To a lover of pies, every day is pie day. But to make the confection all the more special, the American Pie Council has dedicated Sunday to classic American pies and is asking cooks to show their appreciation to firefighters and police officers by making and taking a pie to your neighborhood fire hall or police station.
Sharing a favorite pie with the hero in your neighborhood or city is a fun, thoughtful way to recognize their service to your community, said Linda Hoskins, executive director of the American Pie Council.
"At a time when so much of our culture is impersonal and fast-paced, pie is a kind, meaningful gift that encourages us to take a break, linger at the kitchen table and savor the goodness of life," she said in a news release.
Bruce Garner, public information officer for the Chattanooga Fire Department, said it's not unheard of for folks to drop by with food for the firefighters.
"Every now and then someone will drop by a fire hall with food," he said. "Sometimes it's a business bringing in a bag of Krystals. Or maybe an individual will drop off a cake. But it's always a nice surprise. And I think they would really appreciate a good pie."
Garner said he would alert the fire halls that there may be some pies coming their way on Sunday for National Pie Day. And there are plenty of fire halls to go around - 18 in Chattanooga, not to mention the county's municipal and volunteer fire halls.
There's a recipe to make and take below. You might make two and keep one for yourself. I found it among a number of prize-winning recipes at www.piecouncil.com.
• • •
It's not too late to make reservations for Chattanooga Symphony & Opera's "Encore Evening in Provence" fundraiser featuring chef Daniel Hébet from Provence, France. Hébet, formerly chef at the renowned Hotel la Mirande in Avignon, now commands the kitchen as chef/owner of Le Jardin du Quai in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, a village in Provence that's one of the region's must-see places.
Hébet knows his stuff, according to provence-hideaway.com. His resume also includes training at Alain Ducasse's Three Star Louis XV restaurant in Monte Carlo and other establishments before going to Peru to be chef to the president. He was also awarded best pastry chef in France in 1996 and named Maitre de Cuisine in 2002.
It's quite an impressive list of accomplishments, so you know you'll be dining on some of the best, most-authentic French dinners to be found in the Scenic City on Friday evening, Jan. 28 at 212 Market. Hébet will be assisted by Susan Moses, chef/co-owner at 212, which has won its share of awards as well.
Dinner begins at 7 p.m. The CSO is requesting that reservations be made by Thursday. Tickets are $225 per person ($100 of which is tax-deductible). For reservations, call 267-8583, ext. 101.
• • •
Flutter Nutter Peanut Butter Candy Bar Pie
Crust:
12 peanut butter sandwich creme cookies, such as Nutter Butters
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Candy bar layer:
1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread, such as Nutella
8 miniature peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped
Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow cream
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
Garnish:
2 coarsely chopped peanut butter sandwich creme cookies
3 coarsely chopped miniature peanut butter cups
For the crust: Process the peanut butter sandwich creme cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs are formed. Add in melted butter and sugar, and process until blended, about 30 seconds. The mixture will resemble wet sand. Press mixture into a 9-inch pie plate that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
For the candy bar layer: Spread chocolate hazelnut spread on top of the crust, and sprinkle with the coarsely chopped miniature peanut butter cups.
For the filling: Blend the cream cheese, marshmallow cream and peanut butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in the whipped topping, and mix with an electric mixer until blended. Spoon the filling on top of the candy bar mixture and smooth out so that it is evenly distributed.
For the garnish: Sprinkle the remaining coarsely chopped peanut butter sandwich creme cookies and miniature peanut butter cups. Chill for a minimum of 2 hours. Makes 10 servings.