pies that keep well at room temp for a weekend

October 23, 2019 6:44 PM

Asking for your favourite interesting sweet or savoury pie recipes that stay good at room temperature for 2-3 days?

I'll be spending a weekend with friends where the ratio of pies to people is 1:1, with no fridge space (it's not that we can't finish a pie in a day, it's just that we're going to have 4-5 pies over the weekend). We've done various fruit pies, chocolate pecan pie, pumpkin, sweet potato pie, a curried vegetable pie. Open to all suggestions, and variations such as tarts or spanikopita/spinach pie also welcome.

posted by tangaroo to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Any pie that doesn’t contain eggs or dairy should do ok!
posted by amro at 6:57 PM on October 23, 2019 [2 favorites]

There may be pies that can hold up to room temperature, but I would be concerned about creating conditions that might open the door for harmful bacteria to take residence. It is recommended that food not be left in the "danger zone" for longer than 2 hours.
posted by pdxhiker at 7:01 PM on October 23, 2019

Fruit pies with their high sugar content seem to last the longest. I keep mine out on the counter for a few days while they get finished off and havent had problems.
posted by ananci at 7:08 PM on October 23, 2019 [5 favorites]

One of the critical things for pies that are to be kept at room temperature is to ensure no air can get in through the crust. So use recipes that have a thick crust, like a hot water crust, well sealed all the way around. Cook it to boiling temperature, and you have basically the precursor of canned goods.

I have a friend who (as an experiment in medieval cooking) made chicken pies, and bacon and egg pies according to this principle, and then had them professionally tested for pathogens over a period of time afterwards. I seem to recall that they were good for about a week. You are presumably not planning to include meats, so I'm sure you are even better off!
posted by lollusc at 7:09 PM on October 23, 2019 [5 favorites]

The entire point of pies is that they can be kept unrefrigerated. That's why pies are kept out on shelves and not in the fridge case at your local bakery or supermarket (cream pies are the exception because they're not baked as a whole). As long as you cover them once they've started to cool, you're good.
posted by Jon_Evil at 8:35 PM on October 23, 2019 [8 favorites]

Best answer: making hot water dough is fun. A nice old-fashioned pork pie is meant to be eaten cold. It travels well. I make them for picnics.
posted by lemon_icing at 12:58 AM on October 24, 2019 [2 favorites]

Best answer: right, so, OP asked for recipes, here's my favorite: Frangipane & Raspberry

Combine and mix thoroughly:

Half a stick (55g) butter, melted
1 1/2 cups (250 g) raw almonds, finely ground in food processor
2/3 cup (155 g) sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbs. dark rum
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

Pour into a blind-baked pie shell, top with:

8 oz (250g) frozen raspberries

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes
posted by Jon_Evil at 5:41 AM on October 24, 2019 [2 favorites]

We make mincemeat pie every Thanksgiving. It's basically a jar of mincemeat that can be found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. We enhance it by adding a chopped apple and pear and some maraschino cherries. We also add walnuts and raisins that have been soaked in brandy. We don't make our own pie dough, just use the refrigerated kind. It's a two crust pie. We leave ours out loosely covered with plastic wrap for a couple of days.

Also, pumpkin pie. We use the recipe on the LIbby (?) can. Again, refrigerated pie dough.
posted by kathrynm at 6:09 AM on October 24, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I can heartily recommend "Savory Sweet Potato Pie with Poppyseed-Cheddar Crust" from Mollie Katzen's Enchanted Broccoli Forest

(Note to self: I haven't made this in a really long time, and I'm taking vacation next week. Hmmmmm ....)

For the crust:

(15 minutes)

6 Tbs cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 Cups Flour (up to 1/4 can be whole wheat)

~4 Tbs cold water, milk, or buttermilk

1/2 Cup grated sharp cheddar

2 Tbsp poppy seeds

Use a pastry cutter, two forks, or a food processor to cut together the butter and flour until they make a uniform mixture resembling coarse cornmeal.

Stir in the cheese and poppy seeds.

While stirring, or as the food processor runs, add the liquid a little at a time, until the dough holds together. The amount can vary according to humidity.

Form the dough into a ball and wrap and chill, or roll out immediately.

Transfer to a 9 or 10-inch pie pan and form a crust. Refrigerate or freeze.

For the filling:

(30 minutes filling, 45 minutes baking)

2 lbs sweet potatoes or yams

1 Tbsp butter (optional)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 oranges- peeled, seeded, and cut into small pieces

3/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp honey or brown sugar

1/2 cup firm yogurt

Topping:

1/2 cup fine bread crumbs

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into chunks, and boil or steam until soft.

Drain, transfer to a bowl, and mash.

Add remaining (non-topping) ingredients and mix well. Transfer to the crust.

Combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl, mix, and sprinkle evenly over the pie.

Bake for 45 minutes, turning front-to-back midway through.

Cover the topping with foil if it's browning too quickly.

Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
posted by virago at 8:37 AM on October 24, 2019 [5 favorites]

Not a home economist, but I think the general rule is high sugar, high salt, or high acid is all good to store at room temperature. High protein, especially without any of the other three, is bad.
posted by tmdonahue at 12:15 PM on October 24, 2019 [1 favorite]