The Comfort of Tradition

It's  an unseasonably warm 78• today. Insanely nice for mid-March and frankly, this warm weather makes me a bit  uncomfortable.  I miss winter.  I love  being snowed in, bundled up and  unable to leave the couch.  But, this hasn't been that kind of winter.  To date  we have had only three snow storms that prevented me from leaving this house, and that sucks.  Here we are, 3 days from the 1st day of Spring and it's freakin' Summer already!  Flower bulbs are up and trees are budding. Oh well, I guess it makes everyone else happy. It Looks nice out there.  I really should go outside and...  oh I don't know,  go rake the lawn or something.  Maybe I should go uncover the already bloomed out daffodils.  I just can't shake the hibernation blues.
 I think I'll just bake and write.

Today is Saint Patrick's Day.   I always make Corned Beef & Cabbage, a wonderfully Jewish-Americanized-fake-Irish tradition.  I know, I know... I am  being way too  cynical. But come on... if you really wanted to honor the Irish, green beer, and deli food isn't the way to do it.  Salmon, Irish stew made with lamb, Soda bread, and of course Guinness, that's  proper Irish cuisine. The average slob out there isn't concerned with the traditional fare of the green isle  or Saint Patrick and the Catholic Church.  He just wants another excuse to be a falling down drunk.
So why do I make this dish?
 I make this dish because my mother made it.

I savor  all the childhood memories that are triggered by comfort food's my mother made.  I am transported to a memory of walking in the front door of my house after school, cold, wet, and probably a little cranky, and within moments having that melt away by the smell  of "Irish" cooking.  Boiled cabbage and meat, fresh baked soda bread, and cupcakes with green sprinkles.  I remember distinctly walking into the kitchen, smiling, dropping papers and books along the way. Happy to be home, safe & warm. priceless moments of pure happiness triggered only by the smell of boiled cabbage.
That, my friends, is why... as crazy  as I have been all my live... I will never forget what joy and happiness can be created when traditional comfort foods are prepared.
This is why I make the American Irish meal, and why I ultimately choice to  become a baker myself.
 I love to be comfortable.
I want to comfort others.
Well,  anyway  if at all else, it's another excuse to bake a pie, and write a story about it.

 I decided to bake a Bailey's Irish Cream Mousse Pie.  Of course I changed the recipe a bit, gotta make it my own, right? This is pie #223.  142 in the count down.

Sully's Chocolate Irish Cream  Pie
3 eggs, separated

1/4 tsp salt
6 ounces Bailey's Irish Cream

fresh whipped cream* 

1 package of bittersweet chocolate chips
 * 1 carton of heavy cream whipped in mixer w/ 3T. powder sugar.
Beat egg yolks until they are lemon-colored.
Add salt and Bailey's, mixing well. 
Cook in top of double boiler, stirring constantly until yolk mixture thickens.

Cool.
Melt chocolate chips, set aside. 


Beat egg whites until stiff. 
Fold cooled custard, chocolate, & 1/2 of the
whipped cream into the egg whites.
 
Spoon the mixture into prepared pie shell.  
For extra credit,
smooth over the remaining whipped topping and add the
 green 
sprinkles.
Freeze for 3-4 hours
Happy St. Patrick's Day

#223 Chocolate Irish Cream Pie

Diabetic friendly French Silk Pie

#214 Stevia French Silk Pie

 Last Sunday night we watched the Oscars.  Loving, laughing and mocking those gaffs & gowns of the Red Carpet is great fun and all, but the part we love best about the Oscars feeds into our true competitive nature.
We download our own ballots and during all that Red Carpet crap we try to guess  the winners for each of the categories.
 Now, we haven't seen a single new movie in three years, so it's all a guessing game with us. 
Of course Stuart won.
He usually does.
 Along with enjoying our competitiveness, we delight ourselves with rewarding our victories.
My standard prize is to ask for something sexual.
He invariably wants something Chocolate.

This year he asked me to bake  his favorite Chocolate pie without sugar.

I've been meaning to get around to this, he is after all diabetic.  My evil plot to force him into marriage via sugar laden death pie isn't really the smartest thing I should do for the man I love. 
It's high time I got serious about baking more sugar free pies for him.
It might make for a more lasting relationship.

I have found Stevia is by far the best tasting sugar replacement with no heavy after taste, and it's all natural.
So here is my recipe  for a Stevia French Silk Pie.

