Culver City’s New School of Cooking hosted a savory pie class on September 25 starring chef Evan Kleiman, host of KCRW’s Good Food , and David LeFevre of Manhattan Beach Post and Fishing With Dynamite. They appeared in support of the 6th Annual KCRW Good Food Pie Contest. Kleiman prepared a cherry tomato pie, and LeFevre presented a New England clam chowder dumpling pie. Here are 20 of my favorite fun facts and quotes from the pie class.
EVAN KLEIMAN – Cherry Tomato Pie
1. “When you make a pie, you need to make the bottom of the pie as dark as the top…That’s why I use a Pyrex pan.” It’s clear, so you can see bottom.
2. Kleiman adheres to a 123 ratio when making dough: 1 water, 2 fat, 3 flour.
3. “I really like butter,” especially Petaluma, Spring Hill and Kerrygold. When not baking with butter, Kleiman also likes lard and duck fat.
4. “You want to let the dough rest to let the gluten relax so you get less snap back.” If you don’t have time, vinegar forces the gluten to relax.
5. “The most important thing with salt is that it’s pure as can be, and you’re used to it. If you change salts around, you’re less successful.” Kleiman uses Diamond Crystal Salt at home.
Everybody who attended the class got a slice of Kleiman’s tomato pie.
6. “When you roll dough, start in the middle and roll to the top, then go to the middle and roll to the bottom…That will keep you from making Africa or South America,” instead of preferred round shape.
7. Kleiman’s motto: “Perfection is the enemy of good.”
8. “When you’re making an apple pie, get three different varieties.” She suggested Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, and Fuji or Gala.
9. “Pie has to be really bad for people not to eat it. Really bad.”
10. Kleiman’s favorite pie: apple, made with brown sugar and flour. She likes her apple pie “on the tarter side”
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