My USA Today Top Ten Pie Picks…and My Problem with Pi Day

March 13, 2015

A few weeks back I had a call from the USA Today, a fellow named Larry, asking if I’d like to help them out with an upcoming story about the best places in the country to eat a slice of pie. Me being the Dean of The Pie Academy and all, I seemed like the guy to call. Larry told me that the story would be a tie-in to Pi Day, which – you probably know – is celebrated every…

On the Blog, Recipes

Sawdust Pie: The Delectable Pie with the Unfortunate Name

February 28, 2015

Several weeks ago, while pie-binging my way through Texas, Illinois, Michigan, and back home again – all this for a story you’ll hear more about very soon – I encountered an old friend I hadn’t seen in quite a while: sawdust pie. I first heard about sawdust pie way back when I was working on my pie opus – PIE: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie – and if the name didn’t exactly grab me, the ingredients did. How…

On the Blog, Savory Pies

Philly Cheesesteak Hand Pies for Super Bowl Sunday

January 30, 2015

Philly Cheesesteak Hand Pies at The Pie Academy

It’s been several weeks since my last communication – a near eternity in the online realm, at least when measured against the thrice daily messages I seem to get from so many quarters – and I feel remiss in my role as Dean of The Pie Academy. My apologies. I hope you won’t take it personally. I’ve missed you, too, and perhaps it would help if I explained where I’ve been, and what activity has so preoccupied my time that…

Fruit Pies, On the Blog, Recipes

Stocking Stuffer Cranberry Cherry Pies

December 20, 2014

It’s the last weekend before Christmas and, understandably, a lot of folks have big plans. But not me. I’ve got little plans. More to the point, this is the weekend I’ll bake up some little pies – pint size beauties which, judging from the joy they always bring, pay a ten gallon dividend. I trust I’m not the only one who always needs a baker’s dozen of last minute gifts, small but thoughtful tokens of appreciation for a favorite postman,…

On the Blog, Recipes

The Perfect Pecan Pie

November 10, 2014 1 Comment

The masterpiece: Perfect Pecan Pie at ThePieAcademy.com

Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away. And while normal folks are beginning to stress that this year’s turkey will again resemble something on the autopsy table in an episode of CSI, or on the whereabouts of the good china, the seating arrangement, side dishes, or the inevitable family drama that unfolds as reliably as winter follows fall, you and I are laser focused on the one piece of the feast that really matters: our beloved pies. Which ones shall…

News, On the Blog

Our Lowcountry Pie Getaways

October 19, 2014 2 Comments

Haeger pie plates at the Lowcountry Pie Getaway

SPECIAL NOTE: Get all the details about our 2017 LOWCOUNTRY PIE GETAWAY here. Read all about our 2016 Getaway here. And read all about our 2015 Getaway here. What follows is a recap of our first Getaway in Savannah, Georgia in 2014. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Last week, five intrepid Pie Academy members gathered in historic Savannah, Georgia for our first Lowcountry Pie Getaway. It was a full weekend of pie-centric activities – demonstrations and hands on pie making, with plenty of time…

Fruit Pies, On the Blog, Recipes

Apple Cheddar Pie with Toasted Walnuts

October 2, 2014

Cheddar Apple Pie with Butter Toasted Walnuts

Of the many debates that rage among bakers in this season of apple pies – variety, thick slices or thin, white sugar or brown (and how much), to peel or not to peel – there is one that gets far less attention than it deserves: how best to marry our delicious, American made Cheddar cheese and our beloved apple pie. I spent a couple of decades in New England, where old timers took the literal approach: they simply cut a…