Eat Drink Man Woman Dogs Cat We All Eat – Why Not Eat Well?

I should be packing. We’re a few days away from moving home. In spite of boxes and painting projects, all the endless detail arrangements, I still don’t really believe. But every so often, I get close. Like the day I took the dogs over to play in the backyard and saw sheer joy in their body language.

Or when I realized that this week’s Tuesday with Dorie recipe, for Blueberry Nectarine pie, was contributed to the book and TV show by Leslie Mackie. It’s not only that Mackie is based here in Seattle, but her bakery is four blocks from my house. Macrina’s second location opened on McGraw Street in 2001. K.M. and I moved into the neighborhood in 2003.

For seven years, I bought Mackie’s bread, tarts and cakes, (and her book) because they are some of the best in my city and because the bakery itself is a wonderful neighbor. And this last year and a half during which I studiously avoided our neighborhood, except when necessary – to check on the storm drains or authorize some service for our tenants, inevitably I ended up with coffee and a morning roll from Macrina bakery. And a loaf of rye bread.

I was surprised to find that Mackie was featured on the Baking With Julia episode featuring tarts (part 1 and part 2) – not because her pastries aren’t something special – but rather because her specialty is bread. She opened Macrina after spending years baking at Grand Central – another pioneering bread bakery here in Seattle. I’m a sucker for nearly every variety of bread she bakes.

But I think I could get hooked on this pie too. I make my pie dough by hand (thanks to Kate McDermott), and I’m an all butter kinda girl. But I loved Mackie’s technique for pre-cooking the filling. The original recipie was for a blueberry nectarine pie, but since my CSA came through with blackberries and apricots last week, that’s what I used.

The filling held together beautifully – even though blackberry pie is notoriously runny, this one wasn’t.  I hope I get to try a slice of the original at Macrina one day.

I can’t help but feel as if this week’s Tuesday with Dorie selection was meant to be; an inevitable part of my homecoming. This pie is the last thing I’ll bake in our dark kitchen here in West Seattle. I’ll miss the proximity to the beach, but more how much more have I missed the light.

Don’t miss out on Mackie’s recipe, posted by our gracious hosts for the week, Hilary of Manchegos Kitchen and Liz, who blogs at That Skinny Chick Can Bake. And you can find out what all the other participating bakers did with this challenge at Tuesdays With Dorie.