I made the Crack Pie today. Nothin' to it. Very simple to make. The
cookie crust is actually very, very good and I will use it in future.
The pie, however, wasn't anything to write home about and certainly
not worth $44 per, IMHO. It tastes very much like an overly sweet
chess pie. The LA Times needs to find a new food editor.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

---

"If the soup had been as warm as the wine,
if the wine had been as old as the turkey,
and if the turkey had had a breast like the maid,
it would have been a swell dinner." Duncan Hines

"Terry Pulliam Burd" > wrote in message
...
>I made the Crack Pie today. Nothin' to it. Very simple to make. The
> cookie crust is actually very, very good and I will use it in future.
> The pie, however, wasn't anything to write home about and certainly
> not worth $44 per, IMHO. It tastes very much like an overly sweet
> chess pie. The LA Times needs to find a new food editor.
>

I also made the Crack Pie today. Omg , it is so sweet my teeth ached after
one bite, which is all I could manage. The men/young men/teenagers in my
family, however, *loved* it. Hubby said it was like a pecan pie without the
pecans. I gave half a pie to my neighbors and half to my parents, so that
jury is out. It cost less than $10.00 to make two pies, so I agree that
$44.00 a pie is exhorbitant.

The oatmeal cookie crust was definitely worth the effort! It didn't taste
like an oatmeal cookie but it made a great pie crust.

On Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:04:58 -0500, "dejablues"
> wrote:

>I also made the Crack Pie today. Omg , it is so sweet my teeth ached after
>one bite, which is all I could manage. The men/young men/teenagers in my
>family, however, *loved* it. Hubby said it was like a pecan pie without the
>pecans. I gave half a pie to my neighbors and half to my parents, so that
>jury is out. It cost less than $10.00 to make two pies, so I agree that
>$44.00 a pie is exhorbitant.

Yup - That was my take on it as well. I haven't forced it on Bill (the
DH), but I'm willing to bet he'll like it better than I did. It's just
too damned sweet.
>
>The oatmeal cookie crust was definitely worth the effort! It didn't taste
>like an oatmeal cookie but it made a great pie crust.
>
ITA, it was a great pie crust and actually stuck to the pie plate
pretty well, unlike many cookie crusts I've made. I'd caution the
baker to watch the crust/cookie like a hawk. the edges burn pretty
easily. When I make this crust again - and I will, it's a nice crust -
I'd layer the cookie sheet with foil, curl the foil up to form a
narrow protective cover just on the smallesst margin of the crust and
keep a keen eye on it.

I don't think I spent even $10 on it - most of the stuff I had on hand
and were in small quantities (I made a half recipe, which was a treat
to divide). 4 eggs, a wee bit of cream, some brown and white sugar,
some rolled oats - it didn't amount to much. And it is a dead easy
recipe. And I guess the $44 must include some very pricey Manhattan
overhead/hired help/advertising. You'd have to be nuts to pay that for
*any* pie!

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

---

"If the soup had been as warm as the wine,
if the wine had been as old as the turkey,
and if the turkey had had a breast like the maid,
it would have been a swell dinner." Duncan Hines

In article >,
Terry Pulliam Burd > wrote:

> I made the Crack Pie today. Nothin' to it. Very simple to make. The
> cookie crust is actually very, very good and I will use it in future.
> The pie, however, wasn't anything to write home about and certainly
> not worth $44 per, IMHO. It tastes very much like an overly sweet
> chess pie. The LA Times needs to find a new food editor.

Thanks for the report. I was going to try that recipe today, but had to
postpone. If the filling is really as super-sweet as you describe, it
might not be a winner in this house. I like pecan pie, but chess pie
(without the nuts to add texture and a touch of bitterness) does not
work for me. I don't think Cindy likes it either.

The cookie crust sounds intriguing, however. I wonder if it would work
for a key lime pie?

--
Julian Vrieslander

On Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:47:26 -0800, Julian Vrieslander
> wrote:

>The cookie crust sounds intriguing, however. I wonder if it would work
>for a key lime pie?

You know, I think that cookie crust would be *brilliant* with key lime
or lemon pie. The crust isn't overly sweet, but would be a nice
counterpoint to the tart.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

---

"If the soup had been as warm as the wine,
if the wine had been as old as the turkey,
and if the turkey had had a breast like the maid,
it would have been a swell dinner." Duncan Hines

On Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:01:01 -0800, Terry Pulliam Burd
> wrote:

> You know, I think that cookie crust would be *brilliant* with key lime
> or lemon pie. The crust isn't overly sweet, but would be a nice
> counterpoint to the tart.

