Making an icebox cake, cheesecake or pie that needs a graham cracker crust? Chef Mike Raskin from Oakland’s Edith’s Pie is sharing the secret to elevating the classic crust into something special: salt.
Why? It balances the sometimes cloying nature of an icebox cake or pie’s ingredients — sugar, for example, and sweetened condensed milk.
Edith’s Pie’s Salted Graham Cracker Crust
Makes 1 pie crust
INGREDIENTS
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 6 graham crackers, medium ground in food processor or mortar and pestle to a sandlike texture)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon white sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick butter
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
In a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter.
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt
Pour the melted butter into the graham crumb mixture and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. It should still be warm but not so hot that it hurts to handle.
Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch pie plate and spread the mixture out evenly. Beginning with the edges, press the crumbs into the sides and bottom of the pan, pressing with the bottom of a measuring cup to smooth and set the bottom. It should give you a 1/4-inch thick layer of crust.
Bake the crust at 325 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, until the bottom has a lightly toasted color. Cool fully, then finish with a filling of your choice.
— From Chef Mike Raskin, Edith’s Pie, Oakland
