Pie and National Succcess

An article from a 1902 issue of the New York Times on the connection between pie and national success, claiming "no pie-eating people can ever be permanently vanquished." Though misguided and rather imperialistic, which is unsurprising considering the era, I do wonder if it was originally intended to be in jest? I particularly like the last paragraph on pie and seasonality-- "mince pie season" in winter "the joyous custard" of spring, "lip-painting berry pies" of summer and the "golden glory of royal the pumpkin pie" in the fall. That's a connection I can get behind.

 

 Thanks to Gina for posting. Read more here.

Vintage Deep South Peanut Pie Ad (Creepy)

I stumbled across the vintage deep south peanut pie recipe/advertisement for Karo syrup on boing boing, and it was too creepy not to post.

"Here's a dessert to make even your deepest-dyed Yankee start complimenting you with a Southern accent. It's right from Dixie... and down thataway (where peanut pie was born!)..."

Not sure if that "down thataway" is a reference to what's behind that chippendale baby's hat, but that would make it even more disturbing. I did make a North Carolina peanut pie once-- a nice sweet/savory combination. But might be scared to try the recipe in this ad, for fear of conjuring that naked "deep south" pie imp in my kitchen...

An Apple A Day

Do you remember my friend Emily's awesome "pie kills cupcake" illustrations? Well here's another pie-related drawing she did as part of her adorable "North Carolina State Fair Illustrated" series for the Independent Weekly.

So cute! I'm not sure if a deep fried candy apple would really keep the doctor away, but I am willing to test it out...

Vintage Pie Birds

Vintage classic pie birds c. 1960

 Pie birds (or funnels) are small figurines, generally in the shape of a bird, but not always (see below), inserted into the middle of a double crust pie to let out steam and prevent spillage.  Some models also assist in supporting the pie crust so it does not collapse in the middle. According to this story in Country Living, pie "birds"/funnels first appeared in England at the turn of the 19th century, in various forms. They didn't take on the shape of birds, however, until the 1930s in the United States, with the nursery rhyme, "Sing A Song of Sixpence" (4 and 20 blackbirds baked into a pie) serving as inspiration.

I tend to feel that I don't need a pie bird...in some cases you want to keep the steam inside the pie, to help cook your fruit (with an apple pie, for instance).  But they are an interesting piece of material culture as well as a collector's item. Apparently they were more necessary in the past, as older ovens did not bake as uniformly as modern versions.

Here are a few of my favorite vintage and modern pie birds, sourced from that Country Living Article and Ebay (where there are many to be found). See a classic modern pie bird (and nothing-in-the-house mascot) at right. 

Stuart Bass pie goat with pie (very meta and makes me wonder why his pie doesn't have a pie bird?!)

British pie funnel c. 1909, its divider allows you to bake two different flavors in one pie

 Pie fruits, made in Taiwan c. 1960

By Camark Pottery Company (missing 3 from a 10 piece set) c. 1940s--to match your Fiestaware

Would love to see some of our readers' pie birds, if anyone has a collection...

Dad Blogs Again!: Betty's Pies

I think my dad is secretly aspiring to become a regular nothing-in-the-house contributor. I suppose that wouldn't be the worst thing... Here's his post from his visit to Betty's Pies after a canoe trip in the Minnesota Boundary Waters.

We exited the Boundary Waters Canoe Area at 4:00pm after a long hard day of paddling and portaging in the cold and rain. After loading our gear and canoes we took a welcome hot shower (our first in 7 days) and headed south in the van toward Duluth and then home to Indiana. About 2 hours south of Grand Marais, in the town of Two Harbors, Minnesota, we spotted a lighted sign calling out to us like a lighthouse to a ship lost at sea.

 It was Betty's Pies, an institution in Two Harbors for over 50 years. I'd passed by Betty's every one of the 20 or so times I'd gone to the Boundary Waters, but this time I was compelled to stop. The thought of homemade pie after our difficult canoe trip was just too enticing.

