Simple Cooking

This pie was one of my very first entries in the National Pie Championships. It ended up winning the 2008 Championships in the berry category. The most important element when it comes to a successful result with this pie is to use just picked firm berries. I recommend making Blueberry-Blackberry Pie with a crumb topping; however, if you prefer a less sweet fruit pie, go with the Traditional Pastry double-crust option (page 5), which is just as good. This pie shines with a dollop of Whipped Cream (page 193) or vanilla ice cream.

This pie allows for indulgence in a sweet treat. Blueberries pack enough flavor that you’ll never even know that traditional sugar is missing.

My dad and I have spent a lifetime bonding over our love of blueberry pie. I knew I had mastered this recipe when I got his stamp of approval. When selecting blueberries, remember that they don’t sweeten after being picked. Generally, the bigger a blueberry is, the sweeter it is. Try to use big, round berries, without cracked skin, and be sure to pick the stems off the blueberries before using. Summertime is the best time for this pie because the berries are at their prime between June and early September. You can also try Blueberry Pie with the Cinnamon Sugar Crumb Topping (page 12) which won the 2011 National Pie Championships in its category. For extra indulgence add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

My business partner and husband, Kelly, loves reminiscing about picking plump, juicy wild blackberries as a child with his grandma at their camp in the Adirondacks. Although Kelly loved eating the blackberries almost as quickly as he could pick them, he knew that if he managed to leave enough, his grandma would make his favorite summer treat—Blackberry Pie. Check out local farms or farmers’ markets for access to the sweetest blackberries available in your area. June is usually peak blackberry season in the southern states, while they peak in July up north. You can also try this pie with the Cinnamon Sugar Crumb Topping (page 12).

Unlike fresh cranberries, which can be tart, dried cranberries provide an extra layer of sweetness to the classic apple pie. This dessert is a great finale to a pork roast dinner. Try it with the Traditional Pastry double crust (page 5) as an alternative.

Around here, National Pie Day (January 23) is like Christmas, Hanukkah, and Thanksgiving rolled up into one! Every year on this holy pie day, I like to do something special. In 2009 I decided National Pie Day would be the perfect opportunity to roll out a line of sugar-free pies. Incorporating Splenda into the sugarfree pies allows you to undulge in a sweet treat while limiting your sugar intake. Sugarfree apple pies have been flying off the shelves ever since—a great way to savor apple pie minus the guilt.

If your family has a favorite kind of fruit pie, this traditional crumb topping is a great way to mix things up on top while keeping the Traditional Pastry Piecrust (page 5) on the bottom. It adds a sweetness and texture that blend wonderfully with a number of fruit pies, including Country Apple Pie (page 19), Blueberry Pie (page 27), and Peach Crumb Pie (page 43), to name just a few. This crumb topping can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to five days before use.

Apple pie seems like the perfect place to begin, since it was the first pie I ever made. Despite all of the practice I had making this pie as a kid with my grandma, it took me a very long time to commit this recipe to paper; but, after many tries, I was finally able to get her recipe down! Select your apples based on your own taste preferences. At the shop, we use Cortland apples for their sweetness (Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp or McIntosh are also sweet). You can also get creative and use a combination of both sweet and tart apples, such as Fuji and Granny Smith apples (Jonathan and Rome Beauties are tart as well). You can also try this pie with the Cinnamon Sugar Crumb Topping (page 12) and drizzled with Caramel Sauce (page 189); it earned us two National Pie Championships Award.

Extremely simple to make, this crust infuses pies with an unexpected sweet honey taste and a great, crunchy texture.

This is not your average pie topping. Macadamia-Coconut Crumb screams “summertime,” adding a refreshing tropical twist to even the most classic pie recipes. This topping really enhances pineapple- and mango-based pies (see Pineapple-Mango Pie, page 57), but works well with any tropical fruit pie recipe. It will also transform Peach Crumb Pie (page 43) or Blueberry Pie (page 27) into an extra special dessert.

Talk about having your cookie and eating it, too! Be sure to try this crust with classic Chocolate Cream Pie (page 102), Coffee–Heath Bar Crunch Pie (page 118), Chocolate–Peanut Butter Dream Pie (page 104), and Candyland Pie (page 137). For an especially simple treat, you can fill this crust with vanilla ice cream—it’s the easiest ice cream pie you could ever hope for.

In my family my grandmother set the bar very high for the perfect, flaky piecrust. Throughout my childhood, I watched her deftly form balls of dough and then flatten them out into what would ultimately be a flawless, golden crust. This recipe is based on my grandma’s time-tested recipe, with a few minor alterations I’ve made over the years. The two biggest tricks to making a great crust are to not overhandle the dough and to carefully monitor the dough mixture as you add ice-cold water, to ensure you achieve the desired consistency. I prefer to make crust by hand, rather than using a food processor because a processor can overblend the shortening which can prevent the water from being evenly absorbed. The result is a tougher crust. Throughout this book, recipes will call for unbaked, prebaked, and partially baked piecrusts, but all will follow the recipe below, with varying specific cooking instructions.

Syrup can be made up to one week in advance; refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.

We use a very similar crumb mixture to make the Torta Sbrisolona (page 99) and the Jam Crumb Bars (page 122).

If fresh corn is not in season, you can use frozen corn instead; be sure to thaw and drain the kernels well before using.

Store shaped caramels in layers between sheets of parchment or waxed paper that have been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray; keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day. For the best results, avoid making these on a humid day.