Tuesday 3 July 2012

Finding true love ... in Williamsford.

I think good ol' Lord Tennyson said it best ... "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."  *sniff*  A tear forms in the corner or my eye ...

This ... dear friends, summarizes perfectly, how I feel about the lemon buttermilk raspberry pie from The Williamsford Pie Company.  Let me explain ...

My partner comes from a family where there is NO other dessert MORE FANTASTIC ... than pie.  Fruit pie.  The first order of business before any family get-together is "who is bringing the pie?". Then "has the pie arrived?"  Followed by stimulating discussions about "what kind of pies" are available.  And "who will be having what?", "when?" and "how many slices?"

They are, in a way, obsessed.  (As my side of the family is with chips and french fries.  But that is a separate post altogether ...)

After the first few family gatherings I realized that while I always fancied myself rather fond of a good fruit pie, there stirred deep within me, a sudden yearning for fruit pie.  I began to judge (rather harshly) "the bad pies" (TOO JAMMY!  SOGGY CRUST!), "the mediocre pies" (the ones you wouldn't go out of your way to buy, but since they're here, you might as well have 3 or 4 slices), "the good pies" (these got a few ooohs and aaaahhhs) and then ... as though posessed, we began the hunt for "fruit pie nirvana". 

Does it even exist? 


We've found some REALLY GOOD fruit pies at the local farmers markets in Burlington, Creemore, St. Jacobs ... but we always felt as though we shouldn't settle ... never give up!!!  That is, until one day, many summers ago when we found the ever elusive perfect-pie. 

I imagine 'this feeling' is shared only by great explorers discovering new lands.  By poets, inspired by their perfect muse.  A kitten, finding the perfect sunbeam in which to nap.

I digress ....

We try to make the journey to Williamsford as often as possible when we're "up north". Choosing what kind of pie to bring home verges on impossible.  We can almost taste the blueberries, strawberries or cherries as we get closer and closer to the ordering counter ... we begin to dream ...

The crust?  Flakey.  Perfectly-imperfectly formed. Golden.  But not TOO golden. Tasting much like angels dancing skillfully across your palate. 

The filling?  Fruit.  And I'm talking serious fruit.  No jam-glue holding flimsy and soggy pieces of last years freezer-burnt remains.  No ... this ... this was pure fruit.  Sweetened only by unicorn kisses and rainbows (at least that's how I imagine the recipe reads).

The wonderfully friendly girls at the counter hand out warm boxes "just out of the oven". 

This weekend we heard "would you like to try our lemon buttermilk raspberry pie?" 

My heart, skipped a beat.  Those of you who know about my lemon-obsession know how my eyes must have widened.  I GRASPED my partners arm, digging my finger nails deeply into his flesh.  He withstood the pain.  Lemon AND fruit together at last.  No words were spoken.  The tension was far too much to handle.  Please, if there is a God, let them have one of those left for US!!!

Time passes.  The seconds tick by like hours.  We reach the counter.  The pie changes hands.

With the transaction complete we skip back to our car breathless (breathless 'cause we RAN toward the store, trampling people who tried to get in front of us for fear that they may buy "the last pie" of the day!)

Upon returning to our cottage, we place the box carefully on the counter.  Slowly, we open the box.  The smell of warm-sweet-lemon fills the air. 

My partner gasps - "it's just beautiful." 

His words quiver and I fear he's going to succumb to tears. 

With little hesitation ... we split!  One heads for the plates and forks, one heads for the pie-slicing-thing-a-ma-jig.  We return to the pie, gaze lovingly at it (I imagine this is how people feel about seeing their child for the first time ... although on some level, I think their experience pales in comparison to the VISION OF BEAUTY that is THIS PIE!)

The crust flaked sending shards of heavenly pastry flying.
The lemon buttermilk filling oozed like sweet custard.
The raspberries revealed themselves one juicy nugget at a time.

