CHAPTER 3

PIE

WHEN DECIDING ON THE CHAPTERS FOR THIS BOOK, I KNEW PIE would be a stand-alone, having a deep connection to the great Midwest. But it was hard to put it into words exactly where that connection comes from, and why it’s such an important part of our history here in the central states. So, like any good pie enthusiast, I went to the ultimate expert, Paula Haney of Hoosier Mama Pie Company in Chicago, who spoke to me in the back of her shop as she worked her way through a giant mountain of her famous all-butter pie dough, kneading huge handfuls into portions for crusts. And she broke it down for me as such:

“I often compare it to cheese. The English, they made incredible cheese. They’d make it in these huge fifty-pound blocks, so they could get through the winter. But it was still really great cheese. Then there’s the French, who made little tiny cheese, in pretty shapes, with a little fern on it or something. And that’s great cheese, too; it’s just a different approach. People tend to celebrate the French stuff more because of all the froufrou bits, but I don’t think that’s fair.” Tell ’em, girl.

She went on. “The point is, with food, the practical approach doesn’t usually get recognized as much, but there’s still a lot of craft there. And that’s how I feel about midwesterners and pie. Like, why would you make a bunch of individual desserts when you could feed your whole farm family of nine kids with one giant pie? It’s still delicious, and just makes more sense.” Indeed.

In addition to its practicality, pie is true farm food, showcasing all the good stuff the Midwest has to offer. The building blocks of a good pie are the bounty of the land: flour from hearty wheat; fresh dairy in the form of butter, milk, and cream, lard, and/or butter; and a rainbow of seasonal fruits. When those things are working in harmony with good technique, pie manages to be both elemental and, quite possibly, the perfect dessert.

Above all that, pie personifies the Midwest. Pie is home food. It’s not pretentious. Pie is designed to be shared, in a slowed-down moment, at a table, in a chair, with a fork. Not too many things you can say that about anymore, now can you?