© Provided by SaveurPetra "Petee" Paredez is the head baker and co-owner of Manhattan's famed Petee's Pie Company.
All for pie and pie for everyone! You can absolutely judge this book-Pie for Everyone: Recipes and Stories from Petee's Pie, New York's Best Pie Shop-by its cover. Gossamer meringues, silky custards, and buttery lattices vie for attention. Straight-up, dolloped with cream, or à la mode, these slices tempt. Petra Paredez has penned a book for enthusiasts of pies both sweet and savory, bakers both casual and comfortable, and anyone else who may be pie-curious. The book educates and inspires, providing detailed tutorials and twists on familiar classics. It also encourages its readers to think about pie's culinary history.
© Victor GarzonPetra "Petee" Paredez is the head baker and co-owner of Manhattan's famed Petee's Pie Company.
Pies are practically baked into Paredez's DNA. Growing up in her family's pie business, the Virginia-based Mom's Apple Pie Company, her parents instilled in her a passion for local, organic, and quality ingredients. It's this same sensibility that makes Paredez a gracious and generous storyteller who acknowledges the labor-intensive process of pie baking while expressing gratitude for all those who contribute to that process. As the co-owner and head baker of her eponymous New York pie shop, Petee's-considered by many to be one of the city's finest-she has developed a particular soft spot for New Yorkers who are more inclined to embrace taste and quality of ingredients over fads and gimmicks. With a nod to agriculture, farmers, her dedicated staff, and loyal customers, the pages reflect the author's devotion and work ethic.
© Victor GarzonThe retro Nesselrode Pie, which is filled with chestnut chiffon and topped with chocolate and macerated cherries, is one of the most visually arresting recipes in Paredez's book-but it doesn't just look good. Read more about it here.
Our recent conversation provided an opportunity to discuss the changing face of pie.
EG: You mention in the introduction, "Making pie is an inherently generous act, because pie is a dish meant to be shared." Why do you think we've gained an even deeper appreciation for pie?
PP: I think that in these times, the communal nature of being able to share something that was made for a group, when we can't be with all of our loved ones, feels extra special. The way we use our time is a bit different, and we're all a little more homebound. We want to use our time in ways that are meaningful to us. Making something to share with somebody is very meaningful.
EG: How were you able to step away from the day-to-day running of the bakery and write the book?
PP: We have some amazingly talented people that work with us. Our photographer [Victor Garzon] once worked for us as a barista. The reason the photography looks so natural and real is because it is natural and real. It was shot mostly in daylight. Most of it was not styled; I traveled to upstate New York to visit friends, tested [the pies] by baking in [their] home ovens, and then we shot up there. So it sort of happened in a very organic way over a year or so. I thought that my husband, [Robert] and I would be co-writing it [laughs]. But he stayed super busy with the day-to-day operations of the business. Maybe he just secretly knew that I could do it.
© Provided by SaveurThe retro Nesselrode Pie, which is filled with chestnut chiffon and topped with chocolate and macerated cherries, is one of the most visually arresting recipes in Paredez's book-but it doesn't just look good. Read more about it here .
EG: Was there anything that surprised you when you saw the completed work?
PP: The beginning of the book, where it's more writing heavy, is what I'm most proud of. It's what sort of taught me that I had a reason to write a cookbook. When you spend so much of your life surrounded by this one thing, this one culinary object, you want to make meaning out of it; you want to connect your personal history to its vaster history. And that's what I did in the course of making the book.
EG: When I mention your shop, the usual response is, "I love Petee's! Have you had the Salty Chocolate Chess Pie?" It's legendary.
PP: A lot of people who are Petee's fans-our regulars-when they get this book, that pie is the one. My dad made a chocolate chess pie when I was little. I adapted his recipe to make it a little less sweet, and I added a little saltiness because salt and chocolate just go really nicely together. It was one of four or five flavors that we started with before we opened our shop. Robert and I were working overnight shifts and then selling pies at the Hester Street Fair the next day. It was something that made "real" the wonderful adventure of a New York palate because people would say, "Oh, I'll have the salty chocolate chess," and then they would buy it and then say, "Okay-what is it?" It just looked good, and they wanted to try it. And then they would want the education after.
EG: As a mother you're not supposed to have a favorite child, but as a baker, do you have a favorite pie?
PP: It might be the coconut custard because it's something that I can enjoy, really, at any time of year. It's such a comfort food, and it ties together these different parts of my life. When I was little, my step-grandmother took care of me a lot, and we enjoyed so many coconuts together. My dad made a coconut-chocolate chess pie, and I loved it. And [coconut custard] was one of the first pie flavors I offered at Hester Street Fair. It's just a flavor I come back to again and again.
EG: Are there any holiday traditions or flavors that you hold dear?
PP: There are two things that are special this time of year and that I keep around for sentimental reasons. One of them is mince pie. I use spiced brown butter instead of suet or vegetarian suet. When we had Christmas with my mom and her dad, that pie was always on the table. As a kid, the flavors of mince pie are too intense, but I acquired the taste for it, and now those flavors really hit the spot in wintertime. The other is julekake, a Norwegian Christmas bread. My maternal grandmother's side of the family is Norwegian, and my great aunt gave me a recipe when I was in the sixth grade. It's really delicious and sometimes I just slice and toast it; or sometimes I soak julekake cubes in our custard pie filling and turn it into a bread pudding. It's so, so good.
EG: In the book, you suggest that, despite living in a "highly visual age," we should concern ourselves most importantly with how a pie tastes. You go on to say, "flavor and texture will trump presentation and innovation every time." What do you mean by that?
PP: If you don't have a really excellent buttery crust and you don't have balanced fillings, it doesn't matter what sort of interesting flavor combinations or decorative aspects you're using. I am always going to value a pie that tastes and feels great, that has a great texture and great flavor. Those are the values that I hold higher than the others. Even if it doesn't look perfect, it can still look delicious.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.