The Pie Party

This past weekend, my friend hosted a pie party.  "What is a pie party?" you may ask.  It's really not complicated.  You make a pie and you take it to a party.  But, wait.  There's a little more than that.

When you get to the party, you oooh and ahhhh over all the other pies because they are beautiful and scrumptious-looking and they make you hungry even though you just ate lunch.  You hug the friends you haven't seen in awhile and you get introduced to new ones.

You sit on the back porch with your back to the warm sun and talk about blogs and chimneys and chickens and having babies.  You let a sweet little boy you don't know take your finger and lead you inside to help him find the toys and then coax him outside with said toys so you can continue visiting with the grown ups.  You take pictures of the pies and you wear a party hat because Mavis is there, too.

Then, when you think it just can't get any better, you get to eat pie.

 

And you rave about the pies and you ask questions like, "Who made this peanut butter pie?" while you smack your lips and "Did you really bake this delicious grape pie on your stove top?" She did.

 

You sit at the table or stand against the counter or in the rocking chairs or on the sofa in clusters of two or more and you talk about life- kids, jobs, homeschooling, gardens, gluten intolerance and tank tops that help hold in that baby belly.

 

You go back to the island to try more pies because they all look so good and your plate somehow is empty.  Again.

Then, as the sun starts sinking and more candles are lit, you thank your gracious hostess, say your goodbyes and gather up your things (including two tiny slices of red raspberry pie that you know your dear husband at home will be grateful for) and drive away down winding roads high on sugar and the love of friends.

Now that, my dears, is a pie party.

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Red Raspberry Pie (I consider this my mom's recipe, but she found it in The Woman's Day Encyclopedia, Volume 10 from 1966.)
Makes one 9-inch pie. 

6 cups red raspberries (fresh work best, but I made this last pie with frozen berries that I let thaw in the fridge overnight so they retained their shape mostly)
water
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
dash of salt
9-inch pie crust, baked and cooled
whipped cream and a handful of fresh red raspberries (if you have) for garnish

Mash two cups of the red raspberries and push them through a sieve.  Add water to the juice to make 1 1/2 cups.  Set aside.  In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Add raspberry juice.  Cook, stirring constantly over medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until mixture becomes thick and bubbly.  Cool to almost room temperature.  When it's cooled, place the remaining four cups of raspberries in the baked pie crust.  Pour juice mixture over the berries and chill the pie.  Garnish before serving.

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