Savoring the home kitchen, wherever you are

Sitting in a high-rise, 2:30 p.m., the usual afternoon office slump
Brightened considerably this day by the best snack:
Apple pie from home.
Crust by Tyler,
Filling by Clara.
And as I enjoy this treat, I remember Ty prefers to use butter instead of shortening (a more processed food, he likes to keep things simple); and I remember that he learned, as he made this crust, that it’s best not to handle the dough too much or it will get tough (unlike bread, whose mantra is the more handling/kneading the better). I remember wondering with Clara how long to cook the apples so they wouldn’t be too crunchy or too mushy, and whether the variety we used would give us the consistency we wanted.
All in all, this pie strikes a good balance.
Even better, it brings me back to my kitchen, and my kids, in the middle of the work day.

This particular pie was a holiday pie, baked for the post-Thanksgiving gathering of friends we hosted last Friday. We don’t need a holiday to enjoy cooking together, of course, but we do tend to gather in the kitchen this time of year. There, working together, food becomes not just something tasty, but something that binds us together.

This year, the Thanksgiving Day feast at the Grandad’s house included a trifecta of pies—Katherine’s apple tart (beautifully layered, sophisticated, refined and oh, so flavorful, just bursting with tart appleness); Doug’s pecan (a southern classic from a southern boy, all gooey corn syrup and nuts); and my pumpkin (the usual pumpkin-y sweetness, this time topped with perfectly browned , cinnamon-dusted maple leaf-shaped pie crust cookies). There was also a locally raised, free range turkey from Anne and Giles presented, perfectly cooked and perfectly carved, and especially appreciated among those of us who choose vegetarian fare or “righteous” meat, raised sustainably and humanely. Thanks for that.

The post-Thanksgiving feast was full of kids in town for the holiday, all coming and going with various leftovers and fresh-made contributions, plus another bird roasted especially for this occasion (“righteous,” again) and two pies from our oven—apple and pumpkin-chocolate. Clara and Tyler also made the gravy together, leaning over their father’s recipe, stirring and tasting until it was, well, perfect.

It all comes back to me as I savor the apple pie in the office.

Thanksgiving all over again.