We Love Our Work

We LOVE Our Work

In my kitchen, I have a small handwritten sign on a cupboard that says, “3.14 It’s Pie Time,” and as you may expect, that truly is how I spend most of my time–prepping, making, cooking, baking, cleaning, and tidying as I bake, share, experiment, and write about Pie. I love…absolutely love…my work. Pie is a big subject. I truly believe that it would take a lifetime or two to know everything about it, so I thought I would take a moment to share with you some recent books on my favorite subject by pie-making authors, some of whom I am privileged to know. We LOVE our work.

WHEN PIES FLY

Cathy Barrow’s newest book, When Pies Fly, is just out today, and I’m eagerly awaiting my copy.

Cathy is a great pie maker, a super-duper preserver of food, and a good friend. I will always remember the afternoon she trekked out to Catherine Gewertz’s home in Bethesda from D.C. so we could meet up. The three of us talked pie and preserves around Catherine’s kitchen table, and we have stayed in touch since that day, supporting and cheering each other on as we spread the word of pie. This kind of sisterhood is what Pie, with a capital P, is all about.

THE NEW PIE

Two of my pie brothers, Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin, both of whom live in Atlanta, wrote The New Pie, a lovely book which inspires pie makers to try new techniques. Chris’ and Paul’s passion for the subject is evident on every single page.

SISTER PIE

I haven’t met Lisa Ludwinski yet, and I really hope that, like good lattice strips, our paths do cross. I have so enjoyed reading her book Sister Pie, and I love her “Pie It Forward” philosophy, which I feel is a sister of the Pie-Bys that many of us do. 

THE HARVEST BAKER

I feel that I have known Ken Haedrich for years even though we’ve never met in person. I’ve been baking from his books since the 1990’s, starting with Home For the Holidays: Festive Baking with Whole Grains. We’ve spoken on the phone and I’ll never forget his words to me when I asked how he got through the mind-boggling task of going through the copy-edits of his books as I was just about to do them for my first book. His sage advice was, “I just put on my whitey-tighties and do it.” Ken’s latest is The Harvest Baker and he has another one in the oven coming up for next year, too.

MARBLED, SWIRLED, AND LAYERED

I met Irvin Lin in Seattle at the home of a mutual friend, and since then we have been avid supporters of one another’s work. His book Marbled, Swirled, and Layered was on the New York Times Best Baking Books of 2016, and is full of beautiful photos and ideas to get you into the kitchen and baking.

SOUTHERN PIES

And one more for you. As some of you already know, I’m not related to Nancie McDermott, but we do share a strong passion for pie. We met the first time at a food conference in Portland, Oregon about 11 years ago, where I spied her across the room. I rushed up to meet her after the session ended and we’ve been pie sisters ever since. Nancie is from North Carolina and knows a thing or two…or three…about Southern Pies.

ART OF THE PIE

Of course, if you don’t have a copy of Art of the Pie yet, here’s the link!

AND NOW

Now, I’m headed back to my own manuscript to get a few hours in on it, and then I’m taking the rest of the day and night off, so I can travel from Pie Cottage to Tacoma to see Sir Elton John! (I couldn’t resist linking you to that one. Pie-fect. Yes?)