Last week, I went to what can only be described as a magical dinner setting. It was a secret supper, where my friend Lauren was only clued into the place and time of the dinner a few hours a head of when we were to eat. Five of us biked to an unassuming house with what looked like from the street an overgrown yard. But once you stepped into the gravel driveway, you realized you were not in just an overgrown yard, but a fantastic, wild garden. You wound your way past an old wooden trailer from the turn of the century (like a gypsy trailer! so cool) that had been turned into dining inside to an outdoor bar where they were serving sangria blanco complete with fresh peaches that had been soaking up the sauvignon blanc for hours.
You wound your way through the back and side yards and found tiny nooks of tables, chairs, and cushions for people to cozy into. We sat on the front porch nestled into a raspberry, lavender, and nasturtium patch. It was incredible. The women who put it on made a five course meal + drink for only $10; this dinner was done completely out of their love and wanting to share their home and cooking with others. It was totally unexpected and such a nice break to be in someones garden and being served from the heart like that 
.
Also, talk of Pie is not over yet! That is, if you are in San Fransisco.
Key lime pies with a blueberry sauce on top
Special southern sweet tea with a mint twist served from the pie truck
A friend of mine who went to planning school with me has opened a night-time and weekend business with a few friends: The Pie Truck. Yes, it is every food cart goers dream: fresh baked pies wafting out of a truck that (if you are lucky) will park itself in your neighborhood for that evening or weekend day. Bill, Ji, and Aki, are the masters and makers behind this glorious gift to a city. Last month, Bill sent me a recipe to try that he’s been developing for the Pie Truck and dang was it good. You can also check out their flickr stream here.
The Pie Truckers–Bill, Ji, and Aki
Cuban Shepard’s Pie, by Bill Bogenshutz of the Pie Truck SF
3lbs Pork Shoulder
1 yellow onion
1 head of garlic
olive oil
salt
pepper
1 12oz bottle Pilsner beer
Plantain mash:
4 sweet overripe (black on the outside) plantains
4oz unsalted butter
1/2 c heavy cream
Dough:
3 parts flour
2 parts COLD fat (unsalted butter)
1 part cold water
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 300F. Sear pork in oil on all sides in heavy bottomed roasting dish (dutch oven works great). Toss in sliced onion and smashed garlic cloves and sweat for about a minute or two. Pour in beer and let it simmer for a minute, then cover and place in oven for about 2 hours.
When pork is finished roasting, shred it with two forks, season with salt and pepper to taste, add about a tablespoon of flour and stir to combine.
Slice plantains on the bias and sautee in olive oil or butter until browned and beginning to caramelize. Combine still warm plantains, butter, cream and a pinch of salt in a food processor or blender and pulse only enough to get a nice creamy whipped texture. If necessary, add more cream and/or butter to achieve the proper consistency.
To make dough, place flour, cold butter chopped into 1″ chunks into a food processor. Pulse until butter is in pea-sized chunks. Add water and pulse until combined. Turn onto counter, form into a ball and double wrap in plastic wrap.
Roll dough out to about 1/4″ thick. Cut rounds and line bottom 2/3 of cupcake pan molds with each round. Fill each 2/3 full with roast pork and top with whipped plantains.
Bake at 350 for about 20 min.
If preferred, you can top with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt.
Today is the day: Pietopia 2009 day, that is! If you are in town, feel free to stop by the Eastbank Farmers Market at SE 20th and Salmon between 330-630. You can talk to the winners and taste their lives via pie, pretty neat .
Our judges picked four winners this year out of many entrants–thank you to everyone who participated! The designs of the winning posters are spectacular this year too, I am so excited for them–they are beautiful. I will post event pictures and stories up sometime this weekend, now I’m off for some pie! Hope to see you there!
2009 Pietopia Winners:
Sabrina Miller–Unemployment may be {a} tart {cranberry,} but starting a new business is sweet {apple pie}
(Designer: Tricia Martin of eatingisart.com)
The ingredients in my pie are both tart and sweet . . . similar to the recent events in my life . . . and when combined, the result is unexpectedly sublime (and a force to be reckoned with, according to my husband)!
After completing a graduate degree in architecture two years ago, I found my first job in the field rather quickly. As the recession started to come on full steam this past winter, the design community was being hit hard and I began to wonder what I might do if I was laid off. I decided to pursue a long-time hobby, that of baking, and start a small business. In February I was laid off from a local architecture firm, due to a reduction in work, and I devoted my full attention to my new venture.
I have selected this cranberry apple pie as it resembles my life as I look to create something enjoyable from these rough times and move forward.
Cranberries can test a baker’s skills when making dessert due to their tartness. They often pose a challenge and adjustments need to be made when they are incorporated. Unemployment can threaten one’s stability and hopes for the future. It too causes a need for adjustment, but its incorporation may also make way for new beginnings.
Just as a baker may struggle to incorporate cranberries in their dish, I am taking my unemployment as a new beginning, a challenge I can and will face. As the cranberries gave me an opportunity to make my apple pie unique, my unemployment is giving me an opportunity to bring happiness to people through my baked goods.
