Cupcakes are crusty...go pie!

So...pie is the new cupcake?! Pie Shops have been popping up all over and its leading some to think slices of pie are taking over. I have to say, thank god! Yes, cupcakes are cute, the perfect portion, and I even have a cupcake tattoo (don't judge me, it was a cute idea at the time...right?), but it's all getting old. Didn't it start way back in 2005? I think everyone is ready for something different.

Now I have to say, me and pie haven't always gotten along. Up until a year or so ago, pie was just pie, nothing special to me. Now nothing beats a warm piece of pie with ice cream on top (coconut, soy, or regular...take your pick). The way the warm pie melts the ice cream. It's amazing and I don't know what I was thinking before.

Pies are great because they are versatile and filling choices are endless. I personally can't wait until summer where blueberries will be abundant, strawberries are sweet, and when my all time favorite rhubarb finally hits the stores. In the summer when your garden is giving you too many tomatoes and vegetables to handle you could make a savory pie. Yumm.

I recently read an article in Martha Stewart Living about two sisters who opened a pie shop in Brooklyn, NY called, Four & Twenty Blackbirds. Their mission is to put inventive twists on old family recipes as well as have a rotating seasonal menu. Flavors they have offered since opening are bourbon sweet potato, salted caramel apple, blueberry lavender, and honey rhubarb. Next time I'm up that way, I'll definitely be stopping in.

Inspired by the article, I decided to make some pie! One of the most important aspects of a pie is the crust. Flakey and buttery are a must. So to make sure there was a proper flake and buttery taste I used Earth Balance, which honestly mimics butter extremely well and it's a lot better for you than butter is. In order to get that beautiful flaky crust there are some rules that need to be followed. First, all of your ingredients need to be cold. Why you ask? The flakiness in you pie crust comes from the chunks of butter that are mixed into the dough. If your butter is at room temperature then it will melt into the dough and your crust will be a sad mess. So keep that Earth Balance in the fridge, or even freezer for 20 minutes before you use it. I have never felt the need to put my flours in the fridge before making pie dough but if your worried, go right ahead. The second thing, when you add liquid to the dough, make sure its ice water. Again this helps keep the dough and butter cold. Lastly, handle your dough as little as possible. Over working it will melt the butter. The key is to have a dough with small pieces of butter throughout so when its baked the butter melts, creates steam, and the dough puffs up, thus creating flakiness. Another tip, bake pies on a sheet pan so juices that bubble over won't dirty up your oven.

I thought it would be cute to make mini pies with pot pie pans I found at the supermarket. I made three mini pies, apple, blueberry, and cherry. I did use frozen blueberries and cherries. Surprisingly they turned out pretty well and were not watery as I had feared. I let the pies cool completely before cutting into them, which help them set even more. For the warm factor just pop it in your microwave for 15 seconds.

Here are some pictures of my pies.

Apple

Bite size apple

Blueberry 

Blueberry

Cherry