Waiter, there's something in my...Pie-Yah!

I'm a gal who keeps her word, and as I'd promised Jeanne I'd be there for this round of "Waiter, there's something in my...", I present to you: Pie!

It may not be The Great Pie, but it was a pretty darn good one.

See, I don't like pie. I never ate them growing up. For me, it's a texture issue, as well as a flavor problem.

I'd never even made a pie until a few years ago. But that's what love is...you may not like a thing, but when the object of your affection does, you make exceptions.




As I was telling a friend, in addition to the not liking pie-thing, I'm horrible with crusts. They simply won't cooperate. We start out wary of each other. By the time the oven's come to temperature, we've had a huge fight, I'm in tears and the crust falls apart in disgust.

My in-laws came to my rescue, though, this past Christmas. Pie crust-making therapy in the form of two lovely gadgets: a non-stick rolling mat (I can never gauge dimensions), and an extremely large spatula.
Admitting you have a problem is a big step to recovery. Actually using the tools of therapy gets you a heck of a lot closer still.

It also helps that I've been seeing the episode "Samurai Pie", from the Backyardigans, an awful lot lately.

A children's show that doesn't make you want to stick sharp objects into your eyes...that's heaven-sent.
A children's show you actually want to watch? Well, I don't know what to call that, except for...The Backyardigans.

This episode features Tyrone as the Master Pie Maker for the Empress of Ancient Japan. He's teaching Austin how to make pies, all set to music from those wonderful, old, spaghetti Westerns. Very Sergio Leone.

Uniqua and Pablo are ninjas who want to steal the pie. Really, it makes sense (moms, can I get a shout out here?).

Empress Tasha demands The Great Pie. No actual description of said pie, but I was inspired.

Using a pie crust recipe from the wartime cookbook, and with some help from Matt & Alex on peel-and-slice patrol, I baked an apple & pistachio pie, flavored with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Crust was very light, and very flaky. So light and flaky that, if not for the spatula, I would have needed spackle to cover the pie itself.

The apples were tender, but not smooshy. The pistachios give just a bit of crunch. Not too prominent, but a little extra richness.

Tagged with: Food and Drink + Pie + Apples + Pistachio + Baking + Waiter there's something in my