Ok, so I spent all saturday afternoon preparing this pie, and reading carefully the recipe in the Pie and pastry bible.
It was my time ever baking a pie, I do not have a pie pan (yet) so I bought an aluminium one…..first big mistake…........maybe second mistake is that I substituted the pie dough recipe with the flaky cream cheese one…..........maybe 3rd mistake, I wanted to use the leftover raspberry glaze of last week, so I put on the bottom of the pie, before pouring the lemon filling…...result: lotsa tools and things to wash, lotsa work and the poorest result ever (taste is good):
Here it is
maybe the creamcheese crust was too soft for this kind of cake?
I feel so frustrated after all this work…... :(
Sorry to hear you had so many problems with your pie. But from your pictures it looks like the taste was still good. The last time I made a pie was many moons ago. It was an apple pie and I had to drain it before we could eat it. A total disaster. Needless to say, I haven’t attempted to make another fruit pie again. Cakes, non-fruit pies and other desserts I can do. Fruit pies are another story. They stress me out!!!! I am tempted to get the Pie and pastry bible and maybe try again. Hopefully some of the other members can help you out as I am useless when it comes to fruit pies. I just wanted you to know that you are not alone in the pie baking venture.
Thanks Liza for letting me know I’m not alone!
Maybe I started with the wrong pie, too difficult, too many things to do….......
The bottom of the pie really “disappeared”, but I would like to give pies another try.
Maybe I have to import the pie pan first, lol, as the aluminium one was too soft to pick up, and maybe there problems began….....It really frustrates me to have to import all, but it seems there are no chances…..... :(
I don’t have the P&PB; but I have made many lemon meringue pies which have turned out quite well! Did you blind-bake your pastry case before putting in the filling? This is what I do and I usually use a short crust pastry made in a flan ring placed on a baking sheet. Without seeing the actual recipe i can’t help you any more but it is probably to do with the way the pastry was baked that caused the problem, I would think. Don’t despair though, we can all learn from our mistakes and so long as it tasted good that is the main thing!
It looks like you removed the pie from the pan (?), which is possible sometimes, but most people never do it. I think that is why it fell apart. Also, adding the sauce probably made the crust soggy—is that what you mean by it disappeared? One final note, Rose posted a correction on this recipe:
In the LEMON MERINGUE PIE on page 178 under “make the filling,” do not use a double boiler and be sure to bring the egg mixture to full boil to ensure that it will thicken properly.
But as long as it tasted good, that is the most important thing!
Yes Matthew, I removed the cake from the pan and it was not completely cold yet, and yes, soggy is the word! Concerning the filling I did bring it to full boil.
I did not know that the pie must not be removed from the pan!!!!!
Maghina, tarts frequently survive being removed from their pan (the loose bottom helps), but pies rarely do. The raspberry sauce may have also contributed to the problem, as it may have made the crust soggy so it would be even less likely to hold together without a pan underneath. Next time leave the pie in the pan and serve the sauce on the side.
If you want to import a raspberry flavor into the pie, brush the crust with a thin layer of thick raspberry jam that has been heated just enough to brush on, which actually acts as a moisture barrier between crust and filling. A glaze or a sauce will definitely make the crust soggy. Also make sure you’re crust is throughly baked—lightly browned all the way through the center. Even a slightly underdone crust will become soggy. I usually bake pie crusts lined with coffee filter and beans until the crust is almost done, remove the coffee filter/beans, and return it to the oven to finish browning.
Traditional meringue toppings don’t turn out too well for me at my altitude, so I usually make a swiss meringue, pile it on top of the cooled crust and filling, and brown it with a blow torch.
Maghina, so sorry about what happened! Don’t give up though. The 1st time I made the Open-faced designer apple pie from P&PB;, the crust was too soggy. So the whole pie was not very good. I was so disappointed because it took me a long time as well. Then a few months pass by and I tried again and it was much better. So you’re not alone.
Oh, Maghina, I had to laugh when I saw that poor pie! I’m glad it still tasted good. I hope you can salvage most of it.
When I make an American-style pie (in the deeper pie pans), I never remove the whole pie from the pan. The crust just isn’t strong enough to hold up to that. I cool the pie and then remove individual slices from the pan.
With a European style tart (shallow pan and usually a firmer crust), then yes, you can remove them from the pans.
My worst pie mistake was the time I made a mixed-fruit pie (blueberry, sour cherry, and raspberry) and forgot ALL of the sugar in the pie filling. The pie looked fine, but it was much too sour to eat! We actually managed to save it by pulling off the top crust and sprinkling lots of sugar all over the filling.
P. S. Some tips for keeping the crust from being soggy—if you are pre-baking the crust, try brushing it with a thin coat of beaten egg or egg white just after taking it out of the oven. If the egg wash does not set completely, put it back in the oven for a minute until it sets. Or, let the crust cool and brush with a thin coat of white or dark chocolate. Or, as Roxanne suggests, brush it with jam. Lots of options.
And if you are baking crust and pie together, it helps to get a baking stone, put it on the lowest rack of the oven or even on the bottom of the oven itself, and set the pie pan directly on the baking stone. Lots of heat to set the bottom crust fast.
As a matter of fact, I did put egg white but…....a whole dollop of it fell in the cake so I had to wipe it out with a paper towel…...lol! We don’t have baking stones here, and I don’t even know how they’re made…...anyway I’ll try anothe one soon, maybe I’ll go with an apple pie…........
BTW, despite the terrific appearance, it was gone in less than one day….....it was more a tirmisu than a cake!
I’m glad not to be the only one…...........
