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THANKSGIVING BONUS: Revisiting Pie
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THANKSGIVING BONUS: Revisiting Pie

EP 32 Revisiting Pies: Desperation, Thrift, and Brand Campaigns
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Dive Deep into Pie with Us, Again

In this second iteration of As We Eat’s annual deep dish on pies, their origins, and their impact on food culture, Kim and Leigh dive into an American classic that originated with a fictional character and discover how a bird had a role etymologically in the word pie.

What does the magpie have to do with the name of a yummy baked treat? And what does a fictional character relate to desserts made from Florida citrus?

First, we return to the origins of regional pie specialties as Leigh surveys the ingenuity of pie bakers and cooks who built empires on fairly basic pie recipes that originated in Western Europe. Using the literal fruits of the land, flavorful classics like apple pie, lemon meringue, and huckleberry pie were created to sate hungry tummies and souls. Even in times of shortages of butter and sugar, ingenuity created make-do recipes resulting in “desperation pie” and even “water pie” to help maintain a sense of normalcy at times when life was anything but normal.

Next, Kim speaks on how the thrifty utilization of excess egg white plus a fictional culinary character led to one of the most favorite pies in American history - lemon meringue - and how a massive hurricane shifted Florida’s production of pineapple to its globally-known key lime, inspiration for the key lime meringue pie. This tale isn’t fully told without a peek into the life and kitchen of William Curry, who brought condensed milk to the Florida Keys and whose cook *may* be the originator of the original Key Lime Pie recipe.

Tell us what kind of pie(s) you’ll be making for the holidays? Do you prefer the traditional pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving or do you buck tradition and make something else?

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Podcast 🎧

EP 2: Pie Crazy Labels, Cockney Rhyming Slang, and Greek Melons

·
November 24, 2020
EP 2: Pie Crazy Labels, Cockney Rhyming Slang, and Greek Melons

Listen now (26 mins) | In honor of Thanksgiving, we talk pie, from Harry Potter's favorite tart to recipes in American Cookery by Amelia Simmons, an American orphan. Kim shares another one of her macabre food facts and Leigh waxes poetic about her favorite Thanksgiving pie. Well, maybe not poetic, but she does share some interesting melon facts.

Podcast 🎧

EP 53 In Pie We Crust: As We Eat’s 3rd Annual Pie Episode

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November 22, 2022
EP 53 In Pie We Crust: As We Eat’s 3rd Annual Pie Episode

Listen now (31 mins) | The winter holidays are an invitation to enjoy a warm, satisfying meal capped by a sweet bite of your favorite dessert. Is it something “utterly deadly” or a familiar friend that has graced the dinner table year after year? For our third annual pie tribute, Leigh and Kim leave no crust unturned as they serve up some deep dish on the history and food tra…

Join us next week as Kim shares her experience cooking from Joy of Cooking. If you’re enjoying the podcast, we would love to have you join our supporting subscribers. For just a few dollars, you can get access to exclusive content, including the Recipe Box Roulette “card game”, more in-depth articles, and recipes. You’ll also help keep our oven lights on!

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