All-American Pies — Fifteen Favorites
Who can resist a slice of cherry pie for dessert with sweet, aromatic cherries and a flaky, buttery crust? “Pie” is the quintessential American dessert. Sweet, tart or savory — frozen ice cream ones or those served warm — they are all delicious. With the 250th anniversary of our country approaching; this is a good time to feature my favorite pie recipes. I searched my companion food blog, “Beyondgumbo.com,” and selected 15 pie recipes. Each pie brings a unique aspect to the to the table. Sometimes the crust “makes the pie” with a unique ingredient. Perhaps the filling includes a surprise. All are delicious.
1. Pear Tart with Chocolate Sauce and Praline Liqueur. Aromatic pears are one of my favorite autumn stone fruits. When I saw this recipe in Bon Appétit magazine, I knew It was a winner. It includes delectable pears which are infused in a praline liqueur sauce. The pears are baked in a rich puff pastry crust topped with chocolate sauce. It is elegant and attractive; a great dessert for a fancy dinner party or meal.
2. Pumpkin-Apple Pie is one of the first pies which I ever helped baked and dates to my high school years. I admit that I really didn’t care for traditional pumpkin custard pie which is served at Thanksgiving dinner. We found the recipe in the original foodie magazine, Better Homes & Garden. This recipe adds a layer of fragrant and sweet apples to the pie. It is just enough to give the “pumpkin custard pie” the lift it needs. This version rocks!
3. Plum Pie with Bourbon is my “surprise” pie and has turned out to be one of my favorite pies. As a snack, the texture of plums can be mushy, too juicy with the flesh clinging to the stone. However, when used as the filling in a pie, the plums “shine.” Their sweet, floral aroma is just right when blended with sugar and a bit of bourbon. I added a “special” version of a pie crust — it is like a shortbread cookie —it is rich, flaky and sweet. Yum!
4. Banana Pudding Meringue Pie. Several of our family doesn’t like cake — even for birthdays. And, so I pivoted in another direction. For a grandson’s birthday, I made homemade banana pudding adding vanilla waters for the crust and a fluffy meringue topping. Everyone loved it — and now the grandson requests this special dessert every year.
5. Mile High Lemonade Ice Cream Pie. This whimsical dessert is just right in the summertime. The ice cream pie with meringue topping is the signature dessert at the iconic New Orleans restaurant, the Pontchartrain, located on St. Charles Street in the Garden District in the hotel by the same name. This establishment is home to many celebrities including Tennessee Williams where he wrote “A Streetcar Named Desire” while living there. The elegant restaurant was upscale and best saved for special occasions. “Mile High” refers to layers of ice cream which make the dessert tall and impressive. My version features lemonade which is folded into vanilla ice cream — it tastes like a tart yet sweet, delicious milk shake. Add a pie crust and meringue topping to finish the dessert.
6. “Jazzed Up Apple Pie” takes my vote for best apple pie. The streusel topping makes this pie special. It reminds me of eating apple crisp in a pie shell. The crunchy topping adds just enough sweet flavor to really take the pie up a notch.
7. Cranberry Satsuma Tart. I love the Christmas holiday season especially for all the culinary tastes, flavor and treats. The appearance of cranberries in markets in wintertime is one example. I used these berries to make “Cranberry Satsuma Tart.” Satsumas are are a citrus fruit similar to a mandarin orange. It grow well in Louisiana and I just happen to have a satsuma tree in my backyard! However, to go into the backyard and pick a few for a recipe. The citrus flavor of the satsumas makes a great combination with added to tart cranberries. — Of course there is lots of sugar in the recipe, too!
8. Natchitoches Meat Pies takes the definition of “pie” in a savory direction. These small meat pies originated in the central-Louisiana town of Natchitoches. This small community is best known for their expansive display of lights at Christmas time — as well as the meat pies. Plus, the Southern classic film, Steel Magnolias, was produced there. The pies are a combination of Cajun spices with beef, pork and potatoes in a flaky crust. These bit-size morsels satisfy the appetite. Yummy.
9. Crawfish Pie “Tarts.” Crawfish tarts are definitely a Louisiana delicacy and this recipe is one of the best ways to enjoy crawfish. Crawfish live in the shallow, murky water of Louisiana swamps. They are a crustacean which matures in the spring, The whole crawfish are boiled and then peeled at the table for the traditional way of serving this swamp seafood. However, the crawfish can be peeled with the meat used in recipes. For these tarts, sauté the peeled the crawfish in butter along with lots of the Cajun “Trinity” of seasonings — onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic — plus hot sauce. Pour into a pie shell and bake. In this recipe, I used puff pastry to make individual tart shells rather a standard 9″–diameter tart. If you have never eathen crawfish — I suggest trying this recipe first!
10. Brunch Ham Quiche. A “quiche” is the quintessential entree “pie” in contrast to a sweet dessert pie. I absolutely love quiches, These savory custard pies are made of eggs, milk, cheese and additional combinations of ingredients. For example, sautéed onions and fresh tomatoes make great quiche. This pie adds bits of ham and green onions. Perfect for brunch.
11. Nathan’s Mini-Chicken Pot Pies. These chicken pot pies are baked in small custard dishes in a “twist” on the old fashioned comfort food. Pot pies are especially delicious when homemade. Diced cooked chicken is mixed with potatoes, vegetables and a cream sauce to provide lots of hearty ingredients and flavors. We put the pie crust on the top which definitely adds to the ease of making this dish.
12. Savory Lentil Pie. Who says that vegetarian cuisine can’t be tasty? We ate this “twist” on traditional pies while vacationing in Maine. The pie was served for lunch at a mall a sustainable farm-to-table café. The lentil pie didn’t have a traditional bottom crust but it did have a delicious thick mashed potato and cheese topping. The filling consisted of lentils, tomato sauce, thyme and dark Portland beer! So satisfying that we ordered a second helping!
13. Lemon Pie with Gingersnap Crust. After extensive searching, I found the “perfect” lemon pie recipe. The creamy pie is not too, too sweet. I used a gingersnap crust rather than a graham cracker crust which gives a unique flavor pairing.
14, Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie. Pecan Pies are a traditional southern dessert. They are served during the winter holiday season when fresh pecans are available. For my pie I used a traditional filling of molasses, eggs and pecans, Plus, I gave a “twist” to the recipe by I adding dark chocolate bits to the filling. It is difficult to resist a second serving of this rich pie.
15. All-American Cherry Pie. George Washington grew cherries. We know that because glass jars of preserved cherries were recently discovered on his estate in a dirt floor. I bet Washington ate cherry pie, too. I love sweet cherries when combined with sugar and a hint of almond extract. I baked these in a bottom pie shell using sugar cut-out shapes for the topping. Serve with ice cream for the ultimate “All-American” pie.
It is our country’s 250th year anniversary. Let’s celebrate by baking one of these tempting All-American pies. Traditional or contemporary — they are all uniquely delicious.
Enjoy
After selecting these fifteen pies, I found a few other recipes which could easily make this list.
- Blueberry Sour Cream Streusel pie,
- Denise’s Banana Cream Coconut pie,
- Banana Pie with Oatmeal Crust,
- Pecan Fig Pie,
- Strawberry Berry Pie
And it doesn’t stop here. Visit my Beyond Gumbo blog for these and more pie recipes.
