This time of year, it seems like pie is on everyone’s mind.
Pie is always on the mind of Lauren Bolden, the proprietor (along with husband Cody) of Pie Bar, downtown Woodstock's sweet little pie shop. The shop is the outgrowth of a serious infatuation with pies that began when Bolden was fresh out of college and working what she calls a "normal" job in downtown Atlanta. Cody was working in Jasper, and they had settled in Woodstock as a community pretty much in the middle of their two commutes.
“I wasn’t loving what I was doing and I started baking pies. I was baking them to the point that Cody was concerned about how much pie we were giving away. We made a deal. He said, ‘Here’s $500 and that can be your pie money. If you want to give the pies away or sell them, it’s up to you. But that’s all you can spend.’”
Bolden decided to sell pie, pushing (as she refers to it) her pie on people until she could get into the Woodstock and Marietta farmers markets. “It got to the point where our days were consumed with baking and selling pies. At that point, we decided to quit our jobs, sell our car and just make pie.”
They opened Pie Bar three years ago. Bolden credits the shop’s success to the Woodstock community’s support of its own and the fact that pie isn’t trendy but timeless, almost always conjuring up warm memories.
It’s that feeling of nostalgia that puts pie solidly in the category of “comfort food.” Sweet pies, like the eight varieties Pie Bar is offering for Thanksgiving (including Bourbon Pecan, Pumpkin Praline and Salted Caramel Apple Streusel), find a place on most every holiday table.
But savory pies take the idea of comfort food to a whole new level. Bolden agreed to create three savory pies for our readers. They’re not available at the shop, so you’ll have to make these pies at home.
The Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Pot Pie turned out to be the most challenging. Experiments with leftover cooked vegetables didn’t fare well, so Bolden designed a recipe that gives the cook a change of pace from turning that turkey carcass and leftover meat into soup.
The Skillet Chili Pie reimagines a Bolden childhood favorite. “My brothers and I all played baseball or softball growing up. It turns out, I was pretty bad at softball, but I could order a mean Fritos Chili Pie at the concession stand. One personal-sized bag of Fritos Corn Chips, extra chili right in the bag, mix in some onions, cheddar cheese and a healthy dollop of sour cream on top. Now that I spend less time at the ballfield, I wanted to re-create this childhood favorite of mine, but in a respectable, adult way. This pie has four separate parts: the corn chip crust, the chili filling, pie assembly and toppings. Each piece of the pie is as important as the other, so don’t skip any parts if you want the classic Fritos Chili Pie feel.”
Finally she created the ultimate comfort food recipe, a Lobster Mac and Cheese Pie. “Mac and cheese is a Southern staple, so growing up in the South, you would expect that my family ate a lot of cheese-covered dishes. However, my parents are not born and bred Southerners, but rather they both hail from the Northeast. Although we never ate many of the Northeast’s most iconic foods like lobster or Boston cream pie (I am one of four kids, so we were on a budget!), I always fantasized about attending a lobster bake and wearing pearls. Years later, I recognize the beauty of growing up somewhere full of rich, full-bodied dishes, yet being influenced by the idea of another region’s cuisine.”
RECIPES
Tired of pumpkin and apple but not through with pie? We’ve got recipes for three savory pies, and only one has a pastry crust. All are good for post-Thanksgiving meals and the run-up to the new year.
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Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Pot Pie
You can make this filling up to three days ahead. At a minimum, make it far enough ahead that it is cool before it goes into the pie crust. Hot pot pie filling will melt the butter in your unbaked crust, causing you to have a chewy, rather than flaky pie crust. You can assemble the pie ahead of time and freeze it. Then bake it frozen and add a few extra minutes of baking time.
Note that this is a very generous filling. If you find you have more than will comfortably fit in your pie plate, pour the excess into a greased ramekin and bake alongside the pie, pulling the ramekin from the oven when it’s bubbling all over. Or use a 2-quart casserole instead of a deep-dish pie plate.
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Skillet Chili Pie
You can crush the corn chips by putting them in a food-safe plastic bag and using a rolling pie to lightly smash them. Or do as we did when testing, crush them in the bowl of a food processor. Bolden notes that she doesn’t drain the kidney beans for this recipe because she finds the extra starch in the liquid helps set the filling, making it easier to slice. Personalize your chili to meet your household’s taste. For example, want a hotter version? Try using the hot version of Rotel.
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Lobster Mac and Cheese Pie
This pie lends itself to personalization. Bolden likes the combination of extra sharp cheddar and Gruyere. But if your family is into a milder version, then mild cheddar will do just fine. “Three varieties of cheese in one recipe might seem excessive, but I find each cheese has unique characteristics that add to the dish.” Bolden likes the combination of both white and yellow cheddar, but double up on one or the other and you can cut one item off your shopping list.
And you can make the dish a little less rich by reducing the amount of heavy cream and substituting an equal quantity of whole milk, or even go the skim milk route.
We tested this recipe by cooking fresh 3- to 4-ounce lobster tails. We brought a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, then added the lobster tails and cooked them 3 minutes. Then we removed them from the water and used that pot of water to cook the macaroni. You can also substitute frozen lobster or even imitation lobster or crab. The three lobster tails yielded 8 ounces of lobster meat.
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Lauren and Cody Bolden will resume classes at Pie Bar in Woodstock in January 2019. Check their website (orderpiebar.com) for details.
<<PIE TIPS
1. Pie makes a great gift for someone in your neighborhood. If you’re making the Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Pot Pie, it’s an easy way to reduce food waste. Two good deeds in one pie!
2. Pies can be made in stages. Make your fillings in advance and refrigerate them. They’ll be easier to put into the pie plates and leave you just the baking to do when you’re ready to serve.
3. For a pie like the Lobster Mac and Cheese, put the filling into your pie plate and refrigerate. Keep the cracker topping separate and then add it when you’re ready to bake so it will stay crisp.
4. Don’t have the right size pie plate? You can bake any of these pies in a casserole or 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
5. Not just for pies, but always grate your own cheese. The little bit of work is worth the extra flavor.
6. When using dairy products like milk and cream in a filling, having them at room temperature will make your filling go together a little faster.
7. For more tips on pies, including weaving a lattice top and cutting a perfect slice, check out Pie Bar's Pie Provisions website (PieProvisions.com).
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