Pineapple Pie

I peel pineapple the same way my mom (and probably every other Filipino mom) does: carved into the shape of a fusilli noodle, the eyes whittled away in a diagonal spiral leaving rippled ravines in the fruit’s golden flesh. Pineapple pie is a Philippine bakeshop specialty. The crust is a little breadier than your typical pie crust, owing to yeast or, in this case, baking powder. My trick to ensure an extra crispy, sturdy crust is to preheat a sheet pan on the lowest oven rack for 30 minutes. This is essentially a DIY pizza stone. Scorching the bottom crust right away is vital because there is a lot of custardy filling on top and this isn’t the kind of pie you can blind-bake.

If you love pineapple as much as I do, you’ll be tempted to eat the filling straight up. It’s sweet, fruity, and refreshing, and I’ve found that a bit of orange zest amplifies its brilliant citrusy profile. A generous shower of turbinado sugar is sprinkled on top before it bakes, which adds a satisfying crunch and a gorgeous glimmer (a simple way to upgrade any pie or pastry, really). I skip the silverware and eat this the Filipino way, kamayan (by hand).