Delectable Plum Pie

Thanks to some righteous summer rainstorms last night and few drizzles this afternoon,  the heat was turned down some over the Salt Lake valley, which means I have energy for a blog post.

I like to dabble in baking.  Baking to me is very satisfying.  The ingredients, the process,  the product - sometimes even more so the process than the product.  I revel in the feeling of making things, and I especially like the feeling of doing it all from scratch as much as possible.  I've also been reading a lot of the Anne of Green Gables series, which includes a lot of good old-fashioned homey goodness, like baking.  So I just couldn't resist myself when I saw the plums at the grocery store. 

I'm not usually a plum person.  Growing up we had a teeny plum tree in our yard that produced very small, very sour plums (that we ate all the time anyway).   But I've always loved the idea of plums.  I don't know, I just like that they exist.  They always sound so yummy when other people talk about them.  Especially when paired with baking.  I've actually been longing to make something using plums ever since I saw Amelie, where she makes her "famous plum cake" or whatever it was.

I found a recipe for plum pie, as well as one for a basic flaky pie crust, and threw it all together one night.  It was my first pie.  Pies have always scared me off because they seemed so unattainable.  I was sure I could never produce a satisfactory crust and honestly, I've never been a real lover of pie.  Pumpkin pie, sure, and even peach or apple pie when the occasion presents itself.  But I've never gone out of my way to eat pie.  Imagine my surprise when I found myself thoroughly enjoying the process of making one.  I felt connected to bakers of a past era, where people made pies before breakfast - and then made breakfast.  (And then knit something, embroidered something, gardened, scrubbed their floors and then made dinner, and not only for special occasions.) 

Anyway, this pie was amazing.  I have a newfound love for plums, pie, and have rekindled my baking mojo.  Also, I'm proud to have a new go-to recipe for when I have to bring a desert to a family function or what-not.  It was surprisingly easy, and the crust came out pleasantly flaky, which is what I presume is a defining factor for good pie crust.

In the oven right now?  Apricot pie.  :)