Comfort Pies

I have made many pies during the past three years. Some, like lavender honey custard pie, are special, succulent treats that I eagerly anticipate eating. Others, like gingersnap pumpkin, are perfect holiday desserts. Then there are those pies that I make often that are "comfort pies". Like the term "comfort food", these pies just make one feel better under any circumstances. Recently, I made several of these for friends and self, and have decided that they are my "go to" pies for any occasion.

"Lemon Lime Chess Pie" is a favorite of my friend, Ellen. This recipe, by local author Ashley English,  combines both lemon and lime to create a tart/sweet combination. I like to make this pie in summer, as it has a refreshing taste that works well as a light dessert. But it can be made during any season of the year, because lemons and limes are easy to find. The only difficult part of making this pie is grating the lemon and lime zest, but the zest is what enhances these citrus flavors.

Chocolate is arguably one of the most popular comfort foods of all time, and that is why I consider the "Malted Chocolate Pecan Pie" to be a comfort inducing food. This recipe comes from the Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book by sisters Emily and Melissa Elsen. I have made this pie many times, and most people appreciate this unusual take on a traditional pecan pie. Unlike the ultra sweet pecan pie that I grew up with, this one uses chocolate and barley malt syrup instead of corn syrup. I recently made this pie for a friend and his wife. They liked the pie, and also came up with the perfect topping: Breyer's Vanilla Ice Cream, another great comfort food! This is definitely an improvement on the whipped cream or topping that I had previous used on this pie!

Blueberry pies and cobblers were favorites of mine as a child. I was anxious to try the Elsen sisters' version of blueberry pie, called "Lavender Blueberry Pie". The two interesting ingredients in their recipe are a few drops of lavender oil, and ground arrowroot. Arrowroot is a substitute for corn starch and I like it better for the reason that it doesn't overly thicken the sweet blueberry juice. Another essential part of this recipe is the butter crust, which adds to the pie's tastiness.. I made this pie to share with several friends. Using Breyer's Vanilla ice cream again as an accompaniment, the blueberry pie was a hit.

Other pies that I consider comfort pies are bourbon pear pie, salted caramel apple pie, and peach pie. These pies will never fail you. After making pies for friends, I decided that I needed a comfort pie of my own. I just made another lavender blueberry pie for Rich and me. I can say that I have received great comfort from this pie!