The staff was very friendly as they showed me the list of pies of the day. The person behind the counter also told me that they had several other  pies not listed that had just come out of the oven and were too warm to cut but I could purchase a whole pie if I wanted.

Betty!

Kwitchurbeliakin! I believe that's a German word?

I decided upon the Bumbleberry Pie, the name they gave to their combination of blueberry, strawberry, blackberry and raspberry.

The pie was delicious! I think Betty's will now be a requisite stop after my next Boundary Waters trip.

I must say, I am curious about two things...1) Betty's pasties, and 2) Betty's crust, but I guess we'll have to wait for another dad post for that.

Montgomery Place Orchards

I spent this past weekend at one of my favorite places in the world for my friends Marina and Louis' wedding at Rokeby in the Hudson River Valley (HRV) of New York. Whenever I'm there, we almost always stop at the Montgomery Place Orchard farm stand for some of Doug and Talea's fresh apples, pears, berries, veggies and more, and more often then not, I bake a pie (or six) from what I find there.

The stand holds an annual pie contest, this year on October 15-- next weekend! My visit has never coincided with the contest, but someday I hope to enter.

One of the best things about Montgomery Place Orchards is that they grow and sell my favorite baking apple-- the Northern Spy. When I was growing up we used to get them at Eberly's Orchard in North Liberty, IN, though they only had one tree left, as Spies are difficult to grow and aren't cosmetically perfect. They seemed to have made a comeback, though, among heirloom growers, and pie bakers are thankful for it.

I also like to pick up a jar of Doug and Talea's delicious farm-pressed "Annandale Atomic Hard Cider". It's the perfect thing to sip as you roll out dough, slice apples, and flute crusts.

This visit I made 6 pies/tarts for the wedding...2 apple-ginger double crust pies, 3 apple tarts with homemade apple butter, and one pear tarte tatin. Stay tuned for wedding pie pics...

Savory Apple Tart with Caramelized Onions, Gruyere, and Sage

With all the sweet treats on the Tarts by Tarts at Crafty Bastards menu, we thought it might be wise to offer something savory as well. We had a surplus of apples from an apple-picking excursion the weekend prior, so I opted for a sheet/galette-style savory apple tart with caramelized onions, gruyere, and sage. Here's the recipe I used, adapted from Heart of Light.

Savory Apple Tart with Caramelized Onions, Gruyere, and Sage

Ingredients:Nothing-in-the-house pie crust recipe (for a double-crust pie)
3-4 baking apples, cored, partially peeled, and very thinly sliced
2-3 onions, sliced thinly
1-2 Tblsp. olive oil
pinch of sea salt
pinch of pepper
1 tsp. fresh sage, finely chopped
1/2 c. gruyere, shredded
1 egg, beaten

Make crust and refrigerate for at least one hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Caramelize onions (I used Mark Bittman's technique) adding pinch of salt, pepper, and the 1tsp. of fresh chopped sage. While the onions are cooking, core, peel and slice apples. Toss slices with the caramelized onions and set aside.

Roll out dough onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dough can be thick (about 1/8 in.). Spread the apples and onions on crust and sprinkle with shredded gruyere. Fold edges of pie crust over filling to form a rim. Crimp decoratively and brush with an egg wash.

Bake tart for approximately 45 minutes or until pastry is golden and cheese is melted.

We cut ours into approximately 9 slices which we sold and sampled! Though at Crafty Bastards we had to serve the slices cold, this would be best eaten warm with a cold, dark beer on a crisp October night.

Weird Pies & Strange Pasties

Weird pies, strange pasties, rock cakes and love buns?! I think Bill Carter may be a man after my own heart! I did a little Google sleuthing about the photo; apparently it was taken in Katharine, in the Northern Territory of Australia by Margaret Kirk in 1936. I found this other view of the shed, but still searching for more about Carter--let me know if you know or find anything.  Photo sent to me by my friend Valeda.

Tarts by Tarts Starts!

