Last week I found out about Peace Through Pie, and organization devoted to spreading Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of peace through the community sharing of pie.
Why pie? To quote from PTP’s website, “pie, an age-old comfort food in many traditions around the world, symbolizes an inclusive equality with its circular form and diverse ingredients.”
On any day (but with a focus on MLK Day), Peace Through Pie encourages schools, churches, business, and individuals to host Dream Pie Socials, requiring only one ‘dream pie’ and at least three participants.
And I happen to live with three people who like to eat pie.
I also studied both antebellum history and the Civil Rights Movement extensively in college, so Dr. Martin Luther King Day does have quite some meaning for me. Thus, I knew what I had to do. In honor of you, Dr. King….
I made a pie. A peace pie.
And, although I considered making a week of it and blogging about a different kind of pie every day…I’m not that kind of (organized, follows through on such thematic posting and promises) blogger.
But, really, it came down to this book.
Confections of a Closet Master Baker is a collection of vignettes and recipes written by Vermont baker Gesine Bullock*-Prado. I read it months ago, but had kept one recipe saved on an e-Post-It on my computer.
*Yes, that Bullock. She’s Sandra’s sister.
‘The pies look particularly beautiful today. And Carol said it was the best cherry pie ever.’
That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. What’s bittersweet is that I want to hear it everyday; I want to be creating non-stop brilliance. Small and large misfortunes keep it from being a constant reality.
But I’ll keep trying because the beauty of a well-made pie is as close to magic as hearing my name pronounced with the perfect sigh on the last syllable.
–pg.132, Confections of a Closet Master Baker
Since cherries were INSANELY on sale this week ($1.98/lb.), and I had therefore purchased an INSANE amount…
(The owl above is the logo for her bakery.)
Q: What is a lazy baker to do when faced with making something from scratch?
A: Find the easiest recipe possible.
Thank you Alton Brown, for showing me that you can make pie crust in the food processor! No more slowly blending butter and flour with fork tines in a laborious process of tedium! Let the food processor pulse for you!
1 cup of sugar and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt, dumped into the food processor. And then, out comes the butter, straight from the fridge. [Even I know it's got to be COLD.]
Dice it into tablespoons…
…and add it to the mix!
Pulse 10 times.
Or 15. Until the mixture is crumbly. If there are still chunks of butter, no worries. Apparently that will make a better crust.
Drizzle water 1 Tablespoon at a time over the whole thing. Pulsing 5 times in between each drizzling.
When you can squeeze the crumbliness together and it holds….you’re done. [Well, sort of.]
Put the whole mess into a Ziploc bag and squeeze it into a ball.
Put that into the fridge for at least 30 minutes….or a couple to a lot of hours, depending on if you have lunch plans or something. [Like I did 
]
When you are ready to continue pie construction, get out your rolling pin…and if you are like me and question the cleanliness of your table or counter at any one time, a clean board upon which to work.
Sprinkle a little flour down and plop your dough on the board or table or counter.
Smash it with your fist to get it started (remember, it’s cold).
Then (rock and) roll!
Now, as I first tackled this crusty challenge, I had flashbacks to my time in Mexico, learning how to make homemade flour tortillas, when I couldn’t roll perfect circles and got incredibly frustrated with myself and the horrid appearance of what, in contrast, my ‘abuela’ instructor could make with a quick five-roll motion of perfection.
But as she told me then, I tell you now: “It really doesn’t matter what it looks like. It will taste good in the end.” [Of course, she said it in Spanish.]
With a little pulling apart and reforming with your hands, you will eventually end up being able to cover the bottom of the pie pan.
After you’ve flattened out the second crust, it is time to make the filling! Make sure you’ve pitted about 2 lbs. of cherries (a great activity to do while watching the Golden Globes the night before).
You’ll want six cups of pitted red globes of glory, on top of which you should add 3/4 cup sugar and 2 1/2 Tablespoons of cornstarch, plus a sprinkling of salt.
I actually changed Gesine’s recipe here, using less sugar and cornstarch…and another big change was on the way.
She calls for a lemon….but I call for an orange!
Juice half of the orange (about 3 Tablespoons of juice) into the bowl of cherries [life is like that].
After stirring really well so the cherries are coated with sugary juice….pour them into the pie crust.
Place your second crust on top….as best as you can.
And crimp together the edges….as best you can.
If there are holes or gaps, oh well. You have to cut vents in it anyway.
Since this was a Peace Pie…I harkened back to the 60s/70s [or when I was in middle school and we were obsessed with peace signs and Yin Yang symbols for who knows what reason] and made my vents into a symbol for Dr. MLK.
Into a 350 degree oven for about an hour (although I did use aluminum foil to cover the edges after 40 minutes when they were browned), and, through the magic of heat and chemical change (and somehow coloration change on my photographs without me having a clue how it happened…but I blame the white balance)….CHERRY PIE!
Would you like a peace?
1 recipe Cherry Pie Filling
Cherry Pie Filling
- 5 cups whole pitted sweet cherries (about 2 lbs. whole, unpitted)
- 1 c. sugar
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 Tbsp. orange juice (from 1/2 medium orange)
1. Put one (unbaked) pie crust in the bottom of your pie pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine filling ingredients, stirring very well to coat cherries.
3. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust.
4. Cover cherries with second crust. Pressing sides together to seal.
5. Cut openings in the top crust for ventilation.
6. Bake pie at 350 degrees for 1 hour, covering edges with aluminum foil after 40 minutes (or when it has browned).
—————–
1 stick butter [brrrrr...cold]
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1. In a food processor, pulse flour and salt 2-3 times to combine.
2. Add butter, sliced into 8 pieces (1 Tbsp. each).
3. Pulse 10-15 times, until flour mixture is “mealy.” (Chunks of butter are just fine.)
4. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of water over flour/butter mixture. Pulse 5 times.
5. Repeat drizzling water 2-3 more times, until you can press together the flour/butter mixture and it holds together.
6. Put crumbliness into a large Ziploc bag and press into a ball.
7. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before using.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
love this!! and i don't even like cherries
such a fun idea behind the pie
Alton Brown is a genius. Never tried a recipe of his that wasn't amazing.
Your pie looks beautiful and it is a great way to pay tribute to MLK!
Cherries are one of my favorite fruits. I want a peace!
what a cool concept! i will happily bake for peace
Great pie! Great lesson. Always informative and delicious.
Ehhhh….I don't know about cherry pie, but if you make me a peach pie I will be in Peace!