I first learned about pies from a book called Pies and Cakes in the Better Homes and Gardens series, published by Meredith. It was an old volume, its pages yellowed with age—something my father must have bought for my mother when they were still young. The pictures inside showed pies with generous, glistening fillings that looked so inviting and full of warmth. But back then, the pies I actually got to taste were nothing like the fruit-filled ones in the book. Instead, they were usually small savory puffs. It wasn’t until many years later that I finally had the chance to enjoy the kind of pie I had always imagined—the pie of my dreams.