04: Pie.
Celebrating the greatest holiday on the American calendar left me reflective of my last few months.
Maybe it was the fifth helping of deep-fried turkey or the to-do lists to carry me into 2021 or just the relief I felt after finishing football and the fall seasons, but I was ready to reassess my recent performance.
Rather than bore you and myself by writing out those those thoughts, I’ll provide an even more intimate view into my life. There’s a safe space where I almost always feel success and support.
It can be comforting.
It can feel like a gift.
It can be sweet or savory.
And it better not have a soggy bottom.
To pay tribute to Thanksgiving and a return to the blog, here are three of the best pies I’ve eaten this year.
1. Apple — Winkel 43, Amsterdam, January 2020
A tall and legendary slice of truly “Dutch” apple pie completes a touristy stroll around the Jordaan neighborhood. As we scouted dessert and chocolate spots in our walking Amsterdam weekend, Winkel was a must-stop. It’s a small corner shop with limited seating and a few other items on the menu, but most tables make no bones about why they’ve sat down.
The durable and deep crust needs a firm fork. Like all excellent apple pies, sugar can let the apples and crust shine independently, but this avoided being too overly sweet. The whipped cream helped keep thick bites of crust moist. With a good cup of coffee and a warm respite from heading back out for another walk of window-shopping, this experience lived up to the lofty TripAdvisor recommendations.
2. Strawberry Rhubarb — Woman’s Athletic Club, Chicago, July 2020
I have nothing against cake. It’s great. Fancy and tiered with fillings or simple and ready for a funfetti splash, I really do like cake. It just isn’t as good as pie.
The birthday pie in honor of turning 31 was a delightful, heavy, and streusel-topped strawberry rhubarb from the pastry chef at the Woman’s Athletic Club of Chicago. My young sister-in-law is a hard-working and prodigious manager at this private club on Michigan Avenue and arrived to my home with what really is a perfect gift.
Strawberry rhubarb is a classical tart selection, and I’ve chased the flavor since my grandparents grew rhubarb and served it up in crisps and bars when I was a kid. It might seem like a ubiquitous flavor in the Midwest in the summer time, but it is bizarrely difficult to find sold in pie form.
Pictured (left) with a nice glass of cabernet, the crust was immaculate and held up remarkably well with jam-packed filling. The soggy bottom was likely prevented by me devouring this entire pie in less than two days.
3. Bourbon Sweet Potato — Provisions Lot F, Ames, November 2020
I had the fortune of reviewing Provisions while writing at The Register and have been back countless times since. It has reliable, high-quality, seasonal, and well-sourced food and I trust them from salad to soup to souffle to Saturday night out.
T told me that this was my Thanksgiving gift a week prior to pick-up. This pie was never going to let me down. I have no idea if Provisions sold 10 or 10,000 of these pies, as neither bourbon nor sweet potato are particularly Iowa-centric dessert flavors, but it felt and tasted as if it was made just for me.
Just enough time in Texas has made me a lover and occasional baker of the sweet potato pie. This was twice as thick as any I’ve ever made, and an unreal toasted bourbon meringue topped it off. Caramelly, bitter notes came through in every bite as the sticky yet fluffy meringue gave me the good kind of stomach aches.
Getting to share this at home made it even more special. Little W approved. Sure, 12 weeks is a little young to be taking down whole slices of bourbon sweet potato, but what better place to start a lifelong pie adventure?
