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Give our hand a chance

November 4, 2014
Give our hand a chance

            This is the month when pie finally gets the center stage it deserves. I have judged many pie contests. What I learned from that experience is that making a pie is one of the best judges of the real mettle of a baker. There are so many ways a pie can go wrong. Every accomplished baker I have spoken with has a disaster to share about their pie but can also recall the time everything was perfect.

            Pie shows the hand of the baker. Most importantly is the hand for the crust. How can just 4 or 5 basic ingredients combine in so many inexplicable ways. Every pie baker I know has a “secret “ to a great crust. It is one of the great mysteries of baking. My Mother’s husband Ed, asked me to make his deceased wife’s recipe for lemon meringue pie once. I knew better, but I finally baked one for his birthday one year from her recipe. He appreciated the gesture, but just as I expected he was disappointed that it wasn’t quite the same as Muriel’s. I knew it couldn’t be because pie is personal.   

            At one contest, every single entry had to be an apple pie. I was astounded at the amazing variety that I tasted? They went from pure bliss to thickened goo.

It is then that you know that what we are dealing with is actually what my favorite cookbook author, Paula Peck, calls The Art of Fine Baking. That it is!

            I know many of you will make your own pies for Thanksgiving, but if pie making is not what you want to be delve into and you love pie, we are making three delicious classics:

a classic apple crumb with a hint of caramel and cinnamon, a toasty rich pecan and a pumpkin, simple and sweet. They are all made from scratch at The BonBonerie. Maybe you can give our hand a chance this year. 

 

Sharon Butler

Co-Owner