Thursday, September 29, 2011

Moneyball at work... by Barbara (Ruth)

Each Monday I write a short blog for my team at work. I have an amazing team of close to 70 people scattered across the province, and this little blog of mine is one way to boost the communication opportunities. Most of the time I write about something going on in the province or the government that's of interest, or about topics that employees submit to me - career planning, coaching and recognition, leadership, etc etc.

This week I wrote about the movie Moneyball, not only because I really enjoyed the movie, but because it was relevant to what my team does for ServiceOntario (we are the Business Effectiveness, or "BE" branch, and we do process improvement and design, operational analysis, workforce planning and forecasting, and a bunch of other stuff that only geeks like me really get excited about).

I thought I'd post it here too, just because. Enjoy!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


On the money…

Last night I went to see the movie “Moneyball”. Yes, it debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival, and yes it stars Brad Pitt. But neither of those facts is the reason I went to see the movie.

I went because of Trevor Sparrow.

Trevor is a manager in the Organizational Development branch, and used to be a manager here in BE. Those of you who know him, know that he is incredibly well read, and has a story to illustrate just about any point you can imagine. And, you know that most of his stories are about some kind of sport – Tae Kwon Do, golf, or in this case, baseball.

A few years ago Trevor told me about this book, Moneyball, and how the author invented a term called “sabermetrics” as a way to measure and prove efficiencies that are possible in baseball. This philosophy was adopted by the Oakland A’s in the late 90s, and allowed them to build a highly successful team with about a third of the salary that major market teams (like the Yankees) had. The result was a team that finished first in the American League West with only $41 million in salaries. They also broke a record with 20 consecutive wins.

Why am I sharing this with you? First, it’s a great movie. As with all sports movies, there’s an element of rooting for the underdog that draws the audience in. Brad Pitt is pretty good in his role (tobacco chewing and spitting notwithstanding), and the supporting cast is terrific.

But the real reason I’m sharing this with you is that it’s similar to what BE tries to do every day. We are the group that ensures that our leaders have the right information to make data-based decisions that will lead to efficiencies and improvements. Sounds so easy, doesn’t it? Logical, even.

But you all know how difficult it is to convince people to wait for the right amount of analysis or data or research before jumping to conclusions. Billy Beane, Brad Pitt’s character and the GM of the Oakland A’s, felt the same frustration. He was fighting against the “old guard” in baseball that believed a player had to be hired based on his face, his walk, or even whether his wife was good looking (because if she wasn’t, the player clearly lacked confidence). They relied also on standard, out-dated metrics that didn’t tell the complete story. The old guard went against him at every turn, and there’s a terrific scene where Billy shouts out “It’s a process, it’s a process, it’s a process!”

Now there was one weakness in Billy’s plan – at least the way the movie portrayed it. He felt that you had to take emotion out of the equation when dealing with the players. He didn’t interact with them, didn’t go to the games, and was quite cool (cold) when trading players. It’s interesting to note that the turnaround came when people finally used his system AND when he started speaking opening and honestly with the team.

Of course this is history, and everyone who knows baseball knows that Billy did very well for himself, and continues to do well as the GM of the A’s. Other teams have adopted his methods, and so he must now continually re-examine and find new ways to apply the concept.

Other organizations are starting to look at what BE does and how we do it. The challenge for us is to stay on our toes, show the value in what we do, and be constantly creative in how we add value.

It’s a process, it’s a process, it’s a process.

Ruth.

PS – I haven’t read the book yet, but I will be downloading it to my Kindle shortly. Any of you read it?

The Letter O....by (Angela) Jean

Monday's Letter of the Day was O.

We celebrated O all day long.

We made Oatmeal Cookies.

We found orange vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, as well as the last of orange heirloom tomatoes, and made soup with them.

aren't they gorgeous?
We made a list of O words, and found things around the house that start with O.

We talked about places that start with the letter O.

Mama: Mimi, did you know that where we live starts with the letter O. 
Amelia: Yes, I did.
Mama: You did? Good for you! What is the O word? (I was looking for either our city or province, both of which happen to start with O)
Amelia: Oh Canada!

While Otie had his nap, Amelia and I had some playdoh time. We made things that started with O.


Amelia worked on her creation for quite a while.
Mama: What is it, Mimi? 
Amelia: Guess!
Mama: I don't know. I'm stumped.
Amelia: It's a scary alligator.
Mama: I like it a lot, but weren't we trying to make things that start with O?
Amelia: It does.
Mama: It does?
Amelia: Yes, Mama. It's my OWN thing and OWN starts with O.
Touché.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Photography Class-Assignment #1...by (Angela) Jean (now with bonus update!)