I look forward to the sweet future in my baking business just as I hope others enjoy the sweetness in my pie!
Cranberry Butter Crust
2 ½ cups flour
1 t sugar
1/2 t salt
1 cup (or 2 sticks) unsalted butter (very cold, small cubes, or frozen stick if grating)
3 ½ T solid vegetable shortening (cut into small pieces)
5-7 T cranberry juice concentrate (can substitute with water for a plain crust)
Apple + Cranberry Filling
4-4 ½ pounds (5 big or 6-7 small/medium size) pie apples
(honeycrisp would be great, but Granny Smith are also good!)
8 oz dried cranberries
1 cup + ¼ cup sugar
1 cup water
¼ cup flour
½ t cinnamon
¼ t nutmeg
¼ t salt
lemon juice
3-4 T unsalted butter, cut into small pats
1. To make the crust, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Incorporate chilled butter either by (a) cutting into ½” pieces and blending into flour mixture with a pastry blender; or (b) freeze butter in one solid piece and grate using a box grater into the flour mixture, folding with a spatula to coat butter pieces with flour. Add shortening to flour mix, blend with fork or pastry blender until mix resembles coarse crumbs. Next, add cranberry juice concentrate and mix just until the crust begins to come together. You’ll want it just moist enough to make a ball with it in your hands. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (or as long as overnight). When ready, divide crust into two portions. Roll the first into a disc and place in the bottom of a 9” pie pan (deep dish works great), allowing some excess to overhang. Roll the second half of dough and cut into 1” strips for weaving the top crust.
2. Combine the dried cranberries, water and 1-cup sugar in small saucepot. On medium heat, warm mixture and dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer until thick and syrupy; most of the water will be absorbed.
3. Peel, core and slice apples, toss lightly in lemon juice to prevent browning, then set aside. Combine ¼ cup sugar with the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and then sprinkle over apples, tossing until evenly distributed.
4. Gently combine apple mixture with cranberries and evenly distribute in your pie pan. Scatter butter pats on top. Finish pie by weaving the second crust and crimping the edges together with the base crust. (Weaved crust can also be substituted with a crunchy crumble topping.)
5. Bake pie at 375 degrees F for approx 1 hour (depending on oven, you may need to reduce temp to 350 or adjust cooking time). When finished, apples should be tender when pierced. To prevent crust from burning, cover edges with aluminum foil once golden brown.
6. Allow pie to set by cooling for about 30 minutes (hard to do, but it will allow liquid to thicken once it is a bit cooler).
Kristina Baesler–White (wine) Rabbit Pie, “How crazy is life?! I’ve gone through the looking glass!”
(Designer: Derek Franklin)
Everything is a little upside down in my world. A little debt, a little regret, and a lot of wine. I should be baking pies all day instead of taking crap from people who are probably far worse at living life than I am. But, I followed a path that led down a rabbit hole of fake-smiles and endless passive-aggressive office banter…
So now I slap a grin on my face, raise my voice a couple octaves, and enter my office cubicle (represented via cubed potatoes) about 15 minutes late (I spend my mornings baking, one of the few things I have to keep the ol’ noodle slightly grounded in reality) every morning. I feel like I’m really late for a very important date with my true destiny. I continue each day on a seemingly endless journey to pay off my loans and begin my “real life” – outside of this freakish Wonderland. I feel bad for all my co-workers; mad as hatters and not helped in the least by the complete lack of passion I have for my job that leads to endless flakiness on my part – like so much puffy pastry.
The gold atop my White (wine) Rabbit Pie represents how good I make my life look from the outside. Shiny, polite and decadent on the surface, and deliciously politically incorrect on the in – I spend my day desperately wanting to scream what my pies say so naturally, “EAT ME.”
I’m ready for the next chapter!
* Puff Pastry in a square large enough that the corners are hanging well over the sides of the pie pan
* 1 lb. of rabbit meat (available at City Market, Zupans…)
* 1 bottle Chardonnay (or any white, drinkable wine)
* ¼ cup of chopped, fresh tarragon
* ¾ cup chopped celery
* ¼ cup chopped carrot
* 1 small potato (any variety), cubed
* 1 chicken bouillon cube
* 1 tsp of salt
* 1 egg (mixed with a Tbs. of water to brush pastry)
* 1 tsp pepper
* ½ tsp onion powder
* ¼ tsp garlic powder
* 3 Tbs flour
* 2 cups water (approx)
* 1 cup raw, fresh pasta (any variety)
* 1 Pinch of edible gold dust, flake or leaf
Pie Filling:
Add half bottle of Chardonnay, 2 cups water, bouillon cube and rabbit meat (cut into small pieces) to a medium sauce pan on medium heat and cover. Combine tarragon, celery, carrot, potato, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder in a mixing bowl. Sift flour over the top of the mixture and toss all ingredients, then add to the sauce pan. Bring sauce pan to a boil, then simmer partially covered on low heat for 30 to 40 minutes while stirring occasionally until the meat appears cooked through and the liquids boil down and thicken a bit (should still be slightly thinner than gravy). Add more salt and pepper to your liking and take mixture off the heat. Stir in raw, fresh pasta noodles immediately.
