When people learn that my family owned a bakery, they often remark, ​“You must be a great baker.” I always shrug and reply, ​“No, because I never had to bake.” My response usually draws a laugh. Recently, I realized that little shrug is how I hide my fear of baking. I’m afraid that whatever I bake would not match the beautiful breads and cakes that were produced at a bakery that had my family name on it. I didn’t want to embarrass myself or the bakery. That bakery doesn’t exist anymore. And for too many years, I was schlepping around a vestigial fear. It even has a mouthful of a medical name — mageirocophobia — meaning fear of cooking or baking.

A few weeks ago, I surprised myself with newfound courage, when I was on a book tour with my daughter, Julia Turshen. We were in Seattle, and she was on ​“The Hot Stove Society” radio show with the award-winning restauranteur, Tom Douglas. They were celebrating Julia’s new book, What Goes With What. As her mom, I’m proud of what Julia has done with her latest cookbook. Her talent as a clear thinker and explainer of many things makes her the home cook’s best friend, and her new book brings us into her mind, giving us the formula, the GPS, the matrix for putting together the parts and pieces of meals and creating possibilities of deliciousness. Many of Julia’s insights came from her Sunday (live cook along) classes where her listening skills have helped many people become more confident in the kitchen, where, as she says, it is safe to make mistakes. 

After the radio show, Julia and I went across the street to Tom Douglas’s bakery, Dahlia, and had a slice of his world-famous Triple Coconut Cream Pie. With the first bite, I knew I wanted to be able to make that pie. It was time to overcome my fear.

I got home while Julia was still on the road and knew I needed to keep up my courage, so I reached out to my friend, Joyce Markovics, to help me bake the pie. Joyce is a ​“you can do this” kind of friend. She is also precise and careful with measurements, and I am more ​“a pinch of this, a pinch of that” kind of person. She handed me an apron that said ​“Bad Ass,” and we began. Ninety minutes later, the pie was chilling in the refrigerator. All of it was beyond expectations. The pie was delicious, and I was two inches taller. Get ready, all. Thursday, January 23 is National Pie Day.

Here is the recipe from the Hummingbird Thyme website: https://hummingbirdthyme.com/t…