Pie of the Month - December
Last month, I decided I wanted to start making pies. My first effort, in time for Thanksgiving, was a fantastic pumpkin pie.
This month, I went for my personal favorite: apple pie.
Now let's say on Omar's arbitrary scale of pie making experiences, November's pumpkin pie scored a 9 out of 10. The point off was for the filling spilling out on the side. But that didn't really affect the appearance too much, and it certainly did not affect the taste.
On that same scale, this butterscotch apple pie experience... um, it didn't score quite so well. Here's where I went wrong:
Mistake #1: I stepped foot in the kitchen. After the success of the pumpkin pie, I was on a high. And as the anti-drug videos tell you, when you're high, there's nowhere to go but down. In this case, I probably should have rested on my laurels.
Mistake #2: I bought canned pie filling. The canned filling was bland. Basically flavorless.
Mistake #3: I have trouble following directions when I get cocky. I had never attempted making a pie that had a top crust before. It turns out that it's not as easy as I thought. Just like last time, I didn't make the crust, I bought a frozen one. The part I ignored was where the crust instructions said to take the second crust out of the pan when it is still frozen, and put it on top of the crust with the filling in it. I let it thaw, then tried to put it on. The results were, well, bad. Observe:
Mistake #4: I kept going, and I put it in the oven anyway.
I didn't even make the boy or the wife try it this time. I did try it myself, and though it wasn't really really bad, it was still bad. Even several scoops of Cool-Whip didn't fix it.
So, score one for the pie gods. The good news is that next time, I can always say, "at least it wasn't as bad as the apple pie I made last month..."
Comments
Glo said:
Ah. Rotten luck. Best wishes for next time.
and, if not successful, might I suggest my tried and true method for perfect pies?
Order. Pickup. Consume.
cadiz12 said:
ah omar, don't worry. it'll be better next time. just remember: never EVER get cocky in the kitchen.
Glo said:
Never get cocky in the kitchen? That ruins at least 100 plans for my future.
seventeen syllables said:
MMMMM....pie. You score big points for assembling the pie, even if it didn't come out quite the way you wanted. When I was a youngster, (back before they had refrigerated pie crust, apparently) my mom always made both the crusts & fillings from scratch. But she was also angry at the world a lot of the time. I wonder if there's a cause & effect relationship there? Must go speak to my therapist...
Katie said:
For your second try, you still did quite well. Whenever I enter the kitchen, everything I try to cook turns into WMDs. So I stick to my stir fry and Top Ramen.
Don't worry, you can only get better from here. I am sure the pie gods have been appeased.
jasmine said:
okay. this is HILARIOUS.
canned filling isn't so bad but get the good stuff. do you have a williams sonoma or some gourmet store around you?
the crust...absolutely can never be premade. NEVER. pie crust is easy. has like 5 ingredients but the key to flaky crust is to avoid over-kneading. i'll come over and give you a lesson.
Syar said:
love the new template, 'Mar. can I ask what happened to the red ticks? their numbers seem to have decreased. *pause* *coughs politely*
I've never made pie, or even attempted to assemble pie, so you're still ahead.
keep at it! here's to the next pie.
Jackie said:
I have a hard time making chocolate cream pie (you know with the premade oreo crust and pie mix outta the box) so total props for even getting it made.
jedith said:
I LOVE pie, but I am terrible at making it. As far as I'm concerned, I don't care how food is made, as long as it's good.
Lia said:
You get an E for effort. I've already learned to stick to eating.
I said:
glo - I'm all for buying pies. This is more about me proving to myself that I can do it. Or showing myself that I can't do it, whichever applies.
cadiz - I'm learning that, yes.
17 - My mom also makes everything from scratch, and would cringe if she knew I bought either the filling or crust. And I don't think it's a coincidence that my mom was angry at the world also...
katie - Thanks! We'll see how the pie gods are feeling next month, when I try pecan.
jasmine - The pre-made pie crust I got for the pumpkin pie worked out just fine! It was the topcrust that gave me a problem. Making a crust is like DOUBLING the amount of time it takes to prepare the pie. I don't know if the benefit outweighs the cost.
syar - Those red checkmarks are based on your web browser's history, it just checks which sites you've been to. Was it a different computer/web browser than you normally use?
jackie - Mmmm, chocolate cream pie. I'll have to add that to my list, and we'll all find out how it turns out!
jedith - Everything you said there also applies to me. I love it, I'm not good at making it, and I don't care as long as it's good.
lia - In most cases, I also stick to eating. But all the pie talk around thanksgiving made me want to give it a try.
Jackie said:
I could be wrong, but I think syar was talking about the fact that Dooce went missing from your linkage list yesterday. I noticed when I was cruising that it was gone.. back now tho!
Lianne said:
I am missing the pie crust gene. Filling - no problemo. Crust - no way in hell.