Emily Elsen is one half of the pie-making team at Four & Twenty Blackbirds in Brooklyn. Along with sister Melissa, she flipped the New York pie game on its head a few years ago with the duo's whole and by-the-slice pies.When Emily let us in on the secrets of pie-making, she was adamant about a lot of things. "When it comes to making really good pie crust, it shouldn't be an afterthought," Elsen told us. "It's as much a part of the pie as the filling. Make it by hand." Got that?And even though the Elsen sisters might be sticklers for making crust from scratch, they do—very occasionally—allow for shortcuts on the filling, like on this brown butter pumpkin pie.
"We've found that the consistency and texture of good canned pumpkin is far superior, not to mention the shortcut on labor."So get rid of your can shame and save time with this simple, hearty pie recipe. We've earned it.RECIPE: Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie