Noon Mark Diner Gluten-Free Pie

The A-man's an avid hiker; I've known this for a long time. He grew up next to a National Park and mountaineering was a part of his profession in the military. The man needs his outdoor time (he's two peaks away from the ADK 46!). That doesn't mean, however, that I'm thrilled when he decides to hike Adirondack high peaks in the dead of winter.

Our compromise? He comes home with pie.

Glorious, gluten free pie from a great, little place called the Noon Mark Diner. They do mail-order pies (!!) and he tells me their full menu has a lot of gluten-free options too.

He arrived home Saturday night from a long day of trekking in negative degree temperatures and presented me with two pies this time: Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble and Maple Walnut (think: the Northeast's version of pecan pie). And I learned something that night: I'm really, really good at eating pie.

The Maple Walnut, something I've never had before, was delicious. At first, I thought it might be a little too sweet for my taste, but it wasn't, the maple flavor wasn't overpowering and went perfectly with the walnuts.

The Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble was awesome. The tart rhubarb was balanced by the sweet strawberries and sugary topping.

The crust on both pies was something I was jealous of. I haven't attempted many gluten-free pie crusts, but when I have, they were failures. (Though I've bookmarked  this recipe and tutorial by Gluten Free on a Shoestring and think I'll give it another go.)

So while I have no recipe to give you, I have a love haiku to share with you:

Pie. Smile on my face.
Happiness in my belly.
Thank you Noon Mark Diner.

(You're cringing at how bad that was. I know. It's okay.)