A skinny layer of crushed graham crackers beneath fruit filling retains the pie crust from getting soggy.Graham crackers take in juices, thicken the filling and add a heat, candy taste to each chunk.This simple pie trick comes from a household recipe handed down by generations.
I’m the primary to confess that I’m not an skilled baker. I truly love baking, particularly fruit pies, galettes and tarts, however I’m undoubtedly not skilled in pastries like I’m in culinary arts. My 3-week block of baking courses in culinary college taught me the naked minimal, just like the fundamentals of creating sourdough breads, meringues, pastry cream and delicate truffles. However I all the time defer to the specialists when baking. For me, that sometimes means discovering tried-and-trusted recipes or strategies.
One such tip I realized about making the perfect fruit pies—I’m speaking daring flavors and a juicy filling with out a soggy backside—comes from an unlikely supply. It seems my father-in-law, Dan, a retired statistician, is sort of the baker. He came over us right here in Vermont one fall, and as you do at the moment of yr, we went apple-picking with the household. We ended up with so many additional apples that Dan made us Omi’s apple pie. And when he did, he included a trick of including crushed graham crackers on high of the dough earlier than filling the pie to maintain the crust from getting soggy, amongst different advantages.
Omi’s Lengthy-Lasting Custom
This apple pie was a deal with like none different, not only for its distinctive style and texture, however as a result of the recipe survived the occupation of Austria in World Battle II, a household fleeing to Palestine (what’s now Israel) and the immigration of my spouse’s household to America. There are probably numerous recipes and culinary strategies that had been misplaced, and are at the moment being misplaced, because of warfare and the displacement of a folks, however this one survived and is cherished by these nonetheless dwelling.
Omi right here refers to Judith, Dan’s mom, who was classically skilled in pastry and baking in Holland. She was, from my father-in-law’s tales, an distinctive baker, and he held on to a few of her gear and recipes all these years later. Actually, he gave us his mother’s pastry suggestions as a marriage present. Whereas she handed effectively earlier than I met my spouse, Omi left fairly the mark on her household; a lot, in truth, that our first daughter Juliet is called, partly, in honor of her.
Easy Tip for Nice Fruit Pies
There’s some debate within the household about learn how to make Omi’s apple pie, however in response to Dan, whom I regard because the skilled on this matter, graham crackers are important. No, it’s not a graham-cracker-crust fruit pie. Slightly, a skinny layer of crushed graham crackers goes instantly on the pie crust, just under the fruit filling.
Photographer: Diana Christruga
Once more, I’m not a baking and pastry skilled, however I do know sufficient culinary science to know that the graham crackers probably do just a few necessary issues in fruit pies. Most critically, the graham crackers take in a number of the liquid from the fruit filling. Capturing that liquid ensures that the underside crust doesn’t get soggy. The graham crackers additionally assist thicken the filling with out making it in the least gummy, like some thickening brokers can do. And, in fact, they add a scrumptious but acquainted taste with out overpowering the essence of the fruit.
Borrowing from an Professional
Since watching Dan make his mother’s apple pie, and completely loving each chunk, I’ve borrowed the strategy of utilizing graham cracker crumbs beneath the filling for all my fruit pie functions. This contains the extra freeform, rustic galettes, hand pies and even mini tartlets. And it really works effectively for extra than simply apples. I exploit it for berry, peach, nectarine, cherry and even rhubarb pies—no matter fruit I’ve mendacity round that must be become pie earlier than it goes unhealthy. Anytime the juice from recent fruit may probably spoil the underside crust, I add a small quantity of graham cracker crumbs, due to Omi’s apple pie.
In case you too fall into extra of the newbie baker class, it is a nice option to take your baking to the subsequent degree. You will get comparable outcomes through the use of recent breadcrumbs, however the taste is significantly better whenever you use graham crackers. Merely crush a pair crackers by hand—no want for the crumb to be positive—and add them proper on high of the pie crust as soon as it’s rolled out into the pie plate. Use simply sufficient to cowl the underside in a skinny, even layer. In case your recipe requires parbaking the pie crust first, add the cracker crumbs simply earlier than pouring within the filling. It’s a easy but efficient manner so as to add a touch of heat, acquainted taste whereas thickening the filling a bit and serving to stop the underside crust from getting soggy.
The Backside Line
Including a skinny layer of graham cracker crumbs between the underside crust and filling of a fruit pie helps thicken the filling, introduces a scrumptious and acquainted taste and reduces the possibilities of a soggy backside. It’s a technique handed down by generations of bakers, from a professionally skilled Austrian mom to her baking fanatic son and now to his meals author and recipe developer son-in-law.
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