Changing Pie View

"Fish don't fry in the kitchen,
Beans don't burn on the grill.

Took a whole lotta tryin'

Just to get up that hill.

Now we're up in the big leagues,

Gettin' our turn at bat!

As long as we live,

It's you and me, baby!

There ain't nothin' wrong with that!

Hooray, We're Movin' on Up! (Movin' on Up!)

To the east side! (Movin' on Up!)

To a dee-luxe apartment in the sky!

We're Movin' on Up! (Movin' on Up!)

To the east side! (Movin' on Up!)

We've finally got a piece of the pie!

"The Jeffersons" Theme Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGtFSTL1Nbo

Blame it on the 2008 national election. I don't believe I'll be able to think about pie the same way ever again. Too much pie talk for my taste. Too many non-capitalist analogies about pie cutting and pie sharing, big pieces of pie, small pieces of pie, and no pie at all.

I'm a lifelong member of the Expanding Pie Club. That means that I believe we don't need to cut a fixed pie into little slivers and mete it out to the masses. I say, we bake more pies. Under my plan, you can have an entire pie of your own. You have to do the work, and you might have to take some risks. But, you can even get two pies if you work hard enough. Or, more. It's not the same thing as printing money. It's known as "Productivity." Some people have been known to call it "Wealth Creation."

I loved watching "The Jeffersons" back in the day. Because of the show's jaunty jingle, the couple became synonymous with the "piece of the pie" idea, and it was a great story. But, it's not like they got a piece of the pie by taking it from someone else. They got their own pie, the old-fashioned way. They earned it.

Anyway, it's not like I'm a big pie fan, the dessert kind. I prefer cakes, cupcakes (like the Red Velvets I made for Thanksgiving, in the above photo), brownies, cheesecake, and cookies. I have a slew of recipes for those things, and not that many pie recipes. But, I cannot escape pie. It's just not American.

I grew up in communities and a culture where a piece of pie and a cup of coffee after church on Sunday night was a highly-sought social event. Who invited whom for what, and to where, was always part of the story. If you were invited to the Pastor's house, you were probably a Big Deal. Most pastor's wives in those days were required to make great pie. Because, if not -- well, you know those Sunday night soirees would be talked about forever. And, not in a good way.

When we lived in northern California, I could bake just about anything I wanted, no matter how complicated. I only delivered successes. But, approaching Thanksgiving every year, I would start to tremble about the pumpkin pie. I don't even like pumpkin pie. But, my parents like pumpkin pie. And, any other guests at the table who were not members of my immediate family would invariably expect pumpkin pie on that day.

So, it became necessary to seek and deliver that perfect pumpkin pie. Less than perfect was unacceptable. I was only holding pumpkin pie to the same standard I had set for my other, preferred dessert items.

Before Martha entered my life (if you have to ask, you're not paying attention), I found a recipe that called for baking a blind crust and a separate pumpkin custard filling in a different dish. Then, JUST BEFORE I intended to serve the pie, and not a minute sooner, I slipped the custard filling into the crust. That way, the filling was cold like it was supposed to be, but the crust would not be soggy from refrigeration. If I had any problems around the edges from the transfer process, I just covered it by piping big scallops of whipped cream over them.

Worked for me. My mother didn't like soggy crust, so I made pumpkin pie this way and didn't think I needed to research the matter further.

My mother pitied my two-step process and made the pumpkin pie once we all got to Colorado. But, this year, I found myself in a situation where I would need to be the one to bake a pumpkin pie or there would be no homemade pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Nothing life-threatening, just a situation.

Martha came to the rescue, once again. The November, 2008 issue of Martha Stewart Living delivered a compelling photo and a simple recipe.

By "simple," I mean one that didn't require me to walk deep into my pumpkin patch, identify and harvest the requisite variety that is most perfect for pie, pluck it, clean it, roast it in wedges for several hours, puree the results and cool them for a day.

Martha may be my Homegirl. But, sometimes, even I want to join that new radio program that her daughter and a friend started on Sirius that makes fun of her excesses (with her permission, of course).

My mother is definitely my biggest fan. She declared this pumpkin pie to be the "best ever." She said that about the cornbread dressing this year also. So, I'm not sure whether it's really true. Since I don't like pumpkin pie, I will never be sure. But, I did gobble up the crumbs from the first piece - you know, the one that comes out looking like somebody sat on it. It was pretty tasty, even to a pumpkin pie non-liker.

Maybe I do have pumpkin pie in my future. Truthfully, I'm hoping for a whole house full of pies someday. For everyone.

Traditional Pumpkin Pie with a Fluted Crust
Serves 12

All-purpose flour, for surface
Pate Brisee (recipe follows)

Ingredients:

1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
Ground cloves
Whipped cream, for serving

Deep Dish Pate Brisee

Makes enough for one 9-inch deep-dish piecrust

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Directions:
Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube until mixture just begins to hold together.

Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 1 hour or up to 3 days (or freeze for up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator before using).

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll pate brisee disk 1/8 inch thick, then cut into a 16-inch circle. Fit circle into a 9-inch deep-dish pie dish, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold edges under.

Shape large, loose half circles at edge of dough, then fold into a wavelike pattern to create a fluted edge. Prick bottom of dough all over with a fork. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Cut a circle of parchment, at least 16 inches wide, and fit into pie shell. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges of crust begin to turn gold, about 15 minutes. Remove pie weights and parchment. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool.

Meanwhile, whisk pumpkin, sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, eggs, milk, and a pinch of cloves in a large bowl.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Transfer pie dish to a rimmed baking sheet, and pour pumpkin mixture into cooled crust. Bake until center is set but still a bit wobbly, 50 to 55 minutes. (If crust browns too quickly, tent edges with a strip of foil folded in half lengthwise.) Let cool in pie dish on a wire rack. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 6 hours (preferably overnight). Serve chilled with whipped cream.

Martha's Helpful Hint:

Most pumpkin pies are best served chilled, which can cause moisture to form on the surface. To remedy, gently blot with a paper towel before garnishing and slicing.

CRD Notes:

It might have been the altitude (6100 feet), but the filling took much longer to set at 325 than stated in the recipe. After the fully-allotted 55 minutes lapsed, I checked the pie every five minutes until the center was "a bit wobbly." The finished pie sat on a granite counter overnight, loosely covered with a cotton dish towel (it was baked at 8 p.m., but was still too warm to refrigerate at 11 p.m.). I placed it into the refrigerator at 8:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day and served it in the early evening.

I didn't do the wavy crust pattern shown in Martha's picture (top), and the flutes I formed didn't hold up in the baking process. But, it ate good. I'll work on improving presentation for next year.

The pie dish I used was the red ceramic 9" deep dish plate by Bialetti, available at Target in Highlands Ranch for $6.99.