Oddest inspiration for a recipe…

Among the 152 meals I’ve made since the pandemic began are several new and throwback desserts.  The family favorite dessert came about in an unusual and roundabout way…

Back in 2019, I wasn’t really a Columbus Blue Jackets fan. My husband was mildly interested because of a close friend who is a dedicated supporter.  I’m not sure why I didn’t get on the bandwagon because I LOVED to ice skate and regularly skated while attending graduate school at Ohio State.  The Chill had their practice time right after my skating classes.  My husband and I even set up a rink in our yard when our daughter was little.  She was an OSU Women’s Hockey fan and regularly attended games with her dad.  With working full time and spending countless hours in pools supporting our own high school, then college athlete, I just didn\’t think about adding another pastime.

At some point last year, I was in the living room with my husband who was watching a Jackets game.  Afterward he watched a show, Blue Jackets Conversations, with two players being interviewed at Cap City Diner in Grandview.  I was only half listening to them. I was probably knitting. One of them was Canadian, and mentioned some kind of pie.  While I didn’t absorb everything he said, I did get that there is a Canadian pie that he really likes.  I admit that I was curious about it, but didn’t listen closely enough to get any details. Again, knitting. My husband assured me that they re-air those Conversations shows regularly, and that I\’d see that episode again to listen more intently about the pie. 

I began watching the games with my hubby, and found I really enjoyed them.  (The last time I watched the NHL was in high school in Reading, Pennyslvania.  A boy I liked was a rabid Flyers fan, so I watched with him. Ewww.)  I watched the end of that Jackets season, and the playoffs. I faithfully tuned into the Blue Jacket Conversations waiting to see the episode with the Canadian player (who I now know is Pierre-Luc Dubois) talking about the pie.  Not once did they show that episode! 

At the beginning of the new season (2019/2020), I was officially a fan and continued to watch for the Conversations episode with PLD.  My daughter graduated from college and moved home and joined us in watching the games.  It became a long-standing family joke that every time we saw the Conversations show, it was with Boone Jenner or Nick Foligno.  Mostly Boone Jenner.  No sign of Pierre-Luc. Honestly we still laugh about it now. 

My daughter works at Whole Foods to squirrel away money for graduate school.  She freaked out about working with the virus out there.  One day in May she went to work worried, as usual.  I wanted to have a surprise treat ready for her when she arrived home.  I had a pie crust in the fridge left over from a chicken pot pie recipe and decided to use it.  I searched the internet for Canadian pies, and found one that sounded good and seemed to match the limited information I had about \”the pie.\”

I made it. Quebec Sugar Pie. We were all absolutely in awe of how delicious it was.  It might now be our favorite dessert.  The recipe is rather simple, especially if you use a pre-made pie crust.  It’s basically brown sugar, maple syrup, and heavy cream. The filling has a creamy light caramel flavor and a velvety texture.  We were surprised that a few uncomplicated ingredients could produce something so flavorful.  I chose to leave the top crust off, and was happy with more filling flavor than crust flavor.

I’m not sure if this is the pie Pierre-Luc was talking about, but thanks to him we have a new family fav.  You really should make this pie. Seriously. 

Here’s the recipe:   https://www.ourhappymess.com/quebec-sugar-pie/

Go Jackets!