Test Kitchen Outtakes: Life of Pie

Yesterday, we tested a whole lot of portable sides. Salads and grains were prominent. It was all very wholesome. But you don't want to hear about that -- you want to hear about our pie.

Erin, known around these parts as apartmentcooker, sometimes helps us out in the test kitchen and always brings baked goods (like banana cake with cocoa nibs and nutella). Yesterday, she showed us how to make cherry pie filling, and while we weren't looking, she whipped up a pie crust. In roughly 2 minutes. At the end of the day, she filled it with her sweet, syrupy cherries.

We all hovered as she mad a fat lattice -- a "fattice" -- complete with crimped edges, an egg wash, and a sprinkle of cane sugar. Into the oven it went, and we headed back to our seats, anxious for pie, not feeling too patient.

A quick aside: the most important thing you can do when making pie is to use leftover scraps of dough to make pie crust cookies. Sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar, or smear them with jam while you wait for your masterpiece to cool. We caught Kristen Instagramming the plate that held us over until we were able to dig into the real deal.

The pie arrived, heroically, dramatically, and then sat, setting, cooling. We waited. People started getting antsy. We feared revolt. We cut into the pie.

And it was good. It was gone before we knew it, so quickly that we were already planning our next pie as we picked at the last bits of cherry in the pan. We served it with a vintage pie server, of course -- and lots of vanilla ice cream. Stay tuned for that cherry pie filling recipe!

Want more pie grams? Follow us on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes baking!