Kate McDermott learned to bake at her grandmother's elbow, watching "Geeg" as she mixed, whipped and rolled her famous lemon meringue pie, but it wasn't until 20 years ago that she was really bitten by the pie bug, falling down an experimental rabbit hole of "what makes a really good crust," sometimes making up to five iterations in a single day.
All that experimentation led to 2016's "Art of the Pie," a guide that reminds bakers to, "Keep everything chilled. Especially yourself." This October, her second pie cookbook, titled "Pie Camp," will be released.
McDermott said research for the book had her back in the kitchen, up to her elbows in dough and fillings, right back to that discovery phase, sometimes making five pies a day.
"And I'm not tired of it yet. I learn something new every time I make a pie. It's something that it would take more than a lifetime to know everything," McDermott said during a recent phone call from her pie cottage in Port Angeles, Washington.
As in "Art of the Pie," readers have McDermott's assured voice guiding them through everything, from how to peel a ripe peach and how to achieve the perfect crimps, flutes and edges, to how to use fruit powder and why you should make a vinegar pie.
The tagline for "Pie Camp" is, "the skills you need to make any pie you want," laying the groundwork from crust on up - including gluten-free options. These pies have a certain timeless quality to them, and the book dedicates space to chiffons, meringues and layered pies - ones where you can mix and match cremes and meringues and layers of fruit with a variety of crusts.
There's also a section on what McDermott calls "Kitchen Cupboard pies."
"These are ones that right now, during this time of COVID, when we're really pulling back into our homes, that our great-grandmothers would've made just with whatever ingredients they had on hand," she said. Like a recipe for Transparent Pie, which calls simply for dough, egg yolks, sugar, butter, milk and a little lemon zest.
Personal anecdotes are sprinkled here and there like sugar: stories of McDermott's beloved Geeg, the history of a technique, recipes shared from dear friends. The afterword includes an incredible story of McDermott's connection with her sister Helen, whom she didn't meet until both women were well into adulthood.
The thread that runs through the entire book is joy - the joy that baking can bring, and the joy that comes from eating and sharing pie with friends, family or even your postal worker on a snowy day.
McDermott said that idea of joy has felt especially important since the coronavirus pandemic began to take hold of the nation in late February.
"I think pie is still one of those things (that brings us joy). It has survived plagues before. Pie doesn't care whether it's fancy or basic. It says, 'I'm still here to nourish you, mind, body and soul.'"
The pandemic means this book launch will look a bit different, in that events and her popular pie workshops will take place virtually. But there is a silver lining.
"I love it because (virtual events) can bring my pie work to a larger audience in smaller venues, and these are the backbone of who is baking and cooking. It's so wonderful for independent, small bookstores," McDermott said. "Pie Camp" is scheduled for release Oct. 6. Check artofthepie.com for virtual event dates and information on purchasing signed copies of the book.