When it comes to pie, it’s all about the crust for me! It’s just plain “cheating” to purchase a ready-made crust! Because I don’t like a flimsy or thin pie crust, I make enough dough for a double-crusted pie. My recipe creates a bit too much dough though, so I break a bit off, roll it out, spread butter on it along with cinnamon and sugar, and bake it while the oven is warming. It’s usually ready just as I’m ready to put the real pie in the oven. It makes waiting for the pie to cook and cool a bit easier!!
I’m not really sure who started the tradition of making “cinnamon pie-crust” in my family, but I mostly remember my older sister making it. Sometimes, she wouldn’t even bother making a pie – just the pie crust. We were never really thrilled about sharing it with anyone either!! I continued the tradition making it for my daughter while she was growing up, and I feel quite sure that she will enjoy making it when she has children of her own one day.
During this past Christmas, I had to have hand surgery a few days before the holiday, so I couldn’t make my traditional pecan pie. I decided that this was my sign to “hand” the reins over to my now twenty-three-year-old daughter and have her make it. It was hard to not be in control (wink) of the baking going on in my kitchen, but I knew it was time to let go and just enjoy eating for a change! I hope my daughter will continue the baking traditions of our family and add a few of her own as time goes on.
By Susan Briddon