Refrigerate mixture for a minimum of an hour, so that it is at least room temperature or cooler.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Thaw puff pastry sheet to room temperature (or until pliable) and place over a pie tin/pan (I prefer making mini pies in muffin tins, but the method is the same). Be sure that the excess pastry is draped over the outside of the pan, the corners hanging well over the sides. Add the cooled pie filling starting in the center of the pastry and fill to just under the rim of the pan. Fold one corner of the pastry in toward the middle of the pie, continue with the opposite corner folding this one over the top of the first. Fold in the remaining corners and pinch together any holes, tuck excess crust gently into the pie pan and brush the top of the pie sparingly with an egg wash (1 egg stirred with 1 Tbs of water)
Bake for 1 hour. Top should be a light, golden brown.
Allow to cool for 20 minutes. Dust the crust gently with gold and stare in wonder and amazement at the edible art before you – then promptly devour while washing down with the remaining wine.
Elizabeth Massa-MacLeod–Cities of Roses Filbert-Chocolate-Coffee Pie
(Designer: Julia Perry)As a graduate student, I’ve spent the last year somewhat impoverished in York, England- the city of the white rose- after living my adult life in Portland, the city of roses. Appropriate, but not enough to overcome some serious homesickness. Oddly, a good deal of this homesickness was focused on food; all jokes about British cuisine aside, I did miss the freshness and intensity of not just American foods but of the local tastes of my native Oregon. Every time I would drink cheap watery coffee, I would haughtily inform my friends that it was nowhere near as good as Northwest coffee. Every time I could only afford a bland, fried meal from the chip shop, I would think somewhat longingly of the taquerias and the farmer’s markets back home. However, I made it through the year with the help of that best of British staples, chocolate. This pie, which in itself is an American adaptation of British cuisine, incorporates two of the local flavors I’ve missed most- filberts and coffee- with the somewhat bitter, comforting taste of dark chocolate.
Hazelnut and Chocolate Crust:
1 c flour
8 T softened butter
1/4 c brown sugar
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, grated
1 t vanilla
2 T milk
3/4 c finely chopped hazelnuts
Preheat oven to 425. Combine flour, butter, brown sugar and chocolate in mixing bowl or food processor and mix until well blended. Add vanilla, milk and nuts and mix until dough is damp enough to be cohesive. Add droplets of milk if too dry. Press dough onto bottom and sides of pan, making sure that you distribute the dough evenly and cover the entire pan. Prick all over with fork and press a piece of heavy duty foil snugly into pie shell. Bake at 425 for 6 minutes, remove the foil and continue baking for approx. 10 minutes, until dry and crisp. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 350.
Filling:
8 T butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 eggs
1 c sugar
4 T flour
1/4 t salt
2 t vanilla
Combine butter and chocolate and microwave carefully, stirring often and taking care not to scorch chocolate. When the chocolate is almost melted, remove, stir again, and allow to cool. When lukewarm, add 1/4 c Kahlua.
Beat eggs in mixing bowl until foamy. Add sugar, flour, salt and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture and blend well. Pour into the prepared pie shell at 350 and bake for 25-30 minutes. The center should seem gently set, giving a little to the touch, but not liquid.
Let the pie cool and serve with gently whipped cream and coffee crumbles.
Coffee Crumbles:
1 1/2 c sugar
1/4 c strong coffee
1/4 c light corn syrup
1 T baking soda, sifted after measuring
Line a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with foil, covering bottom and sides.
Combine the sugar, coffee and corn syrup in a heavy bottomed saucepan of at least 4 qt capacity. Bring to a boil and cook to the hard-crack stage, 300 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, add the baking soda and stir just enough to distribute baking soda. Quickly and carefully (mixture is very hot), pour mixture onto foil lined pan and allow to cool and harden.
When ready to use, tap the mixture with a heavy spoon, breaking it into irregular 1/4 to 1/2 in pieces. Store extra crumbles in airtight container for several weeks.
When ready to serve pie, top with whipped cream and sprinkle coffee crumbles on top.
(This pie is more of a ganache than a pudding, so it is very rich. Pip pip!)
Leela Cyd Ross–For the love of a Mango Pie
Nothing says celebration like mango dusted with chili powder – enrobed in a dove-soft bed of lime cream curd and atop a crisp cinnamon cookie crust – creating this dessert was a fitting Friday afternoon endeavor, as I had spent the morning putting the finishing touches on my last paper for graduate school (hooray!). This is a victory pie of sorts – the type of treat that has style, tang and an innate sense of PARTAY oozing through its nooks and crannies. Finally, after weekends dictated by homework and the stresses of becoming a special ed/art teacher, my life is this pie at this moment. It is achievement. It is happiness. It is very tangy. And I’ve even been called a mango by lovers and friends . . . oozing with sweetness, sexiness and lusciousness, I consider the nickname the highest of compliments.
