In the list of human failings, soggy pie crust is probably
not the worst. Compared to child
exploitation, nuclear proliferation, or suicide terrorism, it doesn't really
rate. It’s totally a first-world
problem.
But soggy pie crust is its own horror. One of the great characteristics of pie is
that the crust has the potential to introduce texture into a dessert.
Texture isn't talked about much with desserts, but it’s very
important. While you can make a pretty
great dessert with only one texture, such as chocolate pudding, different
textures elevate dessert to the sublime, the wonderful, maybe even artistic. I think that one of the driving factors
behind the cupcake craze of the last decade has been the ease that cupcakes
introduce texture to dessert. Beyond the
cake, there was always a frosting (another texture,) often a topping (another
texture,) and sometimes a filling (you get my point, right?) Pie has similar possibilities: a well
executed pie already has different textures built in.
Thus, my revulsion with soggy pie crust. When given the opportunity to create texture
in an otherwise fine dessert, the creator of the pie instead chose a path that resulted
in a crust that absorbed moisture and slowly became one with the filling. Where the filling ends and the crust begins
is hard to determine. Furthermore, pie
can be wonderful finger food, just pick up a piece and carry it back to the
football game if your wife isn't watching. But you can’t do that with soggy crust.
