Yesterday, as you no doubt know, was National Pie Day. Gary and I decided to celebrate this year with a small party. We didn't do much planning, so we were a little weak in the entertainment department. But, we did have lots of pies, and that's what it's all about, isn't it?
Only 7 people showed up; we had several cancellations at the last minute due to competing (non-pie) parties. And we had 5 pies: apple, cherry, pecan, banana cream, and some sort of chocolate-raspberry cream. It was an excellent mix of pies, and I was really surprised we didn't have any duplicates. We never managed to get to the pecan pie, but we ate most of both cream pies, and half each of the fruit pies. I think the cream pies were most popular because you could get a lot of pie without feeling you'd eaten much. I personally liked the fruit pies best; they were both homemade (I made cherry and my friend Lisa made the apple), and I just like fruit pies more than cream pies. I love pecan pie, but I can usually only eat a slice of pecan pie and then not much else, so I shyed away from it. I think others felt the same (although we had one guest who claimed to be scared of pecan pies.)
Having a party was not a bad way to celebrate Pie Day. But I think what it really did for me was make me want to experiment with baking pies more often. I have 2 pies in my repetoire: pumpkin and pecan. Both are single crust and relatively simple pies. (And I don't know how to make pie crust! I always buy the pre-made crust!) After reading dozens of pie recipes last week, though, I've become more interested in trying them and breaking out of my pie-rut, as it was. Luckily my colleages at work are happy to eat my creations!
My first forays were a simple peach pie and the aforementioned cherry pie. The peach pie was made from canned peach halves (it's not exactly peach season right now!) and had a simple custard-like substance over it. I got the recipe from The Joy of Cooking. I didn't think it would be that great (canned peaches and bought crust doesn't sound like a winner), and honestly it was not a particularly pretty pie. But, it was tasty and very simple. The cherry pie was an actual two-crust pie, although again I used pre-made crust and canned fruit (but not cherry pie fillng!) I should have taken a picture, as it was quite handsome. And delicious, too! I was going to make Raisin Pie (aka Funeral Pie) but Gary talked me out of it (and rightly so.) I had also planned to make Chocolate Chip Bourbon Pecan Pie; unfortunately the pecans I had in the freezer had been there a little too long and were no longer fit for consumption. (This particular pie sounds really good, and I'm really looking forward to making it. But, the recipe claims that each slice, with 8 slices per pie, has over 650 calories!)
Thinking back on my years of baking, I can only remember making a 2-crust pie once, about 20+ years ago. After this year's National Pie Day, I think it will be less than 20 years before I make my next one!
Posted by Jen at January 24, 2004 09:25 AM