Huzzah! It’s time for another filling adventure into the glorious, buttery world of PIES on this annual celebration of Pi Day. Not only are we bringing you another cornucopia of flavors ranging from sweet to savory in today’s blog, but we’re also excited to showcase these tasty pies IRL at Spiderweb Salon’s Electronic Experiment this Friday (March 15!)!
Easy Cheese Quiche with Veggie Hash
photo by Nina Chantanapumma
Last year we danced in the kitchen whilst making blueberry pies, cereal milk icebox pies, and savory hot water crust pies with curried vegetables. This year, similar good times ensued, but not to be outdone—we started the day with an out-of-this-world quiche to fill our bellies and ignite the inspiration needed to test out new, uncharted recipes. Joining us on our conquest, we had amazing spiderbabes Anjelica and Bess in the W&B kitchen! Anjelica will be cohosting the showcase with us this weekend whilst Bess will be gracing us with the most delicious pot pie imaginable.
Vegetarian Chicken Pot Pie
photo by Caitlin Childs
Bess, Caitlin, and the crew diligently tested out different vegetable broths in order to lock in the best fit to translate her mother’s chicken pot pie recipe into a vegetarian’s delight. This recipe has been one of the most important family recipes in Bess’s life—when she was 7 or 8 years old, she asked her newly-single mother if they could start their own Christmas tradition and have chicken pot pie on Christmas Day. Since her mom is a total sweetie they did just that, and have now enjoyed the same recipe every year for more than 20 years. When Bess was vegetarian a few years ago, her mom even tried making a veggie version of the pie that was pretty freaking good. This weekend’s version, however, contained several delicious alterations that had never been attempted before: Quorn vegetarian “turkey” roast, a carefully crafted blend of imitation chicken stocks (thoroughly taste-tested and vetted by the W&B gang), and Caitlin’s flawless homemade pie crust. Bess’s gravy began to simmer and thicken and the vegetarian turkey started roasting in the oven as Caitlin gave us all an incredible tutorial on the easiest all-butter pie crust.
Along with the warm scents of rosemary and sage from the pot pie, the sweet smell of toffee took over as Caitlin got to work on her jaw-dropping, orgasm inducing, Banoffee pie. Hailing from the UK, the Banoffee pie consists of a buttery pastry crust and a caramelly toffee filling, topped with fresh bananas and whipped cream. I legitimately feel a wave of grief and despair as I type this...because I am without Banoffee pie in this moment.
Going hand in hand on the spectrum of sweet, courtney marie made her incredible rendition of the classic apple pie, but wait...it’s a SOUR CREAM APPLE PIE. This one is an old family recipe she’s been guarding for awhile, since it is often a special request at Friendsgiving gatherings and the like. courtney marie’s grandmother used to make these pies by the dozens, freezing them so there would always be pie for dessert or when a friend stopped in for a coffee. Not a bad idea, we say. Complete with decadent gooey filling and a strudel crumble topping, hers is the only apple pie that should really be allowed to exist in the known universe. All other pies of apple be damned. This one reigns supreme.
courtney marie and her sour cream apple pie!
photo by Caitlin Childs
Caitlin’s Banoffee pie
photo by Storie Cunningham
Storie’s Lucky Charms pie
photo by Caitlin Childs
As we wrapped up the day, we gathered ‘round the kitchen isle and lovingly devoured a carousel of slices, each one just as heartwarming as the last. Every forkful bite was an absolute party in our mouths--nary a bad flavor in the bunch. I wouldn’t have expected anything less, but it was still quite a delight to know that the magic of pie never ceases to amaze. With a seemingly simple equation of crust + filling, it’s all to fitting that both Pi and Pie, give way to such beautiful, yet incalculable possibilities. I mentioned this in last year’s blog, but it bears repeating that whether you believe in the magic of Pi or Pie, I hope we can all agree they possess the power to bring people together.
