A Hot Party and Even Hotter Hand Pies
A very humble party recap and a special Just a Bite featuring baker Maryah Ananda
Cake friends,
We came, we saw a truly humbling pie eating contest, we danced. Thank you to everyone who packed Public Records for our Humble Pie launch party last Thursday! It was full of magazines, fork tattoos, and dessert—in other words, the perfect evening.
Keep scrolling for some early party images beautifully shot by Hanna Hazel (more on our Instagram, and even more to come!), plus a recipe for the coffee cake espresso martini (!) from our party’s presenting sponsor, Mr Black, that fueled the evening. Also, a special Just a Bite featuring party baker Maryah Ananda!
If you got to our launch party on the earlier side, you might've been one of the lucky few to snag one of culinary artist Maryah Ananda's umami hand pies. If you were like me, extremely unlucky, and didn't get to taste one, don't fret just yet. You can catch Maryah popping up around NYC serving up sweet and savory bites reminiscent of her Lao-American upbringing. Think: yuzu olive oil cake and mango cardamom buns, clove pear sobacha caramel tarts, and rice wine passion fruit pavlovas. Read on to learn about infusing flavors into macerations, developing her Humble Pie party contribution, and more. —Dominique Evans
You’re making dessert. What is it?
Earl Grey tea-infused cake, with lots of citrus icing.
Someone is making you a dessert. What do you ask for?
Vanilla cupcake with triple berry frosting stuffed with lemon curd. I recently had a similar version of this at Ovenly, and it was heaven.
You’ve transformed into a pastry. What are you and how are you consumed?
I would 100% turn into a guava and cheese pastry. Growing up in Miami, I had so many of them. They're flaky, light and a perfect balance of sweet and salty.
What fictional dessert scene will you never forget?
Three instantly came to mind: Spirited Away, Yotsuiro Biyori and Eat Drink Man Woman. We all know the genius that is Studio Ghibli. I watched Spirited Away on VHS growing up and it was such a treat. I love anime food and Yotsuiro Biyori is a lowkey anime that has beautiful illustration and a heartful perspective of hospitality. Eat Drink Man Woman is an absolute classic. No words can explain how the essence of food and drink can tell stories—a must watch.
What is a baking hack you can’t live without?
It’s not really a hack, but a small way to add depth is infusing flavors into macerations. I macerated mangos with rose water to top onto a crème brulée, and it was sooo good. Another time, we added some Korean rice wine into strawberry and mango maceration to top a pavlova and it was out of this world.
Tell us about the inspiration behind your Humble Pie party contribution?
I grew up eating Hot Pockets. Broccoli and cheddar and pepperoni were my favorites. Even though my family was just trying to put food on the table, any time we'd get them I'd be so excited. It's essentially a hand pie, and it might've been my first intro into pie, actually.
Follow Maryah on Instagram: @maryahananda
20% off Mr Black at Curiada.com with the promo code CakeZine. Valid until June 30.
Some more news: We did a podcast double feature on This is TASTE, featuring an interview with Aliza and Tanya, plus Aliza interviewing Humble Pie baker Stacey Mei Yan Fong on her great new cookbook, 50 Pies 50 States: An Immigrant’s Love Letter to the United States Through Pie. You can listen here.
Plus keep an eye on this newsletter next week for links to buy our new Humble Pie shirt and reprints of our Death by Chocolate tees.