Remember how I told you I had plans? Well, one of my plans was to get better at taking pictures. As I've mentioned before, I have always loved photography, and now that I have all this free time (cough) I decided it was time to improve my skills.
I am fortunate to live in a town with a college that has an excellent reputation for art and design, so I took at look at the course calendar and registered for two courses this term. One of them is Basic Digital Photography. Our instructor is Joseph Marranca and I can honestly say that after only 4 classes I have learned quite a bit. 

Tomorrow's assignment is to submit 6 images demonstrating 'depth of field' and motion in digital photography. I'll spare you my written essay....the internets say it much better than I....but I will share my images with you, as well as the camera settings. What I found most challenging about this assignment was shooting photos with these specific purposes in mind. Normally I concern myself only with composition and light, but I am now forced to pay attention to all the settings and adjust everything manually. My little brain has had to work very hard.

Depth of Field

Image 1 (shallow depth of field)

File name:          11-Sept 20-Mimi tomatoes
Aperture:            f4.5
Shutter Speed: 1/100
ISO:                        400
Other Details:   This image was shot outside in early evening. The shallow depth of field allows the tomatoes in the bowl to be in focus while the dress in the background is blurred.

Image 2 (very shallow depth of field)

File name:          11-Sept 20-Otis Cars
Aperture:            f2.8
Shutter Speed: 1/5
ISO:                        400
Other Details:   This image was shot indoors with the camera placed on the floor to keep it steady due to the very slow shutter speed. This image has a very shallow depth of field. As a result only the front row of toy cars (and the carpet fibres!) are in focus. The rest of the image is blurred.

Image 3 (deep depth of field)

File name:          11-Sept 25-shoreline
Aperture:            f5
Shutter Speed: 1/640
ISO:                        100
Other Details:   This image was shot outside (obviously) at 3pm. Although the aperture has not increased significantly from the first image, this photo has a greater depth of field because the focal point is at a much greater distance from the camera.

Motion
Image 1 (blur)

File name:          11-Sept 24-blur
Aperture:            f10
Shutter Speed: 1/15
ISO:                        100
Other Details:   In this image, my daughter was running along the sidewalk. Because of the slow shutter speed, her image is blurred beyond recognition. My husband in the background remained still so his image was not blurred. I compensated for the slow shutter speed by raising the fstop to f10 so that the image would not be over-exposed.

Image 2
 
File name:          11-Sept 24-freeze
Aperture:            f1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/640
ISO:                        100
Other Details:   In this image, I increased the shutter speed to freeze my daughter and her friend as they marched in front of me. To compensate for the very fast shutter speed, I lowered the aperture to ensure proper exposure.

Image 3

File name:          11-Sept 25-geese
Aperture:            f6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/800
ISO:                        200
Other Details:   The fast shutter speed in this image captured the geese in flight and kept their wings sharp and in focus. It was kind of a happy accident. I was out there trying to get my deep depth of field shot! 

What makes me the most nervous is that these images are critiqued and graded in front of the whole class, and while I find that prospect very frightening, I'm also quite excited to see my classmates' work. Class is tomorrow night. I'll let you know how it goes.

Post mortem: Well, I wish I could say I received valuable feedback on my assignment but I didn't. Reviewing 20+ assignments of 6 images each in a 3 hour class was a little ambitious, I'm afraid. The instructor spent too much time on the first 6 or so assignments and the remainder were squished into the last 30 minutes. Mine were presented in the last 3 minutes of class while everyone was packing up their bags.
I just received this email in my inbox:
     
     Hi Angela,
     Your (sic) got 75% on your assignment, well done, keep shooting.
      thanks,
     Joe
 
Um. Thanks?

Friday, September 16, 2011

A crafty day that ended with macaroni

One of the things I enjoy most about being home with the kids is that now any day is a good day for getting crafty.
It was a beautiful late summer day, so we decided to take advantage of the sunshine, by painting outside.
Painting with little kids is so much fun, and when you can be outside there is much less anxiety about getting paint everywhere. I just hosed them off when we were done.

The rascals were still in a crafty mood after painting, but I wasn't interested in any more clean-up-heavy activities so I got out the PlayMais.
If you haven't seen this stuff before, it's made from corn and has the consistency of foam peanuts.
It's completely non-toxic and more importantly non-messy. The little beans stick together when you dampen them with a moist felt cloth. You can squeeze them and cut them into smaller pieces.
We reuse ours over and over again. The kids love them because they are light and very easy to handle and hold and they stick together however you want them to.


