I live in a quiet residential neighborhood in Brooklyn where the nightlife is non existent and until recently, there were no neighborhood hangouts. Pel’s Pies & Co. has moved into the neighborhood bringing with it a revolving collection of baked daily pies. They focus on creating sweet and one of a kind pies but they also serve beer, wine, coffee, and will be expanding their menu.
Sitting in their garden under the shade of a big oak, I tried two of their pies: the special of the day, a Chocolate Caramel pie with Samoa crumbles along with their Fig Buttermilk pie. The chocolate caramel pie once cut, lost its triangular shape and the chocolate oozed onto the plate like molten lava. The plate presentation could have been more appealing but the rich earth colors were enticing. The chocolate middle looked like damp soil while the caramel was the color of burnt sugar. The cookie crumbles resembled grains of sand ranging in color from sun washed white to dark caramel hues. The slice had a sweet natural chocolate taste unlike a chocolate candy bar. The airy mousse-like chocolate middle was topped with a thin layer of caramel with the consistency of a saltwater taffy that was difficult to cut through. The caramel layer was sprinkled with Girl Scout Samoa cookie crumbles giving the slice a tad of a crunch and a hint of coconut. The rich flavors of the filling were balanced with a dry and flakey crust that had salty undertones.
The Fig Buttermilk slice was light and sweet with citrus undertones that hit my sour identifying tastebuds, leaving a refreshing taste in my mouth. Much like the Chocolate Caramel slice, the crust gave a good contrast to the sweetness of the Fig Buttermilk. The creamy beige colored pie had the texture of wet clay and little dark chunks of fig within the filling. The Fig Buttermilk pie is a great treat during a hot sunny day, it was just the right amount of sweet leaving a delicate aftertaste. I often find that after I eat something sweet, my mouth is overwhelmed with sweetness causing me to cleanse my palette and simultaneously quench my thirst, this was not the case with the Fig Buttermilk pie and I would recommend it as a good mid afternoon summer snack.
ROZZCOE 