Last week I came across Momofuku’s tweet about a demo class with Milk Bar’s chef Christina Tosi in Toronto. Without any hesitation, I immediately reserved my spot and made plans with foodpr0n to attend the class together. I cannot say I am a huge fan since I only visited NYC’s midtown location in 2010 and my taste memory is fuzzy. That was the only time I tasted their signature Crack Pie and honestly I do not remember much about it among a whole weekend of feasting. However, I have long admired chef Tosi’s creativity. Her dessert challenges preconceived notions of North American style baking. Her flavour combinations are unexpected pairings of familiar tastes (cereal milk and compost cookie are both excellent examples). I jumped at the opportunity for a small group class with lots of chances to interact.
The 90 minute demo covered the making of a crack pie from crust to filling with plenty of tips and tricks for crack pie success. I sat at front row steps away from the work bench. Of course I took plenty of photos along the way! Although a cookbook can describe every step in great detail, it cannot compare to seeing up close the consistency of the cookie batter, how the oat cookie crumb ought to hold together, the fluid motion of shaping the crust, and how to stir the filling without aerating it.
Did I mention the class was fun? Chef Tosi and her assistant ran the demo like they were showing friends how to bake in their home kitchen. Their enthusiasm was infectious and I was excited to try my hand baking crack pie at home. Read on for plenty of photos from Sunday and find out how my own crack pies turned out.