​Celebrating beautiful pie dishes

The weather may be getting warmer, but we still can't resist the allure of a hot steaming pie for our evening meal; and judging by our enamel pie dish sales, neither can our customers.

Pie dishes are the perfect way to create and bake pies of all kinds. Their materials, shape and design perfect the results of your creations and the dishes double up for easy serving too. We have two particularly popular ranges which look great and are timeless in the kitchen. Our enamel range is always a top seller and our brown pottery pie dishes, particularly from our traditional Mason Cash range, are always very popular too.

Why not try some of these more unusual recipes to shake up your pie game.

Louisiana crawfish pie

Melt a cup of butter into a skillet or pan and stir in half a cup of flour, stirring for around ten minutes until it's light brown. Add generous handfuls of chopped mild onions, green pepper and celery. Sweet peppers are also very good. Cover the pan and simmer it for around half an hour until the vegetables are soft, stirring them occasionally. Next, stir in half a cup of vegetable broth and 3 tablespoons of tomato paste. Continue to cook until the sauce takes on a creamy consistency. To this, add two pounds of crawfish tails, prawns or any other shellfish or fish that takes your fancy. Add crushed garlic and fresh parsley, and put the mix into a large pie dish. Place it into the oven at 160 degrees for 30 minutes until the fish is tender. Season with some hot sauce, black pepper and cayenne pepper and remove to cool. In the meantime, take a puff pastry layer and place it over your pie. Place the pie dish back into the oven for 5-10 minutes, until the pastry puffs up. Serve with a crispy fresh salad.

Carrot pie

If you're a fan of pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie then carrot pie has a similarly sweet and spicy finish, and it's a great way to use up a glut of these healthy vegetables too. Heat the oven to 200 degrees and press an uncooked pie shell of your choice into an enamel pie dish. Bake it for a few minutes to firm the shell, remove it from the oven and set it aside. Take two cups of carrots and cook them in water until they are soft, then blend them into a puree. Place the carrot puree into a bowl with two eggs and 3/4 cups of sugar. Add cinnamon and vanilla extract to taste, and 3/4 cup of whole milk or cream. Pour the carrot mix into the pie shell and bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees before turning the oven down to 160 degrees and cooking it for a further 40 minutes or until the filling has set. Cool the pie before serving with a big dollop of ice cream or custard.

Tips for making the perfect pie

1. Keep your pie ingredients cold. Keep butter in the fridge until you use it and use ice-cold water when making the pastry mix, just adding a single spoon at a time.
2. Learn how to make excellent pie crusts for the perfect 'bite' and presentation.
3. Pop your dough in the fridge after each stage.
4. Once you've mixed the dough, wrap it and chill it immediately so that the flour absorbs the liquid.
5. Once you've rolled out the dough and lined your pie dish, chill it again. This relaxes the dough and prevents any shrinkage in the oven.
6. Really minimise how much you handle the dough. If you get any cracks, try to patch them rather than rolling the crust again as over-handling toughens the pastry.
7. Use as little flour as you can when you roll out the dough.
8. Pre-bake crusts for crema pies, custard pies and quiches so that they remain crisp whilst the filling stays moist.
9. Vent double-crust pies by cutting slits in the top to let steam escape.
10. Try using foil pie shields to protect crusts by folding foil loosely around the crust edges to avoid any burning during long bakes.
11. Bake your pie on the lowest rack in the oven.
12. Bake pies for the right amount of time and don't under-bake them.

Choosing the right pie dishes

Our enamelware pie dishes are always popular because of their beautiful traditional finish; ideal if you like a vintage feel in your home. They are also very easy to care for, light to handle, can last for many years, and are extremely cost-effective. You can see a wide range of sizes, shapes and finishes here: https://www.waresofknutsford.co.uk/enamelwares/enamel-pie-dishes/

Alternatively take a look at the classic Mason Cash range, in its iconic sand-coloured finish. Mason Cash has been making ovenware for over 200 years and the quality of these pie dishes speaks for itself. See the latest range here: https://www.waresofknutsford.co.uk/the-kitchen/mason-cash-ranges/mason-cash-traditional-cane-baking-dishes/