Those Summer Nights

Well...I guess we're just about in the middle of summer, which is an awesome thing if you're a pie maker like I am. You see...summer isn't only the time of year when it gets disgustingly hot outside, it's also the time of year when fruit is at it's most fresh.

I went to Vienna's Farmer's Market last Saturday and got some great locally grown peaches. Then I went to Giant and bought some, equally great, far away grown strawberries (I am not a sellout, strawberry season is over).

When I got home I started throwing them all together; Some sugar here, some lemon juice there, maybe a tad of corn starch... then I plopped it all in a pre-baked pie shell and into the fridge it went.

While it chilled, we reorganized our basement. It looks so much better, much more space, and a vast improvement on the viewing angle of the tv.

Anyway, we were hot from all of the lifting and shifting, and decided we needed a cool snack. Well, Straight From The Pie Hole came to our rescue.

"How?" you might ask.

Well, if you remember, there was a chilled strawberry peach pie in the fridge just-a-waiting for us to dig into.




For the love of peaches in pie crust! It was delicious. Like a cold slice of peach pie, but slightly foreign...the strawberry bits, strewn throughout like the chocolate chips in mint chocolate chip ice cream. The fresh whipped topping, the dash of nutmeg all combining to create a masterpiece of flavor. And, it was beautiful, to boot!

It represented well a hot, humid, sticky summer's night. And it cooled us off. Just as we had hoped.

I know, I know...It's unethical to eat turtle. Whatever. Something so good, just can't be wrong.

Now, I do admit that this is no ordinary turtle. It's not your standard giant sea turtle. Nor is it the snapping turtle you saw lingering near the creek across the street. It's also not a teenager, or mutant, or a ninja. This is so much better, if it's possible to be better than a ninja. (Cocks head to side, thinks hard, then shakes head)

Anyway, picture this: A homemade graham cracker crust. Ok, that might not be that exciting, but wait til you hear about the filling...

A layer of chopped pecans, a layer of smooth caramel, a layer of sweet cream cheese, all topped with chocolate whipped cream.

Oh, don't say anymore! It's too much, I can't turtle it, I mean, bear it!



Yes, I admit, this post might have you rolling your eyes, but damn, it was like Mr. Brach, himself, was here overseeing the making of his famous candy into pie form.

Now, if only I had a shell to hide it in...

That All Pies Are Created Equal

So...Week 4...weak pie. I mean, ok, it was alright. I just wasn't super excited about it. It didn't taste bad, It was just, slightly boring.



As I was trying to figure out which pie to make this week, I thought about our weekend plans. It was the 4th of July weekend, and we had Adam and Val's annual party to attend. I was looking over my challenge list...Lemon Meringue, Jack Daniel's Pecan, Plum and Port...None of them were really hitting me. Until I saw it. Blueberries...well they're blue and that's in our flag. Maple...makes me think of Canada, er - I mean, Vermont. Cornmeal... well, southern foods? So, I figured it would be perfect for the party: A Blueberry Maple Pie with a Cornmeal Crust. I mean, if you think of it, it has that 'Americana' ring to it.

Really, it's practically just a regular blueberry pie, but instead of sweetening it with sugar, you use maple syrup. After baking, I really didn't taste the syrup in there. And I used REAL maple syrup. Not that Aunt Jemima stuff they sell cheap to put on pancakes. The crust was different I guess. Crunchier, grittier. Not bad, just different.

All in all it was a fine pie, it just didn't blow my socks off, like I was expecting it to from it's title.

Though, I do have a feeling that Hancock, Jefferson, Franklin and friends might have enjoyed the "Best of America" ingredients involved.

It's Just Pie

So, last weekend I tried my hand at an old Southern classic: The Chess Pie. Now, some Southern women might see it as blasphemous that a Yankee girl, like myself, might make this pie. But this is one, now slightly displaced, Yankee girl who just doesn't give one toot as to who can or can't make this pie.

So, Chess Pie...It's kinda like Shoofly Pie, in that you have no idea what kind of pie it is from the name. Not like the movies 'Snakes on a Plane' or 'Hot Tub Time Machine:' You know exactly what they will be about even before watching them. But Chess pie...mmm...I'm making it my new mission that everyone knows what it is.

Why? Cause it's good, that's why. You start with a basic crust, partially baked before even adding the filling. Then you fill it up to the top with a lemony custard. Pop it into the oven, and voila! You get something that looks like this:



I know, looks kinda weird; brown on the top, yellow on the inside. But, let me just ask you one question? When is the last time you ate a lemon bar that was made inside a pie crust?

See, now you're intrigued. This pie does taste quite like a lemon bar, but one bite and you know it's something that Paula Deen has probably made once or twice. It's thick and rich, creamy and sugary, full of eggs and butter.

Oh, and it's etymology: a few schools of thought: First, we, as Americans, are lazy with the English language, hence a pie that kept well in the pie chest, became chess pie. My favorite theory though begins with a Southern wife making her Southern husband a pie. She dished him out a slice. He took a wiff, and asked, in his deep south accent, "Honey, what kinda pie is this?" And she, with her deep south charm, answered, "It's just pie."

Now you try to say it with her accent.