In the past 24 hours, we've read two articles about this technique—one from Mark Bittman in yesterday's Times and one in Bon Appétit. Must be a trend. Both articles insist this method of pie crust is easier, but we're not sure. Get all the details, below...
The appeal is this: Instead of rolling out a pie dough and carefully transferring it to your pie plate, you skip the bottom crust altogether. You still roll out the dough, but rather than laying it under (or over) your fruit in one sheet, you cut out shapes or even just cut it into squares or rectangles, then place them in an overlapping pattern.
Here are the pros:
• If you have a hard time rolling the pie dough into something resembling a circle, you can breathe easy that the shape doesn't matter here; you're cutting it up anyway.
• No crimping the edges of the crust.
• No pre-baking the crust (if the recipe calls for that) or dealing with pie weights.
• According to Bittman, a top crust develops more browned, crispy edges.
• It looks pretty!
But we'd counter with:
• Is transferring a pie crust really that hard? If it breaks, you just pinch it back together.
• You're still rolling out the dough.
• Cutting out shapes and placing them one by one seems more time-consuming.
It does look lovely, and it's just a nice change from the everyday, bottom-crusted pie. What do you think?
Here are the articles:
• Top Crust Peach and Cardamom Pie, from Bon Appétit
• How to Make a Top Crust, from Bon Appétit
• Another Tasty Way to Elude Pie Crust, from The New York Times
Related: Use Pie Dough Cut-Outs to Top Pies (A similar idea, but you still make a bottom crust)
(Images: CNP Digital Studio)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I agree about it not being hard to transfer pie crust and I don't think it's really that hard to roll something out in a circle. At most takes a little practice. Seems these days that a lot of people give up on cooking something if they can't get it right the first time.
Hmm...I dunno about not having a bottom crust. But this seems like a great alternative for topping pies vs. the woven strip lattice type.
view wunami's profile
I do this with my pies all the time (well, the top crust. I still use a normal bottom crust). I use a star/flower shaped cookie cutter and put the cut out shapes overlapping on the pie. I think it looks a lot nicer than just laying the crust over the pie and it's far easier (for me, at least) than doing the lattice pattern.
view laetitiae's profile
I really like crust, so I would never make a bottomless pie! I also agree that if you're rolling the dough out anyway, it's not that much more work to transfer the crust. And I feel like you would end up with a lot more leftover crust-dough this way.
On the other hand, I do think that it could be a nice-looking change to top a pie with.
view minji's profile
As long as it tastes good, why not? I think it would work well here in Maine...looks like shingled houses. The round shapes are good feng shui, too!
Katy
http://fengshuibyfishgirl.com
view fishgirl's profile
Yes! I'm so glad top-crust-only pies are becoming the thing to do. We've been doing that in my family for years because it's healthier and, frankly, has a better fruit-to-crust balance. (See this post for our top-crust-only blackberry pie). But whenever I entertain for friends, I make a bottom crust so that my friends won't think I'm weird. Maybe now I can make top-crust pies with pride!
- Amelia of Gradually Greener
view GreenCayennes's profile
I want to try this but agree that in order to be a pie needs a bottom. If it is top only it becomes a crisp, cobbler, brumble whatever...
view alexis's profile
I just made the peach cardamom pie, I skipped the food processor all together and it turned out fantastic, recipe here:
http://www.paintedpeach.blogspot.com
view Elissa-D's profile
I actually made this tonight - I saw Mark Bittman's recipe earlier in the week and thought it looked like a good alternative for me, since I don't really like fiddling with pastry. I wouldn't call the finished product a pie (MB actually calls it a 'fruit bake', which is more accurate) but it was good. And a bit less work than a pie, too.
view hilarybue's profile
Transferring a pie crust is not that difficult. If you can't manage to roll it onto your pin and transfer it by hand, then roll it onto a flexible cutting mat or a piece of wax paper, and do it that way. Pies have been mythologized into some sort of difficult test of baking skills, but there's a reason they were so popular before our convenience-eating era--they're not just delicious, but easy and fast to make.
I like the aesthetics of the overlapping shapes, though, and maybe I'll give it a try when the temperature drops a bit.
view Leslie in Portland's profile
I'm kind of intrigued by this idea, but irritated by the misnomer--it's not a pie without a bottom crust, it's a crisp/cobbler/crumble/slump/grunt/buckle/brown betty/something else.
view prolix's profile
I did this three weeks ago!
I was making a blueberry peach pie. I wanted the filling to peek through, but I weaving lattice tops is a lot of work. I was thinking of the pies topped with cut out stars, but that is just too "Martha" and beside I don't have any cookie cutters. The overlapping circles was a sudden inspiration, and it was perfect.
Oh, and I did it with the vodka crust. perfect.
view holydita's profile
It's pretty, but I can't wrap my head around a pie without a bottom crust. I think I'd just use this technique on a classic two-crust pie instead.
view TammyE's profile
oh, I made it with a bottom crust and the cut our circle top. it's just not a pie otherwise. it's a crisp. :)
maybe Bittman has been spying the pictures on my fb profile.
view holydita's profile