It's a Pie, Pie World

The Gourmandise School   of Sweets and Savories     Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie, Chocolate Caramel Pie and Ricotta Pie.  It's a Pie, Pie World. Sweet, flaky vessel.  Buttery, delicate and kind to our fillings.  Oh, Pie- how can we best honor your tireless work? With sweet offerings?  Savory flavors? Ahhh.... we will do our best, so long as you hold up your end of the deal. And on that note- here are our favorite tips to make sure your pie dough holds up, flakes out and satisfies your sweet or savory tooth!   Just announced- the KCRW Pie Contest is taking place on Sept. 7 at LACMA!  Visit Good Food's blog here for more details.   Secrets of a flaky pie crust 1. Chill out.  You and the butter.  The dough smells your fear, so be calm.  Patch holes.  Have fun. 2. Use cold butter.  Really cold butter.  Never shortening, either.  I'll find you if you do. 3. Flatten your dough out, either in a bag on between two sheets of parchment paper, before chilling.  It'll make life a lot easier once cold and ready to roll. 4. It's ok if it tears.  Patch instead of pulling. 5. Call the hotline if you need anything!  310.656.8800. Hazelnut Brown Butter Pie.  Click here and scroll to see our Pie Crust recipe.  Want to taste it?  Visit our sweet creations at The Curious Baker, a few steps away from Gourmandise in The Market. Bake your pie crust with pie weights until the edges are just golden.  Remove parchment paper and pie weight.  Tarts also need to be par-baked but require only a light prick of the fork in place of pie weights.   Filling:  In a small saucepot, place: 2 ounces butter  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together: ½ cup sugar  1 egg      1 tsp vanilla      Set aside: 2 Tbsps unbleached flour  4 large, sliced apples, unpeeled and sauteed if desired 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts 1) Brown the butter in a saucepan or small skillet and set aside.  2) In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg, and vanilla until flully. Stir in the flour and hazelnuts until just combined.  Fold in the apples.  3) Place the apple mixture into the pre-baked shell and top with crumble:  Topping:  In a small bowl, combine: ½ cup unbleached flour     ½ cup sugar ¼ cup brown sugar       1 tsp cinnamon  pinch of salt Set aside: ½ stick (2 ounces) butter, cold    1) Whisk together the flour, sugars, cinnamon and salt.  2) Sand the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or knife until you get a crumbly texture.  3) Sprinkle over apples and baked for 1 hour at 350.  If you notice that the crumble is browning too much, top it with parchment paper or foil to finish baking. Wishing you a delicious day, Clémence and Hadley