My first interaction with Allison Kave was last fall when I fell in love with her company called Butter and Scotch. She and her business partner Keavy Blueher make unique, creative, classic American desserts and cocktails. Their cocktail caramel popcorn is a fun twist on a traditional caramel corn and the depth of flavor is just amazing. We decided it was a good fit for our gifts at The Savory Pantry. Since then we have gotten to know Allison and Keavy and have used them to help us expand our cocktail selections. When we learned that Allison was coming out with a cookbook we were so excited and made sure to place a pre-order. As a gift or for yourself, this cookbook is educational, user friendly and has lots and lots of tantalizing pictures. Enjoy! -Tina

What was the inspiration behind your cookbook? I was inspired to create a book that would encourage both home bakers and professionals to have a more confident, adventurous, and playful approach to pie baking.

What is it about what you do that you love the most? The most enjoyable part for me is definitely coming up with new recipes, and testing them until they’re just right. Sometimes things just fall into place right away, but other times it takes a lot of trial and error before you hit on the perfect recipe.

What is the most unique pie you ever made and did you like it? This is a hard one for me to answer, as I pride myself on coming up with some pretty unique pie recipes! I’d say the top three are probably my Mint Julep Cream Pie, Trifecta (Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel), and Root Beer Float. I like them all! I wouldn’t bake them or put them in my book if I didn’t.

What is your most memorable meal? This is a really tough one! I’ve been fortunate to have had many memorable and delicious meals in my life. I’d have to say it’s a tie between a surprise anniversary dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns a few years ago, and my mom’s 60th birthday dinner at Pierre Gagnaire in Paris last year. Both were incredible on every level: flavor, creativity, service, and ambience.

What is your favorite food or food trend? My favorite foods tend to be very rich: hot fudge sundaes, foie gras, and lobster rolls are right up there for me. As for trends, I love the emphasis that a lot of chefs and food writers have been placing on umami, and as a result of all these recipes buzzing around, I’ve been using a lot more miso in my home cooking.

What is your (food) guilty pleasure? I don’t feel guilty about pleasure - bring on the queso!