A big part of my job has to do with (re)searching. I’m constantly looking for new ideas, looking at other shops for inspiration, and checking a variety of sites to see what’s going on around the food-o-sphere… in other words I do a lot of web surfing. There are quite a few threads and trends going on right now, but one that has really come into full storm is pie, specifically pies by this shop. I had read a couple years ago that pies were going to be the next “it” thing and that time definitely feels like right now. Oddly enough, until this post I had never made a pie before. I know! Never made pie before. There have been tarts, cakes, and cookies, but never pie. I think subconsciously I was a bit scared about attempting this dish. Pie is so all-American, and I am so not. I’ve lived in the states for a good portion of my life, but I’ve never really felt like I was fully a part of that community. I kind of float around somewhere between American, or rather North American and Korean. Neither one defines me completely. Pie dough also seems way harder than making a tart shell. Tarts are more sable cookie-ish while pies are flaky and crisp, much more difficult to achieve! The list can go on, but as those two thoughts dominated the idea of pie in my head I randomly came across The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book. I’m a big believer in fate and “things happening for a reason,” so I took it as a sign. Subconscious pie fears must be conquered!
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