Jennifer Mans
A little bourbon never hurt a pumpkin pie.
Oh my gosh, pie! Sweet, savory, held in the hand, or cut into a slice — there is no three-letter word in the English language quite as evocative as pie (well, okay, maybe one other word). Pie can be a big event, or no big deal. It can dress up, with fancy fruit and cream, or dress down, as something earthy and crusty. At Humble, it does both.
Humble Sweet and Savory Pies, formerly on Allen Street on the west side, has moved. After a lengthy remodel, it’s finally opened on East Johnson Street in the former weekend breakfast-only institution, Sophia’s.
The pie selection at Humble has both creative flair and a comfortable familiarity. The sour cherry galette bats first. It comes as a round, hold-in-the-hand galette, topped with a scoop of sweetened sour cherries. Every bite is quintessential county fair-style cherry pie.
The bourbon chocolate chess and the chocolate walnut pretzel stout fill out the chocolate tart category. The chocolate chess has a smooth custard texture, topped with a salted caramel. The walnut pretzel stout spikes sweet chocolate with a little salt and finishes with enough stout flavor to really taste it.
Salt is a prominent feature in a lot of the pies at Humble, and to good effect. The Salty Captain is a great riff on a citrus pie, with a saltine cracker crust and more salt on top of the meringue. The lemon/lime and salt reminded me of a cross between key lime pie and a blended margarita.
In a nod to the literary heroine, Pippi’s Pancakes is a pie inspired by the precocious, sometimes bohemian, and always independent Pippi Longstocking. A maple chess is topped with whipped cream and blueberries. Every bite tastes like syrup-soaked pancakes, with a dense maple flavor and a not-dissimilar texture.
On the savory side, there are a variety of hand pies, pasties and quiches. The Nueske’s bacon, baby Swiss and green onion quiche nailed my ideal of what a quiche filling should be. The slice came out in good form, moist, with the bacon taking prominence.
The chicken pot pasty was a good hybrid. The crust held together (and it reheated well, too). There was ample chicken, but it was a little dry — because unlike a traditional pot pie, there’s no gravy. Otherwise it’s a good self-contained meal, as is the sausage apple acorn squash pasty. The beef and root vegetable pasty is closest to what you’d find in the U.P. All pasties reheat in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
There are smaller “pie bites,” as well. As a cousin of the pumpkin pie, the cardamom sweet potato will scratch that familiar Thanksgiving itch. The floral lavender honey is soft and sweet, a perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea. The French cherry cream packs a creamy wallop for such a small character, and should probably just be gobbled right out of the case!
There were only a few missteps. The Roth’s Grand Cru panna cotta with berries looked lovely, but some undissolved gelatin made me abandon it. The story of the grapefruit meringues, on the other hand, is one of failure and redemption. The crust formed a thin cup with a toasted meringue roof that looked perfect. My first bite broke open the crust and the grapefruit filling started running down my hands. Before I could curse the unset filling, I was over my sink licking it off, because it was so delicious. Tangy grapefruit flavor was blasting out of the filling! I wouldn’t be afraid to give this tasty failure another try.
Humble’s space, which as Sophia’s once seemed cramped, now functions with some breathing room. A pie case faces a simple arrangement of tables and chairs. Special order pies and tarts of various flavors can be ordered with two days’ notice.
Be mindful that Humble is currently run by only one person. There are regular hours, but it’s open until sold out, which does happen. I did make a couple of visits late in the day, and the case looked appropriately empty, but not barren. Following Humble on social media is probably the best way to get the latest on daily pie flavors — the menu does change, with an emphasis on ingredients that are seasonal and available locally.
It is never good to exchange one’s humility for hubris, but Humble has every reason to brag as Madison’s best pie maker.
Humble
831 E. Johnson St.
No phone yet; humblepiemaker.com; $4-$7
11 am-6 pm Wed.-Fri., 11 am-4 pm Sat.-Sun.
