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Sparkle (1)
I have a dilemma. Two, actually.
I have an office full of people hungry for pie. And a house full of two people who are decidedly NOT hungry for pie. And two cats who have so far not shown a taste for the stuff (not even the salmon pie -- color me surprised).
But I take the bus to the train to the shuttle into work. And I can barely transport a pie from the oven to the counter.
How do you transport a pie?
I've come up against this question before. It seems every time I've whipped up a pie at home for a Thanksgiving elsewhere, I've arrived with dented, battered, bashed and bruised pie. I've wrapped it carefully, placed it in a cardboard box and filled the empty space with crumpled paper, fabric, you name it. Never has a pie arrived unscathed.
That's my first dilemma -- but I have another one. Next week, I have to go to LA for a couple days (more on that later). I want to keep going with the pie a day thing, but I'm not going to have much time.
So I had a brainwave -- I'll pack the uncooked pie somehow, and just bake it when I get there. I am strongly leaning toward these tiny pies in Mason jars from Not Martha. Adorable AND transportable! I'm going to try this for bringing pies into work.
But I'm flying to LA, and I'm only bringing a carry-on. How do you fly a pie?
I googled "TSA pie" -- and what do you know, I actually found an answer (kind of). The TSA blog has addressed the issue twice: in 2008 and 2009. To wit:
Foods: Pies are permitted, but they are subject to additional screening if our officers see any anomalies. (Additional screening of pies does not include our officers tasting the pie, no matter what they tell you...) Cakes, bread, donuts, turkeys, etc. are all permitted. If it’s a live turkey, you might want to have a word with the airline. Here is a list of items that should be placed in your checked bags or shipped: cranberry sauce, creamy dips and spreads (cheeses, peanut butter, etc.), gift baskets with food items (salsa, jams and salad dressings), gravy (mmm gravy), jams, jellies, maple syrup, oils and vinegars, sauces, soups, wine, liquor and beer.
(Yes, the TSA blog really does say "mmmm gravy.")
But the TSA is specifically permitting COOKED pies. And if I want to bake a pie a day, I need UNCOOKED pie. Is pie dough a gel? What about filling? Does it matter which filling I choose? If peanut butter and jam are both verboten, will uncooked filling be, too? Help me, pie travel experts!
One thing is certain: I will not have much time to bake a pie any of those three days. I will be very busy doing something I can't talk about right yet. (More on that later. I promise.)
So how do you transport pie? Is there a miracle container? And does anyone know the rules for uncooked pie in the scanner? And considering how many shoes go through that thing, is that just ridiculously gross to contemplate in the first place?
Have you seen all the pies so far this month? See a pie for every day in November at the Month of Pies archive.
