THE UPPER CRUST
A German pie maker turns the delicious dessert staple into works of art
In Germany, Karin Pfeiff-Boschek makes three pies each week, posts pictures of them on Instagram and then gives most of them away. Her online pastry portfolio routinely garners thousands of “like” clicks and fan comments. Her creations, which she says must look good both pre- and post-baked, are embellished with intricate patterns of cut-outs and edible appliqués.
The result is a culinary theatrein-the-round, starring a butterpastry cascade of rosettes, hearts, leaves, berries, braids, stars, paisley, perforations, diamonds and dots.
The photogenic pastries are a marital merger combining PfeiffBoschek’s background in textile design with a bit of apple-pie influence from the American Midwest. Her husband, Indiana native Bruce Boschek, moved to Germany in the 1960s, accompanied by lessons in making pie from his mother, an award-winning baker.
Pfeiff-Boschek learned to bake from her mother and grandmothers as a girl. Now “60+,” Pfeiff-Boschek’s pleasure in pies is less about fillings than it is about developing a pleasing design: “I treat the dough as a sculptor treats the marble — perhaps not quite as violently.”
Pfeiff-Boschek’s first serious decorative effort was in September 2016. She attracted high-profile Instagram praise from Martha Stewart, who said she had “turned piecrust decorating into an art form.”
With time and patience, pie can be a work of art that will stun your guests, she says. Presenting a sweet centrepiece is part of what she describes as her life’s emphasis on “creating beautiful surroundings, both in our home and in cooking and baking.”