For the previous editions of Penelope’s Pie Shop, look under the Neverending Stories tab at the top of this site!

And Invisible Friends, I don’t like to brag, but check out what the fabulous Whitney at The King and I wrote about me.  She had me snuffling and wuffling at work.  Whitney, darling, I’m making you a pie!

Meg whirled around.  A calico cat was perched on the counter, it’s tail twitching.

“Did you say something?” she asked, her eyes wide.  The cat looked up at her with wide green eyes and twitched it’s nose.   She had never seen such bright eyes on a cat.  She stared at him for at least a full minute, than shrugged.

“Of course you didn’t say anything,” she murmured, turning back to the cookbook on the counter.  “I must be going crazy.  It’s too much sugar, that’s what it is.  I’ve had too much pie today.”

“You can never have too much pie,” the voice said behind her.  Meg turned slowly.  The cat’s whiskers twitched with amusement as she continued to speak.  “Especially in a pie shop like this one.”

“You do talk,” Meg stated.  Her head swam and she grasped the counter, trying to keep from swaying.  “You’re a talking cat.”

“And you’re a talking girl,” the cat replied.  “Who can’t bake a pie.”

Meg flushed.  “I can too,” she protested.  She pointed to the banana split pie on the table.  “I made that.”

“No,” the cat argued.  “You read it out of a cookbook.  You didn’t create it.  You didn’t think of it.”

Meg’s face flushed and her jaw set.  “And how would you know?” she snapped.  “You’re a cat!  I’m sure you’ve never made a pie in your life.”

“Of course I had!” the cat replied with an offended expression.  “I’ve made mouse pies, mincemeat pies, pidgeon pies, varmint pies…why do you think I’m a pie shop cat?”

“I’m sorry, then,” Meg said.  “What is your name, after all?”

“Biscuit, of course,” the cat informed her, eyeing her like she was daft.  “What else would a pie shop cat be named?”

“Pastry or Moon Pie or perhaps Caramel?” Meg suggested.  “That’s what I would name a pie cat.”

The cat grinned, showing a row of white sharp teeth.  “And that, love, is why you don’t have a pie cat.  Or a pie shop, for that matter.”

Even though Meg wanted to stay mad, she giggled.  It was nice having someone around the shop, even if that someone was a talking cat.  “I’ve got to make Penelope a pie tomorrow.  It’s an audition of sorts for working here.  If I create her a fabulous pie she’s never had before, I can start.”

Biscuit twitched her whiskers.  “I would get started then,” she replied, eyeing the clock.  “It’ll be morning in a few hours.  Penelope always comes in around six or seven to get started baking.”

“Right,” Meg replied, feeling a wave of horror wash over her.  She had no idea what to make, much non the less how to make it.  She didn’t know what flavors went well together and what textures paired off.  The only things she was good at was working the register and eating pie.  And really, that’s all she wanted to do.  The idea of baking every day and being responsible for people’s culinary happiness almost made her break out in hives.

Immediately, she set to work.  Cookbook after cookbook was pulled form the shelf.  For the rest of the night, she read different ingredients out of different recipes, trying to think of the most interesting combination she could think of.  She mixed caramel with coonut and pecans and berries with pears.  She poured buttermilk with cheese and mixed strawberry with yogart.  Finally, just as the clock crept towards seven in the morning, she stepped back with a triumphant grin.

“I’ve done it!” she cried, pointing to the counter.  “What do you think?”

The cat peered at the pie and twitched her tail.  “What is it?”

“Why, it’s a smore pie, of course!”  Meg cried.  “It’s brilliant!  Who would put smores in pie?”

The cat nodded, her face neutral.  “It looks lovely,” she replied, reaching out a paw to pat the marshmellow topping.

“You don’t like it?”  Meg asked.  Her chest felt tight and she bit her lower lip.

“I told you,” Biscuit said.  “I think it’s a lovely pie.  I think it’s what Penelope thinks that will count.”

“Where is she, anyway?” Meg asked, looking around.  “Isn’t it time for her to come in?”

A scratching noise made her jump.  She whirled around to look at the chalkboard.

Penelope wanted to know if you could watch the shop for another day or two.  She had a urgent matter come up.  You don’t mind, do you?”

Meg glared at the chalkboard.  “How did she tell you that?”

The chalk skittered across the board, punctuating the sentence with a flourish and hard knock of the chalk.

She tells me everything.  So will you stay?

