Notes on the eve of pie’s biggest day

About pie heroism: “A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.” – Tenneva Jordan ………. “A boy doesn’t have to go to war to be a hero; he can say he doesn’t like pie when he sees there isn’t enough to go around.” – Edgar Howe
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Pre-T-day ap-pie-tizer as we prepare to bake: “We stopped at a camp where there were some tables, and ate a whole peach pie still warm from Irish Mary’s oven … We poured cream from the jar onto the pieces Father cut for us, and thick sweet juices ran into delicious puddles.” – M.F.K. Fisher
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48 hours till T-day: Let us stand proud for pie despite the naysayers and dieticians because. … “Pie is the American synonym for prosperity…Pie is the food of the heroic. No pie-eating people can ever be vanquished.” – New York Times, 1902
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The reported canned pumpkin shortage has failed to materialize, at least in Boulder. We’ll have at least onepumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. It’s traditional. …… “This is the first week of the season for the pumpkin pie. The cranberry pie is also in its first days, and the pie industry in general is beginning to look forward to the increased proportions of Fall and Winter trade.” – New York Times, Sept. 14, 1895
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Pie advice: The biggest problem with apple pies is making sure the filling is fully cooked without burning the crust. Try par-cooking half your apples in a saucepan with sugar, butter and spices. Once bubbly hot, pour over the rest of the slices in the pastry-lined pan and cover with crust. The best apples for pies: Jo…nathan, Northern Spy, Macintosh, Winesap, Braeburn and Roma. Never use Red Delicious in pies.
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Pie #26: You can tell pie is special by the plethora of pie-specific implements available: Pie bird; Pie gate; Pie weights; pie dough press; Pie shield; Pie dough blender; Pie carrier; Pie safe; Pie lifter; Pie cutter; Pie server; Pie crimp; Lattice pie roller; Pie dough form. ……. “I’ve cooked and cooked till I don…e got tired/ Can’t fill you up off of my fried apple pie.” – “Keep On Eatin’” by Memphis Minnie
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Pie post #26: At the farmer’s market today, I ogled the pretty wares at the My Mom’s Pies booth and enjoyed the pie eyes. People would see the pies, their eyes would widen, their eyebrows lifted, and a wistful grin grew as they spied the strawberry rhubarb, the chocclate pecan and cherry. ………“Men may come and me…n may go, but pie goes on forever.”- George Augustus Sala, “America Revisited” (1882)
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T (turkey) minus 7 days and counting: Do not fear pie. You CAN make a great pie crust. Some tips: Don’t work the pastry too much! It’s the enemy of tenderness in a crust. Excessive handling causes gluten to form – it great in pizza but horrible in pastry. After you’ve formed the dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic an…d let it rest in refrigerator for an hour. It makes the dough easier to work with.
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“It was his idea to stop at the truckstop, he thought coffee would calm him down, and they sat and drank a couple cups apiece, and then the pie looked good so they had some, banana cream and lemon meringue, and more coffee.”….. ….”Wouldn’t this be a good time for a slice of rhubarb pie? “Nothing gets the taste of s…hame and humiliation out of your mouth like Bee-bop-aree-bop Rhubarb Pie.” – Garrison Keillor
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Pie in the funnies: “Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.” – From Garfield …… “Pumpkin pie! There’s a chemical released when you eat pumpkin pie that produces the hysterical adrenaline necessary for decision-making in gift-buying. People think it’s the DEADLINE t…hat makes them start buying after Thanksgiving, but it’s not! It’s the pie enzyme.” — From Cathy
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The Joy of Potato-Sausage Stuffing

When I stand in my new kitchen on the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving Day, I shall not stand alone. My son and my sister will be there, and so will my mom and her mother in spirit.

I am not a culinary traditionalist for the most part. I seldom use recipes or make the same thing twice. But I make my family’s potato-sausage turkey stuffing exactly the same way every year. There never was a recipe per se for this wonderful dish.

My grandmother, Vincenza “Nanna” Mazzola moved with my grandfather, Michael “Papa” Mazzola to Willimantic, Conn., in the early 1900s where they eventually opened an Italian market under the apartment where they raised their family.

Nanna grew up in Sicily. She’d never seen a turkey before in her life but cooking one was part of being American. Legend has it that she started talking to a French woman who rented an apartment in the building who suggested stuffing the bird with meat and potatoes. So Nanna got some of Papa’s famous Italian sausage, cooked it up and added in mashed potatoes. She taught my mom, Rose, and her sisters how to make it. I learned it from her while sitting in the kitchen of the house I grew up in.

The formula is now part of the genetic code. First, we get some potatoes, a mix of Idaho bakers, red skinned boilers and Yukon Golds. We cover the dining room table with paper and start peeling. Normally, I would leave the skins on when making mashers but in this case it would just be wrong.

We cut them into big chunks and cover them with cold water in the large saucepan that Nanna once used. The potatoes are boiled until barely tender but not too mushy. They’ll cook more in the turkey.