How do you think it would be like with a pecan pie type filling? I
can't begin to imagine it with citrus.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:11:23 -0800, sf > wrote:

>On Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:01:01 -0800, Terry Pulliam Burd
> wrote:
>
>> You know, I think that cookie crust would be *brilliant* with key lime
>> or lemon pie. The crust isn't overly sweet, but would be a nice
>> counterpoint to the tart.
>
>How do you think it would be like with a pecan pie type filling? I
>can't begin to imagine it with citrus.

I don't think it's sturdy enough for pecan pie. Also, like most cookie
crusts, it initially doesn't want to stick to the pie plate, then it
won't let go when you want to serve!

My favorite pecan pie (which is followed by my favorite pie crust):

@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Pecan Pie

desserts

1 baked pie crust
6 tablespoon unsalted butter; cut into one inch pieces
1 cup dark brown sugar; packed
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3 large eggs
1/4 cup light corn syrup
12 ounces pecans; whole

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275°. Melt
butter in medium heatproof bowl set in skillet of water maintained at
just below simmer. Remove bowl from skillet; mix in sugar and salt
with wooden spoon until butter is absorbed. Beat in eggs, then corn
syrup and vanilla. Return bowl to hot water; stir until mixture is
shiny an dhot to the touch, about 130°. Remove from heat.

2. Arrange pecans in an even layer in the baked pie shell. Pour
mixture over evenly. Bake until center feels soft, like gelatin, when
gently pressed, about 50 to 60 mins. Transfer to rack; let cool
completely, at least 4 hour. Serve pie at room temperature or warm
with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Contributor: The Best Recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Preparation Time: :30

@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Buttermilk Pie Crust Dough

desserts

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter; diced
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup + 2 T. buttermilk

Combine flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. Add butter and
shortening. Cut in using hands or pastry blender until mixture
resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir with fork until mois
clumps form. (Dough can also be prepared in processor. Using on/off
turns, cut butter and shortening into dry ingredients until coarse
meal forms. Add buttermilk and process just until moist clumps form.)
Press together to form dough. Divide dough in half. Gather dough into
balls; flatten into disks. Wrap separately and chill 1 hour. (Can be
prepared ahead. Refrigerate 1 week or freeze 1 month. Let dough stand
at room temperature to soften slightly before using.)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Contributor: Bon Appetit

Yield: 8 servings

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

---

"If the soup had been as warm as the wine,
if the wine had been as old as the turkey,
and if the turkey had had a breast like the maid,
it would have been a swell dinner." Duncan Hines

On Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:39:26 -0800, Terry Pulliam Burd
> wrote:

> Buttermilk Pie Crust Dough
>
> desserts
>
> 2 1/2 cups flour
> 2 tablespoons sugar
> 1 teaspoon salt
> 1/2 cup butter; diced
> 1/2 cup shortening
> 1/4 cup + 2 T. buttermilk
>
> Combine flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. Add butter and
> shortening. Cut in using hands or pastry blender until mixture
> resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir with fork until mois
> clumps form. (Dough can also be prepared in processor. Using on/off
> turns, cut butter and shortening into dry ingredients until coarse
> meal forms. Add buttermilk and process just until moist clumps form.)
> Press together to form dough. Divide dough in half. Gather dough into
> balls; flatten into disks. Wrap separately and chill 1 hour. (Can be
> prepared ahead. Refrigerate 1 week or freeze 1 month. Let dough stand
> at room temperature to soften slightly before using.)
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
> Contributor: Bon Appetit
>
> Yield: 8 servings

That crust looks interesting, Terry. Thanks! I haven't heard of
buttermilk crust before.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:38:22 -0800, sf > wrote:

>That crust looks interesting, Terry. Thanks! I haven't heard of
>buttermilk crust before.

It's a shade more dense than the conventional crust and doesn't need
as much coddling (chilling). You can pretty much smack it around and
it still comes out flaky. Just a bit more hearty, which stands up to
the pecans well.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

---

"If the soup had been as warm as the wine,
if the wine had been as old as the turkey,
and if the turkey had had a breast like the maid,
it would have been a swell dinner." Duncan Hines