Balsamic Reductions

As soon as Where Women Cook posted their contest for a pieography – your life explained in a pie, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. After walking around with this analogy in my head for a couple weeks here are a few things I know for certain:

My life is not a pie as much as a rustic tart, a little bit messy and definitely not put together around the edges. I’ve been self-employed for a decade as a creative professional. It has not been an easy path, but my dreams have always been worth craving. So I’d probably put all kinds of things in there that might not seem at first like they would work in a pie – fresh herbs, blue cheese, pistachios, nutmeg… I always have faith that even if a recipe gets really out of hand there is still a creative way to bring it back together.

My family has gone through a lot of hard times over the years and, to be honest, my life is more savory than sweet. In the past two years I’ve moved to a new city and had to keep two jobs at times just to keep my head above water, but hard times don’t sour life, they build us up, they make us stronger, and in the end they bring the zest and spice to the story we live. Even when there are moments of tartness there is something always sweet to smile about.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that, every bite should be different than the last. Life was never meant to be boring. There are definitely some nuts in there.

I’ve been pursuing the life I’ve always dreamed of. This past year hasn’t always been pretty, but it’s been flavorful, satisfying and at the end of things it’s definitely been worth repeating.

My Savory Apple Tart

The Method

Dough for a single butter pie crust

1/2 cup pistachios (chopped)

1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

1+ tablespoon fresh thyme

1 1/2 Tbsp honey

2 large granny smith apples (peeled and chopped)

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

freshly grated nutmeg

¼ tsp each salt + pepper

The Madness

Toss together everything but the pastry dough in a medium sized bowl. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap while you prepare the crust.

Roll out your dough in a circle and place it on a rimmed baking sheet (in case the whole thing leaks during baking). Mound the filling in the middle of your crust and start spreading it out evenly to 1 ½ “ from the edge. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour until the crust is nicely browned. If it looks like the pistachios are getting too toasted you can put foil over the center.

Remove from over and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving. Finish with a balsamic reduction drizzled over each piece.

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