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Pie primer: Tips for perfecting pie, plus terms and savory recipes

 
Green Chile Tamale Pie
Green Chile Tamale Pie
Published Oct. 31, 2016

It's time to start getting reacquainted with that buttery seasonal mainstay: pie. • Not just sweet pies, but savory ones, like shepherd's or chicken pot or — arguably the most popular category of savory pie — quiche. Really, it hardly matters what the filling consists of. The crust makes the pie. Pretty much anything can be dumped into that flaky shell, and it will taste like comfort. • A pie is everything we want a dish to be during the final two months of the year: warm, gooey, fattening and relatively simple to put together. It's worth mastering the art of the pie, not only for those beloved sweet ones we trot out at Thanksgiving, but for the following savory examples that can be an exciting counterpoint to the one-dish casserole. • Consider this your pie cheat sheet, a way to pump up your tart game. We've got tips for basic crust, recipe ideas and a glossary of pie terms you can throw around at your holiday party when you really want to impress people. Actually, your cooking can do that for you.