Fresh Plum Pie with Coconut Almond Crumb Topping

September 2, 2021

So what’s going on, my pie friend? Are you holding steady in a cool summer groove? Or are you ready to be done with summer and get on with the fall? Part of me sure feels that way. But before we put summer in the rearview mirror, how about we give a shoutout to one of the most underrated pies of summer? That would be plum. Somehow plum pie ends up at the bottom of way too many summer pie…

Recipes, Sweet Pies

Banoffee Peanut Butter Pie

April 13, 2019

courtesy Ken Haedrich dean of The Pie Academy

My latest book project took a giant leap forward this week when I sent the contents of the binders you see here off to my publisher for the first round of editing. Well, not the actual contents; I sent digital files, of course. Back when I started writing cookbooks in the late 80’s and early 90’s, writer and publisher would indeed volley reams of paper manuscript back and back and forth, the bulk growing progressively heavier with multi-colored sticky notes…

Recipes, Sweet Pies

Creamy Coconut Custard Pie

January 19, 2019

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been testing custard pie recipes for my book-in-progress, and now that I’m nearing the end of this chapter it’s time to move on. It won’t be easy. Not that the pie territory ahead is any less promising. It’s simply that I’ve re-fallen in love with custard pies in a big way, been captured by their spell, and charmed by their quirks all over again. That’s all I’m saying. You’ll find all of my favorites…

Sweet Pies

Toasted Almond Coconut Custard Pie

January 12, 2019

So when was the last time you made a custard pie? Last month? Couple of years ago? Never? I get it. Custard pie is not a headline grabber or Instagram starlet, the way some pies are. It’s not a showcase for shimmering, jewel-like fruit. And nobody tops a custard pie with an eye-catching pie crust rendering of the Sistine Chapel. Which is precisely the point of custard pie’s appeal: it’s a low maintenance, high return choice of a pie when…

Recipes, Sweet Pies

Tipsy Transparent Pie

December 22, 2018

You hear an awful lot about transparency these days – in business and government, in education and on the internet. But there’s a type of transparency that’s dreadfully overlooked and needs many more champions, so I’m counting on you. It’s called transparent pie. Transparent pie is to Kentucky what chess pie is to the Carolinas and a handful of Southern states – a simple pie made from everyday ingredients you’d have on hand if the pantry were almost bare. Unlike…

Recipes, Sweet Pies

Maple Butter Tarts

December 14, 2018

Canadian butter tarts courtesy Ken Haedrich dean of The Pie Academy

What with all the holiday fun and festivities swirling about, you’d be forgiven if your plans for National Maple Syrup Day – December 17th – were still a bit up in the air. So let me help: why not mark the occasion with a batch of these Maple Butter Tarts? My friends in Canada, where butter tarts are something of a national obsession, won’t argue with my suggestion, though I understand they sometimes fuss amongst themselves over what makes for…

Fruit Pies, Sweet Pies

Fresh Peach and Cherry Pie

June 30, 2018

Fresh Peach & Cherry Pie courtesy of Ken Haedrich and ThePieAcademy.com

Like so many well-meaning cooks today, I spend my share of time clicking on and collecting recipes I fancy I’ll make one day. Cooking-wise, the online-curator me is a lot more impressive and adventurous than the actual me, a reality gap, they tell me, not uncommon to online dating sites. Anyway, my obsession du jour is, understandably, peaches, which – if my crammed virtual recipe boxes are any indication – I soon intend to brandy, churn (ice cream), poach, ice…

Recipes, Sweet Pies

Black Bottom Peanut Butter Cream Pie

March 10, 2018

Courtesy of Ken Haedrich dean of The Pie Academy

You may remember a few weeks ago I sent out a survey asking what sort of courses you’d like to see offered at The Pie Academy going forward. Somewhat surprisingly (at the time) cream pies got a whole lot of love. In hindsight, I don’t know why that came as a surprise. After all, cream pies hold a place of honor in the pantheon of American pies. Nothing says “comfort food dessert” quite like a creamy vanilla or chocolate…

Sweet Pies

Sweet Carrot Pie

January 20, 2018

To understand just how surprisingly good this carrot pie is, you must first understand that I find carrots – especially on their own – pretty uninspiring. Boring, if we ditch the civility. I cook with them, I eat them without complaint or holding my nose like I did as a boy. But they simply don’t rock my world the way greens – like collards and kale – fresh corn and tomatoes, eggplant, spuds, brussels sprouts and most other veggies do….

Sweet Pies

A Thanksgiving Message from The Pie Academy (video)

November 21, 2017

We’re down to the wire now, pie-wise, so you’ve probably got your Thanksgiving pie strategy all sketched out. And if you don’t? Better kick it into gear, my friend. I’ve provided some links below that will help you get on track quickly, quickly being the operative word here. Not so quickly, however, that you should skip the video I just posted below. I have a lot to be thankful for this week, not the least of which is you, so…