BAKING PIES WITH AUNTY IRIS

This past weekend, i had a wonderful time baking two pies with my Aunty Iris who resides in Mililani on Oahu. It was my Aunty who had given me her Custard Pie recipe which i later modified to create a Custard Pie that some of my customers says it is "The Best Ever". I named the Custard Pie after her. My Aunty is also my baking consultant. I've called her many times about baking issues and she has helped me to resolve based on her years of baking,

I decided to bake a Custard Pie and my newest pie creation, the Bre Bre Raspberry Cream Pie. One of the challenges I faced baking in a strange kitchen is not knowing where everything is and using a different oven that I'm not familiar with. I relied on my Aunty who is 73 years old to find the items that I needed for the baking. i was amazed how instinctively she knew where everything was, not only in the kitchen but two different storage space area in the house!

i demonstrated preparing the pie crust using my mom's Flaky Pie Crust recipe. While the pie dough was resting in the refrigerator for about an hour. We prepared the Rasphberry Sauce in a small sauce pan and set it aside to cool. We then prepared the cream filling and allowed it to chill in the refrigerator.

We then prepared the Custard Pie. I had given her a bottle of my homemade Vanilla Extract for her to use. We used the extract in making both pies with good results. After the Custard Pie was done, we worked on finishing up the Raspberry Cream Pie. My Aunty was amazed that the pie crust came out perfectly. It didn't burn at all.

My only regret is that my Mom wasn't here with us. She passed away in 1999, way before I discovered my talent for baking. I like to think her presence was with us in that kitchen on that day, guiding us to bake those perfect pies. Thank you Mom! My Aunty invited us over for dinner with her family. It was great seeing and sharing a meal with my cousins and their families. Everyone loved the pies. Thank you Aunty Iris for your support and help. It was truly a pleasure to bake with you. This was the first time ever that I got to bake something with you. I will always cherish this baking moment.