Thoughts on pie.

I bake pies. It’s in my DNA. My mom baked pies. My aunts baked pies. It may be a Pacific Northwest thing. (That’s where I grew up). I don’t bake pies to eat them, as much as I do for therapy.  When I’m rolling out a pie crust, I’m transported into another galaxy – one where I’m really calm and the only thing on my mind is the flakiness of the dough.

I bake pies for therapy, more than for eating.

Regarding recipes? Making a perfectly flaky pie crust is a learned experience. I learned it from my mother who never followed a recipe. When I do need to follow a recipe, I have two pie-chiatrists. One is Kate McDermott. She’s a James Beard Award winning pie-baker and author of “The Art of the Pie” She has a really solid recipe for pie crust that usually works for me. I’m also a devotee of Erin Jeanne McDowell, who literally wrote “The Book On Pie.” She brings so much enthusiasm to pie-baking through her Instagram that I’m reminded to bake pies even when I’m in the worst doldrums.

When I travel, I’m often on the lookout for a good slice of pie. I found what I think may be the best slice of pie in all of America in a little tiny shop, in front of a double wide, in DeVall’s Bluff, Arkansas. If you’re ever in Devall’s Bluff, visit Miss Lena’s Pie Shop and tell them i sent you.

Pie baking is meditation.

I guess I’m just into pie as an experience, not sharing recipes and never, ever selling my pies. So if you came here for great recipes, I’m not your gal. I will say I prefer lard to butter and usually make a crust with a combination of both.  Some friends of mine once talked into doing a 30-minute video on how I tackle a pie crust. It’s kind of corny, but if you want to see it, check it out on YouTube.

I do like to share my pies on Instagram, so if you love the love of pie, you’ll see quite a few there. In parting, pie is love. It really is. So if you love pie, let’s talk. I love to bake with friends.