Page 38 - Pie Squared

UPPING YOUR GAME—BIG SLABS

Once you become adept at rolling out rectangular crusts for slab

pies, you may want to make a pie stretched across an entire baking
sheet measuring 18 by 13. For potlucks, big parties, the office picnic,
or the family reunion, a pie that serves thirty or more is a
showstopper.

Making a double-size slab pie is not for the faint of heart: It takes
serious muscles, a big flat surface, and plenty of determination to roll
out a crust to 20 by 15 inches. Here are my work-arounds.

Make two separate batches of the slab pie crust recipe for a top
and bottom crust and use one for the top crust and one for the

bottom crust.

For the bottom crust, cut the dough block in half and roll it out in
two pieces. Patch them together in the bottom of the pan. No one
will be the wiser.

Plan for a lattice or cutout crust. Divide the dough block set aside
for the top crust. Roll out each portion, fashioning strips,
decorative cutouts, or any other method of topping the filling.
Avoid attempting a full coverage crust, if possible.

You’ve decided to attempt the full coverage top crust? Bless you
and good luck. I’ve done it. The effort may have included some
fiery language. Use masking tape to mark the 20- by 15-inch size
on the counter. Work with everything—counter, pin, dough—as
cold as possible.

Make two slab pies instead.

HUMBLE PIE

Every pie is beautiful, so let’s stop putting pressure on ourselves