Butter vs. Lard

So there was another pie thunderdome at work.  This time it was a fat fight -- lard vs. butter.

It's kind of hard to have a taste test when you have an ingredient that's neither vegetarian or kosher.

For those willing to go in blind, though, lard was the winner. There's definitely a flavor difference that's almost savory.

However, if you were to go strickly on consumption, the butter pie went first.  Again, though, those findings could be considered skewed based on diet limitations.

#21: Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

My Dad's favorite pie was Strawberry Rhubarb.  It was a love that my sister and I just didn't understand. Rhubarb doesn't grow like crazy in So Cal so it was just this weird fruit (vegetable?).

I wish I had thought to ask him about it while he was still alive but I'm going to guess that, growing up in Indiana, it was readily available for dessert, especially in post-depression America.

Well, it finally took this pie project for me to connect with my father via his favorite pie.

Ultimately, this pie is a little tart for my liking.  (I blame my sweet tooth.)  However, as I ate it -- served in a bowl of milk (as my Dad liked it) -- I couldn't help but think of him and smile.

#20: Sweet Cherry Pie

Maybe this is a West Coast thing but I've never seen fresh tart cherries in the market.

That said, I decided to do this Sweet Cherry Pie recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

For the most part, the hardest thing about this recipe is pitting the cherries and that's mainly because you want to make sure you remove the pit.  (No one wants to be know for baking a pie that caused emergency dental work.)

The end result was delicious.  A great pie for a when company comes over.  You definitely won't have any leftovers.

#19: Macaroni And Cheese Pie With A Bacon Lattice

So this week I asked my son to suggest a pie for this week. ''Pick your favorite food and we'll make it into a pie.'' To which he responded, '' Macaroni!''

Yes, he's 8.

But I accepted his challenge and found this recipe for Macaroni And Cheese Pie With A Bacon Lattice.

So this recipe is full of cooking techniques that I've never done before and found a tad stressful.  (Dairy on a stove always makes me nervous.)  But I had all my ingredients lined up so...aside from burning my first attempt at roux...things went fine.  I mean, everything on this pie is pretty much pre-cooked so baking is really just cooking the bacon in the oven.

Each slice is pretty much a meal in itself.  (Really, you're look about 600-700 calories per slice.)  I served it with a salad but that was just to make feel less guilty about the meal.

Actually, if the calories don't bother you then I would suggest serving this with some Marinara or Bolognese Sauce.  For me, the tomato sauce paired well with all that cheese.

#18: Gretchen's Creamy Apple Pie

For this week's pie I didn't want to go shopping so I looked around my house and saw a pile of apples.  As you know, I've already done a couple apple pies so I wasn't sure where I could go with them.  That's when I turned to my trusty ''The Old-Fashioned Cookbook'' by Jan McBride Carlton and found Gretchen's Creamy Apple Pie.

Now I have no idea who Gretchen is.  No anecdotes are shared in the cookbook regarding this recipe.  However, if she's anything like her pie, she's weird but super sweet...and definitely not presentable to company.

Not only was the pie super good, it was surprisingly very easy.  (Yes, I even let my little one help out.)  You basically whisk a flavored whipped cream and spread it over an apple-lined pie tin.  The outside of the cream will crisp -- sort of like a meringue but it doesn't hold it shape as well.

The final result is delicious and goes well with whipped cream -- just in case you really need to serve this to guests.