Apple-Cinnamon and Pecan Pie Pops

Two weeks ago, I made some tiny little pie pops for the speakeasy. I sold them separately for people who wanted to bring some home for loved ones, and they were quite a hit. When I do these again, I will probably do only super-sweet pies because the ratio of crust to filling is strongly in the crust's favor. You need a filling that would normally smack you in the face, like cherry pie or pumpkin pie. The pecan pie worked very nicely as well, and I highly recommend that.

Here are the supplies you need to pursue a similar project:

• Ingredients for regular pie filling (or you can do store-bought, but you're hella cheating), cut into one quarter the amount
• Pre-rolled pie crust
• Lollipop sticks (you can buy these at Michael's)
• Rolling pin
• Patience. Worlds of patience.
• A cookie cutter, about the size of caramel apple pop

This is how they'll look before they go in the oven.

Some of the filling may spill out. It's okay.

And here is me making sure to secure the sticks in place.

The final product! Well worth the effort!

Pecan was by far my favorite, so I'll give instructions for that.

Pecan Pie Pops

inspired by bakerella

Ingredients: 

What is listed above (pie crust, lollipop sticks, rolling pin, etc.)

For filling:

1/3 cup dark corn syrup (I use half corn syrup and half molasses)

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup sugar

2/3 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

1/3 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup chopped pecans (dice these if possible)

For brushing: 

1 egg white

brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all filling ingredients together in one bowl (I love how easy pecan pie is).

2. Roll out the crust and use a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to cut out circles in the dough. Make sure you have enough for the top and bottom of the pie pops. 

3. Place one circle down and press the lollipop stick into the middle of the circle to secure it in place. Place about 1/2 tbsp of filling into the CENTER of the circle. 

4. Take another circle and place it on top of the bottom circle, pressing into onto the lollipop stick. Then press the top onto the bottom with the end of the lollipop stick to make a pretty design. 

5. Use a pastry brush to cover the top crust with an egg white and then sprinkle with brown sugar.

6. Place back in the fridge for a few minutes before baking to set up. 

NOTE: You may need to place the dough back in the fridge before putting the top circle on. This is because the crust is much easier to deal with when it is cold. 

7. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned, just before the juices start to bubble (this timing is an art that takes practice).

More Speakeasy Photos

Here are yet some more photos of the Speakeasy. These photos were taken by my friend, Will Rittenhouse, who happens to have impeccable taste in cameras and an impeccable photographic eye. I love how warm these came out. They really captured the lighting we created with the candles and white lights everywhere. 

The DJ

That's me serving banana cream pie!

My beautiful friends, Marie and Maureen

Some more of my beautiful friends, Kelley and Amy

A close-up of the gorgeous Maureen

Settling Down

Things are finally starting to settle down after a long and eventful weekend. The Speakeasy as Pie event was a success beyond my imagination. Everything was beautiful and just as it should have been. And then all my friends and co-workers and even my family made it out to celebrate. It was just lovely.

Some stats:
$220: Money raised for Urban Sprouts
<1/2: Bag of garbage
9: Pies eaten
9: Hours the party lasted
50: Attendees, about half in costume

Here are some of the photos we took before the night began:

 The famous pie pops

 The pie of the evening: bourbon apple, just in time for fall

The table setup before dark

Some of our lovely accents: floating candles in mason jars (where I normally store lemon curd and pie filling), flowers, recycled crates

The two drink choices at the bar: The Newsboy and The Exotic Lady

The aerial view of the bar

Maria's zine stand

That's me awaiting guests at the pie stand. I'm not crazy about being in photos.

Speakeasy This Friday: Take Your Pie to the Face

The time has nearly come for the house party of the year: Speakeasy as Pie.

I am so incredibly excited - and even more grateful - for everything that is coming together and all the people who have made this possible. Maria and I are in awe of how our communities of friends, neighbors, and random acquaintances with big hearts have supported us throughout this process.

On that note, I want to give an insanely loud shout-out to my best friend Marie, whose excitement and ideas and creativity have really made this possible for me. I don't mean that lightly. I never would have been able to do this without her support. Actually, I never would have gone to New Zealand if it weren't for her either, which would never have led me down this path. Aw, I'm getting all choked up just thinking about it. The point is that I have her to thank for so many things in my life. Love you, girl. 

