This is a picture of the two pies I brought down to Washington, DC with me last week– in that horrible heat wave that struck the East Coast. These pies were cooling on my kitchen counter in Connecticut ready to make their debut at the NPR studios in DC. They were covered in pure white, flour sacks, nestled in the backseat of my car, and transported, out of Connecticut, through New York, down through Jersey, skipping through Delaware, stopped in traffic in Maryland, and finally, on to Dupont Circle.
There they stayed overnight, sitting on a hotel windowsill, until they were tasted the next day by Linda Wertheimer, host of NPR’s Morning Edition. Ms. Wertheimer didn’t simply have a sweet morning snack, these pies played an integral part in my interview for the show. We talked pie! And the interview began with a sampling of these two pies from my book.
The pie on the left is a Bakewell Pie. It hails from the Northeast, and the recipe, from 1886, is one of the oldest recipes I adapted. The base of the filling is raspberry jam, crowned with an almond sponge. I think it makes a wonderful breakfast pie (if you’re into that sort of thing, which I am). The pie on the right is Chocolate Raisin, from the West– specifically Southern California. This dense pie is studded with chopped raisins, and tastes like a Raisinet. Need I say more?
The interview was recorded as part of NPR’s Pie Week, which kicks off July 2. My interview will air on the Fourth of July, and I couldn’t think of a nicer way to celebrate our nation’s independence. There has been a whole bunch of activity on Twitter about Pie Week– pictures, recipes, recollections, etc. If you’d like to check it out, search Twitter for #PieWeek.
Hi Adrienne,
I bought your book last weekend and I’ve challenged myself to make one pie a week for as long as it takes to get through all the pies. I’ve started with fresh strawberry pie since strawberries are in season. Local Virginia peaches for the peach pie, then cherries, etc. through the growing season. I love baking pies, and now I’ve got more motivation – thanks for that. Glad to see some alternative crusts to switch things up. Looking forward to trying some of the unusual pies, and my wife wants the avocado pie soon.
This my first trip to your blog, and the bread link interests me. I’m a baker at heart since I grew up in our family bakery in Wisconsin. Christmas of 2010 has really jump started bread baking again since I created sour dough from natural airborne yeast and have kept it going every since. That means at least 3 loaves of bread and 18 cheese rolls every week (much to the delight of my co-workers).
Just found your blog after perusing your book, which I loved. The Bakewell pie reminds me of England. It is still common place there, but I had not seen it here in the US I think. Thank you for rekindling memories and I cannot wait to try out a couple of your pie recipes. The dough always intimidates me, but I will be brave.
I will try to catch the podcast of the interview on the NPR website.
Just got your book as a birthday gift! It was a surprise but a perfect gift. I am loving looking through it and looking forward to making all the pies–so many I’ve heard of but never really had. This weekend I’m planning on peach pie of course, with your cornmeal crust.
Hi Adrienne,
Pies looks amazing! Specially the brown one. I would love to hear you in the interview, thanks for sharing this information.
You are providing a great service by saving heirloom recipes. So many are being lost In this day of buy-a-pie-crust-and-a-box-of-pudding pies. My thanks to you.