Eye on the Pie of Iowa

A homemade pie of blueberries and gooseberries, Eastern Iowa

Pie is out there. That's the good news. Could there be any bad news? Well, yes.

In a recent journey through Iowa during Ragbrai, the annual bike ride across the Hawkeye State, many pies were sighted. Some were tried. Few measured up.

So let's get into this. If the "eyes eat first," as the saying goes, overall crust execution is key, whether selling in a bakery or along a bike route.

Is the pie crust thick, thin, attractively crimped? How's the score on top? What's the overall effect? Let's examine the "Blue Goose" pie in the photo above. The crimped edge is heavy compared with the thin top crust. During baking, the edge broke away from the top. The good scoring of a swirl pattern with tiny fork cross hatches gets lost under the juice spilling over it. That suggests this fruit pie of blueberries and gooseberries is not thickened enough. The vendor heard my "hmmm," and quickly admitted the interior was runny, but she did add "lots of flour."

I forked over the $13 for Blue Goose because I had to taste that blue and goo berry combo.

I wanted to tell her to read the "Thickening of Fruit Pies" entry on King Arthur Flour's blog, but I held my tongue. Thickening with flour is old school. Cornstarch is a better choice, as is Clearjel, made from waxy maize. (Learn more about Clearjel here.) Read the KAF blog entry for a comparison of fruit pie thickeners.

The Blue Goose crust seems to be from the Crisco Generation - I'd suggest heave-hoeing the shortening and going with unsalted butter for better flavor. The interior was a good blend of tart and sweet - not too overpowering in either direction, but it was also the consistency of soup. Berries should not float in their own juices.

The Blue Goose met a bad end in a gas station. The riders in our camp would have none of it. This is a shame, because I'm sure it was made with love. There is no shortage of love in Iowa.

In Western Iowa, women from a Methodist Church had the right idea.

This raspberry pie had a delicate, well-rolled-out top layer, was caramelized nicely, and had diminutive crimped edges (nobody eats those thick crimped edges; they're always left behind). The interior was all berry, though it appears a bit runny in the photo. This pie showcased the fresh raspberries, not the pie crust, with satisfying results. The women had an irresistible marketing edge, too. One of them had a tremendous voice. Her bleating of "peeeaaach pie" in singsong auctioneer style drew me across a crowded street of bike riders. The local TV station stuck a microphone under her chin to catch the delivery.

At the beginning of Ragbrai, we saw these offerings.

They might have been delicious - they just looked damaged, or handled roughly, so we passed. As Carl Sagan said it, "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." Handle with care.

We wish we could go back to Eldon, Iowa, and the American Gothic House to meet Beth Howard, known as "The Pie Lady." Her Shaker Lemon Pie at theworldneedsmorepie.com looks just like what we wanted - thick, fruity interior, light hand on top with the crust.

Word of mouth.

Before entering Iowa, we visited one of those bakery restaurants in Nebraska where the menu is deep, the pastry case extensive and the shelves stacked with fresh bread. Our two cents? Offer less and do it better. More does not make better. Better is better. The pie prop in the following photo has a better lattice top than what we saw.

Piece out.

A fine pie prop made of balloons, Minden, Iowa