Tomato Pie

I've had tomato pie once or twice before making it a few days ago.  One of our dear family friends, Mrs. Q,  is an absolute natural in the kitchen and an expert in southern cooking.  My father, the avid vegetable gardener is a lover of tomatoes.  He grows tomatoes.  Mrs. Q can make tomato pie.  Suffice it to say I've had some pretty darn good tomato pie between dad and Mrs. Q.

Recently, a friend and co-worker of mine introduced me to the work of Chef Vivian Howard through her PBS program A Chef's Life.  While binge-watching this wonderful show I couldn't stop thinking about the tomato episode in which Chef Vivian makes tomato pie.

The point is: I made tomato pies.  With heirloom tomatoes from my dad's garden.

All you really need is a pie shell, tomatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper and some homemade mayo mixed with your favorite cheeses.

Blueberry Pie Perfection

If there is one dessert my dad -Henry, as in Henrianna- cannot resist, it is blueberry pie.  He usually gravitates toward fruity and pastry-heavy desserts, plus he grows blueberries, so this totally makes sense.

In the summers our family always grows blueberries and we usually have an abundance that we freeze for pies and muffins to come.

Clearly, blueberry pie is a necessity.  Kinda hard to perfect, right?  After many attempts + pastry school I finally feel confident in my berry pie making abilities.  So, I made a blueberry pie and it was eaten for or with every meal until it was gone by my dad.  I think I got it right.

My version includes honey, brown sugar, nutmeg and an all-butter crust.

How ya doin', Pumpkin?

Here is yet another recipe that I will be developing to suit my tastes.  I made a classic pumpkin pie that I learned at school to see how it worked in a home kitchen.  There were no problems, so now I'll start fiddling with new flavors.  I really want to add some maple syrup or hickory syrup...perhaps even honey.  We'll see what happens and I'll post my pumpkin pie adventures and recipes.

Hopefully we'll all learn not to be afraid of pie making.