I have a confession to make…

For most of my life, I loathed pie. 

I was an outsider: it was something that I felt I had to hide. In a hushed voice, I would tell people that I didn’t like pie. Every time, I was rewarded with gasps and looks of utter disdain and shock. And every time, I had to explain why: it was either too sweet, the crust was tough and tasteless, or both.

Then came along a turkey.

My deep disdain for pie all changed in 2022 when Doug bought a Butterball turkey for our Thanksgiving meal. It was $0.99 per pound, and even though we didn't like turkey, he bought it because, frankly, he can never pass up a deal.

With the giant carcass before me, I rolled up my sleeves, wrapped my apron around my waist, and dug in. I made a compound butter, slathered it under and over the skin, stuffed it with what was left of my fresh herbs in the garden and vegetables, and roasted it to perfection. 

And then it happened. That cheap Butterball Turkey converted two turkey-loathing adults into believers. It was perfectly juicy, tender, and full of flavor. 

The path to a perfect crust.

As fabulous as that turkey was, inevitably, there were loads of leftovers. I made turkey stock for turkey ramen, ground up the tougher pieces of dark meat to use as a topper for my dog’s meals, and searched the internet to find a recipe for what was left. Doug suggested pot pie. It was comfortingly good, but the real star of the meal was the crust! 

A pie lover is born.

Fast forward to 2023. Our trees were loaded with plump, eat-over-the-sink juicy peaches. This was the first year that we had extra fruit to play around with. Should I make a peach cobbler? Peach crisp, perhaps? No. The crust from the turkey pot pie recipe kept calling to me as if to say, “Join us. Become part of the Pie Lovers Cult. Be one of us.” 

Blindly following that inner voice, I proceeded to gather peach pie recipes. Following at least three different versions, I created a delectable marriage that now lives in mouth-watering recipe infinity.

And that, my friends, is the story of how a pie lover was born.