November 5, 2012

pie party potluck live 2012

events, gluten free, New York, nuts, pies/tarts
pie party potluck live 2012

Thursday morning, October 25, 2012–Before Hurricane Sandy when we had lighter challenges in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

That morning, I packed all the necessary items for the Pie Party–place cards, my origami stands, camera, etc. The last task was figuring out a way to safely transport my pies. It should have been easy enough.

After a twirl around NY Cake and Baking Co., I decided that none of its boxes would work, so I went home to devise a custom case to deliver my babies to the event. The sparkly display stand for my somewhat delicate Cranberry Walnut Tart also provided secure transport to keep the tart from flipping over.

This is the 2nd Pie Party Potluck Live that Jackie and I hosted. Last year, we barely got the chance to taste all the creations. This year, we vowed to do better, but even with my best effort, I couldn’t get to every one of them. For everything I did taste, I was overwhelmed by the quality and inventiveness of the savory and sweet  creations.

The vibe of this year’s event was more formal than last year, partly given the party was held at the stunning GE Monogram Design Center. Not only did GE lend the space as the backdrop for the pie parade, but it also provided h’ordeuvres, wine, cheese and even a demo on how to make pie dough.

Though we didn’t get to eat any Kerrygold butter, Chef Tageré Southwell demonstrated the advantage of using it in her pie dough. She professed that, like the leprechauns, the company must possess magical powers to produce a butter that made rolling pie dough a cinch–and one without cracks.

Additional libations were served courtesy of Smirnoff. I had the pleasure to create two cocktails based on their new vodkas, Iced Cake and Kissed Caramel. The cocktails were of course pie inspired–Coconut Cream Pie and Caramel Apple Pie.

Gareth, owner of Dub Pies, handed out bite-size pies during cocktail hours so attendees wouldn’t be hungry while watching the growing number of pies attendees brought. Everyone took home two frozen Dub pies.

Thanks to Harvard Common Press for its ongoing support of the food blogger community.

Pie Parade

* full list of the pie parade

Like any such event, planning gives you expectations, but the occasion itself provides the vividness and sensory overload. Thanks to Abbey Dodge for donating copies of her new book, Mini treats and Hand-Held Sweets, from Taunton Press. I want to especially thank all the attendees, volunteers, sponsors, and mostly Jackie for being part of this food blogger community event.

Until next year, keep the good dough roll.

events, gluten free, New York, nuts, pies/tarts
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