Talking With My Mouth Full by David Leite

March 11, 2026 № 89: Pot Pies with Kate McDermott

WATCH THE EPISODE HERE

In this Episode

Highlights & “Must-Listen” Moments

* 0:00 — Welcome & Who’s in the Room: Shoutouts to the live audience, plus a surprise cameo from The One—joining from 5,400 miles away in Uruguay while David holds down the fort.

* 1:05 — Amy’s Food Week: Chicken meatballs with creamy Parmesan orzo (Half Baked Harvest), two rounds of sourdough, a buckwheat coconut chocolate chip cookie revelation from Sister Pie, and a sneak peek at a summer heirloom tomato and crispy chickpea salad destined for Yankee’s July issue.

* 5:38 — David’s Food Week: The Great Cheese Hunt: Nine or ten sources, zero Scamorza—until Caputo’s of Salt Lake City saved the white lasagna. Plus: a slightly underwhelming (but lobster-knuckle-redeemed) dinner at the Mermaid Inn.

* 12:30 — Mailbag: Queen-of-the-night tomato seeds from BBQ Goddess near Yosemite, and a stunning Italian cookies cookbook sent straight from Domenica Marchetti herself.

* 17:38 — Kate McDermott Joins the Show: The Pie Whisperer is in da house! David recounts the pear pie workshop in New York, the legendary pastry cloth Kate made him, and the leaf lard gift that started it all.

* 20:32 — What Is a Pot Pie, Actually? Kate’s definition: a savory, thick stew or casserole with a crust on top—and the accidental pitch for a High Times “pot pie” feature that never was.

* 21:54 — Single Crust vs. Double Crust Showdown: The audience weighs in (doubles win decisively). David makes the case for starting on the lowest oven rack to vanquish the soggy bottom. Paul Hollywood would be proud.

* 27:50 — Thickening, Breadcrumbs & MSG: Flour or cornstarch to thicken; seasoned panko mixed into the filling for body and flavor; and an impassioned defense of umami powder—”the thing I’m a little embarrassed about but use constantly.”

* 31:37 — Amy’s Pork & Apple Pie with Cheddar Sage Crust: The Apple Lover’s Cookbook showstopper—breadcrumbs in the filling, layered apple slices on top, great at room temperature. A Cornish pasty’s elegant American cousin.

* 33:46 — Hot Water Crust & Hand-Raised Pies: Kate on the pie dolly technique she learned from Sarah Pettigrew at the School of Artisan Food in Nottinghamshire, the all-important gelée drizzle, and why it’s not a proper pie without the jelly.

* 39:44 — Do Potatoes Belong in a Pot Pie? Yes. Emphatically yes. (Amy’s complicated feelings about potatoes are aired. The Portuguese contingent is scandalized.)

* 41:42 — Moment of Outrage: The OG Caramelized Onion: Those 12-year-olds on social media who think they just invented adding water to speed up caramelizing onions. Decades, people. Decades.

* 42:26 — Kate’s Closing Report from St. Croix: A mango, papaya, and soursop crostata with a guava jam base, made with fruit from her brother-in-law’s farm at the University of the Virgin Islands. And a reminder from the pie queen herself: Be happy. Make pie.

Recipes

* Baked Sage Chicken Meatballs with Parmesan Orzo

* Pork and Apple Pie with Cheddar Sage Crust

* Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

* Beef and Guinness Pie

* Steak and Ale Pies

* Chicken Pot Pies with Cheddar-Scallion Biscuits

* Chicken Pot Pie with Herbed Mashed-Potato Crust

* Chicken Pot Pie

* New England Skillet Chicken Pie

* Curry Chicken Pot Pie

* Chicken and Leek Pot Pie