You see mangos got me through my program – buying them bi-weekly; placing their soft little bodies on the windowsill to ripen, hurry hurry! They were my constant companion, greeting me when I got home, so smooth and soothing in shape . . . And, if I was lucky, one would give slightly to my gentle prodding, proving its ripeness and I’d dig out my sharp knife, a lime wedge, and some chili powder for a date with decadence (in the hammock, no less!) and a taste of my Southern California roots – when I was little, the Mexican community in my small town inspired my love of the sensuous snack – one taste and I was hooked for life.
Thus, upon completion of a major event– a graduate degree, I knew a pie should be spun from these perfect flavor partners. It indeed satisfied the love of my mangos, my past as a California girl and my future – hopefully tinted yellow from all the mangos I’ll eat in everyday indulgence and celebrations of milestones.
PS. I’m going to India for a 2-month mango-festival that occurs every April and May in Mumbai – that should be a good thing for me, eh?
Chile Lime Mango Celebration Pie
2 ripe mangos, sliced in pretty half-moons
sprinkle of chili powder
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c water
for lime cream:
2 c non-dairy milk (I like vanilla almond for this, but anything will work)
1/2 c flour
3/4 tsp corn starch
zest of two limes
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c lime juice
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c Agave nectar
for crust
1 c flour
1/2 c veg butter (Earth Balance is my preference)
1/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp cold water
To assemble:
First, make the crust (I like to do this a day before the pie is served, much easier to get it out of the way) – cream the butter and sugar together in a mixer, add flour, cinnamon and salt and gradually incorporate cold flour until rough pie dough forms. Stop mixing and gather barely holding together dough into large ball on top of plastic wrap. Shape into a large disc, wrap up in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours. After two hours, roll out on floured surface. Poke about 5 fork marks in the crust. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie or tart pan, place rolled dough into shell – folding over edges for double-thick sides. Wrap tightly in plastic and freeze until day of serving pie.
Meanwhile, make the lime cream – place non-dairy milk, sugar, and vanilla into a medium-sized pot and stir on medium heat for approximately 5 minutes. Place cornstarch into small bowl, mixed with a splash of milk or water, whisk until starch is dissolved. Mix this starch slurry into the milk/flour mixture and cook for 5 minutes more, whisking the entire time (or else clumps will form). Mixture will thicken into a pudding-like texture. Take off heat and mix in remaining ingredients – lime zest, juice, Agave nectar. Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic, and chill until ready to assemble pie (about an hour, at least.)
Now, back to the crust. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove frozen crust from freezer and grease the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and tightly cover crust, pressing into the sides so that it is directly on the crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 3-4 minutes more. Set aside to cool.
Remove lime cream from fridge, whisk it up if it has set into something a little too firm. Pour almost all the lime cream into the crust. Spreading it into the edges with the back of a spoon.
Arrange mango slices into whatever pattern you like, trying to fit as many as possible into the pie. Heat 1/4 c sugar with 1/4 c water over low heat to make a simple syrup. When mango slices are all in place, drizzle syrup over entire tart. Finally, sprinkle a tiny dusting of chili powder over entire pie. Garnish with lime wedges or lime leaves, as I had on hand. Chill for at least an hour or so, and then serve. Perfect for celebrating anything.
August is officially pie season in Portland. There are three major pie extravaganza’s that happen here this month: The Portland Pie Off, Pietopia (that’s me!), and the Oregon State Fair best pie. Today I went to the Portland Pie Off and it was incredible. At least seventy pies varying from different categories including savory, cream, stone fruit, fruit, nut, berry, mash up, and CPR. The CPR one was really clever–the American Red Cross helped sponsor the pie-off so they came up with a category where people had to use three ingredients starting with a C, a P, and an R. The judges went around and tasted every pie, chose the winners based soley on taste (there was a category for prettiest pie too), then everyone grabbed a plate and started tasting for themselves! Yes, that’s right. Seventy pies, me, a fork–it was dangerous.
Also, I will be announcing the Pietopia winners soon! I just recieved the final designs for the winning prizes and I am so impressed! They are stunningly gorgeous and I am so excited about them:).
Cheers!
My first year during my masters program I did a lot of projects concerning the meaning of home: what is it? where is it? is it a place? is it within? can it be created? is it physical or a feeling? It was wonderful having the [mental] space to be able to explore this and be able to break it down for myself. I was able to discern what I had learned (from urban planning) and what came from and resonated within me.
Home has always been of particular interest to me and I really haven’t strayed too far from that idea with everything that I do, particularly concerning eating. Home still has a lot of meanings and manifestations for me, but one of my favorites is being able to share the experience of home with others through food. Everyone has a different association when they think of home (as a place) and a food that is associated with it. You can literally take that ‘place’ with you anywhere you go and share it with others through taste. Personally, I believe home comes from within, a peaceful state of mind. Of course, having this peaceful state of mind can be helped along by creating a lovely and loving environment, someplace you can feel safe, even cocooned.
Coming home also has many different meanings for me. I’ve ‘come home’ many times, both in a physical sense after a trip or becoming ok with things. There was a period in my life where things were difficult and I made them more difficult on myself through negative thinking. Then someone said to me: you wouldn’t say those things to your best friend, would you? No! I thought, I never would! And this has stuck with me, helping me ‘come home’ to myself whenever I need it.
