Store Bought Pie and How to Save It
Store bought pie is something that I used to crave and dread at the same time, let me explain. The first thing you need to know. There is nothing like a homemade pie. Absolutely NOTHING! But sometimes you don’t have the time, will, or the ingredients to make a pie. Your craving is still there, then it’s fallback time, you reach for the store-bought pie.
I have required a sugar-free diet for over 30 years. In that time it has become easier to find sugar free or No Sugar Added pie. Yea for diabetics everywhere. Unfortunately, the No Sugar Added/ Sugar-Free pies must be frozen when shipped. That’s my guess as seeing how the filling and crust is in such bad condition when it finally arrives at my home. The filling would always be cloudy, solid and totally unappetizing. The crust would not be crisp but moisture laden. Several years ago I finally got fed up with the status quo and decided that it was time for a change.
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What I Want To Achieve
I started to think about what happens when a pie is baked for the very first time. It starts out as sugar and fruit with some sort of thickener added and it becomes this shiny if not glossy, a thick combination of cooked fruit and juices. I wondered if I reheated the pie(a second baking) would the filling come back from whatever state it was in, to that yummy glossy, thick combination of fruit and juices. Could I get the crust back to something, not moisture laden while working on the filling?
Questions, Questions
Well now that I had a plan of attack on the unsuspecting pie came the questions. How long do I cook it? What temperature is needed to “cook” the pie? Am I going to burn up the crust getting the filling to come back to its perfect state? Can I get the crust no longer soggy at the same time that the filling comes back to perfection?
The Important Variables
I looked for the important variables and they came up time and temperature. The formula looks like this: time+temperature=perfect pie filling. Now this was not a one time, I got it perfect the first time, thing. I tried several temperatures and time combinations to get to the perfect combination. But before I got the right combination, there were several very dry, very crispy, definitely overcooked, hand me a big glass of milk pie crusts that I sacrificed my taste buds on. It was tough work eating those pies but that’s what we taste testers do for the greater good. I eventually got to the right combination where the crust and the filling came out in my view perfect. If you share my view, this technique will work for any fruit pie sugared or nonsugar types, the answer is a few words away.
How To Get The Filling And Crust Back To Perfection Once You Bring Your Pie Home
- Remove it from its container.
- Set your oven to 350°
- Place the pie on a small cookie sheet
- When your oven is up to temperature “cook” your pie for 45 minutes
- Pull the pie from the oven promptly
- Allow it cool to room temperature before cutting
- Dig out something to top it with if you like your pie with ice cream or whipped topping
- Enjoy
If you try my “recipe” for your pie let me know how it worked for you. I’d appreciate it.
(Mybusyretiredlife.com all rights reserved)
(Mybusyretiredlife.com All rights reserved)
