Mary and I took a cooking class last week, and if you live in the Kansas City area, you must go to the Kansas City Culinary Center, located in downtown Overland Park, and take the Pie Making class from the owner, Laura Laiben. I've taken several classes at the Culinary Center, and this is by far one of my favorites. Not only is Laura a great teacher, you can tell that she really enjoys making pies, and sharing her experience with many others! Plus, the class is about pies! You get to make one to take home and taste one after you make yours.
I used to help my Grandmother and Mother make pies when I was little, so I have made lots of pies in my lifetime, both from scratch, and some from box pie crust, or even used the forbidden refrigerated pie crust; but I still learned several tips from this class. Mary had never made a pie from scratch. She's been very loyal to her refrigerated pie crust, but this class may have changed her mind to make the pie crust from scratch more often!
One of the things I learned is that I usually make my pie crusts too dry. Laura swears that you can fix a pie crust that is too wet, but not if it's too dry. I always thought it would be the opposite, which is why my crust would turn out..well, just ok.
This was a hands on class that was a lot of fun, and a little cathartic! The first part was to make your filling. We used part frozen apples, to speed up the class, and then cut up some on our own. One of the tips from the class is to use your hands to mix EVERYTHING. It helps you feel if things seem off once you perfect your pie making abilities.
Next up was the crust...aka, flat plains of fat covered in flour...yum! You mix the flour and salt in with the fat with your hands (I will never use a pastry cutter to do this again!) until you get most of the pieces down to a quarter size or smaller...and then 'Stop Jacking with It!'...one of Laura's favorite sayings. Honestly, I think I usually jacked with my crust too much. Funny!
My final pie tasted great...probably the best crust I've ever made! The filling was a little runny, but that just means I should have added more flour before filling the pie.
I used my left over crust from the class to also make a quiche for Sunday brunch. I'll post that recipe soon, so be sure to come back and check it out.
Get out and enjoy a cooking class where ever you are, but if you are in the Kansas City area, be sure to check out the Kansas City Culinary Center and sign up for a class...the hardest part is picking which one to take!
Sweet treats and Sweet dreams!
Dee
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