I went to college with Anne Hodgman - we were in the same dorm freshman year. She always did have a great sense of humor. I have both her cookbooks and haven’t made anything bad from them - and they are very funny. The conceit is that she gives you her best family recipe for various favorite dishes. Sadly I tossed my jar of Lyle’s Golden Syrup that my Mom gave me one year because it had been in my pantry for years and I never could figure out what to do with it, though I remember we used to have it around when we lived in East Africa. Did we put it on pancakes?
I can’t believe that people are using 2 cups of flour for a single 9" crust! What, is it half an inch thick or something? that’s the amount I use for a deep dish double crust apple pie.
@notelling, the pie is going to have some bourbon in it. Both she and S are sophisticated eaters. I’'m not worried. 
I get leaf lard from a local butcher. I have to render it myself, but it’s just a matter of a long time in a slow oven. I’m told that for baking one wants leaf lard, the fat from around the kidneys, rather than other lard. I haven’t experimented though. If I render the lard carefully, it doesn’t have a porky taste-- not that I dislike pork but for sweet pies I want a more neutral fat.
After reading some articles over the past year, I’d recommend using butter for crusts.
http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2013/11/23/butter-vs-shortening/
https://food52.com/blog/8742-pie-fats-butter-vs-oil-vs-shortening-vs-lard
Interesting. I like lard for the flakiness and butter for the taste, so I used to use some of each. Then I moved to shortening plus butter. (When I use shortening, it is sticks of Crisco stored in the freezer.) Now I want to move back to lard plus butter for pies. I’d use lard alone for something like sausage rolls. (Man, do I adore British sausage rolls and meat pies!)
If I can find good lard, I think I’ll start using it again. The vodka sounds like a good idea too, in terms of handling.
I’m wondering if I’m the only one who has never had pecan pie. I’ve also never tasted pumpkin pie (some longstanding belief from childhood that I didn’t like milk so I won’t like custard pies), I do like apple, peach or any sort of berry or cherry pie. My H rarely eats sweets so desserts aren’t something I have made a lot of.
I don’t like my baked goods with shortening, @Consolation. I don’t like the feel it leaves in my mouth.
Pumpkin pie, while technically a custard, is not like a custard pie.
Of course, like all pies, it has to be well-made. There are plenty of crappy pies out there. Most bought fruit pies, for example, have awful pre-made fillings.
Can someone explain hot water pie crust to me? It sounds like a terrible idea, yet I saw a British BakeOff where the contestants used a hot water crust for pork pies and the pies looked (and apparently tasted) delicious.
@doschicos, the only place I’ve ever used PART shortening instead of all butter is in pie crust, in the apparently-mistaken impression that it made it flakier. Now that I have been enlightened I won’t be doing it again.
I can’t imagine using margarine or Crisco in anything else.
I tried an oil crust once. It was revolting.
@“Cardinal Fang” , my understanding is that hot water crust normally uses lard, and it is the thick and sturdy yet flaky type.
The worst was that old timey wedding cake frosting made with shortening, at least I HOPE it is old times now and no longer used.
I’m sorry to say that a LOT of wedding cake bakers use Hi ratio shortening for both cake and “buttercream” icing. Quite possibly the majority of them.
Supermarket icing is made with shortening. So are lots of bakery icings.
Nice thread.
I love to make pies and I have found a few things that are worth sharing.
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Crust. Unless you are a talented crust maker, it is worth getting the Pillsbury roll out crusts. Never a bad crust, but not as good as a well-done scratch crust.
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Maple syrup. Destroys the pecan pie, IMHO. It is a Maple pie with Pecans. Must be a NE thing. If you want the Maple, better to use Walnuts instead of Pecans.
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Chocolate. It is fine for a change of pace once in a while. Dark Chocolate pieces covering the bottom of the pie crust before putting in the filling. (also reduces the ‘sweet’)
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Double the Pecans. Unless the recipe is already heavy with pecans, add double. Chop 1/2 and leave the rest in halves. Also reduces sweetness. Too few pecans and you basically have shoo-fly pie with Pecan garnish. meh
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Bourbon. Not rum, not vodka, quality bourbon. I like Woodford Reserve, but any quality brand will do. How much? It all really depends upon your goal and what else is in the pie. I most often use 1 shot. Add 2 if you really like a strong taste of bourbon. Even a cap full of good bourbon will enhance the flavor. Alcohol brings out the flavors and the smoky taste of bourbon works well with the pecans. If you are putting in bourbon, do not bother to add other ‘flavorings’ (some recipes use vanilla)
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Toast the pecans (better). Or not (still OK) For me it is all about how much time I have set aside for pie baking. Over-toasted (read burned) pecans are worse than un-toasted, so if you are not adept at toasting nuts, keep 'em raw.
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Counting carbs? Substitute any sugar with Splenda and use sugar free syrup. Not as good as the sugared version, but still OK.
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Caliente. For those who walk on the spicier side of life. Add a 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne. Or to taste.
Items 5 and 7 are also applicable to Pumpkin Pie.
@Torveaux, I agree with a lot of your points–leaving aside the fact that bought crusts are anathema to me --but I would like to offer a different perspective on artificially sweetening a pumpkin pie.
Using Splenda 1:1 for sugar will result in a revoltingly over-sweetened final product. If you need to reduce sugar, use a combination of Erythritol and liquid Splenda or other liquid sweetener without filler. I strongly recommend starting with perhaps half the recommended amount of sugar in the form of granular Erythritol, then adding some liquid sweetener to taste, and perhaps more Erythritol if required. For a pumpkin pie–or crustless pumpkin cheese cake, which is what I usually make to suit my T2 needs–taste the mixture before adding the eggs until you have the desired degree of sweetness. This combination will result in a dessert that does not taste as if it is artificially sweetened, and will not give you the runs, as too much Erythritol might. I have served this cheesecake on dessert tables, and it has been devoured by diabetics and regular people alike. Really.
ETA: I have never tried using this where sugar is required for tenderizing, as in a cake, or for holding a texture, as it is in beaten egg whites. I doubt it would give a good result. But it is great in cheesecake.
“Supermarket icing is made with shortening. So are lots of bakery icings.”
And this is why I bake from scratch at home and frequent only 2 bakeries in my area.
A few months back I discovered that our new neighbor–the owner of a very successful Portland restaurant–had started out as a pastry chef. I immediately asked “what am I doing wrong, my pie crust is always heavy?” “Use butter and use vodka instead of water” I tried it, loved the results. No booze taste–apparently the vodka evaporates faster than water and so you get a lighter crust.
Yes, the Foolproof Vodka Pie Crust rocks. Thanks to the CCers who recommended it to me back then when I just joined CC. My pies are now delicious. And an added bonus - by now, I almost utilized the bottle of vodka that was sitting in the freezer since 2000 or so!
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/11/cooks-illustrated-foolproof-pie-dough-recipe.html
Just out of curiosity, can one use any vodka or are there some exalted brands recommended over others?
What about possible substitutions…like moonshine?
I think any plain vodka is fine. I think the point is the alcohol content and little to no flavor so it evaporates while baking, faster than water, causing the flakiness without imparting a flavor.
Are you distilling some moonshine, @cobrat?
Vodka is a tip when working with fondant, too.