Pies.....not hard, even when they are gluten-free!

Pie making has never been my strong suit. I can make a very tasty pie, they are just never very "pretty". My kids laugh at me, because when I actually succeed at making a "pretty pie" I usually get very excited and want to take a picture of it. Then it's really hard for me to let anyone actually cut into it. Silly, I know, but it happens so rarely I truly want to savor the sight of it as well as the flavor.

The other day, I wanted to make a pie with some frozen berries from my freezer. It just sounded so good, but I did not want to mess with the whole bottom and top crust nightmare that seems to plague me. Gluten-free pie crusts are often not easy to work with. Many don't roll out and transfer to a pie pan very well. That got me thinking about the simple, yet beautiful free form pies I have seen in the cooking magazines and cookbooks.

The rustic, free form pies are perfect for the pie crust recipe from TanyaG here on Gling. I was amazed at how well it worked! If you have a silicone baking mat it is amazingly simple. Just roll the dough out into a large rough circle on your silicone mat and transfer the silicone mat to your baking sheet. Mine hung over the long sides of my mat a bit, but it was not a problem, even when I was transferring the dough to the baking sheet. The best part, there is not need to worry about how "pretty" your pie is, the free form, rustic look is very forgiving!

My pie turned out amazingly well. One tip I'd give you is to make your pie filling a bit thicker than you might for a traditional pie. I used corn starch to thicken mine, mixing the starch in with the sugar before I added it to the berries. For this pie, I used about a quart of pie filling, but play with your ingredients and see what works best for you and your family. When I made mine, I actually made two quarts and had the second quart in the refrigerator for a pie a few days later. Made putting the second one together that much easier.

One huge bonus to me was the lack of mess. I was able to mix up the pie crust in my food processor and put it in the refrigerator to chill for a bit. While the crust was chilling, that gave me the time to get my filling made and ready for my pie crust. I sprinkled a bit of flour on my silicone mat and rolling pen but there was very little mess from any of that. In about twenty-five minutes I had my pie ready for the oven. No mess, just a couple of dishes to wash.

It turned out perfect! My family was amazed and I felt like I'd accomplished something wonderful! No one would guess it was a gluten-free pie. The flavor of TanyaG's pie crust is amazingly similar to a traditional wheat flour crust. You can feel totally comfortable making this for your wheat eating friends and family, they will not miss a thing.

So, treat your family, go make a pie! Even if you are not typically a "pretty pie" maker, you can still amaze yourself and your family! For this "ugly pie" maker, this is a huge success!