Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/395149
224 Pastry chef Ashley Bush, owner of Newbury- port's Buttermilk Baking Company—a small-batch, made-from-scratch bak- ery—discovered her passion for pie at a very young age. "When I was little, I loved to read cookbooks; I'd make an apple pie filling, follow- ing a recipe, step-by-step," she says. She loved bak- ing and knew one day she would open her own bake shop. A native New Yorker, Bush studied at the Culinary Institute of America, and after graduating took pastry chef positions up and down the East Coast—anywhere to get her feet wet. Two years ago, when she and her husband landed in New Hampshire, she saw her golden opportunity. She decided on Newburyport for her shop location, and has been busy rolling out dough since. "Making pie is so tac- tile, the flour on your hands, feeling the consistency of the dough. It's meditative— it's like gardening in that way." Last Thanksgiving she took orders for 100 apple pies— each pie gets 10 apples (a mix of Granny Smiths, Court- lands, and Paula Reds). She sources her ingredi- ents locally—apples from Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury, creamy butter (she uses 90 pounds each week) from Vermont's Cabot Creamery, and King Arthur Flour also sourced from Vermont. Sugar and cinnamon are also tossed into the mix. Her hand pies are great grab-and- go snacks and a fun way to personalize pies for holiday desserts. Many of her pies are seasonal, and she offers a wide variety for Thanksgiving Day. When asked what her favorite pie is—she exclaims, "That is like choosing your favorite child!" But she does admit she loves her sweet potato pie with house-made marshmallows. Pumpkin with house-made ginger snaps, and pecans is another seasonal crowd-pleaser. Ashley Bush Buttermilk Baking Company buttermilkbaking.com