FOOD MIX
BY JENNA HELWIG
Find recipes for (clockwise from left) Old-Fashioned Apple Pie, No-Bake Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry & Strawberry Crumb Pie, and more at realsimple.com/pies.
ADD TO CART
It’s the time of year to put your pie skills to the test. Need a cheat sheet? Try the Silpat Perfect Pastry Mat ($38; amazon.com), which features measurements and guides so you can cut fancy lattice strips, or at least roll out something that resembles a circle. To make this mat work even harder, pop it into the freezer for a half hour before use. The chilled surface will help the crust (and you!) stay cool.
GREAT GROCERIES
We love homemade crusts, but if you just can’t, we get it—and enthusiastically endorse store-bought. To help you pick the best option, we tested a bunch of nationally available crusts. Two favorites came out on top.
READY TO FILL
Wholly Wholesome’s Organic Traditional 9" Pie Shells (from $6.30 for 2) are convenient, vegan, and almost cookielike—the texture is more sandy than flaky. Also: That pretty crimping totally holds up in the oven. Find them in the freezer section at Whole Foods Market and other natural-food stores.
READY TO UNROLL
If you want to crimp the edges yourself, go with the frozen Trader Joe’s Pie Crusts ($4.50 for 2). These buttery, tender crusts look and taste close to homemade. Make sure they’re room temp before unrolling them. If yours still rip, smoosh the dough together with your hands or a rolling pin.
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Since its opening in 2011, The Pie Hole in Los Angeles has been a dessert hot spot. Today there are a dozen locations, and the founder, Rebecca Grasley, has finally written a cookbook. Pie Is Messy ($28; penguinrandomhouse.com) shares the cozy family recipes that started it all, like Blue Ribbon Apple Pie, plus newer creations, including Cardamom-Cherry Pie and Cereal Killer Pie. Even better than the recipes is Grasley’s philosophy: “Not everything has to be perfect in order to be good.”
FROM TOP: Photograph by Greg DuPree; FOOD STYLING BY TYNA HOANG; PROP STYLING BY JULIA BAYLESS
TRADER JOE’S PIE CRUSTS: BRIAN HENN; WHOLLY WHOLESOME COURTESY OF MANUFACTURER; COURTESY OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE