Free-form pies have always been a way to turn a little into a lot.
Empanadas, samosas, knishes, turnovers, strudels, galettes and even kolaches are all slightly (or not so slightly) different variations on handpies, but they all share some commonalities that Cathy Barrow explores in her latest book, "When Pies Fly."
"These are pies that you could make anywhere you have an oven," she says, no special pie pan needed.
Barrow, who lives in the Washington, D.C., area and became known for her 2014 cookbook "Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry," teaches pastry and pie classes across the country, and all of her students want to learn the mysteries of pie dough.
"The sentence that reads, 'Mix the flour and butter until it looks like fill in the blank. Peas, damp sand, cornmeal.' It drove me insane because I never knew what it meant," she says.
Her solution is twofold. First, for a traditional pie dough crust, simply pulse the ingredients in a food processor 15 times. "For many people, that alone has solved their dough phobia."
But the second tip is to encourage people to make different kinds of dough, including puff pastry and strudel.
"For a long time, I had in my head that, in order to make strudel, you needed to have 30 able-bodied large relatives to stand around a table the size of a basketball court," she says. But in reality, she discovered that the dough is easy to handle and is relatively forgiving, once you get used to stretching the dough with your knuckles, kind of like pizza dough.
Most Americans are familiar with sweet strudels, but savory strudels are common in Europe, and because the master dough recipe doesn't have any sugar in it, you can easily make a batch and use some of it for a savory dish and another for something sweet.
In fact, all of the fillings in "When Pies Fly" can go with any of the doughs. Barrow says she developed the recipes knowing that readers might like the filling in one recipe, but not the form.
If you've been watching "The Great British Baking Show," and wondering how to make a rough puff, she has a 15 minutes recipe that can be used in dozens of variations.
Some of the pies in her book are like adult Hot Pockets, but without the funky smell and weirdly colored cheese. The broccoli cheddar hand pies, for instance, are the perfect mid-afternoon treat, she says, just make sure you chop the broccoli into small pieces so you don't end up with a lumpy pie.
She offers other tips that will help beginners and seasoned pie-makers alike.
"Most people underseason their fillings," she says. "Dough is like bread, so you need to zip up the fillings with a little extra lemon juice, salt or chile powder."
All the Thanksgiving leftovers are perfect for an open-faced galette, she says. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey, corn, Brussels sprouts, green beans and even cranberry sauce can be mixed together to create a samosa filling or a strudel.
If your filling looks a little dry, consider adding a tablespoon or two of cream cheese. "Just two ounces will make it all creamy and pull it all together," she says. "It's luscious."
Don't fear frozen fruit, either. Strawberries, blueberries and blackberries in the freezer are usually a lot nicer than the strawberries in the produce section. And the best thing about using frozen fruit is that you can use it while it's still frozen.
Raw apples tossed in a little sugar and cinnamon make an easy apple strudel, but she also makes one with pears, sweet potatoes, pistachios and port-soaked prunes that straddles the fence between sweet and savory. "I can't tell you if it's the dessert or cheese course," she says.
Barrow says she understands if, like Nora Ephron, you are in the camp of people who will never ever make your own pie dough. "I just want you to make pie."
