Thursday, January 31, 2013

100 pies


Last November I made a milestone. I baked off my 100th pie. It took a few years to do it but I kept a diary of every pie I baked with the intention of baking 100.

A few years ago I read an article about a man who wanted learn how to make knives. He bought a second hand grinder and some knife blanks and set to it. Over the course of months and years he made lots and lots of knives...many of them so unredeemable he just buried them in the back yard. But eventually he became competent and after that he became good. Eventually his knives were sought by others By then he had made over a hundred knives.

That article stuck in my mind. I remember taking a walk with a friend and talking about life goals and I recall saying that I wanted to truly master at least one skill in my life. At the time I didn't know what that would be but the idea resonated with me and stuck.

I didn't think pies would be my thing but as an eating experience and as a craft, pie has its own distinction.

One summer when I was 20, Mom and I went black berry picking behind her house. Afterwards we went into the kitchen and she taught me how to bake my first pie. Mom has a real ease with pie baking--we enjoyed pie frequently when I was growing up--always apple or peach and always what ever was in season. A family friend infamously asked his own wife why she couldn't bake pies like Mom's. Ouch! But, really, they were that good. They had a somewhat homely but flakey crust. The fillings were firm without being under or over cooked--more fruity than spicy.

When that first blackberry pie was out of the oven she sent me home with it to share with my friends. I was living in an all female household and one of my room mates had over some guests. I offered up my pie to share. I remember the reaction very vividly.

After having a few bites one of the guests knelt down and kissed my bare feet. I had cooked many things up til that day but NEVER had anything elicited that kind of response. Wow!

Despite this stunning debut, I didn't bake another pie for over a decade--mostly because I lived in places where the ovens didn't work well. It just fell off my list of things to do in the kitchen.

One evening I was at a friend's house and we started talking about pie. There is a bakery in Julian that is famous for pie. I tried that pie and wasn't impressed--I thought the crust was pretty doughy. But it was the only game in town for home made pie. I seem to recall scoffing and saying I could make a far better pie. 
After my fog of memory and delusion subsided, reality set in. I had problems with the dough sticking and tearing--eventually I ended up patting it into the pan. It turned out horrible...card-boardy crust, bland, mealy filling. All around lousy and an embarrassment. I didn't bake another pie until I went to pastry school. 

On my own turf I'm very comfortable cooking and am used to my dishes turning out successfully. However, in school I was introduced to many "rules" and was surrounded by Type A perfectionist alpha bakers--I was a nervous wreck. I was an enthusiastic home baker but some of the girls in class were already working in bakeries or doing catering. My overconfidence screwed me again!

During the week we did pies, I was confounded by the issue of trying to make a flaky crust that was something I could also roll out. "If it shatters in the bowl it will shatter on the plate" one of the instructors said. Yes, that's fine but dough needs to cohese if you are going to roll it out. I couldn't stand the idea of having another cardboard pie come out of the oven with my name on it! I gingerly worked the flour and butter adding ice water by the tiny spoonful. My dough was impossibly fragile and unrollable...I had to patch my crust together for the test. My pie was pretty homely--very "loving hands of home" as my friend Helen would say. However, when the Chef had a bite she said it was good--balanced filling and a flaky crust. Crust is everything in a pie. I needed to work on the cuteness factor of course but I was on the right track. 

In the mean time I had other inspiration to draw on. One afternoon after arriving home from a business trip I found Keri had baked me a peach pie. It was pretty as can be! Even in school I had never seen such a lovely pie--fluted edges, sprinkled with sugar and perfectly golden brown all over. I had a big slice--it was a foot kisser! Once Keri brought one of her pies to a friend's house and the host tried to tell her "the right way" to make pie crust. I interjected--I could only see one pie on the table (Keri's) and nobody was going to rain on my sweetheart's beautiful offering. The pie didn't last through the next day so I suppose Keri understands "the right way". There is no truer testament to quality than an empty plate.

I started practicing making pies at home. One pie caught on fire in the oven! But gradually, the pies improved. I asked Keri to teach me her way which she generously shared with me. Her own grandmother was a professional cook and made pies daily. I wanted to be able to roll a crust to just the right size without measuring it. With practice that came more easily. I started decorating my pies with cutouts of hearts or bees and flowers. They eventually became pretty!

One year I baked 40 pies as a fundraiser for my friends at Unconditional Love Animal Rescue. After that I logged pie after pie. I baked them for friend's parties. I made for guests. I shared them with my family. I even sold slices off the tail gate of my car when I was between jobs. I experimented with fruit and herb combinations. My work became more consistent and I was able to do the preparation with more ease. I have a few rules I always follow and because of that I can expect a certain result no matter what filling I use.

I have heard from more than one person that my pie is "as good as" or even "better" than their mother's. I always feel so proud and a little embarrassed to hear that (shouldn't Mom's pie always be the best?). My brother's won't say my pie is as good as Mom's but they usually are up for a second slice!

I am not looking to the next milestone--the next 100 pies or the next big thing. Now that I've done this feel more relaxed. Even if I only make pies for my friends I have a connection to something alive and satisfying--the making of something I know is good and that I know others think is good too. Although this pursuit isn't a world changer, I feel more solid because I pursued something until I felt I wasn't kidding myself. Also, it's important for me to remember that when I see someone do something that seems so natural that more than likely there was a large gap from when they started and where they are today.

I'll try to keep this in mind as I learn my new job.

1 comment:

  1. alright, so a foot kisser pie is altogether different than an ass kisser pie, I am forced to assume... It is interesting - I had an illustration teacher that said it took 10 years to become good painters, which I thought was bullshit, actually. BUT, I think it did feel like 10 years from when I started to really be comfortable and feel proficient. And I have made about a dozen chicken licken pot pies with hearts on them, so maybe when I am 115 I will be at 50 pies. You win!

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