Operation: Pie Rescue
When I write about pie on my blog, it's usually for comic relief.
Apparently, my friend Morgan thought it was hilarious when I wrote about my "Patched-Together Rhubarb Pie." It's true: I'm comically bad at rolling out pie dough. (Though Pim's latest post "One Pie Dough To Rule Them All" makes me think I'll have to give that technique a whirl.)
Even when I get the rolling-out right, though, things go wrong. Case in point: the blueberry pie I made last week.
I was making the Blueberry Crumb Pie from Rebecca Charles's "Lobster Rolls & Blueberry Pie" and was following the instructions to pre-bake the crust with pie weights or beans weighing down the dough. I didn't have pie weights or traditional beans; but I had lentils. So I pre-baked it with the lentils you see in the picture at the top of this post.
Then, when it came time to remove the lentils to bake the crust uncovered for a little bit I had a little accident:
A handful of lentils fell into the pie dough itself. Because the pie was now hot and melty, the lentils really got wedged in there. Was my pie ruined? Should I throw it all out and start again (after all that processing, rolling and chilling?) No! I would forge ahead and remove those lentils one by one.
And that's exactly what I did: I performed pie surgery. I used a tiny spoon and carefully removed the lentils one by one until the pie dough was good as new (with a few divots here and there):
Not bad, right? Maybe I should've been a surgeon like my Jewish mother wanted.
And this story has a happy ending. Look at this finished blueberry crumb pie:
I won't share the recipe because I already gave you the recipe for Rebecca's lobster roll and you should patronize her and her book. This'll be your reward:
Plus some pie-infused lentils for tomorrow night's dinner.
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