Mommy helped with these.
I love them because they are easy to clean up and they occupy rascals long enough to prepare silly lunches.

While eating lunch, Mimi and I were chatting about how crafty our day had been and she suggested that a crafty day should end with "Craft Dinner". She has no idea what Kr@ft Dinner really is, she's just heard other kids talk about it. (Don't get me wrong though, I've eaten my fair share of KD, but neither Shawn or I grew up eating it as kids so we never think to have it in the house.) I checked the cupboards and fridge, confirmed we had the necessary(ish) ingredients and said, "Sure! Let's make macaroni and cheese-Abelattanzedinio Style!" (Errr, to be completely honest, it's Martha Stewart style).
I'll warn you now. If you are looking for a quick recipe to make for dinner this is not the one. Grating the cheese alone takes longer than making KD! This is also not a budget saving recipe. I think mine used about $15 worth of cheese alone. I'm a cheese snob though. Judge me if you must.
All that said, it's a very, very tasty recipe and it makes a big batch, so you will have some to freeze for later when you do need something quick. I've made this recipe at least, oh I dunno, 20 times? I've served it to company and everyone loves it. It's worth the time and effort. There are not many things more comforting than a hot bowl of macaroni and cheese.

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
  • 6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces (I used half a day-old baguette)
  • 5 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste (I love the cayenne in this recipe! Don't leave it out!)
  • 4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 18 ounces)
  • 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces) or 1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 5 ounces) (I use both...I also used about a cup of grated mozzarella that we had left over from making pizza)
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni (I use more than a pound....probably more like 1.5 pounds)

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. (I skip this step) Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.
  3. While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
  4. Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Pecorino Romano; set cheese sauce aside.
  5. Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce
  6. Pour mixture into prepared dish.
    I love using these mini casserole dishes and the rascals love picking their colours.

    Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top.
    Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot

    This one went into the freezer for another day.

    This recipe doesn't disappoint, so if you have the time and the cheese I suggest you try it. I've also added veggies (broccoli, peas etc) from time to time, and you wouldn't be crazy if you threw a little bacon in there too. Mmmmmm.....bacon. Enjoy!
     P.S. Here's my little photographer/food stylist getting a good shot on her own camera.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

The Little Yellow Box: Favourite Recipe #2 - Baking Powder Biscuits... by Barbara (Ruth)

I went for a walk this evening and was overwhelmed with the feeling of autumn - the air was cool, the stores in my neighbourhood had little gourds and pumpkins and pots of mums, the leaves were falling, and the air smelled clean. I had a sudden urge to bake something and make hearty soup.

This urge fit in with my blog series nicely, as one of my favourite recipes from my mother's little yellow box is for baking powder biscuits. I did some googling to find out how old the recipe is, and I found a really neat one dating back to 1922 that used the exact same ingredients but in larger quantities to feed a group of cowboys! Wikipedia tells me that biscuits became popular in the early 19th century because they're filling and don't use yeast, which was expensive and hard to store.

Whatever the history, they are a big part of Henderson family dinner time memories. Mum used to make amazing stews and soups, and of course we had biscuits with those. We had biscuits after school for a snack. Dad and I even had biscuits with molasses as a treat after dinner. Really, there were few meals that couldn't be made even better by biscuits.

My sister Elizabeth is now the Queen of biscuits in our family. I'm not sure what she does, but hers are lighter, tastier, and bigger than anyone else's. Nonetheless, I popped a batch in the oven tonight - it's hard to wreck this recipe, so I hope you give it a try.

I remember when I asked my mother to write this down. "Well I don't know how I make them Ruthie, I just make them!" What follows it what she wrote down. (With some edits from yours truly.)

Baking Powder Biscuits
2 C Flour
1 C Liquid (2/3 milk, 1/3 oil)
3 tsp Baking Powder
Approx 1/2 tsp or a bit more of salt (today we might say, salt to taste)
I don't use sugar, but you can add a touch if you want (I did, about a tablespoon)
(Also, you can add seasonings as you wish - we used to add caraway seeds... yum...)

Mix the dry in a bowl - add the wet and stir only as much as necessary. Spoon into muffin tins or place on cookie sheet. (Note - I spray with Pam. Mum didn't, as she thought the dough was greasy enough without it.)