Tomorrow, I am helping my friend Lacy do a thank you meal for all the women in her life who helped her on the road to recovery from anorexia. Lacy is ‘coming home’ to herself more and more everyday which is apparent in every way. She is such a strong woman who has been through a lot, making strides every day. For the meal, one of the things we are going to have there is a braid made out of her tiniest clothes, the clothes that don’t fit her any longer and need to move on. The braid turned out to be about 15 feet long and will drape along the length of the table. Each guest will be able to cut a piece off and take home as a remembrance of the meal as well as helping Lacy move forward and lift the burden, lightening her load if you will. I will have pictures and more detail about the meal after tomorrow:).
Coming home to something homemade is a true expression of affection. I love filling the house with inviting scents and favorite tastes, especially for those I care deeply about. For me, Baking is an expression of love. Andrew was out of town for about a week hiking in southern Utah with his brothers and a few friends. The day he came back I made him his favorite pie, blackberry. Using freshly picked blackberries are best which you can find at a fruit stand this time of year! He liked it .
Home has many different variations for all of us. For me personally, it is being at peace and feeling safe with myself and with others; it is as much a state of mind as it is a place, the two go hand in hand. However, ‘place’ happens when more than just yourself is involved and that feeling of peacefulness and safety is extended to those you care about through an environment.
Welcome Home Blackberry Pie
Filling:
3 quarts blackberries (three cartons/containers)
2-5 tablespoons sugar (depending on how sweet the blackberries are)
1-2 teaspoons cloves
Dough:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup earth balance (1 stick)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
5-10 tablespoons ice cold water
Cut butter into the flour and salt until crumbly, add the vinegar and water and mix until a ball forms (I use my hands, it really helps, the wooden spoon can be so awkward sometimes). Take half and roll out on a floured surface. When big enough, lay over pie pan and cut the edges so there is still a little sticking out over the sides. Do the same with the second half. Add the berries to to dough, cover with the second pie crust, pinch down the sides, and cut vents in the top. Bake at 350 for about 50 mins or until bubbling.
Bon Appetite!
There is an ever present battle with myself concerning change; both the word itself as well as the action it describes. Sometimes I find myself just more resistant to change than need be, other times, I welcome it with wide and open arms. Often, it’s those times I am most resistant that I find I’ve become comfortable with some not so great habits or where I’ve had my blinders up; these habits/blinders are usually unbeknownst to me (or buried and put on that list of I’ll-deal-with-this-later) only to quickly reveal themselves through the hard feelings I had towards making/doing/striving towards that new change.
And change always has two sides. While in the moment, it can seem like a door is closing: what’s next? Where do I go? Eek! But I’ve found that when one door closes, another one always opens; I just have to keep my eyes open enough (and look beyond the end of my own nose) to find that door.
I have a little note on my desk that I have tacked to the wall right above my computer (in the perfect location for an occasional glance, even with the slightest eye movement). It simply states: Don’t try, do! It has been an amazing mantra, one I keep in mind for all those hard moments when I feel myself resistant to change when I know change is essential. Keeping this in mind even lets me go so far as to flirt with a change that I am having a hard time with (as opposed to completely ignoring it, which sometimes I am tempted to do!) by weighing the possibilities of both sides, examining my gut reactions to each, and either going for it or deciding against it. And even that has the benefits of knowing oneself a little better.
Last year, the judges of Pietopia picked a pie by Leslie Wilson called the My-Life-Is-Changing-More-Quickly-Than-I-Can-Adapt Pie. Her description caused a ripple effect of my own reflections on change, as I ran across her entry today. Here is what Ms. Wilson wrote and her pie recipe. Enjoy!
The My-Life-Is-Changing-More-Quickly-Than-I-Can-Adapt Pie, by Leslie Wilson
Asparagus is refreshing, crisp and bitter and with some rough parts much like becoming an adult. Like the vegetable, whose best flavors are contained in its head, I am a woman defined instead by my stringy stalk. Finally, in this transition from girl to grown up, the scent of my urine has mysteriously and suddenly changed. This is perhaps the greatest mark of asparagus.
I have included eggs in the pie as a reminder of my fertile body: the monthly flood of relief that balances itself with that ever subtle ticking of my biological clock. Eggs in a pie, though a reminder of my sometimes questionable (often late-night) life choices, are also the very ingredient that holds the pie together, lending both substance definition.
Broccoli is an important element in viewing a life changing more quickly than one can adapt because it resembles nature. Logging, rapid development, landscapes inundated with impervious surfaces, forest fires destroying regional crops, peak oil lending itself to uncanny grocery expenditures. As I child I took advantage of broccoli. By throwing it away when nobody was watching, I thought that by beating the system I could capitalize on the opportunity to work my mealtime and accommodate my best interests. On the environment, kids didn’t know then what we do now. But finally, Honey, because it is important to make life sweet nevertheless.
