Apple sage gouda is the most popular flavor at Sister Pie Bakery, and the uniqueness of an apple pie with sage and gouda says it all.
Run by Lisa Ludwinski in Detroit’s West Village, the bakery has brought her national fame, particularly once her “Sister Pie” cookbook came out in 2018. Featuring 75 recipes and a big dose of her quirky character, it now is in its seventh printing. She also was a finalist in the James Beard Awards for outstanding baker in 2019.
Ludwinski started her pie-making career in her parents’ Milford kitchen. She opened Sister Pie (sisterpie.com) in 2015 with the help of grants, hard work and even a dance party that raised more than $26,000. A few examples of the creative pie flavors customers find at her bakery include buckwheat chocolate chip cookies and minted pea and potato hand pies. Her favorite is cranberry crumble.
“It’s super tart and extra delicious with a big ol’ dollop of whipped cream,” she said.
The bakery menu changes constantly with the season. You won’t find an apple pie there in March. That makes it easier to kick-start the creative process.
“From there, we love complementing the natural flavors with things like fresh herbs, citrus, nuts, seeds, cheese, edible flowers, etc.,” Ludwinski said.
She describes her bakery as a “good-food/do-good” place. Her goals are to have happy employees, practice sustainable food business practices and buy local. The store’s products come from more than 25 Michigan farms and companies. Food scraps are recycled, packaging is biodegradable and boxes are reforested.
Being kind to others also is part of her mission. Someone without money to pay can take a prepaid slice from the “pie it forward” clothesline.
“Pie is for sharing — a delicious way to come together for, truly, any reason at all,” Ludwinski shares on her website.
Sister Pie is at 8066 Kercheval Ave., Detroit. The book “Sister Pie: The Recipes and Stories of a Big-Hearted Bakery in Detroit,” is available on Amazon and from various booksellers.
— Linda Odette, Michigan BLUE Magazine.
CRANBERRY CRUMBLE PIE
Makes one 9-inch pie
COMPOTE
12 ounces cranberries, rinsed and sorted
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
¾ teaspoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice
CRUMBLE
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, straight from the fridge
PREPARATION
First, make the compote: Combine the cranberries, brown sugar, orange zest and juice in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low to medium heat until the cranberries begin to burst.
Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely (or set in the freezer for a quick chill) while you continue to work. This compote can be made up to four days in advance and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Next, make the crumble: In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Place the butter in the bowl and coat on all sides with the flour mixture. Take a bench scraper and cut the butter into ½-inch cubes directly into the flour mixture in the bowl. Work to break up the cubes with your hands until they are lightly coated with the flour mixture. Continue to use the bench scraper to cut the cubes into smaller pieces — the idea is that you are cutting each cube in half.
Switch to a pastry blender and begin to cut in the butter with one hand while turning the bowl with the other. It’s important not to aim for the same spot at the bottom of the bowl with each movement but to actually slice through butter every time.
You’ll need to clean out the pastry blender every few turns of the bowl. Once most of the butter is incorporated, use your fingers to fully break down the butter until it is no longer visible. Be careful not to overwork the mixture at this point. The crumble can be completed up to four days ahead and stored in the fridge.
FILLING
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ cup tapioca starch
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
8 ounces cranberries, rinsed and sorted
½ Bosc or D’Anjou pear, peeled and grated
BAKING / SERVING
2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
One 9-inch crust made with All-Butter Pie Dough blind baked and cooled.
1 large egg, beaten
Vanilla ice cream
When you’re ready to bake the pie, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the filling: In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, tapioca starch and salt. Add the cranberries, pear and cooled compote and use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix completely.
Using a small offset spatula, evenly spread the cream cheese on the bottom of the pie shell. Brush the crimped edge with the beaten egg. Layer the cranberry mixture on top of cream cheese — it should be evenly spread up to the bottom of the crimps. Carefully cover the fruit with the crumble topping, leaving a small hole in the center of the pie to serve both as a steam vent for the fruit as it cooks and as an indicator of when the pie is done. Place the assembled pie on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Transfer the baking sheet with the pie to the oven and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until the pie juices begin to bubble in the center and the crumble topping is a uniformly deep golden color.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool for four to six hours. When the pie is at room temperature, slice it into six to eight pieces. Serve with a big scoop of classic vanilla ice cream.
Store leftover pie, well wrapped in plastic wrap or under a pie dome, at room temperature for up to two days.
Recipe reprinted with permission from:
Sister Pie, copyright © 2018
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