Nietzsche’s Pie: Amantes De Los Arándanos
I do love a good philosophical dilemma! This pie recipe is called Nietzsche’s Pie.
Crust
The recipe is only for one disk, the recipe calls for two; keep that in mind! (:
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups of flour
one tablespoon of powdered sugar
2/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon
one tablespoon of lavender flower
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup of cold unsalted butter cubed
three tablespoons of cold water
one tablespoon of lavender syrup
I chose an all-butter crust here because I enjoy the difference in flavor and texture, the flakiness is a bonus. You want to make sure your butter remains as cold as possible throughout this process and make sure it remains in pieces. The butter pieces will melt, leaving pockets of air in between the flour. This process is what makes your pie flaky.
Instructions:
In a medium-sized bowl, mix all your dry ingredients together, setting aside your butter, syrup, and water.
Grab your butter and cut it into about 1/2-inch cubes. If you have never made crust before, coat them little by little in the flour mixture first before proceeding.
Once all butter is coated and in with your flour, add two tablespoons of cold water and one tablespoon of syrup.
Do not mix it too much, but enough to bind the flour together. Add the remaining tablespoon of water and knead just enough to bind the disc together, it’s really important not to overdo it here.
Wrap your disc in plastic wrap and stick it in your fridge for 24 hours.
Yeah, I know what I wrote. 24 hours my pedacito de cielo.
I don’t think I was ever meant to be a teacher; I like where I am. But I did love being in the classroom.
I was 18, and I was working at a high school part-time as a teacher’s assistant to an AP philosophy teacher. Before I was giving lectures on the decolonial imaginary or yassifying the Master-slave dialectic, I was asking high school juniors a philosophical question that (allegedly) concerned all things pertaining to logic and reason: the lady or the tiger?
Back then, I would have argued for the lady.
Blueberry filling
Ingredients:
5 cups of blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
two tablespoons of lemon juice
Instructions:
In a medium-sized bowl, wash your blueberries and make sure to lightly pat them dry.
Coat them with cornstarch.
Mix both sugars and then mix with blueberries.
Mix in lemon juice and lemon zest.
Cover with a lid and store in the refrigerator
I sometimes really miss how passionate students made me about education. Ultimately, the Lady won. While the arguments in favor of the Tiger were convincing, in the end, students were more or less unanimous in their vote: If homegirl Loved him, she picked the Lady. Love cannot be violent; love cannot cause harm.
I did not have it in me to introduce them to Fanon that semester. Love and violence was a discussion we tackled during the fall of the following year.
This teaching experience is particularly special to me because it was my first time as an educator in a classroom setting. I was self-conscious about my communication skills, ability to fulfill requirements, and the vulnerability my position necessitated. Putting ideas together and connecting them through several mediums has always been a special interest of mine. I know, inherently, that all things are connected. It’s just a correct belief of mine. It might not be a fact, I certainly cannot prove it to be true. But, I believe it to be correct, without a doubt in my mind, body, and soul, that my belief is true. Correct belief is enough for me.
Congratulations, you made it to 24 hours!
Pie Crust
Instructions:
Take your dough out of the fridge and let it sit for 10 minutes at room temperature.
Clean and flour your surface.
Flour your rolling pin (wine or tequila bottles if you don’t have one) and roll out your dough to a 12-inch circle. Make sure to add flour along the way if your dough gets sticky on the bottom.
When placing into a 9-inch pie plate, make sure to lightly press down. After using kitchen scissors to remove excess dough, trim your dough within about 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.
Place parchment paper over your pie crust, using beans or rice to fill in the space. Place in the refrigerator for about an hour or two.
Your second disk is the fun(er) part! I do not know baking terminology, but you can make little strips or make shapes, whatever you desire, you just need to cover the top of your pie with it!
Nietzsche’s pie is a minty paradigm for patience, practice, and dedication. Its freshness, accompanied by subtle sweetness, reminds me of summer and takes me back to Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf. The lavender blankets over me and calms my anxieties; there is a similar version of this that I often bake for those in need of healing.
Throughout the many moments between March 18, 2019, and July 14, 2022, I came to know a lot about myself and the type of person I want to be. I know now of myself that I will always pick the Lady, and there will never be a moment in time or space where I did not. While there may never be a right answer, there is my answer, and I need someone who understands that love has everything to do with it.
After an hour or two, take your pie crust and your blueberries out.
Preheat oven to 425° F
Put your blueberry filling and make sure to cover it with whatever way you decide to decorate the top disc, secure the ends by pinching them together with the edges of the bottom pie crust.
Bake for 55-60 minutes
Let your pie cool before you enjoy it!
Stay hydrated,
Diotimaology
