Banish That Soggy Crust

Apple pie tips from Slice of Joy Pie Company

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Henrico County baker Caroline Park’s eyes light up when solicited for advice about pies. Troubleshooting a less-than-ideal crust, she immediately begins to run down a laundry list of possible solutions, tricks she’s learned in the three years she’s been making pies in her home kitchen. “It’s been a lot of trial and error,” she admits.

The self-taught baker, who is also a personal chef, caught the pie bug in late 2014 when her sister asked her to make 15 pies for her wedding, slated for an auspicious March 14 — Pi Day. Their success sparked a business idea, Slice of Joy Pie Company, and these days Park can be found selling her picture-perfect pies at the Lakeside Farmers’ Market on Saturdays in such flavors as bourbon pear, black walnut and salted-caramel apple.

We asked her to share a few of her hard-earned pie-making tips.

  1. While Park prefers to use 100 percent butter in her crusts, if your crusts droop, try replacing half the butter with shortening. “It keeps the crimping crisper and helps with slumping,” she says.
  2. Putting the pie in the fridge or freezer for 20 to 30 minutes before baking also helps the crust keep its shape.
  3. Toss sliced fruit with a tablespoon or two each of lemon juice and sugar, allow the mixture to macerate a few minutes, then drain before filling the crust — this softens the fruit slightly and allows more even baking.
  4. Before filling a raw crust, Park sprinkles an equal mix of flour and sugar over the bottom of the pie to keep it from getting too soggy.
  5. Save those pie scraps for cookies: Chill them, re-roll them, brush with cream or milk, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and bake at 400 degrees until golden.
  6. For apple pies, add just one or two McIntoshes in with other varieties — they’ll break down and add a little sauciness to the filling.

Caroline Park's recipe for Bourbon Apple Pie

The Lakeside Farmers’ Market is open year-round on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.