Don’t blink as you drive west on Chicago Avenue in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood of Chicago. If you do your likely to miss Hoosier Mama Pie Company, and that would be a shame. Located in a tiny storefront just west of Ashland, Hoosier Mama bakes a substantial variety of delicious pies.
Mrs. Pie Dude and I visited there on a recent Saturday afternoon and fell in love with the place. From a real estate standpoint, there is not much to look at. The shop is not much more than fifteen feet wide. A raised booth for four sits in the front window, with a shelf of pie books available to peruse. Below the booth you’ll find a small two-top residing in front of the counter.
All of the magic and charm lies behind the counter. Racks of freshly baked pies, small (4 inch) and large (9 inch), await the steady stream of customers. Several bakers worked the busy kitchen producing more of the house sepcialties. For our visit, the menu board held 14 varieties of sweet pies, as well as pot pies and quiches on the savory side. Can’t decide which pie to choose, order by the slice to mix and match. Mrs. Pie Dude and I sampled three slices: Strawberry, Buttermilk, and Bourbon Chess.
Hoosier Mama makes a delightfully light and flaky crust, the foundation for a truly good pie. Strawberry pies are tricky for even skilled bakers. The fruit has so much water, that pies can become a runny mess. Alternatively, bakers can use so much thickener that the fruit becomes a starchy glob. Hoosier Mama achieves a nice middle ground with whole berries resting in a moderately thick syrup. All of this put a nice smile on Mrs. Pie Dude’s face.
I find myself terribly indecisive when face with pie choices. Thankfully, this is a virtue rather than a vice. (If one slice of pie is a good thing, two must be better, right?) I selected the buttermilk both because I love the creaminess of the southern treat, and because I rarely find it when dining out. The bourbon chess complemented the buttermilk pie. A custard made of butter, eggs and sugar, chess pie is a simply elegant delight. The light touch of bourbon flavor made it all the more satisfying.
Hats off to Hoosier Mama Pie Company. They’ve turned a small storefront in an urban neighborhood into a pie destination.
To find out more about Hoosier Mama Pie Company check their web site http://www.hoosiermamapie.com/
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