This past Satuday, after baking all day Friday, 2 hours of sleep, and getting up at 4am to fry doughnuts, my friend Kari and I took to D.C.'s Crafty Bastards Food Market for the debut of Tarts by Tarts! We set up our stand with ticking and tablecloth, a pennant flag, homemade stamped business cards, baskets, wooden library boxes and Kari's genius "doughnut suitcase"; despite the dreary day, I must say that it looked pretty cute.

We opened for business at 10am and had a steady stream of customers, many of them after our hot mulled cider with a doughnut hole-on-a-stir-stick (it was cold) and our other breakfast-y treats. By 11am business had really picked up, and we were slammed for 2 hours straight, with a constant line of friendly folks who had lots of nice things to say about our goods.

 

Here's what we offered:  

Tarts by Tarts at Crafty Bastards  
Hot mulled cider with a doughnut hole 
Dulce de leche filled yeast doughnuts 
Apple cider donuts 
Glazed buttermilk cake donuts (vanilla and chocolate) 
Pumpkin whoopie pies with maple cream cheese filling 
Molasses gingerbread (slices) 
Double chocolate rads (cookies) 
Vegan iced oatmeal cookies 
Savory apple tart with carmelized onions, gruyere and sage (recipe to be posted soon!) 
Plum hazelnut tartlets 
Apple tartlets with homemade apple butter 
Honey walnut tartlets

 

By 2pm we had completely sold out (though in the last fifteen minutes we had a "name your price" deal to clear our few remaining cookies and pumpkin whoopie pies. Though it would have been nice to stick around and talk to more people, we were thankful to get out a little early, as we were freezing, rain-drenched, and exhausted. All-in-all our first outing as Tarts by Tarts was quite the success! We sold out and even made a little bit of money, which exceeded our goals and was encouraging as we had no idea what to expect from Crafty Bastard's first Crafty Food Market.

 

Kari and I would like to extend a special thanks to all those friends who helped make this possible--everyone who lent a table or a tent, a thermos, or the use of a van, stopped by to say hi and buy, helped us set-up, tear down, as well as those who kept us going while baking by offering jokes,  late-night grocery-run accompaniment, and encouragement. I'd also like to thank Kari for being an awesome baking partner and sharing all her baked goods sale expertise! Looking forward to doing it again soon. Stay updated on future Tarts by Tarts adventures on our blog here: http://tartsbytarts.tumblr.com/

That Tarts By Tarts Look

We are busy gearing up for our baked goods stand, Tarts by Tarts, this Saturday! Kari had a stamp made with the awesome she designed, and last night we did a lot of stamping of business and label cards...


She also made a bunting to hang across our table...



Also of note in this photo-- my double decker Amish pie carrying basket (at right), and the trompe l'oeil pie plate my friends Heather and Sara gave to me several years ago (at left). And yes, that's the original Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook next to it.

Check back here tomorrow for some Tarts by Tarts kitchen missives!

Tarts by Tarts at Crafty Bastards!

A few weeks ago, my housemate Kari (who writes and bakes at Tanglewood Baked Goods) and I got together and submitted an application to sell baked goods at D.C.'s Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair first food fair...and we were accepted!


Our stand, Tarts by Tarts, will offer donuts, cookies, whoopie pies, pretzels, and yes, tartlets, all with a rustic, seasonal aesthetic that highlights the two B's-- butter and bourbon.

You can find more information on our tumblr here and make sure to catch us (and/or tell your local friends!) at the Crafty Bastards Arts & Craft Fair in Adams Morgan, D.C. on October 1 from 10am-5pm. Visit their site here for more information and check back here and on our tumblr for teaser images, recipes, and more...

Tarts by Tarts!

Dad Blogs!: Campfire Pie Warming Shelf

My dad submitted this post about a campfire pie on a recent Wyoming camping trip...

Recently while camping at a remote mountain lake in Wyoming we were faced with a serious pie dilemma.

