The Salty Tart Pie Party

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My friend and rock star pastry chef, Michelle Gayer (The Salty Tart), is hosting pie pop-ups in Minneapolis for the whole month of November. To get one (or 3) of her pies, you need to show up at Hola Arepa on Monday afternoons from 3-7pm. Those are the official hours, but she’s been selling out in about an hour, so line up early if you want a pie. (Unfortunately, Hola Arepa is closed on Mondays, so you’ll have to go back the next day to sample their incredible menu and mighty fine cocktails.) Michelle came over to bake some pies with me so I could give you an idea of what she’s up to, but don’t go expecting to see these two on the menu, you just never know what mood she’ll be in and the pie selection will change to match her passing culinary fancy.

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I have a lot to celebrate these days, in addition to these gorgeous pies (Michelle left them for me to devour). My latest book Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five came out a few weeks ago and I’ve been on book tour, I also just wrapped up a Craftsy video (the subject is very hush, hush, but I bet you can guess) and yesterday was my Birthday. To celebrate all of that I’ve paired up with my friends at Emile Henry to GIVE AWAY 5 gorgeous PIE PLATES for you. Just leave me a note about your favorite pie and you’ll be entered to win. Sorry, but it is only open to those in the USA.

Here are some more pictures of my afternoon of pie baking with Michelle. Got to love the blow torch and sugar dusting!

Do you have pie questions or need to troubleshoot your recipe? Check out my guide on how to make pie crust.

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Perfect all butter crust.

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Emile Henry 9-inch pie plate. Trim the dough to fit the plate.

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Lift and drape the dough.

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Perfect fit.

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Our friend and fellow chef/food writer/food stylist, Betsy Nelson (@thatfoodgirl), stopped over, just in time to peel apples for Michelle’s pie.

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More dough rolled out for the lattice top.

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Apples topped with caramel.

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Lattice.

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Trim the extra dough.

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Michelle crimped the edge, then brushed with egg wash.

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A generous dust of sugar.

Next up was the Persimmon Pie:

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This time homemade graham cracker crust, pressed into an Emile Henry pie plate.

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Super ripe persimmons.

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Scoop out the flesh.

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Prebake the crust.

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She made the filling with cream cheese, pumpkin puree, the persimmons and some spice. As is true with a chef, it was all to taste and pure genius instinct.

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Bake to perfection.

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Top with some sexy Swiss Meringue.

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Spread to make sure every bite has some.

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Then get out the torch. Best tool ever.

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Just in time to take the Apple pie out of the oven. She baked on a sheet, because all that caramel will not be contained and that is just fine.

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Chill the Persimmon pie and enjoy!

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142 thoughts to “The Salty Tart Pie Party”

  1. My all time favorite pie is pecan. That ooey gooey goodness mixed with the crunch of fresh pecans. Nirvana! Although I must say that caramel apple pie in this article sure looks tasty.

  2. For our wedding, we baked 25 fruit pies, and two chocolate cream ones. Nine years later, everyone who was there still has a story about the chocolate pie – how they got some, or didn’t, or almost didn’t . . . it’s a favorite memory, and makes me love the chocolate pie more than I otherwise would (being more of a fruit pie than cream pie girl myself.)

  3. My favorite pie is a fresh blueberry, but I haven’t tried these two recipes yet. LOVE the pumpkin persimmon idea. I have some ripe persimmons right now and can’t wait to try this!

  4. Gorgeous pies! I have to say my favorite summer pie is cherry, favorite winter pie is sweet potato. But I have a special place in my heart for the chocolate cream pie… There is a diner I go to with my mom every time I visit and they sell a mile-high chocolate cream pie with whipped cream that is crazy amazing and mom and I always share a slice.

  5. I have to pick just ONE? I would have to waver between fresh strawberry (so easy, so luscious) and the incredibly rich “millionaire pie” … 😀

  6. Gotta be pecan! Sweet nutty goodness that conjures memories of Mom and Grandma Metha, Thanksgiving and Christmas. What could be better than that?

