Chapter Four: Food for Comfort

I've done a bit of work trying to make each recipe mean something in regards to the blog. I've talked about how crazy I was about starting it, dished on my past and present, and explored idioms of pie (something I've been cooking (har har) since I started thinking about this endeavor.) I've been coming up short on what to tie this week's pie to because, frankly, I'm feeling big emotions about the future.

I hope this will be my only comment of this nature in this forum. I don't believe this is a place to broadcast my political thoughts and feelings. Except for this one time. This time it can't be helped.

About six years ago when I was working in a coffee shop, one of my regulars, a police officer, said that he was an extraordinary profiler. I told him to prove it. He said that because of my profession (I was the manager), my strong ties to family (I was pregnant with our first child), and my attitude towards other customers he could surmise that I was a politically conservative Christian.

Well, I am Christian.

If people get to know me, especially lately, they would discover that I have very deep convictions that all people need to be treated equally without judgement of who they worship or love, no matter where they come from or what they look like. I think everyone should have access to quality healthcare, partially because I lived without it for several years even though I'm living with a time bomb. They would learn that I'm firmly pro-choice because no one has any right to dictate what a woman can do with her body. All this is to say, even if I'm registered Independent, I lean left.

So it should come as no surprise that on November 8th I was an anxious ball of nerves and November 9th dawned on a future I hadn't imagined. A friend consoled me by saying that the world hasn't burned yet for bad decisions made by voters, so I pulled myself together enough that I usually don't weep at the idea of the next four years. I am scared for myself and those around me. I'm scared that a large chunk of our society will be marginalized for gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation and that the strides our country has made for equal rights will be set back drastically.

On Friday, President Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States. I was at a loss if I should "celebrate" the Talking Yam with a sweet potato pie or ignore this event entirely and find an innocuous pie recipe to share while blogging about National Pie Day, which is today (I'll get back to that later, because this is more important in the now.) I've opted for neither. Now is the time for dissent to be heard, and so even if this is my only post about it, I will not sit by and let history be dictated for me. It is small and quiet, but I believe my voice matters and that I might be able to use it to do some good.

I also don't want to celebrate this man that weaseled his way into the nations greatest office through bullying and lies. So I'm choosing, this week, for comfort food. I'm opting to leave a sweet taste in my mouth after a weekend of bitter resentment at the American landscape. (As a side note, Saturday brought tears of hope as I watched protests worldwide.) I started searching the internet and my soul for what would bring me hope in this dark time.

Husband suggested sweet comfort in pie would be gooey. I started thinking that to capture my mood, it would need to be a pie that is equally delicious and fit to toss in a face. Here enters Christy Jordan at southernplate.com. She offers a recipe for a Caramel Banana Pie that I've adjusted and captures my mood perfectly. Go on over and read her blog. I especially loved the intermission.

Dear readers, few though you may be, I encourage you to make a stand. Make your voice heard and hold fast to your ground. One can not bring change, but many can change minds. Be sweet to one another even though we disagree, because we all want the same thing... a better world and a better tomorrow for ourselves and our children. Let's sit down at a common table and delight in the company of others. Over pie.



Rainy Day Comfort Pie

Shell:
1 1/2 ground pretzel crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 banana, sliced
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 can dulce de leche
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water

Make a chocolate ganache by pouring 1/2 cup heated heavy cream over chocolate chips to melt. Stir together and set aside to cool completely.

Preheat oven to 375º F. Combine the pretzel crumbs (I pulverized my pretzels in the food processor) with sugar and butter to mix well. Press evenly into an 8" pie pan and bake for 7 minutes. Cool completely.

Whip the cooled ganache until fluffy. Beat the salt into the dulce de leche. Spread the dulce de leche evenly in the bottom of the crust and arrange the sliced bananas on the caramel. Spread the ganache over the bananas and chill (the pie. You can chill for a moment too, but make sure the pie is sitting in a cold place.)

Bloom the gelatin by pouring over cold water. When it's bloomed it will feel spongy. Now it gets tricky. Whip together the remaining cream, sugar, and vanilla. Melt the gelatin over hot water (It'll look like watery gel when properly melted, but make sure not to overheat it.) Slowly pour the gelatin into the whipping cream. **Adding gelatin to whipped cream stabilizes it, to make sure it doesn't lose its whip over time. Since I'm not planning to eat this pie in one sitting, I'm stabilizing. If you will be sharing this pie and want to omit the gelatin, feel free to do so!** When your cream is whipped to soft to medium peaks, spread on top of your pie and enjoy!

What I learned from this pie:
I thought my challenge was going to come while I was attempting a wonderfully flaky crust. While I'm still working on perfection, the flaky crust is nothing compared to "graham cracker" crusting. It's apparent by how crumbly the sides ended up that i need to keep working on cracker crusts rather than doughs. Also, because the ganache hardens, I would make that the first layer after the crust to hold it all together a little better. Note: this pie is not for the diabetic or weak. This thing is so decadently sweet, the tooth fairy rolls her eyes. Because it's so sweet, the bananas are lost completely. Well, not completely. When I was eating it I kept having to remind myself that that weird texture was a slice of banana. All in all though, I really like this one. Once i get the kinks worked out, this is a winner.