1 bunch of fresh asparagus, approximately 18 stalks
1/3 cup chopped scallions
4 eggs slightly beaten
1-1/2 tablespoons flour
1-1/2 cups light cream
1 medium sized head of broccoli, approximately 1 cup
1 cup shredded cheese: goat and gouda and parm
1 pie crust
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg (preferably fresh if possible)
dollop of honey when served
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Steam asparagus and broccoli for five minutes then place in cold water bath to stop cooking. Reserve up to twelve pieces of asparagus whole and chop up rest. Chop broccoli equal to one cup.
Shred cheese into a bowl and stir in flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder until well incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs; add the cream, chopped asparagus, chopped broccoli, chopped scallions and shredded cheese mixture in with eggs.
Place the mixture into the prepared pastry shell.
Take remaining whole steamed asparagus stalks and place on top of unbaked quiche artfully. Sprinkle the nutmeg on top.
Place unbaked quiche on the center of cookie sheet and place in oven on the middle rack.
Bake quiche at 325 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Let quiche set for at least 10 minutes prior to serving.
Serve with a dollop of honey on top.
Hello everyone!
I have finally received word on the official date for this years annual Pietopia Pie Contest!
August 20th, 2009
3:30-7pm
Eastbank Farmers Market (SE 20th and Salmon)
Just a quick recap:
If you’d like to participate, please submit your 300 word blurb and recipe, including why you chose the recipe and how the taste of it relates to the current state of your life by July 15th, 2009. Each winning pie will receive a limited edition screen print reflecting the ideas in the written statement. Pies will be judged upon the creative and innovative ideas reflecting the ingredients used in the recipe.
Get as creative or as traditional as you want with your pies! Savory, sweet, fruit, cream, custard, meat, vegan, or raman noodle, do it up! The winners will bring their pie’s to the farmer’s market for some good old fashioned tasting. Come and taste what your community is feeling on August 20th, 2009 at the Eastbank Farmers Market! Plus check out the amazing silk-screens that will be specially designed for each winning pie.
Email blurbs and recipes to: pietopiacontest at gmail dot com
Check out the Pietopia Pie Contest site here.
Last year was such a hit, I am definitely looking forward to all this years entries!
In honor of Pietopia coming and some amazing looking rhubarb I found at the farmer’s market this weekend, I’ve made my first pie of the year: Rhubarb Custard Pie. This is an old recipe (from someone who says that they’ve been making it for over 100 years in their family! I’d say that’s pretty tried and true) and it turned out amazing! The softness of the custard is such a lovely compliment to the tartness of the rhubarb; it becomes like a light and sweet blanket that envelops and rounds out the sharp tartness…oh, it’s just good! I highly recommend making this pie.
It reminded me of a pie I made last year for the Pietopia Blog. It too was a rhubarb pie, but I called it The Pie of Unemployment. Like last year at this time, the place I had been working part time closed and I was out of what was supposed to be my summer job. Now, with graduation in a few weeks I find myself in a similar spot. I am so excited to be completing my Masters degree! However, there is that ever looming weight of looking for and procuring employment that has kept me from 100% enjoying this accomplishment. So in the spirit of pietopia, my current status of unemployed, and seriously looking for jobs, I made this Rhubarb Custard Pie. Last year I wrote about rhubarb:
Rhubarb on its own has that acidic taste that makes your mouth pucker and you feel it in the back of your throat. It is a lingering taste as well as a memorable one. The way the flavor gives a physical reaction due to the potency of its distinct taste and then lingers on your palate reminded me of how feeling nervous can not only linger but pose its own physical issues as well. I also thought it interesting the duality of Rhubarb’s use as a medicine and a poison. The scare factor is certainly there, but it is also an interesting parallel to the duality of feelings as well. Feelings, like medicine, can put you on the path to health, spur you on to healthier ways of approaching life, and help find the insight necessary to cure yourself. On the other hand, feelings when ignored, disregarded, or taken in overwhelming doses, can act as a poison.
Bittersweet, poisonous, and medicinal, Rhubarb embodies all the components and feelings for me of being unemployed. Excited that I have more time for my own projects, scared that I won’t be able to pay rent, and a healthy nervousness that spurs me on to stay in the job game culminated into the taste of a Rhubarb pie.
A year later, I would still have to agree. Last year I did find a summer job (which held me over until my teaching assistantship began in the fall) not long after I made that pie. I am hoping something similar will happen with this pie. It’s amazing what can happen when you just put something out to the universe and see what returns. Maybe an interview or a phone call or two will be coming my way (I did send out some resumes!) and this pie helped manifest those . Who knows!
And it’s a great recipe, I hope you enjoy!
Pie Crust (this is my very favorite and never fail pie crust!)
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup earth balance
1/4 cup sweet cream butter
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons ice cold water (a little more is needed sometimes)
Cut the butter, earth balance, vinegar, and water into the flour until it is nice and crumbly. Put into the fridge for about half hour to make cold again. Then split in half, roll out first half and place in pie plate, save the second half for the top pie crust.
Rhubarb Custard Pie
1 1/2 pounds fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/4 pieces
1/2 cup sugar
(place cut rhubarb into prepared pie pan with crust ]and pour 1/2 cup sugar on top)
1 cup whole milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
sprinkle of cinnamon
Whisk together milk, eggs, and sugar, pour on top of pie, sprinkle cinnamon on top, close with top crust and bake at 350 for 45 mins to an hour. Enjoy!
