Stefin’s flying solo this week, and she jumps right in with an update on the American Pie Council’s 2017 and 2018 amateur winners. You may remember the hosts tackled the 2016 winner, the Totally Biscoff Pie in Episode 14, since that episode, and recipe, has attained mythic status in the podcast’s history! Like the Totally Biscoff Pie, both 2017’s Checkerboard Peanut Butter Pie, and 2018’s Guittard’s Chocolate Caramel Turtle Sundae Pie, are over-the-top creations that rely on lots of layers and flavors. Well done to Christopher Taylor and Jennifer Nystrom, respectively, for their creativity and pie prowess!
Listeners: If you try one or both of these amazing pies, please let us know! Or consider entering the 2019 competition yourself!
Review: Black Bottom Oatmeal Pie from Four & Twenty Blackbirds
Though she had her first successful blind (par) bake in a while (thanks to Christopher Kimball and this Milk Street video), Stefin was ultimately frustrated with this pie. Because of the numerous steps, and a lot of cooling and/or chilling time, it took her five hours to make, and that didn’t include the crust (she had an extra all-butter crust in her freezer that she used instead). She did like the pretty layers of crust, chocolate ganache (the “black bottom”) and the oaty filling, but after that much time invested, she just wanted it to have a little more pizazz.
If you do make this one, be sure to watch your crust like a hawk during its second bake. Stefin thought it was already very brown after it’s par-bake, and covered hers with her silicone pie shield.
UPDATE: After reading this article about Pyrex glass shattering, Listener Kim pointed out that you should be careful when making this pie. She shared “When I was making the Black Bottom Oatmeal Pie in my Pyrex pie plate, I did worry about shattering, especially since that recipe calls for freezing the ganache layer. I did not put my Pyrex in the freezer. I put it in the refrigerator for only 5 minutes and then let it come to room temperature again before putting it in the oven and crossed my fingers.” So please be careful!
Want to try your hand at another oatmeal pie? Stefin loved Episode 65’s Shoo-Fly Pie so much, she made it twice during last year’s Pie Month!
Preview/Review: Savory Steak and Ale Pie from Pieminister
Stefin’s been a fan of London institution Pieminister since moving to England, and loves their seasonally organized cookbook, A Pie for All Seasons. Unfortunately, not many Pieminister recipes are on-line, but here is one closest to the Steak & Stilton Pie she made from that book: Steak & Ale Moo2 Pie. Topping a rich beef stew is a “rough puff” pastry, which she had never made before. Essentially a “quick” puff pastry, a rough puff uses many of the same techniques as a proper puff pastry, just does it in less time. Despite an initial “greasy melt,” which led her to fear the worst, Stefin’s rough puff eventually puffed up beautifully and resulted in a rich and flaky pastry. Her whole family enjoyed the pie over mash, and she has a quantity of rough puff in the freezer for her next savory pie.
The Wide World of Pie: From Canada to Jamaica, Fruit to Nuts, There’s a Pie for Everyone
Stefin finishes up the third annual Pie Month with a short mini-segment highlighting the many ways of making pie — it’s so much more versatile than the 9″ round! Whether you love them big or small, filled with fruit, meat, custard or veg, there’s a pie out there for you, wherever you are in the world.
Stefin loves the Cornish pasty from her adopted country of England. Hand pies are popular all over the world, and adapt to a variety of fillings from sweet to savory. Want to give a hand pie a try? How about this Brie & Jam Pretzel version?
Andrea enjoys making mini pies, and reports that usually a 9″ round pie will translate into two 6″ pies, or six wide-mouth Mason jar lids. She also enjoys making individual pies in half-pint wide-mouth Mason jars, a trick she learned from Listener Mary Beth. She then freezes them, and pops them in the oven as needed.
Need to feed a crowd? Slab pies have gained a resurgence in recent years, but are actually an old-fashioned way to stretch your dessert. Andrea’s favorite is a pecan slab pie. And speaking of big pies, Stefin reports that the largest meat pie ever made was in 1998 in Stratford-Upon-Avon England, where a pie weighing in at nearly 24,000 pounds and measuring 32×8 feet was created. Talk about a slab pie!
Need more inspiration? Here’s just a few of our favorites from past episodes:
Sweet Potato, Episode 101
Coconut Pumpkin Chiffon, Episode 96
Pork, Apple & Cider Pie, Episode 64
Chocolate Chess, Episode 16
Previously on Preheated …
Two Years Ago: Episode 16: Checkmate! Chocolate Chess Pie is Declared a Winner!
One Year Ago: Episode 65: Not So Humble Shoo-Fly Pie
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