Maya-Camille Broussard - Justice of the Pies: Sweet and Savory Pies, Quiches, and Tarts plus Inspirational Stories from Exceptional People: A Baking Book

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To my mama, Dr. Camille Billingslea, thank you for lifting me up and holding me down. I love you deep deep.

To my agent, Cherise Fisher, thank you for being the gin to my tonic, the candy to my yam, the boom to my sonic, and the Gina to my Pam.

To my editor, Raquel Pelzel, thank you for keeping an eye on me over the years and for reaching out to me at just the right time. I appreciate your dedication to this book and your support for my vision.

To my creative director, Marysarah Quinn, thank you for your insightful opinions and sensitive eye for great design.

To my photographer, Dan Goldberg, thank you for having a genuine vested interest in the aesthetic integrity of this book. To my food stylist, Maria del Mar Cuadra, pero like, you made my food look so damn good. To my bonus food stylist, Jane Katte, thank you for having the prettiest hands when working with pastry. To my prop stylist, Andrea Kuhn, thank you for your effortlessly cool style. To the studio pup, Finley, thank you for being the sweetest doggy ever and a natural-born model. Thank you to Bodhi, the other studio pup, with your sweet, icy-blue eyes. To Andrew Kusznir, Brian Eaves, Elaine Miller, and Travas Machel, thank you for your contributions to this projectyou all have made the experience one of the more enjoyable elements of this project. I will miss my lunches and end-of-the-day cocktails with the entire photography team.

To my illustrator, Noa Denmon, your work makes me smile with such satisfaction every time I see it.

Thank you to my bestie, Asha Dickens, and my forever bae, Keewa Nurullah, for your love and support. Im so glad that your pretty smiles and beautiful souls are reflected on these pages.

Thank you to Bianca Cruz, Windy Dorresteyn, Kate Tyler, Allison Renzulli, Monica Stanton, Erica Gelbard, Stasia Whalen, Carisa Hayes, and everyone at Penguin Random House and Clarkson Potter who have supported me, the Justice of the Pies brand, and this book.

Thank you to my team at Justice of the Pies who held it down for me so that I could divert more energy to this project: Ermina Veljacic, Suejung Hong, Paige Carter, Lindsay Eberly, Claudette Soto, and Docia Buffington.

Thank you to my Fairy Bakemother, Chef Christina Tosi, and to Shannon Salzano for opening up your NYC kitchen to me and for putting me in touch with some amazing individuals who made this book even more special. I am grateful to you both.

Thank you to my Chicago Urban League IMPACT Fellowsthe Untouchablesand to my Sorors of Alpha Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (and most especially to my linesisters of Atavistic 52), for testing all of my recipes.

Thank you to the individuals who were willing to open up to me and share the intimate details of your journeys: Christopher LeMark, Claudia Gordon, Grace Bonney, Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Daniel, Julia Turshen, Kika Keith + Kika Jr., Kleaver Cruz, Lauren Bush Lauren, Paige Chenault, Seema Hingorani, and Tanya Lozano.

Thank you to my ancestors who constantly surround me, propel me, and protect me. Thank you to the spirit of Aunt Sandy Boo, for loving me so deeply and nurturing all of my creative explorations. Thank you to the spirit of my dad, Stephen J. BroussardI know you are beaming because I can see your face right now.

MAYA-CAMILLE BROUSSARD

is the chef-owner of the bakery Justice of the Pies in Chicago and the star of the Netflix show Bake Squad. Maya-Camille, who is a member of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, strives to impact the world in a meaningful and positive waywhether its through community-based activism or through a perfect Strawberry-Basil Key Lime Pie.

SWEET PIES

BLEU CHEESE PRALINE PEAR PIE

MAKES ONE 9-INCH PIE

There are two groups of people: those who love bleu cheese and those who absolutely cannot stand it. One thing I have discovered, however, is that both sides love my bleu cheese praline pear pie.

Why? Because people who dont like bleu cheese are usually turned off by its pungent aroma. However, in this case, melt-in-your-mouth bleu cheese is offset by the sugared and spiced pears and the earthiness of the brown sugar and oat topping. The result is a pie that offers a sweet and salty flavor layering that most everyone appreciatesespecially since it is served with a drizzle of buttery praline sauce. The most common response Ive heard when others eat this pie is, I hate bleu cheese, but this is the best pie Ive ever had!

Sure, bleu cheese may not smell amazing, but sometimes you cannot be afraid to put a little stank in your pie.

Flour, for rolling out

All-Butter Pie Dough ()

5 or 6 ripe Bartlett or dAnjou pears, peeled, cored, and sliced

cup (34g) unbleached all-purpose flour

cup (50g) granulated sugar

cup (55g) packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

teaspoon kosher salt

Brown Sugar + Oat Crumble ()

cup (93g) Broussard Praline Sauce ()

3 tablespoons (30g) bleu cheese crumbles

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350F (175C).

Lightly dust the counter with flour and roll out the pie dough to about 12 inches in diameter. Carefully transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie pan. Roll the overhanging dough to the edge of the pan and crimp. Place the pie shell in the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, stir together the pears, flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Let the pears macerate for about 5 minutes.

Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator. Set the pie pan on a baking sheet and scoop the pear mixture into the pie shell.

Transfer to the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour 10 minutes.

While the filling is baking, it is the perfect time to make the brown sugar and oat crumble (this is also a good time to make the praline sauce if you havent already).

Remove the pie from the oven and top it with the crumble. Make sure the topping completely covers the pie. The flour in the crumble helps to absorb and thicken any juice that may remain in the filling. Return the pie to the oven and continue to bake until the crumble topping is a light golden brown, about 35 more minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing. Once cool, slice the pie and top with the praline sauce and bleu cheese crumbles.

To store the pie, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 2 months. To thaw, remove the pie from the freezer and allow it to come to room temperature. Its best to warm a slice of pie before enjoying. Wait to drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with bleu cheese until just before serving.

SALTED CARAMEL PEACH PIE

MAKES ONE 9-INCH PIE

My mom (and my namesake), Dr. Camille Billingslea, specializes in family medicine. As I was growing up, she worked long shifts at the hospital, which meant that takeout was usually our best friend. When my mom did cook, shed make leftover-friendly meals that we could easily reheat if she wasnt home, like spaghetti, tacos, or beans and rice.