Last weekend started promising until I found out that something very important was misplaced. Like dominoes, the day just progressed from bad to worse and nothing went right from that point on. By the time I met up with M, I was so exhausted that a night out felt like too much to tackle. Thankfully, upon hearing my tales of woe, M uttered the magic words “I’ll take care of it”. Although he could not help me locate the missing object, he got us tickets to a much-anticipated movie screening. We enjoyed the 1979 animation Galaxy Express 999 at the TIFF Lightbox cinema. I was a kid when I last watched this movie and honestly did not understand what was the big deal. Watching it with adult eyes after all these years I finally appreciate the story of longing, rebellion, the pursuit of immortality, and that overwhelming sadness of losing one’s humanity.
The only bright spot was my baking project. I bought a couple baskets of this year’s last harvest of sour cherries and turned them into pies. Pie baking is not my forte and I have my share of sad/soggy/leaky/tough pies. Last weekend’s specimen were none of those. In fact, those Sour Cherry Lattice Pies ranked among one of my best pies to date. What a way to reclaim my weekend from a series of fails!
Great baking starts with great recipes and these pies are no exception. I heard much praise about J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s Foolproof Vodka Pie Dough he developed for America’s Test Kitchen. I have always been a fan of his meticulous and innovative recipe development. However, I stayed away from his vodka pie dough recipe all these years because I am an advocate for all-butter pie crust. I know the benefit of using vegetable shortening from baking school days. But I just couldn’t pry myself away from the incomparable butter.
Frustrated by years of hit or miss pies, I finally relented. With so many things going wrong last weekend, I desperately wanted something to go right. The promise of foolproof, easy to handle, and flaky pie crust was too tempting…especially with those pricy baskets of sour cherries. If you have a chance to read the lengthy headnotes accompanying the original recipe, I highly recommend you to do so. Lopez-Alt described in detail how he came up with the recipe and how he addressed all the challenges for subpar pie crusts. His method makes so much sense and the recipe works exactly as promised. I compensated my buttery yearning by using high fat European-style butter which imparted great flavour to the crust. I could not be more proud of my Sour Cherry Lattice Pie with its golden crust, buttery taste, flakey texture, and crisp bottom.
The recipe for fruit filling came from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Pie & Pastry Bible. I have always used this recipe for sour cherry pie with great success and this time was no exception. Did I mention patience? Pie baking is not for those in a hurry. Chilling time for the dough, baking time to ensure no soggy bottom, and resting time to prevent gushing filling. It’s all about time and patience.
Not only has my weekend been redeemed, I have also renewed my confidence with baking pies. The parade of summer fruit is only half done. I cannot wait to turn wild blueberries, peaches, plums, and apples into mouth watering wedges enveloped with flakey pie crust. In case you’re wondering, after turning my house upside down, I finally found the long lost object!
Sweet Pies & Tarts
- Wild Blueberry Pie
- Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie
- Nutella Banoffee Cream Pie
- Oatmeal Chocolate Pie
- Harvest Apple Pie with Cranberries and Rum Raisins
- Caramel Pumpkin Pie
- Sour Cherry Lattice Pie, previously
- Ginger Kuri Squash Pie
- Yuzu Meringue Pie
- Mixed Berries Streusel Pie
- Peach & Crème Fraiche Pie
- Blood Orange Almond Tart
- Malted Crisp Tart
- Blackberry & Coconut Macaroon Tart
- Black Sesame Yuzu Pear Tart
Savoury Pies & Pie-Like Things
- Ham & Cheese Quiche
- Chicken B’stilla
- Lentil, Mushroom & Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
- Savoury Ricotta Farro Tart
- Tomato & Corn Pie
- Onion goat Cheese Tart
- Spinach & Pancetta Quiche
- Butternut Squash Galette with Kale & Gruyere
- Apple Leek Goat Cheese Quiche
