What Makes a Pie Great, According to the Owner of “America’s Best Pie Shop”

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Digging into a slice of pie is one of life’s great pleasures. Whether it’s apple or pumpkin, banana cream or chocolate pecan, you really can’t go wrong when it comes to pie. No Thanksgiving dessert spread is complete without at least one pie on the table, and even if it’s a store-bought crust with canned fruit pie filling, it’s not going to be bad – even a so-so pie usually hits the spot. 

But there’s a big difference between a so-so pie and a good pie, and an even bigger difference between a good pie and a truly great pie. A great pie forces you to shut out the rest of the world, close your eyes, and revel in the moment. A great pie can be downright life-changing. But what makes a pie great, exactly?

We posed that question to Alan Nugent, the co-owner of the beloved Stockholm Pie & General Store in the small, charming town of Stockholm, Wisconsin, which is perched on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. The shop was recently named the #1 pie shop in America by USA Today, and it’s also shipping nationwide on Goldbelly. 

Getting the crust right isn’t easy and takes practice, but it’s worth it in the end. “A crust can appear simple, and to a master pie maker, it is,” he said. “But take the time to do it right. Cutting corners usually just ends up with messy corners.”

But a great crust is only half the battle. “The other important thing is to use real ingredients,” he added. “Most things out of a can just don’t have the same character and taste as something real, like a real apple and real fruit.”

A wide variety of Nugent’s award-winning pies – from his signature Peanut Butter Fudge Pie to Pumpkin Pecan Pie and Cranberry Brown Sugar Custard Pie – are shipping nationwide, but if you decide to dip your toe into the pie-making waters this Thanksgiving, he has some advice.

“Take the time to do it,” he advises. “Make your crust, no matter what you make it with. Use real ingredients, and avoid cans. It does take longer, but pie is pure love, and it shows in the love you put into each one.”

This article originally appeared on Goldbelly.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org

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Is Apple Pie as American as You Think It Is?

    Is Apple Pie as American as You Think It Is?

    As temperatures drop across the U.S., millions of people will don their flannel and head out apple picking. What will they do with all those apples? Likely make some apple pie. Apple pie is such a part of American fall traditions that it’s hard to believe it could have come from anywhere else. It’s one of the country’s most iconic dishes, from Fourth of July cookouts to Thanksgiving feasts to Christmas dinners. “As American as apple pie” is a saying for a reason, right? Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that…

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    Apple pie as we know it today was actually first invented in England, though its influences stretch as far back as the Ottoman Empire.

    Apples originated in Kazakhstan and were brought to Europe around the 1500s. Europeans brought domesticated apple trees to North America in the 1600s. Before they arrived, only crab apples grew here. Other ingredients used in pie, like cinnamon, nutmeg, and lard, which was common in early recipes, were also brought by Europeans all the way from Asia and the Middle East.

    Settlers brought apples to the New World to make cider, but by the 1800s they had created sweeter apple varieties more suited for pie. The French, Dutch, and English had been making pies for centuries at this point. They brought those recipes to what is now the U.S., where the dish quickly caught on. In fact, Amelia Simmons, who wrote American Cookery, the first cookbook published in the U.S., included two recipes for apple pie in her book.

    Then there’s Johnny Appleseed, aka John Chapman, who spread apple seeds––literally––around Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana. He became a living legend and brought apples into America’s folklore, cementing their place as an American symbol.

    BirdShutterB/iStock

    Pies were originally baked as a hearty, warm dish brought by European settlers. They were popular during the Civil War, when both Union and Confederate soldiers were said to eat them around the fire. Early pies were also more savory than the pies we know today.

    DepositPhotos.com

    Because apple pie started out as a savory dish, its connection to cheese makes sense. Both cheddar cheese and apple pie come from England. Originally, apple pies were topped with a custard-like sauce. But at some point, someone decided to try eating pie with cheddar instead. The details here are fuzzy, but we do know that historically cheese was served with fruit and nuts at the end of a meal, and that original apple pie recipes included more dried fruit and nuts inside. Whatever the reason, apple pie and cheddar cheese is still popular today in the Midwest, especially in Wisconsin, where much of the world’s cheddar is made today.

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    The history of apple pie in America includes a bit of propaganda. “Pie is the food of the heroic,” a 1902 New York Times editorial declared, positioning the dish as an “American synonym for prosperity.” After World War I, the paper published an article titled, “The Tourist Apple Pie Hunt Is Ended: American Army Abroad Has Failed Again to Find in Europe ‘the Kind They Make at Home.’ The piece argued that apple pie was American, and that no other country made it as well.

    No one knows for sure where the phrase ‘as American as apple pie’ came from. We do know that a 1924 advertisement for Lestz Suits said they were ‘as American as apple pie,’ and that a 1928 New York Times article said First Lady Lou Henry Hoover’s cooking and homemaking was “as American as apple pie or corn pone.”

    Apple pie became such a symbol of the U.S. that in 1935 New York and Oregon got in an argument over who produced the best apples. Oregon sent free apples to Congress to show that its apples were superior. New York responded by sending apple pies.

    A few years later, during World War II, American soldiers said they were fighting for “mom and apple pie.” With that, apple pie was cemented as an American dish. During the war, women shared recipes detailing how to make delicious pies for their returning husbands despite wartime rations and food shortages. Soon, apple pie was not only a symbol of America, but of something hearty, wholesome, and traditional.

    So, is apple pie American? It wasn’t originally, but it’s easy to argue it is now. It has endured as a symbol of America, and the version we know and love is eaten more in the U.S. than anywhere else.

    Famous Apple Pies Perfect for the Holidays

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    This award winning Wisconsin pie is as delicious as it is fun. It’s baked in a paper bag, which makes it extra crunchy on top, but light and flakey on the bottom. And it is absolutely packed with apples. Don’t trust us? Ask the Food Network, Wall Street Journal, and Gourmet Magazine who have all named it the ‘best apple pie in America.’

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    This mini pie makes the perfect gift, or a great pie if you’re hosting a party for two. It all started when Amanda Wadworsth’s son wanted a pie he could take to school and she developed the recipe for mini pies which have since been featured on Oprah’s O List. The pie is made with all locally-sourced ingredients, granny smith apples. It’s easy to simply reheat and enjoy.

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    Italy meets America in this apple pie from Italian chef Nino Settepani’s NYC bakery. While the bakery serves traditional Italian goods, this pie is an all American-style pie. It serves 8-10 people and is the perfect addition to any holiday table.

    This article originally appeared on Goldbelly.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

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    Featured Image Credit: Goldbelly.

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