Valentine Pie-By
As many of you know, I love to give away pies. One of my favorite things to do is make a pie and leave it in a safe place for a friend or neighbor to find. I call it a Pie-By. On a recent walk with Gretapie, I noticed that the “For Rent” sign was down in front of a house on our usual route. Local lore is that the house, one I have always admired, was built by a ship captain. I can certainly see why the location would have been picked. The house is perched high on the edge of the bluff above the marina with a beautiful view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Vancouver Island, and Mt Baker. On a clear day the view is incredible.
As I paused, the new caretaker for the house (a/k/a renter) pulled up. I introduced myself and Greta came over to give a little hello sniff and tail wag. Soon we were chatting away about where was home before this and what was the draw to my little town that is the gateway to Olympic National Park. I made a mental note to bring a welcome pie when the time was right.
Tomorrow’s the Day
Well, tomorrow is the day! I’ll be dropping off a sweetheart of a sour cherry pie, with a handful of native blackberries for good measure in the filling, as a welcome to the neighborhood Valentine Day Pie-By. There will also be a card in the basket with instructions of where to return the empty pie plate. And, you know what happens when the empties come back? They get filled back up again with another pie!
What I Did
I cut five 3/4″ strips and placed them on top of the filing. Then I cut the remaining dough into narrow strips and divided them into threes.
I braided the strips.
Wove a lattice.
Finished off the edges and put a heart on top.
And baked!
Hap-Pie Valentine Day Everyone!
The pie featured above is the most beautiful pie I’ve ever seen.
I just might have to make a pie in secret to give to WonderHubby for Valentine’s Day. He would love that.
Thanks for the great idea!
Thank you and you are so welcome, too! Let’s make Pie-by, Cookie-By, or Cake-By a movement.
I’ll sign up for that Pie-By.
I LOVE everything about this post! Happy Valentines Day!
Thank you Larry and Happy Valentines Day to you and yours!
Dear Ms. McDermott, I want give you my highest compliment on your book, “The Art of Pie.” I am so in love with it. This book was a Christmas present from my (soon-to-be-husband) boyfriend. I have only just started taking interest in making (more like attempting to bake) pies and I share with you the joy that one gets from sharing the pie. I love your idea for Valentine pie-by. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Maria! Many blessings and best wishes on your soon to be marriage, too.
When I borrowed your pie book from the library to see if I would be interested in buying It (I absolutely am), I came to realize the reason I love this book so much is because it’s on one subject only and I find myself reading it like a novel and enjoying it much more than a regular cookbook. I am a pastry chef and have always been a huge home baker (6 kids so lots of experimenting with cookies, desserts, etc). Thanks for sharing not only your wonderful recipes, but also for letting us in on a little of your life as well. Congrats on your success!
Thank you, Susie! I am so glad you like it.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Kate! Your pie is beautiful and looks delicious! I’m making a Cherry pie in the morning, as you have motivated me. Thank you.
My pleasure! I bet it will be baked with lots of love, too.
What a great idea….Pie-By is going to the top of my list. 😊
Along with Cake-By, Cookie-By, Brownie-By….basically any baked sweet my friends and neighbors will like.
I did give our new neighbors muffins and they were so surprised by the gesture.
They did love my gift of the muffins that a week later she asked me for my recipe.
By the way Kate, I made a couple of your pies from your book, wonderful book, they were a huge hit with hubby!
Have a nice day, Happy Valentine’s Day!
What a great story. The world needs more kindness like that. I was lucky enough to visit your beautiful little town in 2012. I can’t wait to visit again and hopefully take a class. Thank you for spreading your pie joy.
Great looking and sounding pie, Kate!! Congrats on another winner – pie and being such a great neighbor!!
Love to read about your Pie-By’s! You have such a generous, loving soul!
Your stories make your pies extra special. How about a book filled with pie-by stories and the pie it brought?
Thank you for the uplifting moments. Jewels- just like you!
Dear Kate,
As the recipient of this WONDERFUL gift, I am obviously remiss in reading this blog post. Not only did that pie on my doorstep make my week, it was one of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me.
Of course the pie was gorgeous and delicious, but more sweet to me was how thoughtful and welcoming your gift felt. Moving someplace new is daunting and can be scary. Your gesture was so reassuring. Valentine’s Day this year was a bit lonely…until I saw that pie box!
I can’t thank you enough!
Mo