Posted by Robyn Lee, April 11, 2008 at 5:15 PM
When I first say Marilyn's photo of her cherry crumb pie, I thought, "Why is she eating it on top of a piece of notebook paper?" Of course, it's a plate that's just made to look like a piece of notebook paper, which she bought from Fishs Eddy. Now I want my own notebook paper plate!...and slice of pie.
Previously
Adam Roberts's Quirky, Idiosyncratic Plates
The Best Pies in America: The Serious Eats Pie Honor Roll
The Sweet Melissa Baking Book: Sour Cherry Pie with Pistachio Crumble
Photo of the Day: Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin
Photo of the Day: Pi Pie
Posted by Robyn Lee, March 14, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Le Lo made this lovely KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) Apple Pie in honor of Pi Day. I like the way her mildly blurred pie appears to be lunging towards the viewer, as though it wants to jump into your mouth and be eaten. Which is, of course, every pie's desire.
Previously:
POTD: Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin
POTD: Pork Pie
POTD: Pi Pie
POTD: We Like Pie
Posted by Robyn Lee, February 11, 2008 at 12:00 PM
"You'll never know when you'll be hit!" It's like Russian roulette, but with cream pies! According to this commercial, if you plonk your kids down to a game of Pie Face they'll have fun beyond their wildest imaginations. They'll be crazed with happiness. They won't be able to stop shrilling with glee. As long as you supply the whipped cream, the madness will never end. [via metafilter]
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Posted by Ed Levine, January 23, 2008 at 2:30 PM
When we talked to Cook's Illustrated publisher Chris Kimball just a couple of months ago, he shared with us a recipe for foolproof pie crust. "It's a brilliant recipe," he said. "The secret ingredient in it? Vodka." The alcohol adds moistness to the dough without aiding in gluten formation, since gluten doesn't form in alcohol. Here's the recipe: Foolproof Pie Dough
Posted by Ed Levine, November 19, 2007 at 7:01 AM
It happens every year. I get paralyzed by Thanksgiving pie indecision. I find it very difficult to figure out the right combination of pies to serve at our Thanksgiving meal. How do Serious Eaters everywhere solve this problem? Remember I don't bake, and neither does any member of my wife's family. But as you might have noticed, I have more than a passing interest in finding excellent pie, either in New York or via mail-order.
There are 16 people coming over to our house, and nary a baker in the bunch. I don't hold their lack of baking prowess or interest against them. How could I, given that I don't bake pies myself. They're all caring, considerate, generously spirited people, so they're willing to order, buy, and pick up pies anywhere I ask them to go. But they do want to get their marching orders from me, and that's where my pie quandary comes in. It's early Monday morning as I write this, about 77 hours before the big meal, or perhaps I should call it the big (pie) game.
This is where I'm at, pie-wise:
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Posted by Ed Levine, November 1, 2007 at 8:30 AM
It's November 1, so now I can start obsessing in earnest about Thanksgiving without everyone thinking I'm a complete nut job. To me Thanksgiving is all about the stuffing and the pie. But maybe not everyone feels the way I do, so I've decided to let Serious Eaters weigh in on this extremely important topic.
Perhaps some of you love turkey or its crisp skin. Others may live for the moment they bite into the sweet potatoes (with or without marshmallows) or the mashed potatoes enriched with loads of butter and heavy cream. Maybe, just maybe, to some folks, Thanksgiving is all about the green beans or the brussels sprouts or some other green or other-colored vegetable.
For my wife turkey day is all about the broccoli puree with creme fraiche she makes from the Silver Palate
(recipe to be posted in the days to come).
Let me make the case for both stuffing and pie before you cast your vote.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, July 10, 2007 at 4:30 PM
A swingle is what you get after plopping a miniature key lime pie on a stick, dipping in chocolate, and freezing it. I had no idea what a swingle was before seeing dennisandluba's photo and now it's all I can think about. The swingles, encased in their chocolate shells and bursting with custardy key lime goodness. If I could just make my way over to Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies in Red Hook, Brooklyn, I could fulfill all my swinglicious dreams.
Posted by Ed Levine, June 12, 2007 at 6:48 AM
I've been a Dad for twenty years now, and nothing makes me happier on Father's Day (coming up this Sunday June 17th, by the way) than the gift of noshing. So this year, in order to create more perfect unions and promote filial harmony around the country, give your Dad the perfect edible gift. Here at Serious Eats we're going to make it easy for you to do so. We're going to alert you to the best foods that ship so that no matter where you live you can get your Dad something he will remember for the rest of your life. Today through Thursday we're going to focus on the five Serious Eats Dads' food groups: Barbecue, Ice Cream, Pie, Steaks and Chops, and Stone Fruit (peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines). And we're not going to leave any last-minute Father's Day shoppers in the lurch either. On Friday, we're going to give you our favorite Father's Day book and food gadget gift picks, so that you can go to your local specialty food, cookware, or book store over the weekend and procure something the Dad in your life will surely love. That's the Serious Eats Father's Day Guarantee. Take our advice. Give the Gift of Noshing this year.
