Page 18 - United States of Pie

higher percentage of butterfat, which helps custards and puddings
come together.
Cream is simply the fat that rises to the top of a bottle of non-

homogenized milk. If you have ever been to a dairy farm, or
purchased milk at a farmers’ market, perhaps you’ve noticed the
thick, yogurtlike shell protecting the milk—that is the cream. When
my grandma was growing up on a farm in South Dakota, she had
access to pure, unadulterated cream. Today it is becoming
increasingly hard to find. At the grocery store most of the cream we
buy is pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized, meaning it has been heated
in order to kill disease-causing organisms and to prolong its shelf life.

Because of the heating it can have a slightly cooked taste and often
lacks that fresh, creamery taste of whole cream.
While there is more than one type of cream available, the recipes
in this book call for heavy cream. Heavy cream contains anywhere
from 36 to 40 percent butterfat. It is highly stable, thick, and rich.

When whipped into peaks, heavy cream will hold its shape longer
than whipping cream, which may contain only 30 to 36 percent
butterfat. Never buy light cream thinking you can whip it. Light cream
offers a smooth taste, but it does not have enough butterfat to hold
peaks.
After all, if you are going to make a pie, make the best-tasting pie
you can! Go on, use the whole milk, use the heavy cream. I

guarantee the pie won’t even be there long enough for you to feel
guilty.

SALT

The salt in these pies is kosher salt. With its coarse grain, there is
less salt per spoonful than with table salt. I also really appreciate the
rough texture of kosher salt; it is similar to sea salt. While it mixes
with the other ingredients well, it’s pleasing to get those little bits of
salty crunch in your piecrust.

WHAT ABOUT PIE PLATES?