“Easy as Pie!”

Four pies, Pecan, Chocolate Meringue, Peanut, Lemon Meringue, arranged on grew wood board — *Clockwise from upper left: Pecan, Chocolate Meringue, Peanut, Lemon Meringue*

Crust, filling, maybe a top. That’s it. It’s a pie. So why the hell would someone bake a pie a week for a year?

Because pie’s good??? Because I want to bake better pies. I want flaky crusts that hold their edge, fillings that set just enough, and happy meringues.

And simple. Simple is good. I’m a slacker. My grandmothers were slackers. They didn’t fuss with draining apples and thicken the juices with cornstarch. No, they tossed the apples with flour and dumped them into the shell.

So I’m practicing. And practicing. And practicing. 52 weeks, 52 pies. Demystify the mystical. Make pies I’ve only heard of. Take notes. And shoot sexy pictures of pie.

Ground rules..

1. Approachable.

It’s pie. It’s democratic and affordable. Fleur de Sel, Brittany butter, and Valrhona chocolate have there place, but the pies here will not use boutique ingredients. (I also live in BFE and have a budget.)

An unbaked stawberry pie — *Strawberry Pie*

2. Taste Rules

Flavor first. Looks second. No reason an ugly pie can’t whisper unspeakable thoughts to your taste buds and convince them to throw an orgy in your mouth.

3. Seasonal

Corollary to #2, in-season fruit tastes best.

4. Warts and All

Meringues leak. Ingredients are misread. Fillings fail to set. Failures (especially the spectacular ones!) will be documented and shared.