Posted by Ed Levine, November 20, 2006 at 8:17 AM
Here are the pie contest winners
BaHa wins the 2 pies for her evocative all pie Thanksgiving essay.
Adam wins a single pie for identifying the 1902 NY Times quote.
cgoup wins a single pie for identifying the Carl Sagan quote.
The winners should e-mail me at nyeats@aol.com this morning and give me their particulars so that we can figure out how to get them their pies.
I want to thank everyone for participating. There were so many good entries for the grand prize. Next year let's collectively think up a really great pie contest. And I promise I won't make the same mistake by asking questions that are easily found on Google or other search engines.
For anyone baking their own pies this Thanksgiving check out my other post today. My favorite piebaker lets us in on her secrets.
Posted by Ed Levine, November 17, 2006 at 6:39 AM
Sunday Nov. 19th is the last day to enter the Thanksgiving pie contest. To win two superb pies of your choice just tell me in 100 words or less what your all pie Thanksgiving menu would consist of and why. On Monday I will announce the winner and figure out the logistics of delivering the pies. The other pie winners (for correctly identifying the two pie quotes) will also be notified then.
Remember, both New Yorkers and non-New Yorkers can enter the contest. New Yorkers will receive two pies from either Two Little Red Hens or Yura & Company. Serious pie lovers in other cities will receive pies from either their favorite local pie baker or from Grand Traverse Pie Company, the best mail-order pie baker I have found.
Now for a few slices of Thanksgiving pie info:
Megnut continues to have a great week with her Thanksgiving meal media round-up.
The Amateur Gourmet weighs in with a typically idiosycratic and amusing Thanksgiving menu post.
Kudos to Melissa Clark for an absolutely first-rate, entertaining, and informative piece on pie crust in Wednesday's New York Times. The story was a soulful, Steingartenesque tour de force, with the Thanksgiving story lead of the century: "A few years ago I achieved perfection in a pie crust and it smelled like pig."
On Monday I am going to post an edited version of Karen Barker's brilliant mini-treatise on pie and pie crusts, taken from her indispensable book, Sweet Stuff: Karen Barker's American Desserts.
As I've said before Karen makes the best pies I've ever tasted.
Posted by Ed Levine, November 16, 2006 at 10:16 AM
All right, all right, I admit it. In the age of the internet I shouldn't have given quotes as clues. Too easy. But the grand prize, two pies, is still up for grabs. See below for how you can enter.
That's right. Serious Eats is giving away two phenomenal pies of your choice. If you live in New York you can choose from the dazzling array of pies made by Two Little Red Hens, which includes Apple, Apple Crumb, Apple Cranberry, Sweet Potato-Pecan, Pumpkin, Chocolate-Pecan, Buttermilk Lemon Chess, Fall Medley, Out of towners will get their pies delivered to their doorstep from the Grand Traverse Pie Company.
The pies are on us.
All you have to do is tell me what pies would be included in your all-pie Thanksgiving meal and why. You can include savory pies like chicken and turkey pot pie, even fancy-pants savory pies like the lobster pot pie they serve at Mary's Fish Camp, and of course as many dessert pies as you like. No more than a hundred words, please. I will judge the entries and try to enlist the aid of fellow pie lovers John T. Edge, author of Apple Pie, An American Story, and Anne Dimock, the author of Humble Pie.
Posted by Ed Levine, November 16, 2006 at 7:30 AM
That's right. Serious Eats is giving away two phenomenal pies of your choice. If you live in New York you can choose from the dazzling array of pies made by Two Little Red Hens, which includes Apple, Apple Crumb, Apple Cranberry, Sweet Potato-Pecan, Pumpkin, Chocolate-Pecan, Buttermilk Lemon Chess, Fall Medley, Out of towners will get their pies delivered to their doorstep from the Grand Traverse Pie Company.
The pies are on us.
All you have to do is tell me what pies would be included in your all-pie Thanksgiving meal and why. You can include savory pies like chicken and turkey pot pie, even fancy-pants savory pies like the lobster pot pie they serve at Mary's Fish Camp, and of course as many dessert pies as you like. No more than a hundred words, please. I will judge the entries and try to enlist the aid of fellow pie lovers John T. Edge, author of Apple Pie, An American Story, and Anne Dimock, the author of Humble Pie.
We have two second prizes.
The first person to tell me what publication the following brilliant pie quote first appeared in will win a single pie of his choosing:
"It is utterly insufficient (to eat pie only twice a week), as anyone who knows the secret of our strength as anation and the foudation of our industrial supreacy must admit. Pie is the American synonym of prosperity, and its varying contents the calendar of the changing seasons. Pie is the food of the heroic. No pie-eating people can ever be permanently vanquished."
Finally, I will send a pie to the first person who can tell me who said this about pie:
"In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe."
