Kate Carney Pastry chef at Superior Motors in Braddock
Q: How do you make a store-bought pie look and taste homemade?
A: The pie has already been baked, and so all you can really do at this point is to give a few touches that will make a difference. Make an egg wash and dab it on the crust before it goes into the oven to be warmed. The egg wash will give the pie a nice golden color when it is pulled out.
Make your own whipped cream by adding a little bit of
powdered sugar, a pinch of salt and a dash of vanilla to the heavy cream. This will be cheaper and taste much better than a dollop of Cool Whip from a tub.
I cannot overstate how flowers can help. Get some marigolds or mums — whole flowers and petals — give them a rinse, and decorate the pie with them. The pie will look nice and classy.
If you are up for some work, make a caramel sauce with sugar and heavy cream in a 1 to 1 ratio and a couple of tablespoons of butter. In a saucepan, melt sugar until it turns to a dark amber color. Zap the cream in the micro until it is hot to touch. Turn the heat down for the sugar and whisk in the cream; it will bubble a lot. After it cools a bit, pour into a fresh bowl. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. It will start to emulsify into caramel. Add salt to taste. Then drizzle the caramel over the pie. Everybody will think you are a culinary genius.
Q: What’s the best way to prevent a runny pumpkin pie filling?
A: Transfer the pumpkin filling from the can into a plastic container and place the container into the freezer the night before. On the following day, thaw it under cold running water. The pulp will separate from the liquid, and you will have thick pulp before you bake it. You could also pour the filling through a cheesecloth, and all of the liquid will separate.
Q: When you add sugar to a fruit filling, it makes it soupy. How do you avoid it?
A: Add the sugar earlier on to the fruit, and it will draw the liquid out of the fruit. Once it macerates, pour off the liquid and add a little more sugar to sweeten the fruit.
Q: How do you slice a cake or pie without it collapsing or crumbling?
A: Use a sharp knife that is not serrated to make a clean cut. It’s also important to have a hot knife. So get a bowl of hot water and place the knife in it. Before each cut, dip it in the hot water and then wipe it.
Q: What are the steps to warm a pie that you froze three days ago?
A: It’s ideal to take it out of the freezer on Thanksgiving Eve and thaw it in the refrigerator. On the day of, you can move the pie from the refrigerator to the oven.