  7. I don’t think I’ve ever had a persimmon before. The photos are lovely and have me itching to get into the kitchen.

  8. Absolutely love The Salty Tart! For our wedding we decided to do a dessert table instead of a traditional wedding cake. We had ~7 different cakes and a platter of macaroons (of course!). They even made us a peanut butter and jelly cake, as I am most obsessed. We had a tiny cake made for our anniversary but found ourselves devouring it greedily the day after the wedding.

  9. My favorite pie is chocolate buttermilk.

    By the way, this post showed up in my RSS reader with a spammy headline trying to sell antibiotics, but the text was, as expected, about pie.

  10. I’m a traditionalist, my favorites are apple or pumpkin, but let’s be honest here, I love me some pie and pretty much any kind will do. I need to branch out and try making some different combinations. I love the look of that apple caramel pie.

  11. Love those pies! I have just fallen in love with persimmons- don’t know what took me so long. Brilliant idea to add them to a pumpkin pie. 🙂

  12. I’m a traditionalist when it comes to pies – favorite has always been cherry, with lemon meringue a close second.

  13. A fresh, michigan tart cherry pie with an almond crumble topping is hard to beat, but then again, so is a fresh peach pie. But this time of year? Pecan.

  14. I think my favorite pie will always be pecan pie. It reminds me of my family and holidays and just warm feelings in general. Plus, its delicious!

  15. Made a Blue and Blackberry Ginger pie from Pinkpattiserie.net a couple of weeks ago…with a scoop of Vanilla Bean ice cream, it was out of this world!

  16. A wonderful apple pie with a substantial flaky crust draped over the top, baked, cooled, then flipped. Single crust open-faced upside-down apple pie! [Lost the recipe :(]

  17. I just started getting into making my own pies and love it!! I am going to be responsible for the Thanksgiving pies this year. I think it is a first since my grandma died that we will have made from scratch pies. 🙂

  18. I was lucky enough to work at a restaurant where the pastry chef was the owners wife. She shared the two best pie recipes with those of us who worked for the restaurant. They have been my favorite ever since; the winter pie is a chocolate amaretto mousse pie and the summer pie is a strawberry pie with a Phili-cream cheese base-mmm mmm good!

  19. I made a great lemon cream blueberry meringue pie this past summer that tasted awesome and I’ve just discovered a recipe for a carmel apple pumpkin pie that I’m going to make for Thanksgiving. I hope it’s good!

  20. Sign me up for those pies! Look delicious, and is making me hungry!
    My favorite pie to make has to be Apple Pie w/Cheddar Cheese crust. But I love chocolate cream pie as well!
    Pretty much any pie will make me happy!

  21. Spectacular! Persimmons are largely ignored by the general population. My grandma use to make a persimmon pudding with a whiskey sauce that was so good. This apple pie will be on the table here this Thanksgiving! The caramel won me over!!!!!!!!!!

  22. Here in California you can find Tayberries in the summer, which make my favorite fruit pies. Back east in Vt my favorite was always pumpkin- with VT maple syrup to make it extra special.

  23. Favorite Pie? Anything created by YOU? 😉 I think my favorite is a double crusted apple pie. It just screams Autumn to me … my favorite season! <3

  24. Fresh peach praline pie and rhubarb custard pie both came to mind as favorites, although I’ve rarely met a pie I didn’t like! The peach and rhubarb pies both are made with my favorite make in the pie pan one crust recipe, which has been a favorite crust recipe of mine for a long time.

  25. Two of my favorite pies are my husband’s grandmother’s Brown Bag Apple Pie (yes, it’s baked in a grocery bag!) and Nancy Silverton’s version of pecan pie made with browned butter, a vanilla bean and a single layer of pecans in a tart pan – full of complex flavor and just the right texture.

  26. This is a stunning post! I’m so inspired to bake a pie right now. My absolute favorite pie is strawberry rhubarb, which, come spring, I make a lot of! But during the fall, a classic apple pie is everything. With salted caramel? YUM. Happy birthday!

