Good Advice

Need advice on something culinary?  Ask here!   Our experts are more than willing to help out.  Ask about anything; baking, equipment, menu planning, wine pairing, etc.  Please submit all questions to advice@cassandracrossing.net or ask on the forum and we might include your question here as well.

October 2008

Question:  I'm making a cherry pie for church tonight, I've never made cherry before, so I'm wondering if I should toss the cherries in some corn starch to thicken. I'm a tad bit worried that it will be runny. All the recipe call for is cherries, spices, sugar and that's all.

Any suggestions? Corn starch? Tapioca? Another recipe?

Answer:  I've made them for years and always add more thickening because it's easy to have soupy cherry pie. My mom always had problems. Are you using fresh or canned? Sour cherries can also add more liquid than bing cherries. Drain the cherries for a long time if you are using canned cherries. I always use more than the 4-6 cups most recipes call for because cherries really shrink during cooking. I use a combination of 1/3 c. flour and 2 1/2 T tapioca per 8 c. of cherries. This makes a really nice 9 inch pie. Be sure to add a few drops of almond extract and a couple of T. of butter spread over the pie before you add your top crust.  (Him8Nutz)

May, 2006

Question:  I've always used foil to cover the edge of my pie crust so it doesn't burn. I've seen pie shields for sale (made of various materials - non-stick, aluminum and silicone). Has anyone tried them? Do you find they work well? If so, which material do you recommend? I find the foil to be a bit of a pain, so if there's something easier, I'll definitely switch. Thanks!

Answer:  I find the pie shield very useful when I make my pumpkin pie, because the crust is in the oven so long. The one-piece is the way to go; the multi-piece shield (I had one briefly) is just as big a pain as using foil. The pieces don't stay together well at all.

The one I use is just plain aluminum and it's easy to use. Just set it gently over the top of the pie. Only once did I have some filling stick to it (when I overfilled the pie). I soaked it while I washed everything else first, and it came clean with no scrubbing. (Astarte)