Chemeketan Pie--Finally

Chemeketan Pie
Crust:
9 whole graham crackers, crushed
1/2 cup suger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened

Combine all (I whirl it in a food processor until it's like crumbs), reserve 1/8 cup, pat remainder into pie plate.

Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tbl cornstarch
Pinch of salt
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

Cook first 4 ingredients until thick, then add egg yolks. Cook 3-5 minutes more, then stir in vanilla. Set aside to cool a bit.

Meringue:
3 egg whites
6 tbl sugar

Beat until stiff, but not dry.

Assembly:
Put filling into pie shell and top with meringue. Sprinkle with 2-3 tbl chopped walnuts and reserved crumbs. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

Mmm, pie.

Pie Party!

In belated celebration of her graduation, Bruno's roommate Bri threw a pie party over the weekend. The entire dinner was composed of pies. I was a bit skeptical, envisioning fifteen apple pies for dinner, but it turned out fantastic; I might want to throw a pie party of my own sometime. Surprisingly, there were more savory pies than sweet, and almost all of the pies were delicious. There was even a contest: best savory, best sweet, best presentation, and most creative. I won best sweet pie, yay!
Here are some pics:

Best savory, a quiche:

Best sweet, my very own pie:Best presentation, a strawberry pizza pie:
Most creative, a vegan apple-coffee pie:My personal favorite:
And here are the rest, I enjoyed them all:Special thanks to Brian Mazzola, for letting me use his camera and emailing the results so promptly. I forgot to bring mine.

Some More Recognition for Portland

As you all know, I've had my gripes with Stumptown--not the beans mind you, those are always great, but some of the baristas in certain locations are lacking in skill--but I am pleased to report that Stumptown's owner, Duane Sorenson, was interviewed in the June 2008 issue of Bon Appetit. I find this very exciting! I love it that Portland's food scene is gaining on the national radar. Here's the article. Click on image to enlarge, and therefore make readable. Enjoy!