We had a blueberry pie that we had picked up at a local pie shop in Ten Sleep, Wyoming and were all dying to eat it but everyone in our camp, nicknamed "The J Team" (Josh, Joe, Jim, and John) by our hiking companions at Yellowstone the day before, decided that because of the cool ambient temperatures at 12,000 feet, the pie had to be warm.

Pie warming shelf

Josh, the youngest of our group at 24 and a recent St. Olaf graduate (take note all of you prospective employers looking for an environmentalist) put on his thinking cap, grabbed a big buck saw and started to work.

Jim putting the pie on the shelf

He created a pie warming shelf that we put into the campfire and we were able to warm the pie to the perfect eating temperature.

Jim in the PEZ

It also gave it a bit of a smokey flavor which was just perfect for the campfire setting.

Thanks to my dad for the post and the tip!

Stanley Kubrick and Pie

In preparation for the deleted pie scene in Dr. Strangelove. Perhaps he's not quite in the PEZ, but... (via pop culture cooking)

Peach Apricot Raspberry Wedding Pie

My good friends Erik and Abra got married two weekends ago at Bare Knuckle Farm (where Abra is a business partner/farmer) in Northport, MI. The weather was *perfect* (despite the fact that much of the east coast was being hit by Hurricane Irene), old pals were there in force (making for a killer dance party later), and the food, oh, the food!


Abra is a chef in Chicago, and she enlisted her Chicago chef pals to each contribute a dish, for a local farm fancy wedding potluck, of sorts.


Two of the bakers Abra works with are Paula Haney and Kelsey Coday of Hoosier Mama Pie Company. They contributed the most delicious Peach Apricot Raspberry pies which stood alongside cakes by Sandra Holl and Meghan Stone at Floriole Bakery.


I can't speak much about the pie, honestly, because I ate it in sporadic bites while trying to prep for DJing, and don't remember specificities of taste, just that it was so fresh and DELICIOUS.

Congratulations and thank you to Abra & Erik (as well as to everyone who contributed) for this quite perfect celebration. May there be many delicious pies in your future! xoxo.

The Moon Pie

The moon pie. If you're from or have spent time in the South, you are probably familiar with that pillow of marshmallow, sandwiched between two graham cookies, all coated in chocolate (that's the classic version, anyhow). Story goes that the moon pie came to be when Earl Jones, the dessert's founder, asked a Kentucky coal miner what snack he'd like to eat. The miner replied with something similar to a s'more--graham cracker and marshmallow dipped in chocolate. When Jones asked how big it should be, his interviewee looked up at the night sky, and circled the full moon with his hands.

a "workingman's lunch"-- R.C. Cola and a moon pie (or three)

This weekend I was in Tenneessee, the official home of the moon pie, as Jones started making them at his Chattanooga bakery in 1917. Though I was in Nashville, I had no trouble gathering proclamations of moon pie love and a few anecdotes. I befriended someone whose father was part of the eating of the biggest moon pie EVER, and one of the members of the blues group The Holmes Brothers, a Chattanooga native, told me stories of after school moon pie snacks he ate on the railroad bridge while watching the train go by.

good, but could it be better?

While I was there, I enjoyed my own "workingman's lunch"-- R.C. Cola and a moon pie--of which Big Bill Lister wrote a song in the 1950s. I enjoyed it, but thought that the packaged version left a little something to be desired--the chocolate is a bit waxy, the cookies not as flavorful as the could be (I know this might be blasphemous to some, but I don't have the childhood food nostalgia associated with the treat). I decided to try to make my own.

moon pie making-- a messy pursuit

I scoped a few recipes on the internet, and it seems there are two schools of thought regarding homemade moon pies-- those who make graham crackers, and those who make "graham" cookies. The packaged moon pie is admittedly more cookie than cracker, though the cookie has a slight bite and has that graham flour taste. For my first attempt, I decided to go with cracker over cookie, as it seemed a little more authentic, but the jury is still out. I combined a few different recipes, and here's what I came up with...

tricky, messy, tasty

Homemade Moon Pies (first attempt)


For graham cracker cookie:
Ingredients
3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups graham flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup milk


Directions
1. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Using a mixer (hand or stand), beat butter until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla to butter mixture and beat until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat until mixture is crumbly. Add molasses, then milk until the dough comes together (it will be stiff). Chill dough for approximately one hour. 

