Punishment Pie

Today, I dutifully worked away in the kitchen, working culinary wonders to transform the fresh rhubarb from Genevieve into delicious rhubarb custard pies. Four of them.

Now, I don't bake very often. (That's a bad sign.) It's not that I can't, but I find it tedious to follow an exact list of ingredients, in exact proportions. (That's a bad sign too.) I love to cook, where I often add a little of this and a little of that. All that being said, I was very proud of the fact that I was not just going to make one pie, but I thought I'd use up all the rhubarb and make extra pies - one for Mark for celebrating Father's Day, one for the freezer, one for the neighbour who resodded our dilapidated lawn, and one for our friends, the Windsors. There, four pies.

When it comes to baking, I rely heavily on trusted sources. People I know can bake... and I've tasted their recipe before. Mum's recipe for apple bundt cake can't be beat for a delicious, not-too-sweet dessert, that begs for french vanilla ice cream. She also passed on her recipe for brownies, which I must say, cannot be beat. There is not a better recipe out there for brownies. Stop looking. I have it... well, Mum gave it to me. My other trusted source is my mom. Pineapple squares, rice pudding, and rhubarb pie are her classics. I look forward to this time of year when summer begins because it means I can pull out my recipe box and dig for the rhubarb custard pie recipe, made with Bride's pastry, which has been passed down for generations of Newfoundland brides, one to another. Thus, I've learned to make amazing pie crust. I don't mind tooting my own horn. Well, you know how it goes... pride goeth before the fall.

We had homemade pizza for supper tonight - yummo! The house had been filled with aroma of baking for a while, and we were all so anxious to get to dessert. However, in the midst of getting it ready, the kids got into a bit of a row and it was Time Out on the Naughty Spot. Once the episode was over, we all regrouped around the table. The suspense was too much. Hannah dug in first...

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!! This is too spicey!!!"

I took a bite... it took 45 minutes for my face to unpucker and come out of its contortions. It was obvious that I had forgotten to add something... sugar. After diligently chopping 16 cups of rhubarb, 4 cups of strawberries... beating 12 eggs... grating fresh nutmeg... adding a bit of flour... I neglected to add even a speck of sugar.

We peeled back the top crust of our pies and sprinkled a spoonful of sugar, much like Mary Poppins, to help the pie go down.

Mark's brilliant comment: "Hey, instead of the Naughty Spot, you could just make the kids eat the pie!" Yeah, thanks.

So now, I have 3 pies for the freezer...

I give up.