SWEET PIE DESIGNS BY LAUREN KO

LAUREN KO

Pie baking is not Lauren Ko’s day job (although maybe it should be…). But it is clearly her passion. Ko’s pie-only Instagram @lokokitchen keeps us coming back for more.

Ko, who works full-time as executive assistant to the chancellor at Seattle Colleges, bakes only on Saturdays.

For Ko, the beauty lies both in the ingredients and in the crust design. Her crusts are unusual, as she treats dough as an art medium. She cuts, twists, weaves, and otherwise manipulates dough to form spectacular patterns and shapes.

Ko treats fruits and vegetables as sculptural elements in her pies as well. Sometimes she slices them paper-thin and stands them on end so their edges form a magnificent mosaic. Sometimes she cuts them into geometric shapes that she arranges to add surface interest.

The pies are stunning. They are edible works of art. Although Ko comes from a family of accomplished home cooks and enjoyed baking with her mother and grandmother growing up, remarkably, she baked her first pie just over a year ago.

Ko experiments with fascinating arrangements of dough strips and cutout shapes, in complex designs. Some are woven, criss-crossed, spiraled, mosaic… Clearly she has fun. Watch her in action in this video.

Ko is driven by color and pattern. She brainstorms to come up with exciting new color and pattern combinations.

Ko is always informed by what’s seasonally available at the market. Fall holidays are a chance for masterpieces like “Pomegranate Goldenberry Tart,” along with her various spins on traditional apple pies.

Traditional pumpkin pie gets a dash of Chai Masala spice and a gorgeous geometric mandala crust design.

Ko surprises us with unusual pie fruits, like quince, pomegranate, and pineapple. She also delights us with unusual crust flavors, like chocolate!

While we’re all about the sweet stuff at the moment, Ko has extended her artistry to savory pies as well. Like heavenly “Sausage & Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust.”

Chicken Pot Pie is another savory pastry diversion. Ko’s herringbone weave on the top crust is pure genius.

It’s torture to see these mouthwatering beauties without being able to taste them ourselves. But for now, they are only available for our viewing pleasure. Ko doesn’t sell them. Although we’d love to encourage her to open a pie shop! The world needs more beautiful sweets!

If we’ve sparked a craving, check out more beautiful sweets in our posts Beautiful & Delicious Now, Impossibly Beautiful Winter Treats, and Beautiful Edible Violets Gild the Lily.

Read more about Beautiful Sweets in The Sweetest Escape: The Brando and Sweet Dreamy Visions: Isabelle Menin.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Lauren Ko. Cherry pie.
2. Image: by Lauren Ko. “Sweet Potato Tart with Red & Orange Sweet Potatoes & New Potatoes.”
3. Image: by Lauren Ko. “Cranberry Curd Tart with Persimmon Tangrams.”
4. Image: by Lauren Ko. “Apple Pie.”
5. Image: by Lauren Ko. “Pomegranate Goldenberry Tart.”
6. Image: by Lauren Ko. “Chai Masala Pumpkin Pie.” Recipe by Tara O'Brady.
7. Image: by Lauren Ko. “Quince Pie.”
8. Image: by Lauren Ko. “Sausage & Apple Pie with a Cheddar Crust.”
9. Image: by Lauren Ko. “Chicken Pot Pie with Herringbone Crust.” Recipe by bravetart.
10. Image: by Lauren Ko. “Apricot Cream Tart.”
11. Image: by Lauren Ko. “Chocolate Pie Crust with a Jammy Strawberry Cherry Raspberry filling.” Recipe by Eve, from Bake Street.
12. Image: by Lauren Ko. “Blueberry Pie.” Recipe by bravetart.
13. Image: by Lauren Ko. “Almond Cream Tart.” Recipe by David Lebovitz.
14. Image: by Lauren Ko. “Not feathers, but cardamom-spiced cream and cinnamon-scented wine-soaked pears over shortbread.”
15. Image: by Lauren Ko. “Purple Sweet Potato Pie.”