On Cheating
And why I love the freezer section.
My Mammaw is a legendary pie crust maker. She knows her way around a canister of Crisco like nobody else, and as a result, the flakiness of her pie crust is unmatched. I have her recipe, but mine never turns out quite as well as hers. Believe me, I’ve tried and failed enough times to prove it. I’ve watched her technique, called her for advice, and tried every hack on the internet. It just doesn’t turn out like hers does. But failures aside, at the end of the day, I still crave flaky AF pie crust. What’s a girl to do?
I’ll tell you what I do: I buy a pie crust. A frozen one, from the store. And you know what? My grandma is right. It isn’t quite as good as hers would be. It’s not quite as flaky. It’s missing a little bit of sweetness. But besides those tiny little flaws, it’s pretty damn good and easy as, well, pie.
In the past, when I cheated my way to dessert, there was a little twinge of guilt that came with every spoonful of cherry pie and melted ice cream. I didn’t make it by hand, which makes it less than. A cheaper dessert. A cheat code for a sweet treat. I used to feel like a sham baker — one that doesn’t deserve to watch the bakers of Bake Off if I couldn’t be troubled to make my own rough puff pastry.
Then one day, I decided that I was done feeling guilty for it. Two things can be true at once: I can use frozen pie crust AND make cherry pies that honor my grandma’s baking legacies. There’s nothing wrong with using a “cheat” and buying a pie crust if the day ends with me sitting at a table surrounded by loved ones, enjoying a cherry pie that I didn’t make from step one. Yeah? Yeah!
Using workarounds like puff pastry, pre-made pie crust, and phyllo doughs doesn’t make you any less of a good cook — it just makes you more creative! When you give up the arduous task of making the dough, you have more time to focus on the other things, like picking the perfect bottle of chilled red or deciding which episode of The Office to have on in the background when your friends arrive.
Welcome the land of the cheaters. Here, when we want a fancy party app without the trouble, we roll out some puff pastry, brush it with olive oil, and cut it into strips. A sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning goes on top, and eight to ten minutes in the oven at 425 later, we dip the breadsticks into something glamorous like this spicy yogurt dip. Easy and delicious!
Other favorite recipes to make with pre-made dough? Tomato pie. Cherry popovers. Strawberry galettes. It’s summertime, and the baking is easy once you embrace the joys of cheating.
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