Pie of the Month -- April!

Last week we invited my lovely cousin Stephanie over for Andy's Green Chili Stew as well as her new "friend" Scott and his almost 5 year old daughter Sylvie - the perfect opportunity to try out my mom's recipe for Lemon Chess Pie (which she actually got from one of her friends but I can't remember who so as far as we're concerned it's just Grammary's pie recipe.) I was considering trying it out for my Spring menu at the restaurant but I ended up with another rhubarb dessert that turned out great too - I'll share that one later. But back to our Chess Pie. It was awesome; we devoured it! I think Scott ate four pieces, but who's counting? And the rhubarb was an excellent accompaniment - so fresh and tart, yet earthy mmmmm mm!

Lemon Chess Pie

• 9 " unbaked pie crust
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 TBS all purpose flour
• 1 TBS cornmeal
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 4 oz melted butter
• 2 TBS lemon zest
• 1/3 cup lemon juice

Combine all ingredients and pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake for 50
-60 minutes until set. Best served at room temperature.

My pie took the full hour of baking time and although it is set, it will still jiggle a bit. The top should be nicely browned and it's nice to have a glass pie plate so you can see that the crust has browned as well. Definitely dish it out at room temp - I thought my leftovers got a little too sticky in the fridge and the cold makes it lose it's comforting quality.

And please try the compote if you can find some really good rhubarb. It would also be delicious with any fruit that you enjoy with something lemony.

Vanilla Bean Poached Rhubarb

• 4 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• zest of 1/2 orange
• 1 cup water

In a small sauce pan, combine the sugar, vanilla bean, orange zest,
and water. Bring to a boil and immediately toss in the rhubarb. Lower the heat
to a simmer and cook rhubarb until it is just tender but still retains its
shape. Remove the rhubarb from the pan with a slotted spoon and allow to cool.
Reduce the leftover syrup until it thickens slightly. Cool the syrup and then
pour over rhubarb.

Hope everyone likes this one! Thanks for being patient with me this month - we've had alot going on. Feels good to be writing again, though. And thank you for your thoughtful comments about Lu dog. Feels strange to not have her lying out in the grass while we were playing just now. Finn, without saying a word about it, has started carting around all the doggy stuffed animals we have. Funny how kids have their own way of expressing themselves.