Pig Nose And The 2016 Pie Social!

Ten years ago I held my first Pie Social.  I had to skip 2013 because we were moving in to this house and a lot of remodeling was going on.  This year my sister Diedre, or Dede, or more usually called Pig Nose by me (by the way, she calls me Weasel Nose - taunts that used to hurt when we were young but now they are used affectionately), came to experience it and help me have all this fun.   After all, she attended Pie Camp with me a few years ago and she needed to put her pie skills to work.  Since I make around 45 pies from scratch, homemade ice cream, four batches each of homemade brownies and cookies for the event, I am often asked how it all comes together.  Back in the early years when I was working a lot of hours, I made all my crusts on Friday night after work and then I baked my brains out from dawn until after midnight on Saturday.  I don't and can't do that anymore since the number of pies I make has doubled and I need to respect the crust more than I used to.  So, I'll explain the schedule and then a bunch of photos from the wonderfully successful event.

 First, the big shop at BJ's to buy lots of butter, sugar, fruit, chocolate and flour!  And other necessary life things to have on hand.

 Chubbies!  A couple weeks before the pie social, I make the dough "chubbies".  I needed 42 single crusts so I made 21 two crust recipes or 21 chubbies.  The chubby is a slightly flattened disk of dough that I wrap tightly and freeze.  I made the 21 chubbies over two evenings.  The third evening, I made all the graham cracker crusts (freshly pulverized crumbs, sugar and melted butter) and then put them in to single pie serving baggies and in to the freezer.

Graham cracker crusts

Homemade vanilla ice cream - I made 4 gallons of it three weeks before the social. 

 Five days before the event, I put all the frozen chubbies in this cooler that I needed for bottom crusts and I let them soften just enough to roll out.  My hands hurt for a couple days after that marathon rolling of very cold dough.

I came upstairs where Dan was doing his physical therapy exercises to tell him that I wouldn't see him for a few hours because I had 31 crusts to roll out, stack, wrap and freeze.  And I needed a bandana to keep my hair out of my work space.

On Wednesday before the Sunday event, I rolled out the crusts, separated them with wax paper and then stacked them by sixes.  I froze them again.  When it came time to make the fruit and pecan pies on Friday, I pulled out a frozen crust as I was making the filling and then piled in the filling, added the top crust if called for and baked the pie.  The crust would still be nice and cold as it should be so it's flaky when done.  

 Thursday night, Dan, PigNose and I cut up all the fruit.  I mixed the apple and peach fillings up and chilled them.

 Friday, Dede and I prepared and baked all the fruit and pecan pies.  We also baked all the graham cracker crusts and cream pie dough crusts and left them out at room temperature so they would be ready to fill the next day.

 Pig Nose!

 Baked crusts for the cream pies.

 On Saturday morning, my son Heath and his wife Emma came over and with them, we prepared all the cream pies and fresh fruit and cream tarts.  This took just until early afternoon with all of us working together. Then Dan, PigNose and I went to see a movie to decompress.

The next day, Sunday, we went to church as usual and when we came home, we ate a light lunch, and then PigNose went out in to the garden to pick flowers for the tables and I brought all the pies upstairs in to the kitchen and dining room - they had all been down in the cellar in the refrigerators to stay cold.

 This was a fresh blueberry glaze topped cheese cake type filling on a thick walnut graham crust - it was a new recipe to the pie social repertoire.

An hour before the pie social begins, 12 quarts of heavy cream are whipped to frost all of the cream pies and some is set aside in bowls for pie topping on the tables.  While the cream is whipping, sons Dane and Heath, and Emma and Dan are setting up and putting cloths and flowers on the tables outside.  PigNose is heaping platters with flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and brownies.  At five twenty five, the ice cream and ice water goes outside to the tables.  We are ready to eat and socialize!  And it's sunny, low humidity and around 82 degrees.

 The line is forming with early arrivers!  The grass is dry and dead looking from the drought!

An hour and a half later, there is no pie left, not one cookie or brownie, no ice cream, no whipped cream - nothing left - hooray!  Over 200 people leave with bellies full of pie - happiness.

 A couple other tidbits - Dane came home from college for a couple weeks this summer - he was home for the pie social.  Here he is with Heath as they get ready to head to Boston to attend the Temple and then pick Pig Nose up from the airport.

I was thrilled to see Dane's clothes in his drawers he had unpacked from his suitcases - he is still folding his clothes the "joyful" way I taught him back when he started college and after I read the book about joyful tidying - I can't remember the correct title.   After all the hard work of the Pie Social, the following day, PigNose and I and Dan went up to the Lake Winnipesaukee area.  We drove on routes 16 to 153 so she could see several adorable villages like Wakefield and the Effinghams.

 Dan waiting for us while we browse antique shops.

 Thanks for coming and helping sis!

Pie Social Prep Madness - And a Recipe!

