Kave Allison - First prize pies : Shoo-fly, candy apple & other deliciously inventive pies for every week of the year (and more)

Published in 2014 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang

An imprint of ABRAMS

Text copyright 2014 Allison Kave

Photographs copyright 2014 Tina Rupp

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013945638

ISBN: 978-1-61769-102-7

Editor: Holly Dolce

Design and Illustration: Laura Palese

Production Manager: Tina Cameron

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FOR JAY

Thank you.

Before delving into the recipes, techniques, and personal stories of this pie-centric cookbook, I want to thank you, the reader, for giving me your time and attention. One thing Ive learned in pursuing this dream is that pie is more than a dessert. It builds community, brings neighbors together, and sparks nostalgia and creativity. By reading and baking from this book, you continue that tradition, and Im grateful to be part of it.

My mom, Rhonda, and me, age two (she still has that hat!).

My brother, Corwin, my mom, and me in Paris, 2013.

A very happy trip to Disney World!

Me and Mom, Christmas in Hong Kong.

I have an overwhelming passion for food. If Im not cooking it, Im talking about it, reading about it, writing about it, or just dreaming about it. This fixation didnt come out of nowhereI give full credit to my culinary superstar of a mother, Rhonda Kave.

Decades before she founded her shop, Roni-Sues Chocolates, in New Yorks Essex Street Market (which once served as the kitchen for First Prize Pies!), my mom was a homemaker looking to feed her kids nutritious meals while providing herself with a creative outlet. Her own mothers idea of cooking was to open a can of vegetables and boil them for an hour, so she had a lot of learning to do.

Her path to culinary knowledge was winding and global, and she took her family along for the ride. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of guacamole, Syrian flatbreads, hippie applesauce (unstrained and unsweetened, with the skins), and her sticky, delectable, blue-ribbon winning gingerbread. These are just a few of the healthy, from-scratch, delicious meals she prepared for us, and they opened my eyes to the different worlds we can access through food.

My brother, Corwin, was the first of us to dive into the professional culinary world. When he was in high school, my mom borrowed some Julia Child videos from the library, and he was soon re-creating her recipes at home. From there, it was a direct path to culinary school, and eventually he became executive chef of a number of restaurants in New York City (at an absurdly young agethe guys a wunderkind). His incredibly refined palate and whimsical yet precise use of ingredients is hugely inspiring to me, and Im happy to be learning from my little bro every day.

My mothers career progressed more circuitously. For over twenty years, she made truffles every winter for holiday gifts, with ever more elaborate flavors and an increasingly long list of recipients. When a spot became available in the Essex Street Market on New Yorks Lower East Side, she jumped at the chance. Now shes a full-time chocolatier and confectioner. Her fearlessness and courage in pursuing her dreams had an enormous impact on me.

When my brother and I were little, our parents fell in love with flying. On the weekends we would find ourselves high above the clouds in their little Cessna, hopping between tiny regional airports. Despite the seeming glamour of such excursions, my brother and I quickly grew bored in the backseats of our plane, and would only be appeased with a stop at the Dutchess County Airport, whose little caf had a chocolate cream pie that haunted our dreams. What on earth is better than cool, creamy chocolate pudding cradled by buttery pastry and topped with a mountain of vanilla whipped cream? For my brother and me, pretty much nothing.

Over time, it became clear that I would need to find my food niche in the family. Every Thanksgiving, wed travel up to Vermont to ski (I mainly went for the clam chowder and hot cider). I soon started trying my hand at pie baking, for what is a Thanksgiving table without pie? Every year, I experimented, with varying success, but I always enjoyed myself. I discovered what makes pie so challenging, and ultimately so rewarding: Youve gotta slow down. I think of pie making as a form of physical meditation; youre focused on just one thing, and it takes as long as it takes. You cant rush or cut corners, you cant be aggressive; youve got to relax, focus, and enjoy each step. For one who is not patient by nature (ahem, yours truly), it is a wonderful way to unplug.

Through all the crazy years of adolescence, college, and early adulthood, pie making was my weekly refuge. Id spend a few hours each Sunday whipping up something new, letting the stresses of my life dissipate, and then Id have a freshly baked pie to give. Do you know how popular you can become by giving away home-baked pies? Try it with a few of these, and youll see.

I wasnt always a baker. Just a few years ago, I wore heels and hose to work instead of clogs and an apron. I had a growing career in the art world, and lived in London for a while to get my masters degree. But no matter how well I did, or how successful I became, I always had a sense that it wasnt the right place for me. Every weekend, Id escape to my kitchen and tune out all of the activity of the week and finally, there, Id be happy.