In the last threeyears, I’ve made morethan 800 pies. I don’twork in a restaurant,own a bakery, orhave a pie factory.I write cookbooks.
This pie obsession isn’t a new thing.
I’ve been making pies for as long as
I can remember. I won a blue ribbon for
a sour cherry pie that launched my writing
career. At Thanksgiving, I serve five or six
different pies—pecan and pumpkin, cherry
and cranberry, maybe buttermilk, often
apple, occasionally mincemeat.
Simply put, I love pie: the buttery flavor
and all the flaky layers of the crust,
the tartness of a fruit filling, the cool
lusciousness of a creamy custard. Pie is a
generous food, easily shared, a welcome
addition to any get-together. I even
like it for breakfast the morning after
Thanksgiving. When no one’s looking,
I like to slice a sliver from the pie pan
and maneuver it to my mouth without
a plate or fork—just a little bite o’ pie.
Recently, I’ve been up to my eyeballs
in all kinds of pie with Pie Squared, my
2018 cookbook devoted to slab pies (pies
made in a rectangular baking sheet), and
When Pies Fly, which was published in
September and focuses on hand pies, pie
poppers, galettes, and tarts.Through it all, I’ve learned that pies don’t
have to be fussily fitted into a pie plate
(as evidenced by the Bumbleberry Galette
you see here). They don’t need to have a
rolled-out crust (see Pumpkin Chiffon Slab
Pie, page 56). And they work as either a
snack for one or a feast for a crowd (see
Brandied Pear Pie Poppers, page 57).
Even better: You don’t need to make
800 pies to learn to make a great one.
Once you’ve wrangled a good dough
recipe (I’m sharing three with you here),
the world fills with pie possibilities.
And when you make a pie—whether
round, rectangular, or bite-size—you make
everyone smile.what’s a bumbleberry?
Bumbleberry isn’t a berry.
It’s any combination of three
berries. This galette gives
you permission to use any
three that suit your family and
friends. We used cranberries,
blueberries, and raspberries.
THANKSGIVING TAKEOVER