The restraint we showed at stopping at one piece each was remarkable.  Somehow we made the pie last 3 days.  And ... on the last day, when the tin foil pan made its way to the recycle bin, we paused.  Holding back the tears that clouded our eyes.  The pie, would soon be gone.  Forever.  We wondered ... is it better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all?

Oh.  Hell.  Yes.

So, dear readers, drop whatever you're doing and drive as quickly (albeit safely) as you can to Williamsford.  Go now.  Go quickly.  Don't look back.  And let's be honest buy two pies, one to eat immediately, and one to bring home.  I hope you find YOUR true love, in Williamsford.  Oh and if you want to bring one back to Burlington for me I'll pay you back.

Lemon buttermilk raspberry pie - Williamsford Pie Company
 

10 comments:

  1. Mr. Schmorge S. Borg3 July 2012 at 15:01

    Oh great. Wonderful. Lovely. Nice going. Rich. Fine. Now how the hell am I gonna get any work done with PIE on my mind. You just HAD to describe every tantalizing aspect of the slice o'heaven. Next time we see you, there better be a pie in one hand!!! Our fav pie place has been http://www.rocktonberryfarm.com/ for a while but now I'm convinced there's a new contender in da howse... of pie, that is.

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    1. Forgive me ... I'm currently working thru the 5 stages of grief given the "loss of the pie".

      1. Denial - "no, no there HAS to be more pie in the kitchen ... this can't be happening!"

      2. Anger - "IF YOU HADN"T HAD SUCH A BIG SLICE WE'D STILL HAVE PIE RIGHT NOW!"

      3. Bargaining - "I'll give you a thousand bucks if you drive back up there and get more pie."

      4. Depression - I think I'm at this stage right now as I could barely get out of bed this morning from the overwhelming sense of loss. I've done little work today ... I feel so disconnected.

      Hoping to hit #5 - Acceptance - sometime tomorrow, but I'm not sure how long the 'depression' phase lasts.

      You know what would cheer me up? Williamsford Pie Company pie ... Mr. Schmorge S. Borg, if I give you some money ... damn it, I'm regressing ...

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    2. Mr. Schmorge S. Borg3 July 2012 at 15:19

      Bwahahaha.. that made my afternoon. I feel your "pieain". Get it?

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    3. :) http://www.sadtrombone.com/

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    4. Hey, short stack-this was a brutal and cruel post!!! I agree with Mr.S.S. Borg, too many details of how wonderful it all was. And that close-up of the pie?? C'mon. Next time you go there, pick up a pie for Mr. Borg and one for me! Or never speak of this pie again...;-)

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    5. When I asked DH what he wanted for dessert last night, he sighed ... a big old sigh ... "pie" he replied ... then sulked for a short period of time 'til presented with market-strawberries. He perked up a bit, but you could tell he was still hurting inside LOL

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  2. My niece owns this bakery. Do you know what it is like to sleep above the bakery and wake up to the smell of pies and fresh coffee. I should look like the good year blimp. It is the most amazing pie I have ever eaten. I tell people to close their eyes, open their windows and see if they can drive by without buying..yummm

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    1. If your neice owns this bakery ... then you just might be my new best friend! :) I cannot imagine living above this place ... they would have to set traps and alarms to keep me from sneaking down the stairs at night and nibbling! Thanks for stopping by our blog :)

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    2. Hi there, yes she really is my niece. Her name is Laura. I stayed at her place a few times and the smell was ridiculous. I gained weight just smelling it. I will be going up there soon as I am moving south :( I will tell her about your blog and how much you love the place..and put in a good word for you. My name is Patsy by the way and I built the new website. I have a lot more photos to put up yet to make you drool.

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    3. Patsy, it is WONDERFUL to 'meet' you :)

      Loving the new website already and I'm excited to see the new photos! Keep us posted on your website updates 'cause we love foodie-photos! And more importantly, we love WPC :)

      Glad you stumbled upon our blog ... don't know how you found us, but REALLY glad you did. Keep in touch, and hopefully we'll see YOU in Williamsford soon. All the best, Jackie

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