 I baked this On Wednesday the 29th. Pie# 214....
Diabetic friendly French Silk Pie
pre- bake & cool a 10" pie shell
3 ounces (squares) unsweetened baking chocolate

1 & 1/2 stick of butter, room temperature

1/2 Cup  Stevia
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
Topping:

1 cup whipping cream
 w/1/8 teaspoon Stevia
 Break chocolate and place in a small saucepan over lowest possible heat. Stirring constantly, warm chocolate until almost completely melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until thoroughly melted. Cool chocolate.
Since the eggs won’t be cooked, coddle eggs: Fill a small sauce pan about half-full. Bring water to boiling, then place eggs in boiling water for 20 seconds. Remove eggs from water and immerse in cold water to stop them from continuing to cook. Set aside.
pre heat oven 450•
In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer cream butter, Stevia on  medium speed about 1 minute.
Add chocolate and vanilla, mixing until combined. Continue mixing and beat in eggs one at a time for 5 minutes each.
Total mixing time for egg mixture will be 20 minutes. Pour into pie shell. Chill at least 4 hours to set.
Topping instructions: Whip cream in a small mixing bowl with an electric mixer until peaks form. Add Stevia & whip till combined. Spread on chilled pie.

No, I won't be your Valentine.

#213 Red Velvet Pie

We are only 24 hours away from the biggest heartbreaker of them all.  The cruel and brutal  Hallmark holiday known as Valentine's Day.  Short of  New Years Eve it's the worst day of the year if you're single, and it IS the ALL TIME  worst day of the year when you're not.

I think my dislike of this "holiday" stems from some sort of  childhood trauma.  Those innocent little boxes of cards we had to hand out in school were painful  life lessons in rejection.
A standard box held 25 cards mostly filled with cutesy little saying. Nondescript, nice, friendship stuff.  One for teacher, one really putting it out there with the love, and two kinda  on the mean side.  Those last ones were fun to send to the bullies, but a bitch to get yourself.
What it all boiled down to is.. popularity is king.  Be the kid with the most cards in your box!
I worried about it every year.
Was I going to be the kid who had to make that horrible walk back to your desk after sending an unrequited love poem?
Or worst yet, was I going to get that supper mushy one, only to find out your the butt of a practical joke. (again)
Forced shows of affection are not handled well when your young.

But hey guess what? It only gets worst as you age.

We unrealistically plan extravagant dinners with wine and music, plan on getting flowers and jewelry and great sex !!  Most of us have so much fantasy in our heads that real life is just a flat out disappointment.  There is too much pressure to prove your love.
How is that not a recipe for disaster?
We set ourselves up  making it all to easy to fail.
And for what?
Just who are we trying to  prove our love to?
Getting flowers at work really isn't about you or him, it's about the other girls SEEING you get the flowers.
It's all about the showing off how many cards you got in your box.

Well you know what ? screw that!
MY Valentine and I will not be wearing love on our sleeve.  We don't require a holiday to show public displays of affection.  I know he cares for me, he obviously knows I have never been happier.  He can save the ring for another day.
Oh yeah... I STILL want the jewelry, you know. Lets not get crazy here.

I baked him his favorite dessert Tonight, of course I baked it into a pie.
I love you Stuart, you are the only one who gets me,
in more ways than one.
Happy Everyday.

The Surprised Baker

My name Is Kate and I can make a pie from scratch.
Yes, it is a big deal.
I myself didn't think it was such a big deal to make one's own dough, but I am as surprised as anyone else could be...


...and it tastes good, really good.


It took me close to 2 years of working with different recipes everyday to find the right recipe, the right  balance.  The end result, my crust is sweet & flaky, and everything it should be.  Just like I had hoped. My crust is as good as Grandma's or Aunt Bea's.
You know hardly anyone ever makes it  from scratch.
That's a shame.

A lost art.

It started innocently enough, almost as a joke. Bake a pie from scratch.  Sure, I mean..how hard can that be?  My quest was to bake 365 pies for my boyfriend.
It was all about him... in the beginning.

But I learned more.

That's how this quest has come to mean something different to me.
Something I didn't expect.
While trying to find the perfect crust, working with my hands each and everyday through the raw ingredients that I like to call "the food foundation", I had the beginnings of a revelation.
Does baking create happiness?
Have I found the secret to that special warm place that I didn't even know I was missing? 
Through trial (and believe me several several errors)..I mastered "the Dough" and alongside my pride of accomplishment was a  sense of ...warmth,
for lack of a better word.
I couldn't contain this.
I am not baking for just him (the quest) anymore.
I bake for all my friends & family.
I share with strangers.
I can't help it, it comes with the territory.
Pie builds a sense of community whenever and wherever it's baked, shared and enjoyed. Its kind of warm and safe, you know what I mean?  Pie is comforting to the brethren, its warmth personified.
Obviously the only possible conclusion..
I HAVE TO CONTINUE WITH THIS QUEST...I HAVE TO OPEN A PIE SHOP!

