Page 29 - Pie It Forward: Pies, Tarts, Tortes, Galettes, and Other Pastries Reinvented

of control. You see, if you go with a quick puff for a double crust, you
have to be ready for your handiwork (beautiful crimping and perfect

lattice) to take on a life of its own, as quick puff tends to rise and

grow in the heat of the oven according to its own whim. Choose the

easy pie dough in all-butter or with a little shortening, and you have

beautiful taste combined with aesthetic control.
If you opt to use a sweet crust with an even sweeter custard filling

instead of selecting the less cloying simple tart crust, my dad would

say you’re “gilding the lily.” In other words, you’re smothering the

essence and goodness of the tart. You must seek balance in pies, a

gentle dance of flavor and texture. Having an arsenal of gorgeous
pie and tart crusts at your fingertips will ensure that you get that

balance right every time.

LET’S TALK ABOUT FAT. There is no pie or tart crust worth shoving

in your piehole without it. Usually the fat we’re talking about is butter;

that’s my personal favorite. Butter, well handled, produces flaky,

tender, and crispy crusts. To get specific and a little technical, I prefer
to use unsalted European butter. European butter has a higher

butterfat content and lower moisture than your run-of-the-mill

grocery-store butter. This leads not only to elevated levels of

flakiness and tenderness, but also to less shrinkage in the oven

while baking, because there’s less water to evaporate away.
However, butter is notoriously unruly when it hits the oven. Your

perfectly crimped edges, when confronted with the full blast of pie-

baking heat, can morph into flaky blobs or simply drop off into the

cavern of your oven, left to smolder evermore on the bottom of your

gas range.