Move over cupcakes and make ready for pie. Sweet or savory, deep dish or hand held, it is predicted that 2011 is the year of the pie!
Pies have definitely been around for thousands of years. The Greeks are often attributed with originating the pastry shell – the vessel for the ‘pie’, while Romans are cited as filling these pastry shells with different kinds of meat, and in England, references to the pie extend back to medieval times. And, while the pie may not have originated here, there is no doubt that America has truly embraced the pie.
Americans enjoy pies in all shapes, sizes and flavors – from sweet to savory; from deep dish to tartlets; and from cream to custard. Pies can be filled with berries, vegetables, meat and nuts, and generations have enjoyed handing down treasured family pie recipes.
Whether they’re baked for a contest, enjoyed at home, or tossed in someone’s face, pie is a tradition that we have all enjoyed.
The Oxford Companion to Food suggests the word “pie” was derived from magpie (a bird known for collecting lots of things). Go ahead, become a magpie and collect lots of great things to put in your pies. Here are a few recipes to get you started.
Go ahead, collect a lot of delicious things from the store or your garden, and learn:
How to Enjoy Pie
- Learn how easy it is to make a delicious and flakey piecrust. Check out our Interview with Susan Reid ofKing Arthur Flour.
- Hold a Pie party. Gather friends together and the only requirement is that everyone bring a pie. Assign each to bring appetizer pies, main meal pies and dessert pies.
- Join the Facebook page: People who enjoy pie
- Enter a pie-baking contest Also keep your ear open for local contests being held at the local fair.
- Take part in the 2011 Great American Pie Festival®Sponsored by Crisco®
- Enter a pie-eating contest
- Put pie on the menu at least twice a month
Some of Family Eats favorites:
