Pies

PIES LIKE YOUR MOM NEVER MADE THEM

(or like only a Daddy would make them)

I wanted to do a line of pies, but I wanted it to be something truly special and unique. 

I hate the word 'gourmet' because next to the term 'sourdough' it's the most abused word in the food industry, or at least close to it.

What I don't want to do, is your typical, boring apple pie,  which you can get everywhere. 

I wanted something different, something pure, without preservatives and other 'enhancers' as they are legally labelled.You can put all the makeup on the corpse you want, it's still a corpse. 

I wanted something that stands out from the crowd. Something you can only get here, and I have truly achieved that.

It's a small, different and very unique selection of  8 pies with mouth watering flavours that are sure to please and excite anyone who are looking for something truly exquisite.

All pies are a 20-22 cm in diameter. Canada has been officially metric for half a century (since 1970) but apparently some still has't gotten used to it: A minimum of 8" and to make it easy, they are all $ 20.00

All pies are 'U-bake' as in I make the pie and you bake it yourself. Pop it in your toaster oven for 40 minutes at around 400 F and enjoy a fresh, totally delicious pie in the comfort of your own home.

Try serving your fresh pie with a scoop of ice cream and maybe a glass of dessert wine.

All pies come with a minimum of 700 grams of filling and you can chose between almond crumble top or your traditional top.

RUM RHUBARB

Rhubarbs are actually a vegetable so when your Mom calls and asks if you ate your vegetables, you can tell her yes, with a good conscience, even if you just filled up on my delicious rum rhubarb pie with almond crumble top.

Steamed to perfection in 100% pure demerera rum and added just a touch of cane sugar, This is a pie that you have not tasted the likes of before. Guaranteed! Try it with a scoop of ice cream and a glass of dessert wine.

Also available in Bourbon.

BLACKBERRY HONEY

Blackberries! One of the most versatile and beloved of all fruits. Especially by yours truly and so I decided that I just had to have that one on the repertoire, too. But I also decided that sugar is not the way to go because that's the lane that everybody is driving in, so: Sugar out. Honey in. Honey just tastes so much better and I put enough of it in that you can truly taste it, without it overpowering the blackberries on your pallet. This one will truly excite your taste buds and will have them do the Lambada all night long, leaving you yearning for "just one more slice".

PINEAPPLE COCONUT

I hate canned pineapple. Only one thing worse; canned "whipping cream" (why do you think it never says "whipping cream" on the can?) Anyways! Back to the canned pineapple: 

A smart consumer - one like me - will do their research. Usually the canned pineapple is tasteless because they use the worst pineapple to fill the can, but the companies are not dumb. They know to fill the cans with flavoured syrups to make the customer think "Oh, this tastes really good", when the pineapple itself mostly tastes like sticking your tongue out the window. 

Now consider the fact that the cans are at least 1/3 water, if not closer to 1/2 the weight of the can, so when you buy a 750 gr can, you are lucky if you get much more than 400 gr of rather tasteless pineapple out of it..

Compare that to fresh pineapple where you have very little waste and the taste is a 100 times better, if properly ripe. Now, please, tell me, why on Earth would anyone in their right mind buy canned pineapple, providing a fresh one is available? It's like flushing money down the toilet for a product that's far inferior.

Ok, so here is the "mind-blowing surprise": My pineapple pies are made with...? Well, I'll leave it up to you to figure that one out but let me put it this way: Once you bite into it, you will have no doubts, whatsoever. The texture and flavour will have you coming back for more and yes, you can really taste the coconut, too.

DEMERERA APPLE

Sliced apples cooked in demerera sugar for that very particular and unique colour and flavour. Please understand that this is not your typical gelatinized clear apple pie, over-loaded on sugar.

There is less than 1/3 of the sugar you find in your commercial apple pies but because of the distinct characteristic of the demerera, this one has lots of flavouor without sending your blood sugar levels through the roof.

SOUR CHERRY

"Sweet as cherry pie", Sade once sang. Well, that was back in the days before she tried my cherry Callebaut pie with sour cherries and white chocolate. Colin James later sang about "sweets gone sour". Funny how everybody seems to be getting in the mood for singing when they try this masterpiece. 

PEAR ANISE

Pears have a distinct but very subtle flavour so you need something to elevate it and bring it to the next level. That something is anise. If you have ever had Sambuca or Perod, you know exactly what I'm  talking about.

If you have never had either, you are in for a very delicious introduction. This is definitely one of my all-time favourite pies, ever.

MADEIRA PLUM

Ok, I didn't hit the crossbar with this one. I hit the nail, right on the head (with a sledgehammer).

Delicious black plums, cooked to perfection in Portuguese Madeira liqueur and a minimal amount of natural cane sugar..

You go "Huh?", we go "Eh!". If you like a good Port or a fine Sherry, this is the one for you. With its' deep, passionate, crimson red colour, it looks like something out of this world...for a very good reason.

HENNESSY FIG

Ok, quick lesson: There are thousands of products out there with strict legal requirement for calling those products whatever they are called. In terms of Cognac, you can't legally call it Cognac unless it's made in that particular region of France, named after that drink. 

If it's not made in that particular region of France, it's referred to as "brandy"...which is not a Cognac. The Cognac I use in my Hennessy Fig pie, is from...well,  you guessed it and just like the Ragnarok that the old Vikings so believed in, my Hennessy Fig Pie is almost, (and only almost) worth dying for: Massive kick from the figs (Black Mission, whenever available) and a lingering tease from the Cognac.