In an old kitchen of an old house with counter-tops above my toddler head, I remember pies. Pies sitting out but not within my reach. The crusts still holding the pattern of my Mom's fingers. The anticipation. The sweet smell of fruit filling the room with possibility....
Pies are homey; pies are comforting; pies hold a season's bounty of flavor within their crumbly rims. Homemade Pies.
We don't always have time to make homemade pies and sometimes, the store-bought variety must suffice. My old neighbor would often relent and bring over a store-bought pie to one of our gatherings. But one Thanksgiving--- the thanksgiving before she passed away--- she brought over a homemade apple pie. We already had enough pie to feed the entire west side of our county so we decided to freeze the pie to savor later. We didn't realize then that my old neighbor would be gone from us in two short weeks. And then, months later, a dear friend of mine came to visit----a mutual friend of my old neighbor's. We pulled out that pie and ate it in tribute to our friend.
It seemed oddly comforting to eat her pie while knowing that she had rolled out the pastry, cut up the fruit, and put her love and intention into this dessert sitting before us. She seemed so alive to me again. I knew somewhere she was smiling at us there, sitting around my Mom's round kitchen table eating her pie.
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The most scrumptious of seasons is rapidly approaching here: the Oregon Strawberry Season. Oregonians will reluctantly accept the California variety in the supermarkets when we must, but when the real deal sneaks into the produce stands, watch out!
And it's one of nature's true culinary gifts that rhubarb synchronously matures within the strawberry season. Mmmmm, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie! My boyfriend (now known as "Pants," as in Sir Pantsalot---but that's another story), typically is not a fruit pie fan but he is quite swept off his feet by this flavor combo. (I secretly believe he will become a fruit pie fan once he experiences some of our yummy fruit pies this summer).
This is the recipe I use for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. I have many, many recipes for this kind of pie but this is the one I turn to over and over again with great results. The only variance I make is reducing the cinnamon to 1/2 tsp. and adding 2 T. of flour to the filling, as I like it a little custard-y.
My favorite pie cookbook? By far, This one...
