pi(e) day
plus: easy freezer waffles
Monday, March 13, 2023
I am a guest on the Listen with Sheryl MacKay podcast this week and I enjoyed our conversation, recorded when I was recently in Vancouver, so much.
Friends, I do not understand the ice trend. [NYT, unlocked] It’s so pretty but won’t you soon have defrosted soggy things floating in your drink?
Good afternoon! Tomorrow is Pi(e) Day, a modern holiday in a month that welcomes delightful things to invent celebrations for as we bide our time until warmer, sunnier days, and I — a math nerd who is hoping to instill math nerdery in two children — have decided to go all in. We’re doing savory pies. We’re doing sweet pies. We’re stretching the definition of pie into things that might not actually be pie for the sheer enjoyment of it and I think you should join me because March is an odd cooking month in the Northeast. Market inspiration is low while the ground is still frozen. We’re tired of winter food but too cold for summer salads. Pie? Pie is almost definitely the answer.
Cheers,
Deb
Smitten Kitchen Keepers, my third cookbook, has been out for four wonderful months and I love to see everything that you’re cooking from it. While the majority of the book tour is behind us, I’ll be in Columbus, Ohio next Wednesday, and I’ll be sprinkling in a few other events throughout the spring. You can keep up to date with all of the details on this page.
easy freezer waffles
New: It's finally ready: the perfect freezer-to-toaster waffle [cough, Deb-Os] and it couldn't be easier: a one-bowl, butter and yogurt-enriched batter that smells like heaven. I share all the tricks I've learned to ensure they come out of the toaster crisp outside and tender inside. They're ready to stash in your freezer for the weekend, or to make breakfast for dinner right away.
cauliflower and caramelized onion tart
An "unholy, resistance-melting aroma of melted, bubbling cheese" emanating from a a "lightweight custard that's burnished and nearly crisp on top" oh, and there's cauliflower and caramelized onions burrowed in there too. We love this lush brunch/lunch tart for a pre-holiday meal.
spinach sheet pan quiche
What if you like quiche but there's never enough of it? This refreshingly green, mostly vegetable, and longtime favorite quiche has been stretched and tweaked to make a week of excellent lunches, and it's also a winner for weekend brunch.
butternut squash and caramelized onion galette
This (winter squash and caramelized onions in the flakiest yogurt-enriched crust) + a ribboned kale salad with your favorite vinaigrette = your day is getting better already.
over-the-top mushroom quiche
A towering, feeds-and-crowd quiche recipe adapted from Thomas Keller that you may not realize you need in your repertoire but will be absolutely convinced once you try it.
better chicken pot pies
The best chicken pot pies I know how to make: a perfectly seasoned, never overcooked stew beneath my favorite lid, which is so flaky it will seem like puffed pastry. Serve with absolutely nothing because pot pies are a self-contained meal in warm, filling and even-better-than-you-remember-them package.
key lime pie
Key lime pie is way too easy to make at home to not treat yourself, especially on Pi(e) Day. It’s so sunny and bright, like an in-kitchen vacation, I always wonder why I don’t make it more often.
banana cream pie
Sure, we *could* start planning dinner right now (something with vegetables, probably, and not an entire box of cookies in it) or we could do our calendar-ial duty and celebrate Pi(e) Day with this banana cream pie, the one that made me love banana cream pie. I used the recipe in Erin Jeanne McDowell's wonderful Book On Pie as guidance, because it will never lead you astray.
chocolate pudding pie
A perfectly reasonable thing to bake on a Monday night, at least according to the Smitten Kitchen, and definitely in advance of Pi Day. The raft of whipped cream and confetti of chocolate shavings aren't optional, what kind of question is that, even.
triple coconut cream pie
A mile high within a buttery coconut crust, this famous pie is equal parts gooey, vanilla-flecked, rum-kissed coconut custard, and massive pom-poms of whipped cream, topped off with a shower of toasted coconut flakes and curls of white chocolate. It does nothing halfway and neither should we.
black bottom oatmeal pie
Do you or someone you know suffer from Pecan Pie Deprivation Syndrome because of a nut allergy? With oats, chocolate and a gooey salted caramel, there's nothing even a little second place about this.
shop my favorites
Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more than you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.
See you next week!
