My return to the (tiny) kitchen

You may not believe it, but I have returned to the kitchen. This time, with a much different plan in mind.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be taking my baking out of my kitchen and into the homes of others so I can bake alongside them, teach them a few things, and give them some free pies. Just because. Because I can. Because I love sharing with others. Because I love to teach. Because I love to share stories and pass down traditions.

In anticipation, I have made my first pie crust in ages. It's made with all butter and White Lily flour, just like old times.

And daaaaang that thing is beautiful.



I also got out my grandmother's sifter, which has been handed down to me, and used it yet again. I love this thing.

And as it is almost 3 AM, I am off to bed. I have much to share, but I have more to bake. So the baking comes first. With this captured moment, I leave you:

Pictoral Updates to Capture Some Moments

So many, many things are changing in my life right now. I can hardly keep up with how much my perspective changes from day to day. Here is a short rundown...

I've been back in the kitchen, but not as much as I'd hoped. I still keep pie crust on hand.

I moved into an apartment in the Dogpatch, and I love every minute I spend here.

I went to Craftsmen and Wolves and died from happiness after consuming this brownie.

I have this view of the city if I walk up the hill by my house. Lately there's been no fog.

I made one last pie at the end of summer: blueberry-peach lattice

I work here now. I am grateful.

I run here now a few times a week. Also grateful. 

I got up and left the country for two weeks, and it made me realize so many things that are missing or that I have missed.

I spent many afternoons in parks, wandering around Paris by myself.

See? By myself. No one to take pictures of, only my feet. Also grateful for this.

I ended up in Italy too. I had this view in the mornings.

So, yes, baking is still on the backburner. Every time I make a pie, people ask why I stopped doing it. I never have come up with a solid answer except to say that it's exhausting to be so passionate about something, to be so obsessive about it. It's draining. One day, I'll return to it, but for now, I'm wandering the world by myself and sometimes not-so by myself, as I let the changes wash over me and learn to be grateful for love given and received-- in pie form or not.

New Cookies Added to the Mix

Just a quick update today!

I'm now offering several varieties of cookies. These are cookies I've been working on for a while, testing out on my friends, family, and customers. They're now added to my permanent menu page. So if you're curious what authentic southern cookies taste like, you can try:

•  Peanut Butter Cookies
• Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies
• Chewy Pecan Praline Cookies
• Smoky Mountain Snowcaps

Once fall and the holiday season rolls around, I'll begin offering dark chocolate almond sea salt toffee and bourbon balls again! It almost makes me want it to get cold out again. No, I'm enjoying the sunshine far too much.

Back Open for Business?

The fruits of my long-overdue labor

I'm hesitant to say that I am 100% back open for business (I sometimes work 12-hour days at my other job now), but I have been letting people know that I am accepting orders again with enough advance notice. I think a week is probably realistic, since my weeks vary so greatly.

What prompted this? Actually, it was an order I took with great hesitation. I almost declined the opportunity, worried that I'd never be able to balance the baking with my full-time job. I wanted to make sure the client was happy, as it was for her wedding, and she deserved the absolute best. Since she gave me a month's notice, I took the order on, and I was able to order special packaging for her and put everything together over a week. The result? The above pecan and apple pie pops.

Speaking of pie pops, these really do seem to be the hit right now. They're perfect for wedding and shower gifts, so I've taken a few large orders of them over the last few months. They're super fun to make, adorable to look at, and they taste delicious too.

July 4 and the Peach-Blueberry Cobbler Pie

This fourth of July, I thought I'd put together something a little different for my family. My mom wanted to make a traditional cobbler, but she didn't have the time. I insisted on putting my own spin on her cobbler recipe and throwing some White Lily flour in the mix. What came of it was a pie/cobbler mix that was perfect with some vanilla ice cream.