Pie builds a sense of community whenever and wherever it's baked, shared and enjoyed. Its kinda warm and safe, you know what I mean?

Pie builds a sense of community whenever and wherever it's baked, shared and enjoyed. Its kinda warm and safe, you know what I mean?

Pie is comforting the brethren, its warmt


h personified

 I need to share this warmth and happiness with as many as I can.
Pie can change the world.
But...
it can't be like any other pie shop in the world.  Our pie shop isn't going to play it safe with "warm and fuzzy".
Nope. That's not really me, or my partner.

We will be a Pie Shop with an edge.
Our Pie Shop will be a place where our patrons and employees will engage one another through a shared love of great pie, conversation, and music,
especially vinyl records.
A music centric  pie shop to comfort your soul .
Warm sounds and cool pie in the heart of the city.
Pie served with a soundtrack.

We will be  Kate's PieShop. 
http://katespieshop.com
Satisfy your pie hole at the pie shop.
Promoting and nurturing the love of vinyl records, great conversation, and warm delicious pie.

Our Record store will specialize in punk music from the 1970's 80's and 90's, vintage country, blues, rockabilly and soul.

So here I am.... a middle age Punk chick who bakes pie like Aunt Bea (maybe even starting to look like her) finally happy with being in the kitchen
as long as I got the stereo  cranked.

Pie changed my world.

Winter Savory Pie & 16 more

It's a bleak and overcast winter's morning as I write this article.  I am looking out the window at my garden. My Parsley & Sage have finally withered ... I should have picked more of it when I had the chance.  Overall, it has been a warmer than usual winter with hardly any snow, bad for the perennials, but good for those cold hardy crops.  I doubt my roses will survive.

#208 Turkey Shepherd's Pie

  Earlier this  month I was able to pick a whole handful of Parsley, and a couple of sprigs of Sage, the 1st time I've ever done that...in January.  They  added  a nice fresh taste to the Meat Pies. 
I have devoted much of my time this winter to developing a decent  Savory Pie.  I've done a lot of  Quiches and Pot Pies, but I want to bake a heartier meal. 
I like the Shepherd's Pie because it has that mountain of mashed potatoes on top, sprinkled with cheese and OMG your in  HEAVEN !
At least I hope he is.  
Here's a run down of the last sixteen pies baked from this past December into the new year. I might hit the 365 by July...July 25th 2010 was the day this whole quest began... now wouldn't that be a nice finale?

#200 Pecan Pie

#197 Lemon Meringue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#198 Ham & Pepperjack Quiche

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#199 Coconut Cream        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#201 Triple Berry

#202 shouldn't count but it does Cheesecake Pie?

#203 Coconut Cream (& my man)

#204 Strawberry Almond

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#205 Apple Cranberry Nut

my pies are progressively getting better.
The Apple Cranberry Nut Pie has  become one of my most requested.
Followed quickly by my very rich
French Silk Pie. 
One of my customers tells me  it's like ... "a pie made out of the best candy bar in the world."

#206 French Silk

#207 A mini Asian Apple Pie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#208 Turkey Shepherd's Pie

#209 Ginger Apple Nut

#210 Apple  Pie

#211 Blueberry Pie

#212 Shepherd's Pie

The Sun has decided to come out so I think I'll head out into the garden, maybe unearth some  secret stash of frozen parsley.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1357243045/kates-piehole-records

The New Piehole Records Video

http://www.katespieholerecords.com/

I love music

We love music. We loved record stores.  

There was something special about an afternoon spent at the local shops. The anticipation of stumbling upon that longed for 12" vinyl,or better yet walking away with 5 new records you never even knew about before that day! 

We loved the look,smell,& sounds of the record store. 

We loved the people who worked there too. 

That one dude who lived and breathed music. 

Sometimes you met people with mutual interests, who shared your passion.

A lot of great bands started that way too. I personally always loved the band flyers,like a hand written note from a friend telling me about their favorite new band.

There was a balance about discovering and purchasing new music in a comfortable public space that reaffirmed your identity as a music lover.

It's a shame that (for the most part) this has gone away. 

Buying music on line doesn't give you that sense of community.

CD's & records can be charished, shared, flaunted,& kept for years to come while MP3's offer no physical appeal & nothing to get attached to.

 We want to involve a whole new generation to the  tactile experience of holding a record that has been loved and shared before.

We are not under the delusion that all music consumers will come back from the online world. But we know this is something worth preserving in today's endangered music scene.

 "...We are a society of convenience and because of that we stomped on the quality of the art of music. Vinyl may not be the salvation of the record industry but this new renaissance in vinyl is here to stay." 

Terry Currier, Music Millennium.