Food

THE ART & KINDNESS OF PIE

by Jennifer Emilson, of The Lemon Apron. “French Canadian Tourtiere.”

Kindness makes people feel warm, cozy and loved. So does pie! As we head towards Thanksgiving, we’re thinking about pie big time. So we set out to find some of the most beautiful pies to buy or make -- so we can spread some delicious kindness around and you can too!

In an earlier BN post we wrote about Four & Twenty Blackbirds, a NY pie shop that has become our local favorite. It’s close enough to BN HQ that we can indulge fairly easily, but far enough away that we don’t give into our cravings in a ridiculously unhealthy way. We’re sharing more from them today.

We’re also sharing pie love from some new pie shop finds in other cities, like Magpie Artisan Pie Boutique, Revenge Pies, and Chile Pies Baking Co. And, if you are inspired to make your own, from scratch, we’ve got some beautiful recipes for you. Check them all out below. And remember: Pie = Kindness! It’s true!

Rustic looking pie with circular cutouts in deep dish pan.

THE LEMON APRON

Jennifer Emilson, of The Lemon Apron, makes truly beautiful pies. Her crusts are sculptural works of art. “Making a pie is my happy place,” she says. Sharing them and her recipes for them spreads the love and kindness to pie lovers and brings her great joy.

Emilson grew up on a “mini-farm,” with a small orchard that started her pie inspiration. She learned traditional methods from her mom but loves to add her own twists and turns. She’s a big fan of Four & Twenty Blackbirds pies (see more from them below) and she adapted a number of their recipes, including this fabulous Cranberry Sage Pie. She uses her own Perfect Pie Pastry.

Check out more deliciousness from The Lemon Apron -- there’s plenty of pie inspiration for you there.

Assorted pies of all sizes, hand pies, mini pies and traditional pies.

MAGPIE ARTISAN PIE BOUTIQUE

“Pie Makes People Happy,” according to Magpie Artisan Pie Boutique. "To me, there is no other food that celebrates the season– the here-and-now–like pie does, and no other food that makes us feel the way pie does: loved," says Holly Ricciardi, chef and owner. And we agree!

Magpie’s pies are always filled with fruits and vegetables that are in season, so their menu is always changing. Right now, Caramel Apple, Butterscotch Bourbon, Chocolate Coffee Cinnamon Pecan and Pear Ginger are on the menu. You can order here.

They make everything from scratch, of course. But if you’d like to try your hand at making some Magpie recipes, check out their beautiful cookbook, “Magpie: Sweets and Savories from Philadelphia's Favorite Pie Boutique.”

Beautiful large lattice pie and a chocolate pecan pie on a table with apples, pears, and pecans.

Four & Twenty Blackbirds pie bakery, founded by pie-making sisters Melissa Elsen & Emily Elsen, is based on their Grandma Liz’s beautiful handmade pies. While they learned the traditional art of pie making, and use old-fashioned techniques and ingredients, the sisters have totally rocked some gorgeous new flavors and styles.

Check out their Salty Honey Pie, an addictive unique cult favorite, with fragrant honey custard, with a touch of flake sea salt for a perfect balance. We also love their Brown Butter Pumpkin, Salted Caramel Apple, and Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Pies.

Gorgeous blueberry pie in a rustic pan and a slice of blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream on a blue cake plate.

If you want to try making Four & Twenty Blackbirds recipes yourself, check out their wonderful book, “The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book: Uncommon Recipes from the Celebrated Brooklyn Pie Shop.”

A lattice berry pie on a wooden table.

CHILE PIES BAKING CO.

Chile Pies Baking Co. gets inventive with its signature green chile apple pie, a mix of sugary apples and green chiles cradled by a walnut streusel and crispy cheddar cheese crust. Slices are usually served up à la mode.

All of Chile Pies butter crust pies are original recipes and are made from scratch every day. Their autumn pie menu includes scrumptious Apple Chai, Pear Caramel, Mexican Chocolate with Mixed Nuts, Pumpkin Chocolate, Cranberry Persimmon, & Caramel Pretzel.

A close-up view of a fresh raspberry topped pie.

REVENGE PIES

Revenge Pies was started by a woman who sought revenge! The true story began when Elizabeth Simon was baking a pie for a man with whom had a dinner date. He stood her up at the last minute. In trying to get over her outrage and disappointment, she ate half the pie herself that night.

“Women get this super power when they are trying to impress a guy,” she explains. “We bring all of our creative energy and talent, all of our care and thought to meals in the hopes it will dazzle. On this evening, I dazzled myself.”

But she couldn’t let it go at that. Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but in this case, it was a pie. She baked another, smaller pie, using the leftovers from her date night pie. Instead of a pretty lattice top, she cut out the top pastry dough in the shape of a hand flipping the middle finger and created a “Fuck You Pie,” and delivered it to his doorstep to not only let him know her sentiments, but to also let him know what he missed.

“Later that night when I received the ‘Thanks for the Fuck You Pie’ text, I knew good work had been done on behalf of all women,” she tells us. She killed it with both kindness and humor -- and deliciousness. And the idea for her shop, Revenge Pies, was born.

Revenge Pies pies are handmade daily using an all butter - all vodka crust, with seasonal, organic ingredients.

By the way, revenge was sweet. Simon and her stander-upper made up and are still friends!

Scrumptious looking pecan pie on a wood slat table.

NOTHING IN THE HOUSE

Emily Hilliard, of Nothing in the House, is a pie-loving pie-baking folklorist and writer, who shares not only wonderful homespun pie recipes, but also fascinating pie history and lore.

While we’ve gotten ourselves addicted to quite a few of her pie recipes, we especially love her Pecan Pie with Brown Sugar, with Bourbon Whipped Cream, adapted from Nancie McDermott's Southern Pies. She’s also done a lovely version for Four & Twenty Blackbirds’ Cranberry Sage Pie.

A rustic looking sage pie in a deep dish pan on a table with a cloth blue and white towel.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

A beautiful custard pie with dried apple rings on the top.

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A slice of rustic apple pie on a plate with a fork inviting you to take a bit.

IMAGE CREDITS:

Image: by Jennifer Emilson, of The Lemon Apron. “French Canadian Tourtiere.”
Image: by Jennifer Emilson, of The Lemon Apron. “Cranberry Sage Pie.”
Image: Assortment of pies. Courtesy of Magpie Artisan Pie Boutique.
Image: Salted Caramel Apple Pie & Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Pie. Courtesy of Four & Twenty Blackbirds.
Image: Lavender Blueberry Pie. Courtesy of Four & Twenty Blackbirds.
Image: Courtesy of Chile Pies Baking Co.
Image: Courtesy of Revenge Pies.
Image: by Emily Hilliard, of Nothing in the House. Pecan Pie with Brown Sugar.
Image: by Emily Hilliard, of Nothing in the House. Cranberry Sage Pie.
Image: by Jennifer Emilson, of The Lemon Apron. Apple Butter Custard Pie.
Image: Courtesy of Magpie Artisan Pie Boutique.