Have you ever seen the wedding planners where they give you a checklist of things to ask your cake baker? Well, I’m composing a similar guide for your Thanksgiving pie baker! Now there are a few rules you MUST adhere to: #1 NEVER ask an in-law, your sister, mother or neighbor ANY of these questions
#2 If you are getting your pie from a grocery store, Sam’s, Costco, Wal-mart don’t bother asking.
Here are the questions: #1 What kind of fat do you use in your crust? Any baker worth their flaky crust will have an absolute favorite AND some alternatives for specific tastes. Butter, lard, Crisco and blend of butter and lard…you get the picture.
#2 Do you make the top AND the bottom crust? Surprisingly a lot of people buy pre-made bottoms. While not a terrible thing, per se, you shouldn’t pay premium prices for shortcuts.
#3 Is the fruit fresh, canned or frozen and are the pecans local? If the answer is canned fruit you are better off getting a pie from the freezer section of Harris Teeter and baking it off. Flash frozen apples aren’t bad but don’t hold a candle to fresh apples. Why not local pecans? It’s a huge NC product!
#4 Are the spices for my pie freshly grated, hand-mixed or is it a canned “pumpkin pie spice blend?” Fresh spices make a huge difference in baking! Fresh grated nutmeg is a treat of the gods! The pre-packaged spice mixes are probably like the candy that used to be in my Grandma’s freezer-leftover stocking candy from 1992. If the answer to these questions is NOT satisfactory then re-think your order or ask for a discount!
So- while this is asking a lot, this is how I do it. No shortcuts-just straight up crazytown. ‘Cuz that’s the only way to do it.
We have a gorgeous selection of Thanksgiving cards in the shop now-both locally handmade and some high-end stunners! One of the cards is a vintage reproduction of a 1941 gentleman’s guide to turkey carving! It’s a thing of beauty but I only have 6! Turkey Carving0001
Don’t forget to snag your Red Ape cinnamon and Singing Dog vanilla now too, for your crazy baking next week!
Also, we are doing a fundraiser for Children At Heart http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.1571773589744.46306.1697659368&type=3 selling the most amazing Hess trucks! 100% of the proceeds go to C.A.H. and all purchases over $25 is a tax deduction! Best present for little boys EVER.
And as a final good new/bad news: Good News-we are unleashing some AMAZING new technology here soon that not a single soul in NC currently has-it’s soooooooooooo cool! Also Good News-I am completely booked and over-booked for Thanksgiving! Bad news I really can’t take any more orders… So, start thinking about your Christmas orders so I can make everyone happy! Finishing on a Good Note-this weekend we will release the details of our mind-blowing Black Friday sale!
Happy November All!