This is not for the faint of heart though. I cut down on the sugar in the cobbler recipe that my mom gave me, and this was still extremely sweet. To put it together, pick out your favorite fruit pie recipe (this works especially good with berries), bake it at 400F for 30 minutes, then top it with a cobbler recipe (mine is top secret) and turn the oven down to 375F. You'll bake it for another 30 minutes. This is best served right out of the oven. 

Life Changes

Sometimes, I don't know where the time goes! This time, I haven't been baking at all. I've been exclusively working, doing yoga, running, spending what little time I can with friends and family, and trying to get some rest in between. It has not been easy, and so I'm making some changes. 

The change that concerns all of you lovely people is that I'm bringing my mother on board. Yes, my mother. My southern mother who has an opinion about everything. It's going to be an interesting ride, but I'm entrusting her with the responsibility of upholding all of my core values while bringing her amazing baking skills to the fore. 

My mother is an outstanding baker. Her chicken pot pie is other-worldly. Her cookies, which she always makes without a glimpse at a recipe, will have you beating up anyone who tries to lay a hand on that cookie jar. So I know this is the best move for South by San Francisco. I am San Francisco. She is the South. 

In the midst of making this decision, I have also been eating lots of pie and badass treats. 

This pie, for instance, from The Pie Hole. It's called Thai Iced Tea pie, and it actually tastes like (somebody slap me!) Thai iced tea. I don't even know how. It starts with a graham cracker crust, moves onto a coconut cream filling, and then finishes off with a glaze of condensed milk and Thai tea. It disappeared from my plate.

Also, the new Yogurtland opened in Burlingame, which means I'm back at eating weird frozen yogurt-cereal-candy combinations at weird hours of the day and night. This was my first creation: mint and dutch chocolate with gummy bears, cookie dough, strawberries, and white chocolate chips.  

I had Umami Burger for the first time ever in L.A. last weekend. It's one of the few places that has lived up to its hype for me. I've never had a more delicious veggie burger in my life.

Next time, I plan to update with some of my mom's fancywork. She's in Tennessee right now, visiting family and getting me some more White Lily flour. 

Chocolate Chess Pie Pops

Last night, I was working on an order for some pie pop samples, and I happened upon this wonderful discovery: chocolate chess pie makes a bombass pie pop. It can be majorly sweet, so it balances out the crust heaviness of the pop.

How do you do it? All you have to do is quarter a recipe for chocolate chess pie and use it in the recipe I posted a few months back. How does one quarter a recipe for chocolate chess pie? See below. Thank me later.

Recipe for a Teeny Tiny Batch of Chocolate Chess Pie (yields about two dozen pie pops)

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsalted butter (4 tbsp)

1/2 oz. of semisweet chocolate (that is half of one of those Baker's chocolate squares, which is what I prefer to use), chopped into chunks for easier melting

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg (you'll use half for the batter and the other half for an egg wash over the pops)

1/4 tsp vanilla

pinch of sea salt

Directions

1. Melt the butter over low heat in a saucepan. Once the butter is melted, immediately turn off the burner and drop in the chocolate. Don't stir. Just swirl the chocolate around until it melts into the butter. 

2. While the chocolate is melting, place the sugar in a small bowl and whisk in HALF of an egg. Just approximate. You don't have to be too crazy about it. Whisk together until blended. Whisk in the vanilla and sea salt. 

3. When the chocolate has melted, whisk it into the sugar mixture. 

4. Place this in the fridge and let it harden a bit (1+ hours). It will be much easier to work with. 

5. Preheat the oven to 325F and bake for about 20 minutes, but otherwise follow all the instructions for making pie pops. I like to use an egg wash and then generously sprinkle granulated sugar on top. 

Note: It's best to bake these near the bottom of the oven so the filling doesn't bubble out. If it does, it isn't the end of the world. You can clean them up after. 

Totally Optional: dip half the pie pop in caramel sauce and top with a few flakes of sea salt. Again, optional, but it will make you a badass.