Pie-atus

On a temporary hiatus this week-
last weekend was a wash due to unexpected and conflicting doctor's warnings for my lovely life-partner. First it was gluten intolerance, then that was rescinded, and now it seems to be, not gluten intolerance, but a potato intolerance, which for complicated reasons appears to be just as crazy (many flours include potato, and sugar and fruit at the same time are apparently forbidden). This is pie-recipe-complexifying stuff, folks.

But, this will just make future pies more interesting. And I hope those of you who are counting, are mollified by the fact that I made two pies last week, and am still way ahead on the numbers (by about five extra pies, approximately).

Also, you're all cooking and/or eating pie for the holiday. Make and eat delicious pies, friends.

And in the meantime enjoy this article:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/11/17/142460593/for-the-origins-of-pie-look-to-the-humble-magpie

and, um, this one. which I hereby swear I will never attempt:
http://www.neatorama.com/2011/11/22/a-cherry-pie-an-apple-pie-and-a-pumpkin-pie-each-cooked-inside-a-separate-cake-and-then-all-cooked-together-inside-another-cake/

and this one, which i may someday attempt if I have a few too many Sazeracs first:
http://www.extremeholidayideas.com/Extreme_Pumpkin_Pie.html

and this one, which is actually pretty tempting:
http://www.cakespy.com/blog-old/2009/5/27/triple-threat-the-cookie-cake-pie.html

Apple-Plum!

As must by now be pretty obvious, we collected a lot of plums from the plum tree in our yard. Thus, when it came time to make a pie for friends Jonathan and Jenny, I followed the recipe for purple plum pie that I've been using, but mixed in about half apples and some extra spices.



The results were pretty good! I added lots of extra cinnamon, some extra nutmeg, and some ground cloves. And one large apple, sliced thin, went in with the frozen plums. The result was a bit like plum pie and a bit like apple pie.

My crust, though I followed Carolyn's magic pie crust technique, wasn't perfect: despite prebaking, the bottom was still a bit soft (though, the following day, cold from the fridge, it was just fine... so maybe the problem was serving it still-warm), and the streusel-ish top came out a bit mushy. Also, I completely forgot to decorate the edges, and overall this is a pretty ugly-looking beast of a pie. But the flavor was just fine, and the ugliness didn't seem to bother anyone too much. Any warm home-made pie tends to look pretty good with some vanilla ice cream on one side and a fork on the other...

All this plum pie is probably getting boring for the two of you who read this regularly, but fear not: apple-pie season approaches, as does pumpkin-pie season, sweet-potato-pie season, and, oh yeah, creative savory pie season. Yum.

One last note: if you're a Portland resident, be aware that I just purchased a special plastic pie carrier. Suzanne was a little doubtful as to whether I would actually need to carry pie places: I protested that I want to give people pie and this will make it easier.

This means that all you have to do is ask, and I will bring you a freaking fresh-baked pie (and, for that matter, if you want me to make something in particular, as long as it's in season I'll do it). So ask for some pie. Because you deserve it.