Hey guys, Farmer’s Daughter Bean here again with a new post for our blog’s often neglected “Make” category. Enjoy…
I should start by telling you that ever since Tom and I saw the movie “Waitress”, we have been obsessing over fresh-baked pie. And though The House of Pies in Los Feliz comes pretty close, we have yet to find the perfect slice in Los Angeles — though Tom is inexplicably fond of the banana cream pie at the nasty Marie Calender’s by our house, which I will never understand.
So a few months back, I bought a pie cookbook from my store, “Killer Pies: Delicious Recipes from North America’s Favorite Restaurants” by Stephanie Anderson. And although I have looked through it many times, I was still a little hesitant to take the pie-making plunge.
I love to bake, but pie crust seemed very daunting for some reason. So when Tom requested a pie for his birthday instead of a cake, I decided to give it a go. He picked out his favorite pies and gave me the top three: Banana Cream (stop with that already!), Lemon Merinque and Wild Blueberry Pie.
Fortunately, I was able to talk him into a “seasonal” fruit pie, so he settled on the delicious sounding Wild Blueberry Pie recipe from a restaurant called Westville in Manhattan’s West Village.
Even before I bought the ingredients, I was worried about the crust (this was my first solo pie venture, remember) and called my mom to get her expert opinion. She was very helpful and patient (thanks, mom!) especially when I was trying to describe the consistency of the crust over the phone!
And although I was sweating it the whole time, Tom and the rest of our guests thought the pie came out great. The crust was flakey and the filling, which consisted of half fresh berries, half frozen and some lemon juice and zest, had a wonderful tartness that kept it from being too sweet. Overall I’d say it was a pretty decent first pie. So, happy Birthday, Tom!
Next on my pie making list…the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie from The Ham Shoppe in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. This one’s all for me though…no occasion necessary!
make. see. eat. do. 
Yum! I loved Waitress and can understand the pie obsession (I tend to prefer it to cake myself), but am not a baker (my tasty fruit crisps cook in the oven, but I don’t really think they count), so I’ve never tried a pie. I think I’m a little inspired now…
It sounds like Tom’s birthday was great!
OK…I have to admit I had some problems with some of the stuff in “Waitress”, but the overall look of the movie was beautiful and those amazing pies were gorgeous! They should seriously do a cookbook for some of those rocking recipes in the movie!
Thanks for the birthday wishes and the sweet birthday call yesterday, sorry I wasn’t there to take it or we could have talked pies and tasty fruit crisps via the phone lines instead! 🙂
Also glad Christine’s first attempt at pie making inspired you…I say try it! I mean really, even a bad pie is still pie…so what’s the worse that could happen? And as our old pal Mike used to say: “There’s always room for pie!” Ha!
Well, I am making cookies tonight…not quite a pie, but we’re having a potluck at work tomorrow, so everyone gets cookies.
I’m cracking up that you mentioned Mike–he really is a Leonard. I must say, though, that Dave’s yawns are really loud and they always remind me of how Mike’s used to scare you!
Glad you had fun on your birthday and I hope we can connect one of these days. It’s been fun keeping up with all the Not Forgotten stuff…the No Country for Old Men hotel has given me a fun way to brag about you to my friends.
You should come do a Q & A at the Del Mar when NF comes out!
Ha! Except unlike most of those Q&A’s where they charge the audience to be there, I would probably have to pay them to show up! 😉
Hey! YUM!
Wow…I am shocked that this is your first pie Christine, because you always seem to know how to make everything that’s yummy and delicious. From the looks of the photos, you’ve already mastered pie making too. Right on!
Can’t wait to fly down for another visit…maybe you could try to make the Lemon Merinque then? 🙂
I would love to make a Lemon Meringue pie. I love all things lemon! I’ve never made meringue either, so it would be another 1st. I wouldn’t say that I’ve “mastered” pie making, but I’m definitely encouraged to try more! I just need to get more people to come over and help eat them!
Christine– I’ll see if I can rassle up my mom’s award winning strawberry raspberry rhubarb pie recipe for ya! She won 1st place in the one and only pie contest she’s ever entered.
Christine, that pie was delicious! In fact, so is pretty much everything you bake.
(The only one of your baked goods I don’t care for are Christines, and those aren’t even baked, so those don’t really count anyway).
Keep on bakin’! 🙂
I am soooooooooooo craving a berry pie right now! Yum! Yum! I’ll be sure to let you know of my next visit well in advance so you’ll have time to make another one.
I learned somewhere (yikes! a Tupperware party, I think!) that if you use 7-up for all or part of the liquid when making a piecrust, that it makes it really flakey and it actually does!!!
Thanks for sharing your pie making experience. Love you!
So, I haven’t gotten around to the pie yet, but I did have a near-baking experience this weekend. A friend from work brought me a starter for some Amish bread (what makes it Amish? the instant pudding mix? who knows). There’s a whole routine: most days, you just feel up the Ziploc bag the starter is in like you’re giving yourself a breast exam; on day 6, you add a few ingredients; on day 10, you add some more, divide everything up to keep some starter going, and bake. Unfortunately, on days 6 & 7, we had a bit of a heat wave. Sometime on day 7 or 8, when I was not at home, the starter expanded more than the Ziploc bag could stand and I came home to The Blob. Looked like inside-out tapioca pudding (holes made by air bubbles rather than tapioca pearls), smelled like first grade homemade paste. Tonight would have been the night to bake, but I guess I’ll just have to watch Top Chef instead.
I know what you mean … feeling the dough is EXACTLY like giving yourself a breast exa… um wait a minute … 🙂
It’s okay, James, I’ll keep your secret. Oh, shoot, you mean anyone can read this?!
Wow! I didn’t know that my blueberry pie could lead to such a colorful discussion about breast exams! I am totally interested in making Amish bread now too! 🙂
Why do you have to talk bad about Marie’s place? It’s, um, quaint. Not that I’ve had their pies and you know how I feel about bananas, but that’s another story….Did I tell you I saw those Elvis Reese’s in a supermarket in Pasadena? Weird. Any who, the pie looked great! But, um, did you not read Thinner? OMG! No Strawberry PIE!!!!!