Fav Things: 2 Cookbooks and many Pies

It's already Wednesday. As I look back through my blog 'history' I realize that I have not spent any time on baking since - well, it feels like forever. I've been running and knitting in my free time trying to 1) get birthday presents out the door and 2) get my body beach-ready!

So - I was still dreaming of what I would like to bake when I take the time to create something in the kitchen. So - I looked back on one of my favorite baking days: the famous Pie Party. I made 4 pies: cherry, apple, chocolate cream, and lemon meringue. You can find my lemon meringue recipe here.

I have two resources that I rely on heavily for helping me on my path to learn proper pie technique: Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible, and the American Test Kitchen's Best American Classics.

March 20th (Friday) marks the first day of spring and the opening of my pie season. From Thanksgiving to Spring - I like to think of Pie as being out of season - but just like some really cute white pants that I pulled out of the closet last weekend - some things are OK to display out of season, they are just that good.

So - what can I tell you about Pie that makes this post worth reading? Well - besides buying these cookbooks, there are several resources that I found that will help you in your quest to bake the perfect american dessert.

4Rose Levy Beranbaum just blogged about Pies with more than 35 minutes of You Tube Pie Instructions. This is better than paying for a class! The recipe is even displayed at the end of the short video. I particularly liked how she crimped the edges of the apple pie (last video).

4Don't want to bake your own pie? Betty's Pies is a little bakery cafe on the north shore of Lake Superior (northern Minnesota) that is famous for pie. The best is the wild blueberry pie. It's only in season for a short time. These pies are pretty simple - the best ones always are! So, stop by the Two Harbor's shop or order something from the website.

They also sell Pasties (past-ees) which are little hand-held meat pies that became common with the miners on the Iron Range - watch for a future posting when I decide to make a batch with my mom.

4Penny's Pie Classes have won the prestigious Telly Awards - so they must be good. Really, watching and learning from someone else is the way to go - so if you don't have someone nearby to help you learn the art of pie baking, these classes may be worth the investment.