You go ahead - Make that Pie!!

When my boys were little, there were things they thought they wouldn't like to eat. Broccoli. When he learned that it was tiny trees and the dinosaurs ate trees - well, he could that, too! (one down)  When tuna salad sounded a little fishy, but chicken salad was delicious, I found Swimming Chicken Salad.There was even a "Chicken of the Sea" (must have been a deep water chicken)! Lo and behold...they liked it. What was next.  Quiche. Thank you humorists..."Real men don't eat quiche" -- and of course, my two little boys were "real men". What do you know - we had Cheese & Eggie pie. It was delicious, Mom!
Pie. (again with the angels singing in unison) Well, now that I've thought that word, I have to say that all I can think now is how good pie is. Fruits, custards, cremes all held in a crispy, flaky, subtle crust. Warm from the oven with some cold ice cream melting around the fruits. A wedge of cheese melting over the apples. Or simply cream, poured over a hearty and substantial slab pie filled with peaches and plums. The savory aroma of a Chicken Pot Pie, steam rising from a golden crust, the glorious roping of edging around the pie plate. 

Never had a great looking pie? Make them all the time, but you just don't get the flaky crust that is so treasured? Do you use vodka? OK, do you use vodka in your crust? The folks at Cook's Illustrated and shared by Food 52 discovered (and thankfully shared) is adding vodka in place of part of the water.  
 
The theory is if you replace half the water with vodka (a good portion of which evaporates in the oven's heat, thus reducing the liquid in the crust) you get sizzley, flakey, glorious crust rather than something that is already becoming a glutinous mass of "I-wish-I-hadn't-thought-I-could-make-a-pie" regret.  
 

Think of tossing in vanilla vodka in your apple pie crust or branch out to some really tasty liquors (honey bourbon?) to kick up the flavor ever so slightly. 

Look at Food 52 for the whole recipe and sciency-technical explanation of how it works as well as the most amazing pictures of the process (snippet above). 

Now get out there and make that crust. Make a whole bunch of crusts. I try to keep one in my fridge for those emergency pies. (dinner, dessert, pie gift to a friend) 

Aren't you glad you dropped by today?