"Cup Pies" - The New Revolution
Who watches Pushing Daisies? Well, in last night’s episode, the show’s heroine decided to create “cup pies” – mini pies baked in cupcake tins. Which means that
some striking writer in Hollywood can read my mind, because I have been talking about baking mini-pies for weeks.
Here’s the genius reasoning behind mini–pies:
1) Sometimes, you don’t want an entire pie slice. Mini–pies provide the perfect mid-day nibble.
2) Mini–pies have a higher crust-to-filling ration than normal pie. If you love pie crust, min-pies are the way to go.
3) Cupcakes might be taking over the world, but not everyone likes cupcakes. Some people prefer pies to cakes. Mini–pies provide the same cute, one-serving appeal as cupcakes, but they’re *pies.*
Don’t confuse mini–pies with tarts. Tarts are made in tart pans. Mini–pies go in cupcake tins.
I made apple-honey-thyme and heart-shaped pumpkin mini–pies today. I'll put pictures up on my blog soon :
http:www.threepotato.blogspot.com
Let's make mini-pies the new cupcake!
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22 Comments:
I watch Pushing Daisies and I LOVED this idea. I kept getting mad when he wasn't going for the idea because "pies are pies" - but at the end he changed the menu to include "cup pies" ahhhh, what love can do.
Anyway, I love this because sometimes a whole pie is just too much and and my family (and myself!) are much more pie people than cake people - so this is a great idea!
Way to go on the revolutionary idea Karyn - I'll have to try some myself!
radley24 at 7:52PM on 11/22/07
Exactly! I'll take pie over cake any day. The two kinds I made today came out wonderfully. And I would love to freeze up some mini-pie crusts. That way, I can have a mini-pie whenever I want!
KarynMC at 8:04PM on 11/22/07
I watched Pushing Daisies' first ep with great anticipation but it just didn't hook me. Was there eventually more focus put on the baker and his pies?
Love the idea of mini pies, BTW.
chiff0nade at 7:11AM on 11/23/07
Well, the show's not on the food network for good reason . . . .
But pies make frequent cameos. Someone eats a pie on every episode (with gruyere baked into the crust, or holistic mood enhancers baked into the filling, or while they explain their innocence, etc.).
I have the pictures up now!
http://threepotato.blogspot.com/2007/11/mini-pies.html
C'mon, people! The time of the mini pie has arrived!
KarynMC at 8:49AM on 11/23/07
These have been around for ages. My aunt used to bake and sell her own homemade pies, and she used to make these eact things. They are excellent.
Lilartist at 10:13AM on 11/23/07
Lilartist:
I know, I know - but small pies don't enjoy the cupcake's publicity. I've yet to see a single kerfuffle about banning mini pies from schools . . . that's what I think should change.
Why haven't PTA moms embraced mini pies? I think people are intimidated by pie crusts - but I made my first all-butter pie crust yesterday (I used shortening in the past) and it is a quickly-disappearing thing of beauty. And easy to put together!
KarynMC at 10:30AM on 11/23/07
I have never never seen a mini pie in a bakery, I have seen mini tarts, flans, but never pie...of course that doesn't mean much since I haven't traveled the country on a bakery quest - so it's nice to hear they are being made. Now they just need to go global. I have to agree with the pie crust intimidation, I don't know many people who have ever even attempted their own crust...I can understand the hesitation, I was that way also, but I asked my mom to show me and then I just practiced until I got the hang of it. Glad that I did, homemade crust is leaps and bounds better over pre-made. Don't get me wrong, those are ok - I just like the homemade ones better.
radley24 at 10:49AM on 11/23/07
Karyn, do you find it difficult to free the pie from the muffin tin?
I think I'll pay premium price and get some baby springform pans from Williams Sonoma...LOL.
chiff0nade at 10:57AM on 11/23/07
Oops, didn't mean those two "nevers" - just one! :-)
radley24 at 11:07AM on 11/23/07
radley24 - I was raised on homemade crusts, so I can't stand storebought ones. I'm a food snob - if I can make it at home, I'm not buying it! (Which is why my blog contains the internet's only recipe for homemade teddy grahams. Or at least the only recipe on google search results). I agree with you – homemade pie crusts are worth the effort.
chiff0nade - I ran a table knife around the edges of my muffin tin, and the mini pies emerged perfectly. The heart-shaped pie were a tad more difficult, just because it was an awkward shape to lift from the tin. I had to be gentle, but the tin-to-plate transference led to no disasters. :)
KarynMC at 11:30AM on 11/23/07
Love the Pie Maker and the show in general. Mini pies and hand pies are great!
hereandthe at 1:43PM on 11/23/07
Our local Mexican bakery sells these little pies baked in shallow cupcake tins. They only offer two fillings, though...pecan and cherry. They're really cute and just the right size! I'll have to give this a try sometime.
elderberry44 at 4:09PM on 11/23/07
I think I'm going to make mini pies soon... great idea!
lola27 at 12:05AM on 11/24/07
Oooh... my grandma used to make these! She did coconut and lemon.
Ann Fisher at 6:43AM on 11/24/07
elderberry44 and lola27 - I hope you guys do make mini pies! And spread the word!
Ann - As a kid working in the kitchen with my grandmother, my mother made mini pies using dough scraps. Another reason to make mini pies – you won't have to throw out any of the pie dough your froze all of your butter to make. :)
KarynMC at 8:21AM on 11/24/07
I made these Pumpkin Chiffon Cup Pies just before watching the 11/21 Pushing Daisies episode.
Cup pies are perfect for Thanksgiving or any holiday where multiple desserts are common.
PattiA at 5:38PM on 11/26/07
PattiA- so true!
I imagine that they would make wonderful holiday party appetizers, too.
KarynMC at 7:27PM on 11/26/07
Ooh, I have some short, slightly bowl-shaped coffee cups that might make for awesome cup pies!
OneWallKitchen at 1:06PM on 01/23/08
I love Pushing Daisies! Such a great show, and it always leaves me craving pie!
chlamers at 3:35PM on 01/23/08
I've been wanting to try making cup pies since seeing that episode, and I just made some apple cup pies -- love this idea! They're so cute!
eggsonsunday1 at 10:41PM on 02/21/08
Whatever happened to turn-overs?
smallblondemom at 10:51PM on 02/21/08
I've seen the episode and thought it is a great idea. So i tried it out today and made Apple-Cup-pies, but when baking the crust the whole crust came down, and I had more crust at the bottom than on the sides, as the cup-cake-form is too high/deep (sorry, I am from france so I hope my english is understandable).
How can I avoid that. Not pre-baking the crust... Can you help me out.
Jules06 at 5:24PM on 12/08/08