This was my ABC pie for National Pi Day!
I pondered the question of what kind of pie to make on the special day. There were numerous options while I was leaning toward a fruit pie. Then, what fruit? We are a big fan of
Michigan ABC pie by Grand Traverse Pie Company. It's one of the best fruit pies that I found so far. Their Michigan ABC pie is made with Michigan Northern Spy apples, Michigan Rubel blueberries, and Michigan Montmorency cherries. I could make something similar with fruit available here - a bag of organic golden delicious apples, frozen wild blueberries, and frozen cranberries. It would be my original ABC!
The recipe for pie dough was my usual Cook's Illustrated's Foolproof pie dough. I quickly microwaved sliced apples. It was a trick of Cook's Illustrated. According to them, "when the apples are gently heated, their pectin is converted to a heat-stable form that keeps them from becoming mushy when cooked further in the oven." Cooking apples twice makes apples more stable. I learn something new everyday.
Hello again, my little pie birdie! I remember he didn't play his role as a chimney
last time, but his appearance made me happy. Thus, he shall be set in the pie again.
Egg while wash and sugar sprinkles. Ready to go to the heated oven. Oh, I almost forgot to cut slits in the top crust, but I didn't. I assumed blueberries and cranberries could release a lot of juice and my birdie won't help steam out; the pie needed slits.
Ta-da!
The second pie with the birdie!
Although I tossed fruits with some cornstarch and arrowroot powder to thicken juice from fruits, when I cut and took out two slices, there was a pool of juice. Probably I should have added more cornstarch or arrowroot powder or both. On the other hand, both the crust and filling were amazingly wonderful. The combination of ABC created an irresistible balance among sweetness, sourness, flavor and texture.
Of course, I served the pie with lightly sweetened whipped cream!
On Day 2, I was able to slice the pie much better and prettier, and the new slice didn't create a pool of juice, which means the bottom of the crust didn't get soggy. I must have sliced the pie on Day 1 too early while the pie was still warm and the juice hadn't rest yet. Well, if there was a fresh pie that nicely smelled and was still warm on the kitchen counter, how long could we stay away? 2 hours were a maximum, at least for us.
Whipped cream? Yes, please!
J and I really liked the home-made ABC pie. It was a perfect pie to celebrate the happy Pi Day of 2017!
