The Power of Pie

Americans know pie. They have an enviable deep tradition of making the dessert for almost any holiday. Australians? Well, we're good at celebrating pies of the meat kind. But I have always been more partial to the sweet kind.

My first taste of the original, sweet spice-pumped, pumpkin pie was at the Hungarian Pastry Shop in NYC. I was 18 and on a trip with my mum. That bite was my gateway and when I returned to the States with my husband a few years later I was obsessed, searching out and tasting any pie that crossed my path. 

I never could find that elusive delicious pumpkin pie, even when I revisited the Hungarian Pastry Shop - it just wasn't quite right.

So finally, from afar, I've found the perfect pie place: Four and Twenty Blackbirds in Brooklyn. The store was opened by sister team Melissa and Emily Elsen in 2010, after what started as a hobby became something much bigger. What I love about their story is they both had separate non-food-related careers but their Grandma 'Liz' brought united them, teaching them to appreciate the art of pie-making.

And some great news for us folk not so close to America, they've released some of their recipes from their new book online. The Black Bottom Oatmeal Pie (pictured) intrigued me the most, but I love anything with cranberries and lemons so will be sure to have a go at each of them between now and January. What new food frontier are you hoping to tackle this coming year?