​STEPS:

1. Partially prebake the pie crust: preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover pie shell with aluminum foil and pie crust (or dried beans, something to weigh it down!) Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Then remove pie weights (or beans!), reduce the temperature to 375 and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove the pie crust and let cool. Reduce oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine brown sugar, coffee, and butter in a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, corn syrup, vanilla and salt. Stir in the hazelnuts. 
3. Pour the filling into the pie shell.
4. Bake pie for 25 minutes, then rotate it 180 degrees. Bake for another 20-25 minutes (when filling firms up)
5. Let cool and then ENJOY! 

Over the last month I've had the pleasure of working on a short film called Donuts. It was such a blast to work on, and not just because I was "forced" to eat copious amounts of donuts.

One of the most exciting things about the shoot was that it had a nearly all-female crew. If you don't work in the film industry, you might not realize how rare it is. (Check out these statistics from Women In Film). It may seem like a small triumph, but it's pretty exciting. In my nearly two decades of working professionally, I've never been on a set that had a majority of the crew be female. And, as a story about two women coming together, it just felt right.

Here's is to more projects helmed by amazing women! And also more opportunities to eat donuts in the name of art... 

Footnote: For any of you donut enthusiasts out there, check out these two gourmet donut shops in LA: Donut Friend and Glazed

Thanksgiving has long been one of my favorite holidays. Of course, the copious amounts of pie may have something to do with that, but even more importantly is that we get the opportunity to celebrate what we are grateful for. 

2013 has proven to be an exciting year full of many twists and turns. Every year has ups and downs, and I'm incredibly grateful to have supportive friends and family to help me weather them. So, thank you (yes, you). Because, if you're reading this, you've been part of that team.

Also, you may already know that I love to cook. In honor of the holiday, I thought I'd include my new favorite pie crust recipe for all of your delicious Thanksgiving pie needs...

I had heard that adding Vodka to your pie crust is a secret weapon, and while I had my doubts, I am now officially a convert. Because vodka evaporates during baking, it keeps your dough together when you are prepping but leaves you with a perfectly flaky crust when you are done. It also makes for a tender crust that is much easier to roll out. In short, I'm sold!

This recipe is Cook's Illustrated Foolproof Pie Crust.

Makes 1 pie crust

• 1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/4 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces
• 2 tablespoons vodka, cold
• 2 tablespoons cold water

1. Process 3/4 cups flour, salt, and sugar together in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no un-coated flour). Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten dough into 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.