Thanks

Thanksgiving and family gathering has been good, and, not so good some years. Unlike commercialized religious holidays, Thanksgiving seems to be getting better with age. For those of us who are naturally reclusive the covid thing has been quite digestible. It’s also been good for those of us who usually do the cooking cleaning, serving, prepping and buying.

The Zen of the Pie

The traditional apple pie is pinnacle to an American Thanksgiving. But pie, or dessert in general could be no more than mere leftovers laden with sugar. As I was sorting out the apples, spreading paper, placing the cutting board and setting out the knifes, there was a feeling that I was about to perform surgery.

As simple as pie may seem, there’s much to it. Selecting the fruit may be the most important step. Pies of course need not be made of the best looking fruit, but the fruit itself makes the pie. Then the prep, peeling apples and seasoning. Certainly this may be the most arduous part of the pie making. Repetitious, a melody as the knife scrapes the peal away from the fruit . The pastry. The mess of rolling out the dough. (There is no replacement for hand made pastry). Then the final stage, the cooking.

There is just a rightness to everything. Timing. Balance of spices. Firmness of fruit. The crisp of the crust. Almost as if has a personality of it’s own.

Every time there is that slight difference, a remembrance of past years of love and loss. To be truly thankful for what we have, even if the pie is a little over done.