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Bloggers host potluck with pie ahead of SafePlace benefit at Drafthouse
If you’ve ever seen the movie “Waitress,” you know the power of pie.
The 2007 movie starring Keri Russell tells the story of a waitress at a cafe who happens to make some of the best pies the customers have ever had. She’s always wanted to open her own pie shop, but she finds herself pregnant with an abusive husband and little hope that she could actually pull it off.
Inspired by the movie — which had its own off-screen tragedy when Adrienne Shelly, the film’s director and screenwriter who also starred in the movie, , was killed after filming the movie, leaving behind a young daughter — the Austin Food Blogger Alliance has created a two-part event to benefit SafePlace, the Austin organization that provides assistance to people and families dealing with sexual and domestic violence.
The first half of the SafePlace fundraiser was a pie luck last weekend at House Wine. A few dozen bloggers brought pies to share with others and enter in a pie contest. (I made a cherry galette, recipe below, with a wordy titled inspired by the main character, Jenna, in the movie.)
The second half of the event is a screening of “Waitress” at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar Boulevard at 1 p.m. on Aug. 21. The winning pie — a pecan pie from Cooking For Engineers blogger Michael Chu — will be served during the film, and local bakeries are donating pies that we’ll be selling after the show. Proceeds from ticket and pie sales will go directly to SafePlace, which last year fielded more than 12,000 calls from people, mostly women, in need of help.
You can buy tickets to the movie through the Drafthouse’s website, and if you can’t make the movie, you can still make a donation directly to SafePlace through their website.
Philanthropy projects like this one are at the heart of why my fellow Austin food bloggers and I created this alliance in the first place. There are almost 300 food blogs in Austin, and it only makes sense that we use our group to raise awareness and money for community organizations like SafePlace to help them do more good work.
Without The Pits, Life Ain’t A Bowl Of Cherries Cherry Galette
2 3/4 cups flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. butter (I used salted, but if you use unsalted, increase the amount of salt by 1/2 tsp.)
7 Tbsp. ice water
5 cups pitted cherries
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 eggs, beaten
Pulse flour, sugar and salt together in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add water slowly while pulsing and combine just until dough holds together when pinched. It should still be crumbly at this point.
Turn dough out on clean countertop. Knead as few times as possible to bring the dough together. Divide in half. Lay out two pieces of parchment paper and press each section of dough into thick discs on top of each piece of parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment on top and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or in the freezer for 30 minutes).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove dough and let sit for five minutes. Start with one disc and remove the top layer of parchment. Slowly roll out the dough from the center until the circle is about 12 inches in diameter.
Mix cherries with sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch.
Place dough on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place between 1 1/2 and 2 cups of cherry mixture in the center and spread cherries out to form a single layer that leaves about 1 1/2 inches of dough around the outside. Fold dough over the edges and brush with beaten egg. Repeat with second dough and the rest of the cherries. (You might not use all the cherries, depending on how big your galette is.)
Bake for at least an hour or up to an hour an a half until galettes are golden brown on the edges and filling is bubbly. Eat one and share the other with someone who could use a sweet treat to make them forget about life’s pits.
— Adapted from a recipe in “Martha Stewart’s Cooking School” (Clarkson Potter, 2008)
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Bloggerly love, Desserts
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By Ann
August 3, 2011 3:11 PM | Link to this
Way cool. Hope you do other contests: ie cream brulee (the movie with Aimee in it…), chili etc…