The Versatile Dessert

Pies, cobblers and crisps are the locavore’s best friend when dessert-making time rolls around.  Why?  Because all season long, bakers can walk straight from the field or farm market to the kitchen, modify only a few ingredients, and make a delicious treat.  This Father’s Day, with peaches, raspberries and blueberries in season, and strawberries still available from just a few states north, Dad is in for a treat.

When I bake fruit pies, I often mingle a variety of fruits, and they are quite happy together.  A pie is a forgiving dish, especially when topped with a mix of brown sugar, butter and flour.

What’s not so forgiving is the crust.  Often by the end of my duel with the dough, I want to hurl a rolling pin out the kitchen window.  When it comes to dough, I am what a Bon Appétit blog calls “the pie-challenged among us.”  In the past, I’ve blamed it on humidity, lack of counter space, my reliance on the food processor, and maybe even wondered if I looked at the dough wrong to put it in such a bad temper.

But, there’s hope.  That same Bon Appetit blog offers five easy steps for pie crust, including tips that prevent just the things that usually cause me difficulty.  This blog, too, offers a series of helpful pictures to guide the process.

And there’s more good news.  If this is not the weekend for you to start making prize-winning pie crust, you and Dad can still enjoy pie made the old-fashioned way, and with local ingredients.  Marie Connell of MyHouse Cookies uses real butter and replicates time-honored processes.  She even uses local ingredients from Wolff’s Apple House!

For Father’s Day, choose from the following MyHouse Cookies’ pies:

Stop by today for fresh fruit for a freshly made pie, or a freshly made MyHouse pie from local ingredients!  Either one is sure to make a delectable Father’s Day treat.