A 9 year old at the county fair bakery booth taught me something about pie crust

I was judging the 4-H baked goods at the county fair last summer when this little girl came up to me with a pie that looked like it had been dropped and patched back together. Her grandma was right behind her looking so embarrassed. But the kid just grinned and said 'it's a happy accident, the filling is still good.' I took a bite and honest to goodness it was the best cherry pie I ever had. The crust was obviously overworked and tough, but the filling was perfect - not too sweet with whole cherries that still had their shape. I asked her how she made it and she said she just dumped in what her grandma said plus a splash of lemon juice 'to make the cherries wake up.' That stuck with me because sometimes we get so obsessed with making something look perfect that we forget the actual eating part matters more. Has anyone else had a moment where a beginner taught you something about baking that you still use? That lemon juice trick is now in all my fruit pies.

2 comments

2 Comments

knight.diana1mo agoMost Upvoted

Ha! Nothing like a 9 year old to school us on what actually matters while grandma is dying of shame in the background.

gavinm891mo ago

Totally hear you on this. It's wild how kids can cut through all the noise and just focus on what actually tastes good. That lemon juice thing is genius, I've been doing it too ever since I read a similar tip from some old cookbook.