Zen and the Art of Pie Making

Last month I declared 2008 Year of the Pies, vowing to make one pie per month all year. Apparently this is one resolution I can actually keep. As the wind blew angry sheets of snow off of our roof, I put together a pear galette with caramel drizzle.

Why is this the year of the pies? At first my goal was to master my mother’s fabulous pie crusts. I really love the idea of homey, kitchen skills being passed lovingly from mother to daughter. Realizing that one pie a year wouldn’t improve my notoriously ugly pies, I resolved to make a bunch of them this year.

Today I discovered the true joy of baking. While Joe laboriously put Maya down for a nap, I communed with our content little Elliot. She played with a few fascinating squeaky toys (yes babies are not many steps away from puppies), while I listened to the Splendid Table and methodically mixed and rolled the crust, sliced three pears and three apples, and assembled the gallete. The procedure is simple enough to let your mind wander, but satisfyingly tactile, periodically forcing your attention back to the task at hand. This is exactly what I love about yoga; both are tasks that allow you to engage your mind and body at once in an extremely relaxing way.

While I wish I could share my latest (and somewhat improved) creation with all of you, I will instead recommend a television show and a movie that will put you in the pie-baking mood as well.

I’m a huge fan of the new show Pushing Daisies. If you haven’t seen it, download an episode or two. It’s a charming (if somewhat dark) comedy about a pie maker and his strange ability to revive the dead. Mostly I like it for the pies, but the quirky mysteries that crop up each episode are entertaining. Also, the fact that he can’t actually touch his recently revived girlfriend without killing her is riotous!

A movie with, perhaps, more universal appeal is Waitress. This fantastic indie film starring a waitress/pie maker and her totally dysfunctional life is the perfect backdrop to a cold and blowing northern evening. Light the fire, kick back, and drool over her pies!