While the spuds cook, I get out my immense, black, cast iron frying pan that I have no use for the rest of the year. We crumble chunks of good sweet and hot Italian sausage into the pan, along with some ground pork.

The meat gets fried just until the pink is barely gone, but not until it is completely cooked, and extra fat gets drained off, but not all of it because fat is flavor. We save some of the potato water to make turkey soup.

The spud chunks go back into the big pan over low heat with a quarter-pound of butter—make that at least a half pound of butter. Then we start stirring—but not mashing, while adding black pepper, a little salt and poultry seasoning. If we want to get wild, we’ll add onion and garlic. The magic moment occurs when the sausage is added to the mashers. We taste it, and then taste it again and again, to assure its authenticity. We always make extra because we’ll eat a bunch getting the seasoning right, and also because this stuff is absolutely, positively addictive.

All that’s left is to fill the bird early the next morning, forcing the stuffing into the nooks and crannies of the deceased beast, a replacement for its heart and soul. Some stuffing always gets baked separately in a pie pan, but technically, that’s “dressing.” We all want some of the mix that emerges glistening from the slow-roasted gobbler fat with flavor.
In the days that follow we enjoy the leftovers. I sometimes fry up stuffing cakes in the morning with eggs, an impromptu Mazzola Benedict. In repeating this sacred ritual year after year, I honor my ancestors and pass along the history to the next generation. For this and more I am deeply grateful.

Ten great Denver-area dishes you MUST taste

The current issue of Edible Front Range Magazine includes my list of the ten most craveable dishes I’ve encountered as a dining critic and food editor at local restaurants and bakeries.

Read the whole thing: ediblecommunities.
com/frontrange/fall-2009/crave-ins.htm

Smothered red pork and green chile tamales: Tamales by La Casita, 3561 Tejon St., Denver

Garlic knots with fresh warm mozzarella: Virgilio’s Pizzeria, 7986 W. Alameda Ave; Lakewood

Frosted tea cookies: Gateaux Bakery, 1160 Elati St., Denver

Potstickers: Lao Wang Noodle House, 945 S. Federal Blvd., Denver

Fried chicken: Joseph’s Southern Food, 2868 Fairfax St., Denver

Lemon Shaker pie: Walnut Café, 3073 Walnut St., Boulder

Beignets: Lucile’s Creole Café, 2124 14th St., Boulder

The Bob: Yazoo BBQ Co., 2150 Broadway (mainly take-out), Denver

Sfogliatelle: Dolce Sicilia Italian Bakery, 3210 Wadsworth Blvd., Wheat Ridge

Momo: Tibet Kitchen, 2359 Arapahoe Ave.; Boulder

Honorable Mentions: summer Friday night burgers at Marczyk Fine Foods; croissants at Les Delices de Paris bakery; sausage sandwich at Carbone’s Italian Sausage Market; lemon gelato at Glacier Ice Cream, Boulder;
green chile burrito at El Taco de Mexico, Denver;
french fries at Larkburger

Hunger lives among us

I believe in the power of dinner to cure many modern ills. I know there are few expressions of love deeper than gathering family and friends for hand-made fare, for connection and conversation.

But at your Thanksgiving feast, how joyful could you be if one or two folks around the table weren’t allowed to eat anything but bread—no roast bird with gravy, no stuffing and no warm pecan pie à la mode?

Yet that’s exactly what happens every day. Hunger lives among us. We are surrounded by those who cannot afford enough, or healthful enough, food. It has been the case for years in our well-off region but the recession has morphed a problem into a crisis.
More than 40,000 residents in the area live at or below the poverty line, according to Community Food Share. Many more are on the brink, deciding whether to pay for heat or prescriptions or food. Most are families with small children. Many are seniors.

The invisible hungry and malnourished are your neighbors. You drive by them every day. There is aid available but it’s not enough. Ultimately, the dilemma we must solve isn’t food insecurity, it’s poverty. But for now, let’s make sure everyone can eat good, nutritious food, not just calories.

Here are ways you can help:

• Drop off bags of non-perishable food at grocery stores in Boulder, Louisville and Lafayette. Take your kids to the store, give them $10, and have them fill a bag.
• Have everyone in your class, at work, in church bring in all the pennies sitting in jars at home and donate them to a food bank.
• Volunteer for the annual food drive.
• Write a check in the largest amount you can afford. The vast majority of food distributed is bought, not donated.
• Instead of quickly forgotten gifts to friends and co-workers, donate money to a food program in their name.
• Visit communityfoodshare.org.
• Help in June and September when the spotlight isn’t on hunger but the need is still great. This isn’t about guilt, it’s about the meaning of “community.” Do what you can and I guarantee that the meal you say grace before on Nov. 26 will be the most nourishing you’ve ever eaten.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