“Sure,” Meg shrugged.  At this point, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.  She had been up more than twenty four hours, made more than a dozen pies and hadn’t left this shop in a full day.  She placed the smore pie in the fridge along with the banana split pie and peanut butter ice cream pie.  Plopping on a stool, she leaned her head against the counter.

“I’m just going to rest a second,” she informed Biscuit.  “Just until the shop opens.”

“Whatever you say,” Biscuit grinned.

The next thing Meg knew, she was waking up to a round pair of intense green eyes.

“You snore,” Biscuit informed her.  “It’s very unladylike.”

Before Meg could retaliate, the chimes above the shop door rang out.  The three young girls from yesterday, still clad in their princess gowns, barreled into the shop.

“It’s tommorow!” the first girl cried.  “We’re ready for our pie!”

“Our peanut butter ice cream pie,” the second one chirped.  “Just like the Shabby Princess used to make.”

“We’re hungry,” the third girl warned her.

Meg smiled and pushed herself off the counter.  “Did you skip school?” she asked, heading toward the freezer.  “Or is it a holiday?  You must have been excited to get here just as the shop opened.”

“What do you mean?” the first princess asked, confused.  “It’s three in the afternoon.”

Meg whirled around to look at the clock.  It was three thirty.  “Biscuit,” she hissed, jerking open the cabinet doors to get some plates and utensils.  “Why did you let me sleep so late?”

“You needed it,” Biscuit said in a matter of fact tone.  “Don’t worry, only five customers came in.  I took care of them.”

Meg didn’t even want to know.

She placed the plates and utensils on a table with the pie and got each girl a glass of milk.  She cut each princess a thick slab of the pie, placing it gently on the white plates.  “Enjoy!” she said with a smile.  “Let me know what you think of it!”

Huddling back into the kitchen, Meg watched as the first girl slid her fork through the pie and took a big bite.  As she chewed, her little face crumpled and her nose wrinkled.  The seond little girl took a large bite and spit it out.  The third princess looked at the other two and crossed her arms.

“I believe there’s a problem,” she called.

To be continued….

Smore Pie from the Smitten Kitchen

For crust
5 tablespoons salted or unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for greasing
1 1/2 cups cookie crumbs (10 graham crackers or 24 small gingersnaps; about 6 oz, pulsed in a food processor until finely ground)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt (omitted if you use salted butter)

For chocolate cream filling
7 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not more than 70% cacao; not unsweetened), finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 large egg, at room temperature for 30 minutes

For marshmallow topping
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-oz package)
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Vegetable oil for greasing

Special equipment: a candy thermometer

Make graham cracker crust:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter pie 9- to 9 1/2-inch pie plate.

Stir together all ingredients in a bowl and press evenly on bottom and up side of pie plate. Bake until crisp, 12 to 15 minutes, then cool on a rack to room temperature, about 45 minutes.

Make chocolate cream filling:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put chocolate in a large bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, then pour hot cream over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then gently whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Gently whisk in egg and a pinch of salt until combined and pour into graham cracker crumb crust (crust will be about half full).

Cover edge of pie with a pie shield or foil and bake until filling is softly set and trembles slightly in center when gently shaken, about 25 minutes. Cool pie to room temperature on a rack (filling will firm as it cools), about 1 hour.

Make marshmallow topping:
Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water in a large deep heatproof bowl and let stand until softened, about 1 minute.

Stir together sugar, corn syrup, a pinch of salt, and remaining 1/4 cup water in cleaned 1- to 1 1/4-quart heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil until thermometer registers 260°F, about 6 minutes.

Begin beating water and gelatin mixture with an electric mixer at medium speed, then carefully pour in hot syrup in a slow stream, beating (avoid beaters and side of bowl). When all of syrup is added, increase speed to high and continue beating until mixture is tripled in volume and very thick, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined, then immediately spoon topping onto center of pie filling; it will slowly spread to cover top of pie. Chill, uncovered, 1 hour, then cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap (oiled side down) and chill 3 hours more.

Brown topping:
Preheat broiler.

Transfer pie to a baking sheet. Cover edge of pie with pie shield or foil and broil 3 to 4 inches from heat, rotating pie as necessary, until marshmallow topping is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Cool pie on a rack 10 minutes. Slice pie with a large heavy knife dipped in hot water and then dried with a towel before cutting each slice.

Note: Pie (before browning topping) can be chilled up to 1 day.

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  Tomorrow, we have some tasty taco soup and Friday, a new Twirl!  Saturday we have a fun Easter craft and Sunday, our feature with the fabulous Brooke of Conversations with a Cupcake!