On a recent trip with a friend to Alaska in early March, we visited historic Talkeetna, which bills itself as the Gateway to Denali. After participating in the ceremonial and official starts of the Iditarod Dogsled Race in Anchorage and Willow, we were on our way to see the Northern Lights in Fairbanks. We stopped in Talkeetna to enjoy the small town’s hospitality and to visit the ranger station where everyone who plans to climb Denali (Mount McKinley) must register. Talkeetna is also a stop on the Aurora Winter Train which we boarded after our 2-day visit in Talkeetna. While in Talkeetna, we had lunch at The Roadhouse, which offered the opportunity to take a pie-making class.
Three of us donned our aprons and headed back to the kitchen (Alaska “rules and regs” do not prohibit having guests in the kitchen while a quiche and loaf of bread were finishing in the hot oven). Three “mise en place” stations were ready for us, and we set to work. Tiana, our teacher, explained that we would each make a different pie for ourselves, and she would make one for the restaurant to donate to a charity auction.
We started by making dough for the crust which, when judged to have met Roadhouse standards, Tiana gathered in a big bowl and weighed out the portion for each of our crusts. The remaining dough—the Roadhouse recipe makes a lot– sat on a counter to be wrapped in pie size rounds and rolled out for more pies later. Using the basic recipe of 11 cups of fruit for each pie, Tiana gave us clear directions for filling the crust and the temperature for baking. While the pies were cooling, we trudged through the mostly un-plowed snow to check out the shops.
People: Tiana is the pastry chef and pie teacher at the Roadhouse. Not only is she knowledgeable about her craft, she is a creative teacher and uses visual aids effectively.
Places: The Roadhouse in Talkeetna Alaska, https://www.talkeetnaroadhouse.com/ This Roadhouse is the gathering place on the main street of Talkeetna. Originally built in 1917 as a freight hauling supply station, the Roadhouse now serves as a restaurant, bakery and rooming house.
Cinnamon rolls and pies are favorites, but who could resist the Rudy-in-a-Parka (aka pig in a blanket) made from potato dough and reindeer sausage! 
Pies: I made a Rhubarb-Raspberry Streusel Pie. This is a twist on a Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie, and in this recipe the raspberries do a good job of balancing out the tartness of the rhubarb. The Roadhouse recipe has an all-butter crust with a pinch of sugar and salt; the filling calls for frozen berries; and the streusel is the traditional flour, sugar, brown sugar and butter topping. We added a lot of cinnamon for good luck.
We served all three pies back at the Talkeetna Lodge, where we were staying for two nights, and between our friends on the trip and other lodgers, they disappeared in an Alaska minute!
- Your favorite pie crust
- For the filling
- 11 cups frozen raspberries and rhubarb cut in small pieces
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- Pinch salt
- Your favorite streusel recipe
- Roll out dough for a one crust pie and place in a greased pie tin.
- Combine the frozen berries and dry ingredients in a plastic bag and rotate several times to cover berries.
- Place the bag over the crust and let the now floured and sugared berries fall into the crust and settle in.
- Cover with streusel
- Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for 1 hour and 35 minutes tented with foil. Remove foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes. The pie is ready when the juices are thick and bubbling.
Yummm! Bucket list for sure to bake a pie in Alaska.
Diane, what a wonderful, event filled trip. Great planning. Of course the pie info is making me hungry!
Diane, what a wonderful, event filled trip! Had no idea you had packed so much in. Good job! and the pie story is making me hungry.
As always, a great read, delicious sounding pie and I love the “travelogue” content that shares so much about the area, the people and the experience! But wait….I guess that is why you call it “People, Places and Pies”!!! Another great post, Diane!