Adding a personal touch to pies
What is it about pie that stops me in my tracks?
I can add apple cider on a whim to turkey brine and grate fresh ginger into cranberry sauce without hesitation, but when it comes to pie I pull back, unsure of how to add my own culinary twist to my favorite Thanksgiving desserts.
Baking is so much science — how ingredients react with each other and with the heat of the oven — that I get afraid to mess around too much lest the filling become too watery or the crust too dry.
But there is room for creativity, says Donnalyn Vojta, owner of Crust'em Sweets in Palatine.
Vojta, an attorney by training, took up pie making a few years ago as a way to relieve stress and opened her pie and tart shop on Northwest Highway earlier this year. In a short time she's built quite a fan base for her signature pies, like her Red Velvet Silk and Chocolate Pecan Pie.
So, I asked her: how do I give a pie my personal touch?
“Think of your all-time favorite dessert, then ask the following. Can it be put into a pie crust in pie form? If yes, ... will it be good? If yes, go for it! If no, ask, what would make it better,” Vojta says.
She points to lemon bars with whipped cream as the inspiration for her Lemon Dream Pie.
“The super thick lemon bar alone in a pie crust did not appeal to me, since I thought it would be too rich and dense on its own. Another lighter layer was needed for balance and flavor enhancement,” she says. “I added the fluffy lemon cream cheese layer so that the texture would be more pleasing in a single bite and there would be another dimension of flavor. Hence, my three-layer Lemon Dream Pie was born!”
Some of us still might need a little more help than that. Enter Jan Moon and her new book, “The Southern Pie Book.” The book starts off with 16 types of crusts (from a basic all-butter dough to lemon cornmeal and one made of crushed pretzels) and follows up with 200 pages of mouthwatering sweet and savory recipes.
And then Moon suggests ways to mix things up ... like using a cheddar crust with Cider Apple Pie or making Cranberry Slab Pie (see related recipe) or putting Banana Cream Pie filling in a gingersnap crust.
Speaking of crust, Vojta said burning the crust is the biggest mistake bakers make.
“Try to make a thick crust edge. I found that thumb-pinching instead of fork pressing gets you a thicker edge,” she says. “Also, be sure to bake on the lower rack of the oven, and if need be, cover the edges of the crust with foil for a portion of the bake time.
“Don't forget the egg wash, either,” she adds. “Without it, you will have a dull, dry-looking crust.”
So now I'm ready to head into my kitchen, visions of bourbon, caramel, bacon and pecans swirling in my mind. And if it doesn't work out, I'll try Donnalyn's Pecan Pie.
Pie help is a phone call away
Need to know how to avoid shrinking crusts or create the perfect filling? The experts at the Crisco Pie Hotline are standing by and ready to help.
The hotline, (877) 367-7438 (877-FOR-PIE-TIPS), is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday plus extended holiday hours:
Ÿ Nov. 18-27: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday
Ÿ Dec. 16-23: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday
Recorded tips and tricks can be accessed 24 hours a day.