You wouldn't believe how much love and prep and time has gone into this from so many different people. Here is a small sampling of what we've been doing over the last few weeks to prepare:

• Endless recipe-testing to get the world's best pie crusts and fillings
• Logo and flyer design
• Menu and cocktail consultations
• Collecting an insane number of pie dishes
• Picking up furniture and rugs and tapestries; candles, lanterns, and jars
• Crafting endlessly
• Clearing out the entire backyard
• Eating Oreos for dinner because I'm too stressed to cook anything
• Contacting charities for our raffle
• Clearing out the garage and pretty-fying it for everyone's enjoyment
• Praying to the weather gods for sun and warmth this Friday (it seems to be working so far!)
• Making a dozen pie crusts in rapid succession
• Looking up from all my baking to see the lights of the city through our big, wraparound kitchen windows, then closing my eyes, breathing deeply, and getting back to work
• Yoga to stay focused. Lots of yoga.

Now it is time for me to begin all of my prep work for the food and settle into the excitement. Get ready to dance and party and drink delicious drinks and take some pie to the face!

Can't wait to see you all on Friday!

What's In the Works

I haven't been updating because it has finally occurred to me that I really need to turn my baking into a legitimate "thing" before I begin my real journey. After several weeks of introspection, I realized that I often sabotage my own efforts to be successful. This cannot continue. I need to re-focus and prioritize so my life is not one failed effort after another.

Case A: I dream of going to grad school to get my PhD in American Literature. Yet I am too afraid to look at applications or even begin to do anything besides take my general GRE. The thought of googling "Emory Literature grad school application" gives me the hives. 

Case B: I thought of a brilliant idea at work, but the very idea of executing said idea sent me into a flurry of "No, that won't work"s. I imagine all the ways things could go wrong, and then I just sit still.

Case C: I am unhappy at work, but also afraid of all the possibilities outside of my office. Or the lack thereof, however you want to look at it. 

But, basically, I realized that my lack of blogging was me telling myself that I wasn't worth my own success, and I really need to stop doing that. I have so much unrealized potential, and I need an outlet for all of my creative energy. 

So before I begin blogging again, I want to let you know that I have been hard at work trying to make my dreams a reality. Here is a taste of what is in the oven:

The Speakeasy as Pie Event. Here is the flyer with all the details, designed by my friend Marie with my photograph. 

My electronic business card:

Improving my recipes, and finding the beauty of this bad boy: The Bourbon Apple Pie (so southern it kills me)

...More to come soon, I promise! I just need some time to re-focus. If you follow my other blog, you know that it is almost my birthday, and my birthday is a time of great reflection and re-organizing for me. 

Speakeasy as Pie

Design by Marie Jaen

If you've spent any time with me in person in the last month or so, you have heard me go on and on about pie and/or cocktails and/or how to pair pie and cocktails. 

I am very happy to announce that I will be taking this talk from a mere idea to EVENT next month. Maria and I will be hosting our very own pie speakeasy! 

Why a speakeasy? Because it'll be a full-on invite-only party that starts out in the basement and moves into the backyard, where everyone can feel free to enjoy as much pie, cocktails, and music as they please.

I will, of course, be updating you as more details solidify. If you'd like to attend, shoot me an email at southxsanfrancisco@gmail.com and I can send you a flyer. You will need a physical flyer to get into the part-ay. And you don't want to miss this, I'm telling you.

This event will include the following amazingly spectacular highlights. Plus I'll be there, and I'm awesome. Well, usually. Sometimes. You know.

• A live DJ all night
• Performances by Maria "Songbird" Remos
• The release of Maria's mixtape, Speakeasy as Pie Vol. 2
• Unlimited pie once you get into the party (some of the ideas I have floating around my head are classic apple pie with apple butter cream topping, banana cream pie with dark chocolate ganache, gluten-free/vegan coconut cream pie, pear and apple pie, blackberry pie with streusel topping, pecan pie, and so on)
• Pie pops of several varieties so you can take home a goodie bag to your loved ones
• Cocktail pairings with each pie: expect something with Baileys, a fresh fruit cocktail, and lots of aperol
• Friends and family and loved ones all around in our lovely Bernal Heights home

So get excited for this because, yes, it is finally happening!

Songbird Apple Pie

Last week, my roommate and I (and our respective friends) stayed up until 2 AM decorating this pie for her Speakeasy as Pie Mix Tape cover and our Pie Speakeasy coming up in September. Maria is one of those endlessly creative people who keep me inspired even when I feel like I just want to give up. I had almost dropped this Speakeasy project (which I'll explain in a future post) for a few weeks because things got stressful, but her excitement is infectious.

This pie is for her and for her beautiful voice. I'm lucky enough to hear her sing almost every day.

Maria hard at work

Cutting out the leaves

I used a mixture of Gravensteins and Golden Delicious to get a smooth pie with chunks of crunchy, cinnamon sugar-covered apples

Close up on the songbird

Close up of the handmade leaves

The final product