Paula: 1 – Big Bad Pie Crust: 1

So, let’s just say that I had my first official do-over or as I like to call, my ‘Mulligan’ pie.  My initial attempt at the Sweet Potato Pie yielded an important lesson: when cutting a pie crust recipe in half because you only need one 9-inch pie crust, don’t forget to also cut the amount of water you need in half…if not, you will have pizza dough, instead of pie crust.  Lesson learned.  Moving on.

Still slightly scarred by my pie crust failure, I decided to buy another ready-made pie crust and made a second attempt at the pie, using a different recipe. Not only was this pie a total success, but it was also quite tasty and calorie friendly thus proving that you can take this class without blowing your diet.  Check out the results below and if you are tempted to give it a try, here is the link to the recipe: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/11/sweet-potato-pie.html

Feeling guilty that I didn’t make my own pie crust for my two previous assignments, I was determined to make the crust for my next pie…the Fruit Pie.  In my mind, there was only one choice for this assignment – the Apple Pie.  I don’t have much to say about the pie other than I did make my own pie crusts, correctly following the recipe.  I did discover while I don’t mind making my own pie crust, I don’t really like rolling out the dough.  Despite covering everything, including myself, in flour, the dough still sticks to my rolling pin and the counter.  I feel like I need to sprout a second set of hands to hold everything in place.  Here is my apple pie, overflowing with ‘appley’ goodness!  Paired with vanilla ice cream, it was divine.

Next up…the Holiday Pie.  According to the lesson, the holiday pies are delicious treats that increase the fun of holiday celebration.  Bring on the party in a pie crust!

Move over Marie Callendar, there’s a new Pot Pie Queen in town and her name is Paula…no not Deen.  However, with the two sticks of butter that went into my pie crust that might not be far from the truth!  I am happy to report that I successfully tackled my fear of the homemade pie crust, and I am quite certain that Martha Stewart heard her kitchen timer chime and knew that somewhere in the world another person had made their first pie crust.  I must confess that it was much easier than I had imagined – not as easy as opening a box of pre-made crusts, mind you, but still not the slavish task that I made it out to be in my head.

So, having added pie crust making to my wheelhouse, it was time to move on to Assignments 3/4 – the Main Dish Pie.  With options such as Beef Cottage Cheese Pie, Salmon Pie and Spinach Pie, the clear choice was the Chicken Pot Pie.  In the spirit of full disclosure, I must confess that I used a ready-made crust, instead of making my own, but the filling was all my doing.  Again, it would be so much easier to pull out a frozen pot pie and microwave that baby for dinner, but I must say that I derived a certain amount of pleasure from making my own from scratch.  It was a beauty and as an added bonus, it tasted great, too!

Next up…the Sweet Pie, which truth be told is the reason most people want to make a pie – for dessert!  I have my eye on the Sweet Potato Pie with a homemade shortening crust.  So stay tuned to see if this Northern girl can tackle this Southern staple…

Well, apparently I am because the thought of making my own pie crust, from scratch, is synonymous with doing my taxes – necessary, but certainly not something I have ever looked forward to, especially when I can have someone else do it for me – like the Pillsbury dough boy.

So, maybe you are like me, you enjoy baking, have even made a pie or two, but have never ventured beyond buying a ready-made pie crust from the store.  Or maybe you just really like pie – it is after all one of America’s cultural icons, despite the fact that pie has been around long before Christopher Columbus even considered being an explorer when he grew up.

With the temperature outside dropping, this seemed like the perfect time to turn on the oven, sign up for Pie Baking 101 through Universal Class and tackle my fear of the big, bad crust.  I have made it through the first lesson – “History of Pie – An Introduction” – who knew that the first pies date back to 2000 B.C. and were a favorite food of the Ancient Egyptians?  Not me.  And now I am ready to tackle Lesson #2 – “Cooking Pie Crusts”.  As my instructor says, “Cooking good pie crust is the most important part of preparing a pie.”

Well, that is all for now – the next time you hear from me, I should have mastered the pie crust and moved on to Main Dish Pies.  Between you and me – I think I will skip the Beef Cottage Cheese Pie and the Salmon Pie, but I have high hopes for the Shepherd’s Pie and the Turkey Pot Pie!  My goal after I complete each lesson is to bring the results, which should hopefully be an edible pie, into work and let my co-workers be the guinea pigs…I mean, the judges of my pie-baking prowess.  I will share their feedback with you – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Bookmark this blog & follow along on my personal pie-baking journey, and in the upcoming weeks, be on the lookout for Database Diaries posts from Andrea and Laura who will take on private investigation and photography!

Want to do more than read about our experiences with Universal Class? Sign up for your own class! Universal Class offers hundreds of classes on a wide variety of subjects – all for free! It’s easy to sign up – simply search for Universal Class on our database page & follow the instructions. As always, call us or stop by the library for a visit and we’ll be happy to help!