Posted by Ed Levine, September 4, 2006 at 8:28 AM
Four days of eating on Martha's Vineyard and what did I discover:
The best local soda I've ever tasted: Cape Cod Diet Cranberry Ginger Ale: Simultaneously sweet and tart, plenty of cranberry flavor, could go a little heavier on the ginger. I know about Cheerwine and the like, but are there other great local sodas most people don't know about?
A very fine Little Rock Farms blueberry pie made with wild Maine blueberries.
An excellent Mrs. Blake's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with her usual moist and flaky crust and filling that could have been less sweet.
Fried clams from John's Fish Market in Vineyard Haven that were crunchy, clammy, and yummy. Wispy, thin onion rings that were battered to order (as were the clams. Next time up here I'm going to taste test John's and the Bite's fried clams. May the better clam win!
Pretty good bacon and fresh mozzarella pizza from the Chilmark Store. Too much regular mozzarella made for a very heavy pie. Bacon was in tiny pieces, like bacon bits.
Awful peach crumb pie from the Black Dog Bakery: It's hard to screw up peach crumb pie, but the folks at BDB managed to do it. The pie was a soupy, gloppy mess, and the peaches tasted canned.
By far the best bites of food to be had on this island are the Gold Bud Farms peaches and nectarines sold at Eden outside Vineyard Haven. These are simply as good a piece of stonefruit as you will find on this planet.
This photo of some sliced Gold Bud peaches is courtesy of a Chowhounder. Each piece is juicy and sweet with just the right amount of acidity. How good are they? We bring them as either house presents or dessert when we're invited over to dinner, and we have now become the most popular dinner guests on the island. Ron Mansfield, Goldbud's owner, will ship. Call him at 530-626-6521.
Posted by Ed Levine, May 29, 2006 at 7:08 AM
After almost thirty years of unquestioned allegiance to Mrs. Blake on Martha's Vineyard, my pie fidelity is being sorely tested by a pie baker I had previously written off.
Another Vineyard pie purveyor, Little Rock Farms, is making some mighty fine pie, although it's nothing like a Mrs. Blake pie. LRF pies have an almost dainty, squiggly lattice crust that is remarkably flaky given how little crust there actually is on each pie. This minimalist crust showcases the just firm enough fruit in a LRF pie. We had a peach raspberry pie last night composed of peach slices that had not disintegrated into pie goo and still intact raspberries.
Given the season I'm sure LRF uses quick frozen fruit in its pies, but somehow they make it work. The LRF pie was also blessedly unsweet. Each forkful tasted like I was biting into ripe raspberries and peaches that had the proper balance between sweetness and acidity. Only a gummy unbaked bottom crust stopped me from inducting Little Rock Farms into the PMHF, the Pie Makers Hall of Fame.
So please forgive me, Mrs. Blake. I didn't go pieing around looking for trouble. It just happened. You weren't open yesterday, so I bought a Little Rock Farm pie because that was the only one available. Steve Stills was right. If you can't be with the pie you love, love the pie you're with.
Posted by Ed Levine, May 28, 2006 at 7:02 AM
Having come to Martha's Vineyard for the last 28 years I can tell you that it is not a place you come to eat in great restaurants. I always advise my friends who vacation here to buy some fresh fish at Larsen's, Poole's, The Net Result, or John's Fish Market, some freshly picked lettuce and corn at a farmer's market, and a few vine-ripened tomatoes, and then you'll eat like a king or queen at the house you've rented.
But the island does have one amazing foodstuff you can't get anywhere else, Mrs. Blake's pies. Mrs. Blake's husband sells her pies in a little hut in front of their house on State Road a couple of hundred yards before you get to the grocery store known as Up Island Cronig's. It might be my imagination, but I swear every time I go to pick up a pie at Mrs. Blakes (which is every day I'm on the Vineyard) Mr. Blake is there with his feet up relaxed but ready to sell you one of his wife's amazing pies.
Mrs. Blake is a flaky pie crust master. I figure the test of a pie crust is whether you'd be willing to empty out the pie's filling and just eat the crust.
Mrs. Blake gets an A plus on that score. Her shortening crust is oh so flaky, golden brown, and has a wonderfully crisp exterior.
She makes perfectly good crumb pies, but you wouldn't go to Peter Luger's and order the salmon, would you? Of course not. I often get two pies when I go to Mrs. Blakes (if my wife's not with me, that is), but the second pie is either a Tollhouse Pie, which is simply a chocolate chip pie she sells with or without nuts, or a very fine if not quite tart enough Lemon Chess pie, which Mr. Blake will always tell you is Bill Clinton's pie of choice when he and the missus come to the Vineyard.
So which doublecrusted fruit pie do I get at Mrs. Blake's? Yesterday I bought a Blueberry-Blackberry pie, but just as often I get a blueberry peach or the strawberry rhubarb pie.
On the plain white box Mrs. Blake's pies come in there's a phone number, 508-693-0528. I've never called, but it's somehow comforting to know that it exists.