 I'm preparing for our Annual Pie Social which will occur this coming Sunday afternoon - after church and about 200 people are invited.  Well, more than that are invited since it's an open invitation to our own and a neighboring congregation of church friends, but that's about how many will show up I reckon if I go by last year.  That notebook above is full of notes from previous years and my tried and true recipes.  It's not really top secret though, I just put that there for fun.  This tradition began 8 years ago actually when I invited 8 families over to our house for dessert on a Sunday afternoon, namely pie, because who doesn't love pie?  And I don't make pies as often as I would like because a pie in the house is a dangerous thing.  Like a one-sitting dangerous thing.  So if I want to make and eat pie, I have to make it for others and I can eat some too with no leftovers.

The planning starts about one month ahead - tried and true recipes that I make every year, notes about what wasn't a hit from other years, new recipes to try.  This year I'll make 41 pies - 14 varieties.  I have learned that too many choices or any kind that isn't more or less main stream doesn't work well.  Last year I made a raisin crunch pie and a maple walnut pie and cherry chocolate and although I thought they all tasted amazing, those were the ones that were eaten last with a couple leftover pieces.  People go for the kinds they are familiar with and grew up with.  Chocolate cream, banana cream, key lime and pecan are the hardest hit and first to be gone.  This year I am making fewer varieties but more of the top hits - same quantity of pies.   And now I have to make a couple gluten free ones too per requests. 

The peach pies this year will come from my own harvest from the Yellow House orchard.

And some of the apples will come from our own tree at the Rye House.  I always blend about 4-5 kinds of apples.

And the raspberry pies will be made from our own harvest as well from the Yellow House patch.

Last year's announcement.

Last year's pie roster.

Some of last year's ready to be transported to tables outside.

I am sure I'll be blogging in a few days after Sunday's Pie Social but I will give you an idea of what the process is like to make this many pies in a couple days since people often ask me how I put it all together.  Back when I worked full time I would make all the dough ahead on the Saturday prior and freeze it and then the next Saturday, the day prior to the Pie Social I would prepare and bake 25 pies from dawn until way after midnight.  I would be punchy by the time I fell in to bed.  Now I make 45 and the process is orchestrated in pieces through out the week before with the fruit/nut pies baked on Friday and all the cream pies and tarts on Saturday.  Sunday is then just set up and whipping the cream.  This year I did it more pieced out than ever before so I was able to do plenty of other activities as well.  Like weeding.

Last week:  I made 15 dough portions (chubbies) three different days each and wrapped and froze them. Baked three large batches of celestial brownies and cut and froze them.  I always serve my brownies at the pie social too because of my fear of running out of pie.
This week:
Monday - Pulverized 6 boxes of graham crackers in food processor and put them in freezer bags with the graham crust recipe written on the bags.  Grocery shopped for all needed items except last minute fruit like bananas and strawberries that won't keep all week.
Tuesday - Juiced and zested 20 lemons and 20 limes and put in containers for the key lime pies, lemon meringue pies and everything else that needs fresh juice or zest.
Wednesday - Rolled out 14 pie chubbies, placed in pie plates, separated each by wax paper, wrapped and stacked in freezers.   Prepared all the graham cracker crust recipes and other crumb toppings and labeled and froze individually.
Thursday - Rolled out the rest of the needed pie dough crusts, placed in pans and wrapped for freezing.  Bought the rest of needed supplies i.e. bananas, strawberries and more heavy cream.  Made two gluten free crusts per requests.  I'll make both a peach and a chocolate cream pie that will be gluten free.
Friday - (tomorrow) - I will assemble and bake all of the fruit and nut pies and then they will be refrigerated.  I will also bake as many of the crusts that need to be pre baked for cream pies as I have time leftover.  Friday and Saturday will be non stop days.
Saturday - All of the cream pies and fruit tarts will be made and assembled and chilled.  Lots of standing over a hot stove.  Make pie labels for the tables.  Buy ice.
Sunday - Church attendance most of the morning.   As soon as I get home we will set up tables and chairs and I will whip lots of cream and top all the cream pies.  Family members will come over and help us take everything outside and at 5:30 the happy eating and socializing begins!  And we are hoping it won't rain!  (Don't worry - even if it does, the party is still on).

 My killer fudge brownies loaded with chocolate chips and topped with a ganache!

Wishful thinking!!!

 Chubbies!

Crumb crusts that are prepared and just have to be measured, pressed in the pans and baked.

It's true.

Now for a recipe - this is one of the first to go at the Pie Social.  I make it every year.

Banana Custard Pie (richer than Croesus, creamy and smooth).  (From Rosie's Bakery book)
Prepare and bake a pie crust.  Set aside to cool.  While it's baking, make this delicious custard.

Put the following ingredients in a medium sauce pan.
2 1/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 t salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 large egg yolks

Whisk all these together and cook over medium low heat stirring constantly.  When it starts to thicken and bubble, lower heat and then cook one minute more.  The custard should form loose mounds when dropped from a spoon into the pan.  Remove pan from heat and add:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
Stir gently, transfer this to a bowl and allow to cool for 15 minutes.  Cover with a piece of plastic wrap directly onto surface and chill while you prepare the bananas and whip the cream.

Cut 3 ripe bananas into 1/4 inch slices and toss with 2 T fresh lemon juice.  Spread half the custard into prepared pie crust, layer on half the bananas, spread on the rest of the custard, top with remaining bananas and then spread on a thick layer of real whipped cream.  Chill a couple hours before serving.