I didn’t win.

Whatever.

My pies still rock and nothing will stop me from baking. As I sit here, the chocolatey-bourbon scent of my signature pie is wafting from the oven. The Chocolate Town Pie, a recipe from my mother-in-law that I’ve tweaked and played with in the dozens of times I’ve made it, is still my all-time favorite pie to make and to eat.   Tonight’s pie is one I’m baking specifically for my pie guys. We’re gathering tomorrow at a secret location to talk about the next C’ville Pie Fest.

I didn’t win the last C’ville Pie Fest, either. But I contributed SEVEN pies to the community that day. So take that.

I’ll admit, some of the pies I bake don’t turn out very well, and sometimes a serious setback will keep me out of the kitchen for a bit, but I always come back and pie again.

I have met and made some seriously good friends during this year of pie-related activities. One of these friends is Mollie Cox Bryan, a kindred spirit in so many ways, and one I may not have known if it weren’t for pie. The others (Mary, Sara, Brian, Melanie, Cindy, Bill, Joe, Steve, Coy, Sean, the other Brian and oh so many more) have made this year better by their love of pie and their willingness to come together over something as simple as crust and filling.

I love you guys, almost as much as I love pie.

1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. quick cooking tapioca
Pinch of salt
4 cups blueberries
2 cups mix of blackberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries
1 Tbsp. orange extract

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside. Wash and let thoroughly dry all berries. (I spread them out on paper towels all over the kitchen counters for about an hour. Be sure to invert the raspberries so water does not stay trapped in their cavities.) Add berries to dry ingredients and mix, gently, with your hands or with a spatula, until all berries are coated. Add orange extract by sprinkling over mixture. Let the berries sit while rolling out your bottom crust. Place bottom crust in a 9″ pie plate and sculpt edges into an upstanding ridge. Put crust in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Gently scoop berry mixture into the chilled crust. Roll out top crust and cut eight 1″ wide strips for the lattice top. Add the strips and fold ends into the sculpted edge. Brush top crust with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, rotate 180 degrees, reduce temperature to 350 and bake for another 50-60 minutes. Be sure to place a foil-covered cookie sheet under the pie to catch any drips. Let pie cool completely before serving.

Extra-Flaky Pie Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 tsp. salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup plus two Tbsps. cold shortening
1/2 cup of icewater

Add all dry ingredients to a food processor. Pulse till combined. Scatter the butter and shortening to the dry ingredients. Pulse till the mixture is crumbly and contains pea-sized clumps. Slowly add the icewater till the mixture clumps, running the processor for a few seconds at a time. Remove the dough from the processor and knead in a flour-coated bowl a few times. Put pastry in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for an hour before rolling.

Downtown Charlottesville Pie (aka Chocolate Town Pie, Derby Pie)

2 eggs, beaten
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup bourbon
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecan pieces

“I’ve Found the Lard” pie crust

Prepare single-crust pastry and refrigerate for one hour. Roll pastry, place in pie dish and sculpt edges into upstanding ridge. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs, add butter, then sugar and flour. Mix until well-blended. Add bourbon. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Place pie plate on the center rack of the oven, then, using a spatula, pour the filling into the crust. Carefully slide the rack back into the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees.

“I’ve Found the Lard” Pie Crust

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold lard, in pieces
3-4 Tbsps. icewater

Pulse dry ingredients in food processor to mix. Add lard. Mix till pastry forms pea-sized clumps. Slowly add water till pastry clumps into a ball. Knead once or twice in a flour-dusted bowl. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate.