Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Pie Sunday

In the interest of ever getting my pie recipes sorted out and getting my ass into a farmer's market booth, I have dedicated Sunday as Pie Day. Every Sunday shall be devoted to the creation of new pie recipes and the perfection of old ones. The goal, of course, is to make pies so delicious an delectable that friends and strangers alike will line up and pay me cold, hard cash for the opportunity to stuff their faces with my baked goods. This is a town of people who love to eat, care greatly about what they eat and where it comes from, and most dauntingly, know the difference between good food and outstanding food. My mission is to make outstanding pies, mostly savory, some sweet. 
This post is from my first Pie Sunday, January 11th. I made the following pies, and yes, feedback is more than appreciated...

Egg and Bacon Breakfast Pie (i.e. Hangover Pie):

Partial whole-wheat crust, maple cured bacon, Yukon Gold potatoes and organic eggs with cheddar cheese and that's pretty much it. The taste test consensus at the house was that it needs less potato and sausage instead of bacon. But ho doesn't love bacon? Nevertheless, sausage just has a bit more juiciness, which this pie definitely needed. Plus, to cure a hangover one really does need a bit more fat and meat. 

Verdict: valiant attempt, perfect with some tweaking.



Smoked Salmon Pot Pie:

             


Yum Yum Yum Yum. Me and my husband's favorite, although my parents were not down for some reason. Was it the fennel? The toasted dill seed crust? Too much lemon zest, not enough cream? I don't know, but the real truth is that smoked salmon is expensive and I'd really like to keep my pies at about $7 apiece. Seeing as I'm not married to a salmon fisherman, I'm not sure how feasible that will be. On a happier note, I give you:

Coconut Curry Chicken Pot Pie:



This was, hands down, the most successful experiment of the day. Delicious, moist, full of peas and carrots and those Yukon Golds again, as well as organic chicken. A bit messy for market eating, perhaps, but perfect to take home and reheat. This pie renewed my faith in my harebrained plan of pie-making-for-dollars. It made me think I might be able to do this. I might actually have a good, workable idea. 


Not-so-fancy French Pear Tart:




First off, I was a bit apprehensive about making another tart, seeing as how the last one was such drama. Thankfully, this one fared better AND I learned my lesson about the importance of sheet pans as carrying vessels. 
Loved loved the crust. Like regular pie crust except rolled in sugar instead of flour. Such a small thing that makes a big impact. The crust took on this super crunchy sugar shell, somewhat like a real Belgian waffle. Mmmm, shout out to the waffle window off Hawthorne! 
It was ridiculously easy to make (how un-French!) but it is not pear season. This is a tart that needs, no begs, to be made when pears are at their best, ripe-sweet, subtle and floral height. That one little detail, using fruit at its peak, really makes all the difference in the world (and what I believe really sets French pastries apart. Oh, and all the butter). The great thing about this tart though, was that it made perfect midnight snacks from the fridge. I began keeping a knife on top of it so I had easier sliver cutting access.  I will surely make this tart again. Just not until Fall.

Now to plan this Sunday...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just the names of your pies made me salivate. And then reading the ingredients made me start to sweat a little bit.
Um. . . how long until you start selling your pies and, um, how long does it take to drive from Port Angeles, Washington to Portland, Oregon?! Way to go Morgan!
~Carrie

Hello, I'm Sally. said...

I want coconut curry chicken pot pie! You are torturing me.

allison said...

i agree, serious salivation happening over here. can't wait to hear what this sunday's batch will contain. i'm so proud of your experimenting!