Recipe can be cut in half ok. If you want to be fancy - eg shortcake - you can use solid margarine (she never EVER bought butter... now I wonder what solid margarine was... ew...) instead of oil and cut it in with a pastry blender as if you were making a pie. Then add the milk and mix gently. Grated cheese may be added - cut back on the oil.

Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or so (I only needed 15 mins. 13 would have been perfect.)


This makes about 12 small-med biscuits. You can roll them out (gently) and use a biscuit cutter, but I just use a spoon and drop into the muffin tin. Also, a word of caution - these get stale quickly, so freeze whatever you don't eat right away.



Sunday, September 11, 2011

The Little Yellow Box: Favourite Recipe #1 - Wacky Cake... by Barbara (Ruth)

I'm excited to begin my series on recipes from my mother's Little Yellow Box. First up, Wacky Cake.

Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? "Wacky Cake."

Well, it turns out that, more than just being a Henderson family favourite through the 60s and 70s (and today, quite frankly), this simple little cake has quite a history of its own.

This isn't the exact one we had, but it
was very similar. Pretty young Grandma,
wouldn't you say?
Mum found this recipe in a war-time cook book. More of a pamphlet, really. I don't have it anymore, but I remember recipes that had helpful instructions like "add enough flour," or "bake in a hot oven until done". I suppose just about every good housewife knew how to cook back then, and knew how much flour was "enough" and how hot an oven needed to be!

Wacky Cake, so the story goes, was a recipe born out of the scarcity of eggs and milk. Depending on which source you believe, it goes as far back as the first world war, but is mentioned more in the 30s and during the second world war. The use of vinegar in the recipe causes a reaction with baking soda that ensures it is light and fluffy, thus making up for the lack of eggs and milk.

The cake is chocolatey and delicious, and - believe it or not - vegan (before vegan was even an idea), and literally takes 5 minutes to prepare. This cake was a staple at our house - whipped up quickly to satisfy starving teenagers, prepared for birthday events when eggs were left off the grocery list, or just made for afternoon tea. Not only does the mention of Wacky Cake stir up fond memories, but it is a favourite to this day in all the extended-Henderson households!

I hope you enjoy it:

Wacky Cake
1.5 C Flour
1 C Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
Salt (How much, you ask? The recipe doesn't say. I use about half a teaspoon.)
3 T cocoa
5 T shortening (I use canola oil.)
1 tsp vanilla
1 T vinegar
1 C water

This recipe is supposed to be one that you can mix, bake, and serve in one pan. I prefer to mix it separately because I use Pam to prepare my baking dish. Stirring after spraying the pan makes the Pam less effective.

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
2. Add the wet ingredients and stir until mixed. (I use a whisk because it keeps it light and airy.)
3. Pour into prepared pan.

That's it.

Oh - I guess you want to know how to bake it? Well, your guess is as good as mine, since those instructions aren't in the recipe. I baked it at 350 for 25 minutes, checking frequently. I used a 9x13 pan, so baking time would vary if you use a square pan.

Once it's done, let it cool and sprinkle it with sifted powdered sugar once it's cool. That's all there is to it!

Unless you're a Henderson and want marshmallows on top. In that case, skip the powdered sugar. Instead, use scissors to snip regular-sized marshmallows in half, and place them evenly on top of the cake after it cools a little. (You can also use those multi-coloured mini-marshmallows.)


Place under broiler, watching constantly - they suddenly go from white to black if you're not careful. When the marshmallows are golden brown, you're done.

And that, my friends, is Wacky Cake. Warning: there will be no leftovers.

Friday, September 09, 2011

The Little Yellow Box ... by Barbara (Ruth)

While at the cottage this summer I happened upon my Mum's recipe box, tucked away on a shelf in the pantry. It's a cheap old recipe box, bright yellow plastic with a peeling label on the outside. But on the inside - so many memories!

Mum does not like cooking much. Like me, she prefers to bake, and her bread was always out of this world. However, six Hendersons can not live on bread alone, so Mum did her very best to put healthy and hearty meals on the table. (Most of the time she was very successful, although there are a few stories of epic fails that still make us laugh.) We were a meat-and-potato family fond of plain Waspy food (I use the past tense because all four daughters are now big fans of cooking and eating a variety of ethnic and spicy foods), and we came to rely on certain tried-and-true meals. It was inevitable that I grew up learning to bake these simple and tasty recipes - not very exotic, but "delicious and nutritious" (a favourite saying in our house). This is probably why I love to make bread,  stew, soups, and casseroles - the comfort food of the 70s!

