Handcrafting A Worldly Pie
I had a great day yesterday. After I launched my children out the door to school, I grabbed my L.L. Bean canvas tote and loaded it with an apron, a Pyrex pie pan, my 20-year old chef’s knife, and my Nikon D50 camera. I was off to make pie with Kate McDermott, the owner and force behind Art of the Pie.
Kate has received tons of media attention for her outstanding handcrafted pies based on her pie dough, which is made with King Arthur unbleached flour, Irish Kerrygold butter, and leaf lard mail ordered from Pennsylvania. Kate spent years crafting the perfect pie dough and now teaches her pie making classes at Diane’s Market Kitchen near the Pike Place Market.
I’ve made pastry and pie dough many times in my life, so I’m not particularly fearful of the process. I was, however, anxious to learn tricks of the trade from a master pie maker. Yesterday’s class was like a private tutoring session, because there were only three students and Kate. Even though we were given folders containing Kate’s carefully written pie recipes, the real action took place on the counter top where Kate explained and demonstrated the nuances of crafting pie dough by hand.
It was obvious that the recipes weren’t calling the shots. Kate was. As she rubbed large chunks of butter and lard into the flour, Kate assured us that we wanted irregular lumps of fat in our dough because that’s what creates the flakiness in the finished product. Clearly, lump diversity was key. While adding the water carefully to the mixture, Kate closed her eyes and felt the moisture in the dough. She grasped a handful and analyzed if it crumbled or held together. Did it feel like Play-Doh? If so, success was imminent. If the dough cracked or crumbled, Kate said it was talking to her and that it needed more water, regardless of what the recipe said!
When she formed the dough into a softball-sized ball, she held it up, told us to imagine the earth, and instructed us to cut through the equator, forming a northern and southern hemisphere. Each hemisphere was then swaddled in plastic wrap and stashed in the fridge for a rest. I loved this earthy tip because I always struggle to get two equal round portions when creating a two-crust pie!
While she was talking about how to make a seasonal fruit filling, the very sensible Kate told us to bring our pie pan to the market, put it on the scale, load the pan with the fruit to the desired amount, and then subtract the weight of the pan. The difference equals the amount of fruit to buy, give or take some weight considering pits, cores, and peels! Aha! What a great tip. I’m often stumped when creating a seasonal pie and often find myself with too much or too little fruit! Kate reminded us that high-quality seasonal fruits can be pricey and for that reason it is important to avoid waste.
The father and son who attended the class chose to make a massive cherry pie in a bright red 12-inch Emile Henry pie dish. I opted to make a lattice rhubarb pie in my humble Pyrex pie pan. It was my first lattice crust and my best pie ever! Kudos to Kate, the worldly master of pie!
Photo by Melissa A. Trainer
--Melissa A. Trainer
Penny on May 11, 2010 at 03:40 PM
Hurrah for you! As a pie baker myself, I think it's the responsibility of all pie bakers to keep the craft and art of pie baking alive!
Nursing clothing on May 11, 2010 at 07:37 PM
Wow!!! so yummy!!! whaaa i want to eat that pie.....
very very very very yummy!!!
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qin dynasty on May 11, 2010 at 10:30 PM
I like eating pie, and I also want to learn to make a pie by myself.Thanks for your info.
Kate McDermott on May 11, 2010 at 11:32 PM
Melissa-It was a pleasure to have you in class. I hope all your pies are flakey and full of flavor. Kate
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