Thirteen years ago I was pregnant and some new friends invited me to watch the move “Waitress” with them. I was enchanted by the quirky film, the story of a woman named Jenna (played by Keri Russell) who is unexpectedly pregnant and in an unhappy marriage but finds solace in baking pies and dreams of opening her own pie shop some day. While my marriage was much happier than hers, I was still adjusting to the realities of pregnancy and felt heartened by a film portrayal of the experience that wasn’t sugar-coated. The most enchanting aspect of the movie, however, was the part that literally was sugar-coated: the pies.
Watching Keri Russell invent a new pie for each new mood inspired me to declare that summer the Summer of Pie. I set out to bake my way through my third trimester. I had plenty of hunger and time on my hands, and living in the Pacific Northwest, was surrounded by every kind of fresh berry I could dream of. I baked chocolate pie, strawberry pie, blackberry pie, and gooseberry pie. I scoured cookbooks for new recipes and ideas. When each fresh pie was consumed I replaced it with another one.
It was a good summer. Many times since that summer my husband or I, upon baking an early season pie, have attempted to declare a Second Coming of the Summer of Pie, only to have our energies diverted to other endeavors and other kitchen inspirations.
This year, however, holds some promise. It might be too soon to declare for fear of jinxing it, but something tells me that much like the infamous cicadas, the Summer of Pie might be finding its long-awaited reawakening. Clues to its resurgence lie in the quick succession of three different rhubarb pie variations.
First, a strawberry rhubarb pie baked 10 days ago, so special it even had a lattice top crust.
This pie vanished swiftly, leaving behind bonus crust dough that provided the foundation for a rhubarb custard.
I sadly said goodbye to half of this custard pie yesterday, as I made my way north for educational purposes. Thankfully my journey led me past the world-famous Betty’s Pies, where I was fortunate to come upon a Great Lakes Crunch.
That’s apples, rhubarb, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries all in one pie!
What goes up must come down, and so it is inevitable that I will be passing by Betty’s Pies again soon, and only logical that such an event will result in the acquisition of more pie.
Don’t tell the Summer of Pie that I’m onto it or it might shy away again. I really hope it’s here for real this time. But until verified, I’m just going to have to keep sampling the evidence.
Angie Gustafson 