If you’ve perfected your pie-making skills, you can skip the post. But if, like me, something always seems to go wrong when you bake, stick around.
Try as I might, my well-intentioned Thanksgiving pie plans always go awry. Can I blame my oven? I’d like to blame my oven. Bad stove, bad! Faced with cracks, a burnt crust or an undercooked filling, I’ve discovered solutions to rescue a pie from its almost certain demise. Here, my top tips for saving a pie.
Problem #1: There’s a crack running through the center of your pie
Solution: I learned this trick from the very talented food editor and cookbook author Grace Parisi. Throw cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl stat. Beat with a fork or a hand-mixer until soft peaks form. Now mound that luscious whipped cream topping over the pie. Phew!
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Problem #2: The crust is blackened and burnt, but your soul is still intact
Solution: Scoop out the filling from your burnt pie and then whip up a batch of that whipped cream (above). Feel free to hum Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) while you do so. Now, you need some little glasses because you’re going to turn that pie into a parfait. In a small glass, dollop a layer of whipped cream, a layer of pie filling, then another layer of whipped cream. Top with crumbled bits of pie crust that are not charred to a crisp. Voila! You meant to do this.
Problem #3: It’s time for dessert and your pie is undercooked
Solution: Scoop out the filling, add a little bit of flour and heat it in a sauté pan until thickened and bubbling. You can go two ways with this: top vanilla ice cream with the sauce you’ve created or put the sauce first, then top with ice cream. BOOM! You’ve got a festive holiday sundae and your guests are non the wiser.