Ingredients

　　

Bland

Step 1

Ground allspice is a fine pepper-upper for most kinds of pies, including apple, berry, raisin, pumpkin, prune, and custard, among others. Add 1/4 teaspoon to the filling to start with.

　　

Step 2

Caraway seeds in the crust give apple pie a different and interesting taste. Add 1 teaspoon per 2 cups of flour. Two other good things to add: cumin to the fruit of a fruit pie before putting on the top crust; fennel sprinkled on top of the crust before baking.

　　

Dry out while cooking

Step 3

Erecting a small smokestack in the center of the pie permits the heat to escape, so it doesn’t stay inside and boil the juices away. The simplest sort of smokestack is a piece of raw macaroni inserted vertically, right in the middle of the pie.

　　

Filling too loose (fruit pies)

Step 4

This is a common problem. The immediate fix is to serve the runny pie à la mode, spooning the juices like a sauce over the ice cream and acting like that was part of the plan all along.

　　

Step 5

Next time, use a different recipe. Or do as some bakers do and toss the fruit with a bit of sugar, let the fruit sit until it gives up some juice, then pour off the juice before filling the pie (the juice is yummy so don’t throw it away—pour it over your pancakes or something). Other bakers cook the fruit on the stove top until it’s thickened prior to pouring it into the crust. And others use multiple thickeners (cornstarch and tapioca or cornstarch and flour). One trick that’s great for berry pies is to add a grated apple to the filling. You won’t see or taste the apple in the baked pie, but the pectin in the apple will help the filling gel. This may work with other fruit pies (hopefully you don’t need a trick for your apple pie), but we’ve not tried it. Always let your pie cool completely before serving. Yes, it may taste great warm, but the filling will have the best texture once it has cooled.

　　

Hot

Step 6

The traditional way of cooling pies is to put them on the windowsill, from which they will be stolen by cute freckle-faced boys. Now that the windowsill is going the way of the running board, pies may be cooled quickly by putting a layer of ice cubes in a big pan and resting the pie tin on top of the ice cubes.

　　

Not enough filling

Step 7

Shorten the side crust to the top of the filling and serve it as a flan or as a tart with a lattice crust.

　　

Soggy crust

Step 8

Consider serving the pie by scooping out the filling, leaving the soggy crust behind. If it was a cream pie, it’s now pudding; if it was a fruit pie, it’s now fruit compote for ice cream! Next time, before adding the filling, brush the bottom and sides of the pastry with a beaten (but not fluffy) egg white, and put it in a 400°F oven for about 4 minutes. Or bake your pie on the bottom of the oven or on a pizza stone.

　　

Too sweet

Step 9

Add the juice of half a lemon to the filling. This also helps to bring out the flavor of the fruit, especially in berry pies.

　　How to Repair Food, Third Edition