“You’re a real baker now!” Stew proclaimed as he inhaled his first piece of my very first pie.

There are many reasons I’ve never made a pie until now, not the least of which is the fact that I don’t really even like pie. Unless you count French silk pie but we all know that’s pretty much just pudding and whipped cream, right? Right.

So when it comes to pie I guess you could say I’ve never really been interested. When presented with, say, a brownie sundae or a gloopy gloppy pile of gelatinous fruit, I’m going with the brownie.

But this all changed last summer when I was introduced to Brittney’s blueberry pie at my Welcome to Charlotte brunch. You see, that pie is, simply put, perfect. The crust, the filling, the… everything. It opened up a whole new world to me.  A world of pies.

The other reason I haven’t made a pie is because pies are scary. Pastry is scary. Making the filling set is scary. Making anything that you can’t sample until your first guest cuts into it is scary. So, you see, pies are scary.

But today I conquered my fears and am happy to report a major pie success. I made a strawberry rhubarb pie with coconut crust and streusel topping. You heard me. Sounds completely ridiculous, I know. But believe you me, it works.

I used this vegan strawberry pie recipe but played with it a bit.

• I added one chopped stalk of rhubarb to the sugar/cornstarch/strawberry puree.
• I rebaked the pie once the filling was added rather than just letting it chill in the fridge.
• I topped it with cinnamon streusel because I felt like it felt uncomfortable being so naked.

The crust is awesome. Pie purists might not like it since it’s not flaky. But what it lacks in flakiness it packs in dense, buttery, coconutty, shortbread-esque goodness. The filling is nothing like the nauseatingly sweet, sticky gloopy mess you find in diners. Nope. It’s sweet with a light tang from the rhubarb and the strawberries held their shape without turning into mushy unrecognizable blobs. I am so pleased.

And it really wasn’t that hard! I’m a believer now. Pies are within my reach. What’s next? Croissants? Donuts? Croquembouche? The possibilities are endless, for I have tasted victory. I have made my very first pie.