Forks up, Phoenix! Chow Bella and Roosevelt Row present the fifth annual Pie Social from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, November 15, at the "What Should Go Here" Pop Up Park at Second and Roosevelt streets. We've got an all-star lineup of bakers making pies for you to taste, and from now till Pie Social, we'll introduce them to you, one by one through a quick Pie.Q. quiz to test their baking prowess.'
Today: Katherine Dwight of Phoenix Public Market Cafe
Luckily for us and a lot of Phoenicians, Katherine Dwight has come a long way since her first baking experience in third grade.
"Chocolate chip cookies," Dwight says. "I completely messed them up. We had to throw it all away. I used powdered sugar instead of flour."
Since then, she attended culinary at Scottsdale Community College, headed the pastry program at St. Francis and is in charge of the pastries at Phoenix Public Market, St. Francis and Cartel.
Her favorite thing to bake? Still chocolate chip cookies.
"They always taste good, simple but delicious," Dwight says.
On November 15 she's switching over to pie and her goal is just as straightforward. She wants to bake "something that tastes good, just delicious -- that is all."
See also: Omei Eaglerider of Fabulous Food Catering: Pie Social Celebrity Bakers 2014
It's 15 minutes until Pie Social and you drop a pie. What do you do? I'd get my pastry team together and make something as quick as we can from what we have on hand.
What's the single most important tool in pie making? I'd say a refrigerator to keep your pie dough cold.
What's the most important ingredient in a pie crust? Butter. Salt. Single most important? I'd say salt to bring out the flavor.
What's the secret to the perfect fruit filling consistency? Enough moisture, meaning the right amount of sugar and liquid.
What's on your pie-making playlist? Lately, in the kitchen a lot of the guys have been playing good Spanish music (cumbia sonidera that your Mexican grandma would dance to if you had one and everyone has been loving listening to it.
What will be the next big pie trend? I think people are just moving towards all the locally grown and handcrafted kind of stuff.
You have to make 100 pies in 5 hours. Who are you gonna call for help? Sarah and Kara, the best pastry chicas around!
How do you spend your down time while your pies are in the oven? Cleaning up, getting everything cleaned up
In one word, what's your strategy for competing as a celebrity baker this year? Enjoyment