- Originally published in Yellow Scene Magazine

America’s top piemaker

I hereby proclaim Bill Yosses as Piemaker of the Year for 2009 for focusing the spotlight on America’s dessert at the highest level.
He’s the White House pastry chef that President Obama calls The Crustmaster: “The pastry chef makes the best pie I’ve ever tasted, and that is causing big problems for Michelle and myself. I mean, whatever pie you like, he will make it, and it will be the best pie you’ve ever eaten.” Obama’s faves include banana cream pie and huckleberry pie.
Yosses’ “secrets” are ones I’ve often preached about: The crust is hand-mixed, to avoid overworking the dough, according to AP. The bottom crust is pre-baked to keep it from being doughy. For fruit pies, the filling is cooked on the stove, then placed in the cooked pie shell and covered with the rolled-out top dough. The top is then brushed with egg-wash and the whole thing is baked again.

BILL YOSSES’ APPLE PIE
For the crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
10 ounces unsalted butter, cold, cut into small chunks
3 ounces lard, cold, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup ice water
For the filling:
2 pounds apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
For the egg wash:
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
Sugar, for sprinkling
To make the crust, in a food processor pulse together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and lard, then pulse briefly until the mixture forms small crumbs. Add the ice water and pulse just until a dough forms.
Divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape into discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
To prepare the pie shell, on a floured surface roll out one disc to a 14-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased, deep 9-inch pie pan, leaving a 1 inch overhang. Refrigerate the crust in the pan for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
When ready to bake the bottom crust, heat the oven to 375 F. Line the cold crust with foil and fill with baking weights, rice or dry beans to hold it in place. Bake the pie shell for 30 minutes. Leave the oven on once the crust is done.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a large saucepan, toss together the apples, sugar, honey, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon and lemon zest and juice. Let sit for 20 minutes.
Bring the fruit mixture to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the fruit thickens. Let cool.
When the bottom crust is baked and the filling has cooled, pour the fruit into the crust.
Roll out the second disc of dough to about 12 inches.
In a small bowl, beat the egg with the salt. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg on the edges of the cooked crust. Place the top crust over the filling. Gently crimp the top crust, sealing the pie around the edges.
Puncture the top of the crust with a paring knife in several places to create steam vents. Brush egg wash over the crust, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the top crust is golden brown. Let cool for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Shameless “Twilight” pie tie-in

There are only 18 pie-making and -buying days ’til Thanksgiving. I include Nov. 26 because you can buy pie at the last second at Safeway. When I was a kid – back before the turn of the century and the birth of the microwave oven, we were out of luck (and lard) if we needed pie ingredients on Turkey Day. Literally every single store in my home town was closed for the day.

“I make really good pie. Apple pie — it’s the best.” - “Twilight” star Kristen Stewart in Harper’s Bazaar

Defending pie

Pies don’t get no respect, even though images of them fill every magazine cover this time of year. More often, pie is treated as a fat-laden antique. Luckily, a true pie defender is in the White House. “I like pie. And that’s okay. I would be depressed if I felt I could never eat the things that I love,” – Michelle Obama told Prevention. She also told O magazine: “The pie in the White House is dangerously good.” I can hardly wait to see how she and the family celebrate National Pie Day, Jan. 23.

Speaking of cheese synchronicity

No sooner had I finished blogging about macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese then I found an item about the debut Colorado Cheese Festival Nov. 14 in Centennial. I’d never heard of it but was amazied at the list of Colorado cheesemakers including some well-known – MouCo, Haystack, and Windsor Dairy, and some unknowns: James Ranch, Jumpin’ Good Goat, Rockin W, and Sunny Breeze. The event features tastings, a grilled cheese challenge, cheesemaking demos, and a cheesemakers’ dinner. Sounds like my kind of fun. Details: http://cocheesefest.com/

Random food news update

According to the AP, 7-Eleven launched Yosemite Road, a private-label value wine brand that will retail for about $3.99 and be released in the U.S. and Japan. Its nuances reportedly go well with Twinkies, Marlboros and corn dogs. … QSR Magazine reports that Macdaddy’s, an all macaroni & cheese eatery, is open in Georgetown, Connecticut. The 20 varieties of macaroni and cheese include bistro-fied options like the “mac french onion” with Gruyere, caramelized onions, and applewood bacon. I would combine a MacDaddy’s franchise with another comfort concept, Chedd’s Grilled Cheese. Like cowbells in rock music, you can never have too much cheese on a menu. … On the menu at Animal restaurant in Montauk, N.Y.: Foie Gras Loco Moco which includes a hamburger, a slice of fried Spam, a wedge of seared foie gras and quail egg, according to the New York Times.

Pie note #9

Pie 9: When making crust, everything should be chilled beforehand: all utensils, bowls, and all ingredients including flour and shortening, if you want a flaky crust. “A flaky pie crust is one of life’s great joys. Such a crust is airy, yet has texture. It displays one of the great struggles of the universe, the tension between being and nothingness, right there in a 9-inch pie pan.” — Rob Kasper, Baltimore Sun