fresh tins, which I pick for 10-25 cents at rummage sales. They are my pie giveaway tins. I find people do not return tins.

Long ago, a friend who lived in peach growing area would make quantities of the filling. She would line a pie tin with plastic, then pour it in, freeze, pop out of the tin and repackage to freeze.

When I freeze filling, I put it in a plastic zipper freezer bag. I either thaw it overnight or via microwave. If by microwave, I have to be careful it does not overheat and begin thickening the filling.

I might try freezing a fully assembled pie sometime just to find out how it works.

Regards,
Cathy2

Dave148 wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I have not yet tried this myself:

Prepare a fruit pie until it is ready for the oven, then freeze it.

When you wish to cook it from freezer to oven: 400 degrees F for 25 minutes, then lower temperature to 375 degrees F for 40-60 minutes.

Regards,
Cathy2

My neighbor gifted me a pie in that mode. My instructions were to thaw it first followed by popping it the oven at 400 degrees for 75 minutes. Came out beautiful.

Hi,

I bet it was delicious. I was thinking of reading some of the instructions for frozen pies at the store. I remember it was set at a temperature reading and cook for quite a while.

The few times we had frozen pies, the most difficult part was waiting for it to be cool enough to eat.

The advice I received above was from someone who sent to pastry school, who was probably offered optimal advice. The frozen pie manufacturers have to make it easy and straightforward with one-temp and timing.

Regards,
Cathy

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I have no idea which is better, though I have a lot of pie tins. I especially favor Baker's Square or Poppin' Fresh tins, which I pick for 10-25 cents at rummage sales. They are my pie giveaway tins. I find people do not return tins.

Long ago, a friend who lived in peach growing area would make quantities of the filling. She would line a pie tin with plastic, then pour it in, freeze, pop out of the tin and repackage to freeze.

When I freeze filling, I put it in a plastic zipper freezer bag. I either thaw it overnight or via microwave. If by microwave, I have to be careful it does not overheat and begin thickening the filling.

I might try freezing a fully assembled pie sometime just to find out how it works.

Regards,
Cathy2

I have frozen entire pies. It works just fine for fruit pies. Double crust.