Since tomorrow is Pi Day, I thought it would be the perfect time to kick off my pastry-wrapped, sugar-laden pie project…
Waitress
For many people, the question ‘What is your favourite movie?’ is only ever answerable if taken to mean ‘what is your favourite movie at the moment?’. Our favourite movie is often a dynamic, ever-changing thing. I find myself guilty of this on occasion, because I adore a gazillion movies, from Wes Andreson’s The Royal Tenenbaums (or, okay, any Wes Anderson film) to (#throwback) 10 things I hate about you.
This is usually until I remember that nothing, nothing, can ever measure up to how much I love the late Adrienne Shelley’s Waitress. I wouldn’t be a true foodie if my favourite movie wasn’t an ode to some sort of baked good. If you haven’t watched Waitress yet, you need to. This delicious movie has it all… it’s romantic, it’s funny, it’s uplifting and, of course, it has got a whole lotta pie.
Waitress follows Jenna Hunterson, a young waitress-slash-pie-making-extraordinaire, who is stuck in an unhappy marriage and a dead-end job. An unwanted pregnancy is the cherry on the cake pie, and Jenna finds succour and solace in baking. So. Many. Pies.
Throughout the film, Jenna slips into whimsical daydreams of pies inspired by the turmoil of her daily life. She imagines brushing brandy onto the mottled-brown top of a new york-style cheesecake (Baby Screaming its Head Off in the middle of the night and Ruining My Life Pie). Or piling a whipped, cloud-like filling into a graham-cracker crust flecked with coconut (Marshmallow Mermaid Pie).
Plus, I hear it’s a Broadway musical now. Music and pie?!? I need to get myself on the first plane to New York.
Strawberry Oasis Pie
In a movie dedicated to beautiful, kooky pies, it is difficult to pick which one to tackle first. There are so many contenders for ‘top pie’, from the mundane-sounding spaghetti pie to the hilariously-named ‘I Can’t Have No Affair Because It’s Wrong & I Don’t Want Earl to Kill Me Pie’ (“Vanilla custard with banana. Hold the banana …”).
I eventually decided on Jenna’s Strawberry Oasis Pie. It was, I believe, the pivotal pie in the movie’s plotline – when Jenna realised just how much her pies could mean to someone.
“Just a pie! It’s downright expert. A thing’a beauty … how each flavor opens itself, one by one, like a chapter in a book. First, the flavor of an exotic spice hits ya … Just a hint of it … and then you get flooded with chocolate, dark and bittersweet like an old love affair. And finally strawberry, the way strawberry was always supposed to taste but never knew how.”
Old Joe’s declaration of love still leaves much of this pie up for interpretation. Perhaps the chocolate is in the crust, or folded into a mousse that forms a thick blanket over the strawberry filling, or a drizzle on top a strawberry compote. Maybe all three. This is my take on it – a vegan chocolate pie, with strawberries, but also so much more…
Not Just Any Vegan Chocolate Pie
My vegan chocolate pie/strawberry oasis pie starts off with a crisp cookie crust infused with cinnamon. A thick, nutmeg-laced chocolate mousse is spooned into the pie shell and slices of fresh, saccharine strawberries are assembled on top. If this doesn’t sound like a pie worthy of the beautiful monologue above, I don’t know what is.
Pie Love You
I will be working my way through the pies from Waitress, from ‘Old Joe’s Horny Past Pie’ to the enigmatically named ‘Car Radio Pie’. So watch this space. Till then, to quench your pie cravings, here is a personal favourite (non-waitress-inspired) pie of mine – Mango Meringue Pies.
(side note – HOW CUTE is this etsy print of the waitress pies?!?!)
p.s. If this is the first time you’re reading one of my recipes, the ingredients are separated out according to when you will use them. So don’t feel confused if you see butter listed twice! Just work your way down the list and you will know which quantity to use first.
- 1½ cups fine digestive biscuit crumbs (or graham crackers)
- 1 tbsp sugar, optional
- 4 tbsp coconut oil or vegan butter, melted
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ cup white or brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 2½ cups full fat coconut milk*
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips or a chopped up bar (150g)
- 1 punnet strawberries
- Preheat the oven to 170C, and grease and line the base of an 8-inch springform pan. In a large bowl, stir the digestive crumbs, sugar, coconut oil and cinnamon together. Press this well into the base of the prepared pan, forming an even layer. Bake for 7-10 minutes, then set aside to cool
- To make the mousse, mix the cocoa powder, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and spices together in a saucepan. Pour in the coconut milk, and whisk well until no lumps remain. Pout the pan over medium-high heat and cook, constantly stirring to prevent lumps from forming, until very thick and it is bubbling. Remove from the heat, and stir in the chocolate. Fold until all the chocolate is melted, then set this in the fridge to cool for about 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice your strawberries to top the pie.
- When the filling is cooler, pour it into the pan on top the cookie base. Top with the strawberry slices. Cool in the fridge for 2-4 hours, until firm, before removing from the pan to eat.
Gotta love a good, rich chocolate tart!
yay! me too 🙂