Celebrate National Pie Day

“There is a mystery inherent in a pie by virtue of its contents being hidden beneath its crust.”

Janet Clarkson, Pie: A Global History.

Today, for reasons I shall never understand, is National Pie Day (I believe the logical choice for the day is March 14). Regardless of why this date was chosen, I am happy to join in the celebration. I love pie so much once wrote a tongue-in-cheek post in praise of it, phrased in terms of a political debate.

There seems to be some sort of pie in every culture, every corner of the world. One reason is that there is so much variety: fillings can be savory or sweet, creamy or chunky, filled with custard or fruit or vegetables or meat. No matter your dietary preferences or restrictions, everyone can enjoy a slice of pie. It’s a versatile food, equally at home with breakfast as it is with dinner and beyond (there’s no shame in having a piece of pie in your pajamas in front of the refrigerator at 2 am). Pie is both celebration food and mourning food – it comforts, inspires, and satisfies.

There are 745 books in the EYB Library that feature pies, tarts and pastries. Narrowed to only those with ‘pie’ in the title, there are 150 tomes – enough to inspire anyone in search of the perfect pie. Pie-focused books sitting on my Bookshelf include Art of the Pie by Kate McDermott, The Book on Pie by Erin Jeanne McDowell, Sister Pie by Lisa Ludwinski, The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum, Pie Squared by Cathy Barrow, Pie Style by Helen Nugent and The Pastry School by Julie Jones. I enjoy the last two for their stunning and creative pie artistry. Elegant Pie by Karin Pfeiff-Boschek and Pieometry by Lauren Ko are also excellent in that regard.

If you want to celebrate National Pie Day but need a bit of inspiration, the EYB Library offers endless ideas for every type of pie imaginable, with nearly 8,000 recipes available online (and that’s only with ‘pie’ in the title – if you expand to include tarts and pastries there are thousands more). Here are a few Member favorites to get you started:

• Chicken shawarma pie from Falastin by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wrigley
• Herb pie from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi
• Double greens and filo pie from A Modern Way to Eat by Anna Jones
• Salted caramel apple pie from The Four &Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book by Emily and Melissa Elsen
• Pumpkin pie [Meta Given] from Food52 Genius Recipes by Kristin Miglore
• Chickpea, spinach + potato “samosa pie” from The Flavor Equation by Nik Sharma
• Steak, Guinness and cheese pie with a puff pastry lid from Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver
• Dahlia triple coconut cream pie from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook by Tom Douglas and Shelley Lance
• The quintessential apple pie from Art of the Pie by Kate McDermott (pictured)