The Pietopia Pie Contest is happening again this year in August! Due to popular demand, it’s making its second appearance becoming an annual event here in Portland, Oregon. Wouldn’t it be cool to have one in your city too? Contact me if you’d like to see it happen where you live, I’d love to see what other communities lives taste like through their pies too! Or, if you are local and would like one of these limited-edition prints to hang in your shop or restaurant (for free!), feel free to give me a shout!
A bit of a recap as to how the first ever annual Pietopia Pie Contest went: last June, I put a call to entry in the city of Portland: What does it taste like to be unemployed, starting a new job, just married, divorced, a new homeowner or desperately searching for housing? What kind of pie would describe the way you are feeling right now? Could you imagine your thoughts, concerns or joys transformed into the All-American Pie?
(This was last year’s call to entry poster for Pietopia)
A local jury determined on five winners. The contest was judged based on the creative correlation between the sense of taste and it’s relationship to their lives. Five local artists were selected to each reinterpret one of the winning entries into a limited-edition screen print that was awarded to the contest winners and displayed at the event. All visitors at the event were able to taste each winner’s pie, and in essence, their lives as well.
I chose Pies as the medium because of its timeless appeal to the seasons, cross generations, and the local culture. The idea of a relationship between taste and feeling is an ancient one. The goal of Pietopia is to bring to the forefront the sense of taste, the feelings it can evoke, communication, and communing as interweaving entities within the fabric of our daily lives. Pietopia is seeking to channel Portland’s emphasis on the importance of the taste of food as a way to discover what this city’s quality of life truly is.
Start thinking of a pie or maybe several that you can relate to what is happening in your life at the moment. Check out last years winners on the Pieopia contest site, there were some really touching, some hilarious, but mainly honest interpretations of people’s lives through their pies. If you feel inspired, email in a 300 word blurb plus your recipe to: pietopiacontest@gmail.com.
It was so much fun last year, I hope you can join us this year!
(Andrew and I had a photo shoot for the posters. He took this shot of me holding it, as well as the first one up top)I am still waiting to hear back from the Portland Farmer’s Market as to the exact dates (sometime between late July and end of August), but when I know, I will let you know!
(Andrew holding the poster for me, it’s always good to get a variety of shots and images!)
The fourth Favorite was done for Blake Van Roekel and her Grandmother, Mary Alice. This was a different experience for me as this was the first meal I had to do with the Favorite being present. Blake took me over to meet her Grammy (as Mary Alice is so endearingly known in the family) an afternoon about a month before I did the meal. Her house cannot be described as anything but a gingerbread-wonderland-of-grandmother-loveliness. Walking into her house was like walking into a hug. No joke. Imagine, lavender (her favorite color) permeates the house through cushions, curtains, stained glass windows, and art; there are skylights and large open windows creating a light yet cozy feeling; she has an annex upstairs for the sole purpose of her sewing room where she creates hand-made bags, aprons, and baby clothes; her kitchen is organized just as a kitchen should be, it was like I already knew where everything was because it just made sense. Flowers, candy, nice hand lotion, and the permeating smell of cleanliness and roses filled the house.
Grammy had asked if she could set the table for the experience. I was excited that she asked, what a better and more authentic way to evoke a Favorite then having them directly participate. With this design constraint in mind, I set out to come up with a proper menu based on Blake’s memories of her Grandmother’s cooking and philosophy. Mary Alice is of the generation where fast, easy, and convenient foods ruled the kitchen. The 1950s were full of new products, gadgets, and types of food to make life easier at home. It was only natural to find recipes from the 50’s, with their tall claims of being fast and convenient. Deviled eggs, chicken salad sandwiches, a raspberry Jell-o ring with pineapple chunks, a cheese ball, and maraschino-vanilla-pudding-vanilla-wafer pie were all in order.
This meal was one of the hardest I’ve had to make. I stayed true to the recipes, calling for a box mix of this, or a can of that, not making anything directly from scratch as I like to do. The irony of not being able to make a real (or what I perceive as real) homemade meal was difficult! But for Grammy, it was perfect. She loved what was being served and even told us that she “doesn’t do organic from the stores because it is so expensive,” explaining that she’s “made it this long and is living healthily and happily, why change now?”
I decided that I needed to infiltrate Mary Alice’s table setting in a way that was not intrusive but rather additive to the entire experience. So I served the meal on a bed of wheat grass, still growing from it’s dirt, plopped right onto the plate, with the sandwich and deviled egg then nested right on top. It was a beautiful addition to an already gorgeous table. The grass also evoked another theme I was threading throughout the meal: spring and newness. Something about Mary Alice’s house and demeanor all reminded me of freshness, youth, and spring.
The meal itself was full of warm conversation and funny stories (told by Mary Alice about her travels through Germany and youth in Wisconsin). While a young girl, she told us stories of not being able to get margarine, especially the yellow margarine, in Wisconsin because it was illegal. Wisconsin as the capital dairy state, outlawed margarine, so they would drive across the boarder to Illinois, pick up margarine and with it a little yellow capsule of dye to mix in! It was all the rage apparently (both as a food-fashion and as a health food), so whenever they knew of a friend or neighbor who was making a trip across state boundaries, they would ask for some margarine to be picked up.
Through this meal, I understand why Blake chose her Grammy as her favorite. Blake is also an artist and a foodie and she says she owes a lot of her interest in food to Mary Alice. Since Blake was a little girl, Mary Alice has hosted the family holiday’s, birthday’s, and Sunday dinners always with an emphasis on setting a proper table. She is famous in her family for an ornate table setting, which Blake connects with through her memories and her heart. I was so lucky to be able to be witness to their lovely relationship, take part in Mary Alice’s table setting, and create a meal and memory for them to share.
Thank you Abby for taking these photos! Her soft, romantic aesthetic was perfect for the occasion. You can see more of her beautiful work here.
Maraschino Cherry Vanilla Pie
1 purchased shortbread pie crust
1 large package of vanilla pudding mix
2 bananas
1 small jar of maraschino cherries
6 Vanilla wafers
Cut the bananas in slices and place in the bottom of the pie crust.
Mix the pudding mix as directed on the box for pie.
Crumble up or place whole the Vanilla wafers on top of the pie.
Place the cherries around the outside edge of the pie.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Serve cold.
Deviled Eggs (from here)
6 eggs, hard cooked and peeled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
3/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar
pinch of salt (optional)
fresh ground black pepper (optional)
Cut eggs in half. Arrange egg whites cut side up on a serving plate and put the yolks in a small mixing bowl. Mash yolks with fork then stir in mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar. Mash and stir all ingredients together well. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired. Spoon a little bit of the mixture into each egg white half, dividing mixture as evenly as possible between the eggs. Sprinkle eggs with smoked paprika if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Chicken Salad (recipe adpoted loosely from here)
Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
5 teaspoons honey
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Salad
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted
2 cups red seedless grapes
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
Method
In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to dress the salad. This can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the chicken breasts in one layer in a baking dish with 1/2 cup water. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes until completely cooked through. Remove cooked chicken breasts from pan, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.
When the chicken is cold, dice into bite-size pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in pecans, grapes, celery and dressing.
Cheese Ball (recipe adapted from here)
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (1 ounce) package Ranch-style dressing mix
2 cups chopped pecans
4 pecan halves
In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, and dressing mix. Form into one large ball or two smaller balls. Roll in chopped pecans to coat surface. Decorate the top with pecan halves. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Pietopia has resurfaced this winter in an exhibit at the Niche Gallery space in the Ecotrust building until March 12th. The posters could not be on display in a more appropriate venue. Ecotrust works to conduct and strengthen the relationship between the Pacific Northwest region’s economy, ecology, and social equity. They have in place amazing programs such as Salmon Nation, Food and Farms, working with the local native american tribes, forestry and fishery programs, and a lot of community outreach and involvement. Their food and farms program (which I am naturally drawn to 
works to create a vibrant regional food system, sustainability being the norm rather than the exception. Their key objective is to “improve public understanding of local agriculture and increase the market share of locally grown food. Whether by introducing a farmer to a chef or a local food processor to a school procurement manager or a consumer to the pleasures of eating with the seasons — we make connections that result in positive change. Our work creates a sense of place and a taste of home.” I am excited that they approached me and am able to share my project with them.
Justin Bland (left) My Life is Changing More Quickly Than I Can Adapt Pie
PIETOPIA
An exhibit to discover the taste of life in Portland, OR
The first ever Pietopia Pie Contest and Exhibit was held Thursday, August 21, 2008, at the Portland Farmer’s Market Eastbank, SE 21st and Salmon. In June, a call to entry in the city of Portland was put out: What does it taste like to be unemployed, starting a new job, just married, divorced, a new homeowner or desperately searching for housing? What kind of pie would describe the way you are feeling right now? Could you imagine your thoughts, concerns or joys transformed into the All-American Pie?
A local jury determined on five winners. The contest was judged based on the creative correlation between the sense of taste and it’s relationship to their lives. Five local artists were selected to each reinterpret one of the winning entries into a limited-edition screen print that was awarded to the contest winners. The posters on display here are what were awarded to the winners at the Pietopia event.
Tricia Martin is an artist and designer exploring our community’s state of being and how the sense of taste can become a catalyst for change. Using Portland’s foodie culture as a base, Tricia is looking to channel the community’s emphasis on the importance of taste as a way to discover the greater idea of what this city’s quality of life truly is. Tricia is an MFA candidate at the Pacific Northwest College of Art and has a background in urban planning and design.
For the winning recipes and more pictures please visit:
http://pietopiacontest.blogspot.com
The Pietopia Artists:
Justin Bland — curator, printer, designer. you need it? he does it.
Christopher Huizar — multimedia artist and website guru. Check out his company One Great Thing.
Mia Nolting — illustrator, designer, typographer on the cutting edge of all three.
Jason Traeger – painter, musician, and founding member of the Oregon Painting Society.
Christopher Huizar (left) Red Door Rhubarb Pie and Tricia Martin (right) Never Leaving Oregon Pie