The bright yellow recipe box contains many of the recipe cards that Mum neatly wrote out and used time and time again. I see the stains on them and remember all the times we sat around the table sharing her BBQ spareribs or sweet and sour meatballs. I can see my older sisters rushing to eat Mum's special soup and dinner rolls before heading out to a track meet. I remember making cookies and kneading bread and helping Dad make his family's 100+ year-old Christmas bread recipe. Basically, these recipe cards help me remember my childhood in the kitchen in the 70s.

There are also a number of party recipes. Mum and Dad were great for throwing dinner parties and bridge parties, and the three different recipes for punch that are in this little yellow box remind me of all the times I sat at the top of the stairs watching the adults laugh and play cards and eat Nut Chocolate Bars, snack on "Nuts-n-Bolts" and drink cranberry punch. My memories of those parties are very Mad Men-esque, right down to the horn rimmed glasses, hats and gloves, and wood-paneled walls, but minus the smoking.

Then there were the desserts. Pineapple Bridge Dessert, Mrs. Lighthall's pudding, Ginger Cookies (this recipe says "add enough flour to roll out"), Wacky Cake, High Hat Rhubarb, Princess Pudding, Molasses Sugar Cookies, and Apricot Cheesecake. Whenever there was a potluck event of any kind, Mum could be counted on to take a dessert. Or two! I'm the same way... I just love baking desserts and will happily crank out a couple for any kind of event.

So, I've decided to do a series of blogs over the coming few weeks, making one of the more memorable recipes from this little yellow box each time, and reminiscing about why the recipe is special. I promise they will be excellent recipes that you will want to add to your repertoire too!

First up this weekend will be Wacky Cake. Stay tuned!

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Peach Pie...by (Angela) Jean

I have always been more of a cake person than a pie person, but at certain times of the year, I am drawn to pie. One of those times is right now. Peach season.
There is nothing like the taste of fresh-picked, Ontario peaches in August. In fact, I refuse to eat peaches at any other time of year. They might look good in the grocery store display, but inevitably they taste watery and bland, and I'm disappointed. Instead, I choose to get my fix in August and early September, preferably with peaches from my local Farmers' Market.
This year I wanted to take a stab at peach pie. My sister-in-law has always made an excellent peach pie, and at a recent family reunion I chatted about peach pie with my cousin-in-law, Hannah (an excellent baker herself!) and they both inspired me to give it a shot.

Two weeks ago I bought 4L of fresh peaches from the Farmers' Market.
They were so juicy and bursting with flavour that we ate them all in two days. They didn't even make it into a pie, cobbler or anything else.

The following Thursday, I bought another 4L basket and promised Shawn that I would make the pie. I used the Pâte Brisée recipe from the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook for the crust.
  
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter chilled and cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
  2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
  3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.
This was my first pie crust ever, so it was a bit lacking in finesse and polish. I need a bit more practice with the rolling out and edging. Every recipe I read, went on and on about making sure not to handle the dough too much, so I was paranoid and worked as quickly as I could. Despite not being the prettiest pie ever, the crust tasted great. It was a perfect texture, flaky and light.

For the filling, I created my own recipe after reading many, many recipes online and in my library of cookbooks.

Ingredients

10 peaches, peeled and sliced (this was the most boring and labour intensive part of the whole thing)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup golden brown sugar
1 tbsp good quality maple syrup
2 tbsps cornstarch
1/4 tsp course salt
Juice of half a lemon (about 1 1/2 tbsp)
2 tbsps of cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp heavy cream for the egg wash

Directions for filling and pie assembly.
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together peaches, sugars, maple syrup, cornstarch, salt and lemon juice. Refrigerate.
  3. Remove chilled dough from refrigerator. Lightly flour a rolling pin and work surface and roll out half the dough to a 12-inch round. Place in a 9-inch glass pie plate. Pour in fruit filling, making a slight mound in the centre, and dot with butter pieces.
  4. Roll out remaining dough to a 12-inch round and place over fruit filling. I cut a little heart in the centre of mine. Trim excess and crimp edges to seal. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolk with heavy cream. Brush top of dough with egg yolk mixture. Set on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 425 for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and bake for an additional 40-45 minutes or until crust is a deep golden brown and juices are bubbling. Let pie cool completely on a wire rack, about 3 hours.

I was quite pleased with the result. The filling was perfect...not runny at all, and it was bursting with peach flavour. Many of the recipes I read included allspice, nutmeg or cinnamon, and even though I adore all of those spices, I resisted and just let the peaches speak for themselves. They did not disappoint.

Next pie on my list is apple. Stay tuned!