Pie Party spread
Tonight is #PiePartyGE! It’s the almost annual celebration of pies (sweet and savory) that Jackie of The Diva that Ate New York and Ken of Hungry Rabbit took from being a virtual gathering of bloggers to an IRL (in real life) get-together we food bloggers and a few industry folks get together to eat pie, lots of pie. They also line up some great sponsors like Kerrygold and Oxo and organize the GE Monogram design showroom, a really welcoming space, for the event.
Unfortunately, the flip-flopping weather and a severe allergy season have waylaid me this year, so I had to give back my coveted ticket to attend the festivities tonight. I’m super sad to miss this, not only for the pie that I’m not eating but also for not having the chance to catch up with some of my wonderful fellow pie bakers. So, I decided to round up my own list of pies (and tarts) that have appeared on this website over the years. I have to say, I didn’t realize that this collection would be quite so large!
A slab of Peking Duck-style Pie from 2012’s event
I was supposed to bring a larger, modified version of this pie tonight but won’t be able to do so. This gives me more time to figure out how to turn it into a Peking Duck Galette for the next time!
I also brought a sweet creation to the same pie party. It was a riff on the classic Lemon Tart that we’d been making in culinary school at the time.
For the first Pie Party Live, I made this classic Italian dessert – a Mixed-Berry Crostata. It’s super easy to throw together for a dinner party, and the leftovers are great with coffee for breakfast or snack.
This is the sweet pie that I was going to make to bring tonight. I thought it kind of fitting as the other name it sometimes goes by is Kentucky Derby Pie. It’s sweet and a bit boozy, which is a great way to kick off the race this weekend.
Yes, tarts do fall into the acceptable category for the pie party (as they have a crust). This one is a recipe from my London living days and has been a family favorite for a while. It was also a bit hit when I made it for a client dinner a few weeks back.
Not all attempts to re-create European recipes are successful, as this photo shows. The Fig-Almond Tart ended up with much more almond paste than figs and puff pastry. I haven’t worked on it yet to get the right proportions.
Other Euro recipes like this Almond and Pear Tart from a BBC dessert cookbook seem to come off without a hitch. This was also the first time I’d made anything using my new oven after moving apartments. As you can see, I couldn’t wait to dive into it.
Then, there’s a few pie and tart recipes that I have in my files that need the seasons to change in order to make them properly. This Apricot Tart is definitely one of them. Hopefully, this year, we’ll have a good harvest, as we haven’t had one for the past few years.
This is another mouth-watering recipe to save to use when apricots come into season. It’s hard to choose, but I think that this Italian-inspired version adapted from Domenica Marchetti might just edge out the French one by Patricia Wells that I posted above.
I’ve also showcased a few savory tarts on this website, although the sweet ones far outweigh them. This one for a Tomato Tart with a Cheddar Cheese Crust makes a wonderful light summertime summer (when the tomatoes are in season, that is).
The time to make this beauty is, however, fast approaching with the arrival of ramps in the local famers markets just last week. Asparagus are sure to be soon behind, so I’m going to have to get my puff pastry making chops in order to whip up one of these.
Then, there’s the time that pie can help to try to mend a broken heart and to build a community. When a fellow food blogger lost her husband suddenly several years ago, word went out that to remember him, everyone would make his favorite pie and post about it on our respective websites. The response was overwhelming. Hopefully, it also brought comfort to his friends and family.
To everyone attending tonight’s gathering: I hope you eat lots of pie! So sorry to miss it, but I hope to join you again next year!
Buon appetito!
Opmerkingen