2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured pastry board or counter top. Cut circles out with a cookie cuter to give you the size moon pie you'd like. Bake about 15 minutes--or until soft by done. Let cool completely.

For the marshmallow filling:
Ingredients
2 egg whites
Pinch cream of tartar
Pinch of sea salt
2/3 cup light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar


Directions
1. Using a mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt until firm peaks form. (Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, boil the corn syrup over high heat without stirring until it registers 230-235°F on a candy thermometer)* Slowly drizzle the (hot) corn syrup into the egg whites and beat at high speed until glossy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, beat in the vanilla and powdered sugar.
*This step did not work for me, as the corn syrup kept congealing, like candy. We ended up using room temperature corn syrup.


To assemble the cookies:
Directions
On cookie sheets that fit in your freezer, line up half of the cookies. Spoon marshmallow filling on half of the cookies. Top each cookie (my marshmallow filling was a bit runny, so this was a little difficult). Place cookie sheets in freezer.

For chocolate coating:
Ingredients
24 ounces (one large bag) semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup vegetable oil


Directions
1. Meanwhile, using a double boiler or in the microwave on 50% power and in 30 second increments, melt the chocolate and vegetable oil together until completely smooth. Remove cookies from the freezer and spoon melted chocolate over each cookie so that it runs down the sides and covers most of the cookie. 

2. Return cookies to the freezer. Once chocolate has hardened, flip over and spoon melted chocolate over the other side to completely coat cookies. Store in refrigerator or freezer.

pie in the sky

I found this recipe, particularly the marshmallow filling, to be rather tricky. Plus the whole process requires some simultaneous steps, so I was lucky to have a few friends around to help (also to help me taste test!). I liked the cookies, though they were quite molasses-y, and I think they could be a bit softer. Next time I might try a "graham cookie" recipe and try to make the mallow filling with vegetarian gelatin.

All-in-all though, they were still quite tasty, as evidenced by these faces in the MPEZ (Moon Pie Enjoyment Zone).

We enjoyed them with warm beer (trying to finish a leftover keg!) on the porch in the rain. Check back in for my second moon pie making attempt and check out NPR and my Professor Bill Ferris' essay for further related reading.

Stone Fruit and Berry Cobbler at Sometimes

Sometimes, pre-dinner

Last Saturday I went to Sometimes, an alt dinner club/secret cafe put on by friends/friends-of-friends in Baltimore. Guests RSVP in advance and attend the fixed menu dinner, bringing their own alcohol (though some cocktails and other drinks were provided), and a suggested donation. I had been hearing about it for a while now, but wasn't able to make it until this one, which was sadly the last, at least for a while.

Stone fruit and berry cobbler in cast iron skillets

It was approximately a 10 course meal (though some were drinks, and 11-course, if you count the dance party), and each dish was quite impressive. I especially loved the coconut-poached turbot with charred green beans, and naturally, the dessert-- a lambic float with corriander ice cream, and a stone fruit and berry cobbler.

Emmanuel & Justin

The cobblers were cooked in cast-iron skillets, and judging from my piece, contained along with various stone fruits and berries, a bit of rhubarb as well. The cobbler top was the most unique part though--it was just enough sweet and surprisingly (pleasantly) quite spicy, from the addition of red pepper (?).

spicy dessert!

I'm inspired to try adding a lil' spice to a crumble top sometime soon, plus bake in iron skillets more! Thanks to Ben, Heidi, and the rest of the crew for the incredible dinner, and to Anna for inviting me.

On the Cover of Gourmet

A selection of Gourmet magazine (r.i.p.) covers that feature pie. See all of them here.