  27. I love peach pie, because it tastes like summer.
    Yours and Michelle’s pies look divine. How fun to have a “play date” when you’re both so busy! Have a great holiday!

  28. Such beautiful photos! Looks like tons of fun! My favorite pie is Grandma’s Apple Pie. It was just simple and classic… and made with lots of love. <3 Isn't that what always makes the BEST pie? 🙂

  29. Love your site, just wanted to let you know your info comes up in my feedly RSS feed with the title “Amoxicillin For Sale No Prescription Required”!!! (I have a screen shot if that helps you fix things.)

  30. My favorite is an apple cranberry pie made with apples from our tree. But my family’s favorite is a lime pie with a graham cracker crust, so of course I make both for Thanksgiving every year.

  31. I have a hard time combining the words favorite and pie, because I love so many. That said, my favorite that I’ve made in the last couple of months was peach-cranberry, which combined the last peaches I found at the farmers’ market with the first cranberries I found in the supermarket.

  32. I know it’s a bit cliche, but my Grandmother’s rhubarb pie was the best. I steer clear of lard or shortening in pies, but she was a stern user of both, and her pies were the best!

  33. My favorite is still my Mom’s apple pie made with old fashioned Crisco crust. Tastes like home, like Christmas, like childhood.

  34. Favorite pie, Strawberry rhubarb hot from the oven with vanilla ice cream. The sweet and tart combination is perfect, especially when encapsulated by an amazing, flaky pie crust! Yummy.

  35. For starters….PIE is my favorite dessert ever!
    My top two picks are buttermilk pies which I only experienced here in Arkansas after marrying my husband and banana cream pies, especially with a really nice chocolate lined crust.
    The persimmon pumpkin pie sounds divine. I may have to give that one a try this year!

  36. i love both pumpkin and apple pie, would not be Thanksgiving without these two. Pecan pie is nice too, but too sickly sweet for me. I would love to win one of those pie plates though! Thanks

  37. I LOVE Blackberry pie best of all, but pumpkin and lemon meringue are right up there. In fact, I don’t think there’s a pie flavor that I truly dislike. Your pies are a work of art 🙂

  38. Loved the persimmon pie. My grandmother used to love eating persimmons but never had a recipe like this one. She would have loved it.

  39. Apple pie. Fuji apples with a couple of golden delicious, macerated, drained, juice reduced and then added back to the pie. Very good stuff.

  40. My absolute favorite is fresh strawberry rhubarb in my homemade buttery pie crust. If you’ve got vanilla ice cream then I’m in heaven:)

  41. Forever and always our favorite pie is based on Fanny Farmer’s/Marion Cunningham’s Apple, Cranberry, Raisin recipe (we use dried currants rather than raisins, less sugar, and more lemon zest).

  42. Key line pie is my gift and I’m always happy to share with family and friends…but that Salty Tart apple looks AMAZING!

  43. My favorite is Apple-Blueberry-Rhubarb, adapted from The Homemade Flour Cookbook. So good! Excited for pumpkin and apple cranberry this Thanksgiving!

  44. I love pie. For our wedding, instead of gifts we had guests bring pie. Picking a favorite is difficult, but I think it would have to be an angel pie with lemon curd.

  45. I’m sentimentally most attached to my mom’s chocolate cream pie, but if I’m making one myself it will be pumpkin, a favorite winter breakfast.

  46. This like choosing a fave book. Depends on the season, mood and craving. Apple all the time, Sweet Potato in fall, Carmel Pecan my husbands birthday & Key Lime in hot weather.

  47. I love apple pie with the crumb topping (is that Dutch Apple pie?). I am still on the hunt for a good homemade pie crust though. The one in the pictures looks so perfect!

  48. I make a deep dish apple pie at least once a month in the fall months, apple picking always a must as soon as they open, along with visits to the cider mill.

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