Making Delicious Pie
Recipes is Easy

Without considering the savory variant, these delicious pie recipes usually consist of pastry, with a wide range of fillings.

This the general view. Specifics in shape and texture can make the difference between pies and cakes less obvious. 

A rule of thumb: anything made of soft and spongy batter is cake while bread like pastry as a carrier with filling would define it as a pie.

The pastry base can be shortcrust, puff pastry or filo (phyllo), with or without sugar.

It becomes confusing when a cake base carries a good amount of filling like with the German obsttorte. It looks like a pie though!

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Pies can also vary in size, going from a regular, large sized pie to tarts and tartlets.

Or they can have the pastry layered, inverted and even on top of the filling, the main ingredient. The latter can be found as crumbles or cobblers, or by using a tatin baking technique.

A Comparison

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Pie

Cake

IN VOLUME/SIZE

The pastry is usually low in volume compared to filling.

Usually is the main ingredient.

FEEL

Crumbly and stuffed.

Spongy and soft.

CONTENT

Often there's a filling partially or entirely covered with pastry.

May be layered and covered with a cream type.

TASTE

Can be neutral, salty or sweet in taste.

Is always sweet in varying degrees.

NUTRITION

The nutritive value is higher.

The nutritive value is lower.

APPEARANCE

Often decorated or neutral.

 Often filled and/or decorated.

What Makes Pie
Recipes Delicious?

Combining the right ingredients is an art unto itself. Sometimes an idea emerges during snack time. Maybe you thought and imagined a combination of flavors or perhaps a restaurant "accident" layed the foundation.

The latter is the case with for example the brownie, or tiramisu. Both an accidental discovery.

Understanding what makes something good does require a certain imagination. It start by knowing and understanding how different flavors affect each other.

The Smurfs pie is a golden example of perfectly balanced flavors. It has the fruity tart of apricot, the soft smoothness of whip cream, the creamy vanilla custard and crusty, white chocolate flakes.

This makes a very complete dessert but it wouldn't be the same without the complementary textures. The softness of whip cream and the crunchiness of the chocolate flakes.


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