We are currently smack-dab in the middle of the ultimate holiday dessert season. One of the tastiest treats to come out of the post-November, pre-winter holiday season is the almighty pie. The Voice Section would like to offer up its favorites in honor of this wonderful time of year.
Kristin’s Picks
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie is an absolute classic. It’s not too sweet, but just sweet enough to give your sweet tooth exactly what it wants. This pie is the ultimate customizable culinary treat—you can add as much whipped cream as your heart desires or really spice things up with a bit of caramel. Is there anything this pie can’t do?
French Silk Pie
Some people like their pies the same way they like their coffee: dark, rich and good any time of the day. If you’re a fan of chocolate, ol’ French silk will be your best friend. Those who are not fans of rich, sweet treats be warned—this pie might be overwhelming. Personally, a little sliver is just enough for me, so eat at your own discretion.
Apple Pie
The apple pie is really a physical, edible version of nostalgia. Just the smell alone can warm your heart, and the taste will send you back to your childhood swing at your grandparents’ house—even if you didn’t have one. Some may argue that the apples need to be crisp rather than soggy in the pie (let’s be honest, crisp apples are always better). There’s nothing better than biting into a slice and tasting the warm, cinnamon goodness that lies within.
Banana Cream Pie
In my book, banana cream is not considered a classic pie. Rather, it’s the hipster cousin of the classic pies; you think it might be good, but you’re not too sure so you approach with caution. The banana cream is everything you want when you don’t know what you want. You do, however, need to be a fan of bananas to really enjoy everything this pie has to offer.
Blueberry Pie
The movie “Stand By Me” may have ruined blueberry pies for many, but this pie is still list-worthy. Blueberries may arguably be the best berries out there, and that mixed with a crispy pie crust and warm pie filling makes for a winning combination. If one wants to feel a little more fancy, a scoop of ice cream with this pie just might be everything you want and more. In reality, the blueberry pie is everything the blueberry Pop-Tart wishes it was.
Jake’s Picks
Chicken Pot Pie
The OG pie. Rewind back to medieval Britain; cooks of that time would construct pot-like pastries, fill them with any assortment of meats and vegetables that they had available, bake the whole thing and called it a pie. The word pie comes a curious little bird called the magpie that has a habit of filling their nests with a collection of all sorts of miscellaneous objects. If magpies had access to ovens, they probably would have been baking up pies centuries before humans ever figured out how to make them.
Coconut Cream Pie
I hear a lot of people hate on coconut, saying such crazy things as, “I don’t really like coconut all that much,” or, “coconut is alright I guess. I mean, I’ll eat it but it’s not my favorite thing in the world.” I was even once left speechless when I heard a friend of mine boldly state that, “Yeah, I like Almond Joy; I’d just rather have a Twix right now.”
I have never once heard a person commit coconut heresy after I show them the true glory of the all mighty coconut cream pie.
Apple Pie
Freedom. A white picket fence. Baseball. Support our troops. ‘Nuff said.
Pizza Pie
It is debatable whether or not pizza can be considered a pie in the traditional sense. If you ask a cartoonized, mustachioed Italian chef wearing a red ascot and checkered apron what he thinks he won’t say anything because he’s just a politically incorrect drawing on the back of a cheap Italian restaurant’s menu. The talk bubble next to his head has “PIZZA PIE!” written in comic sans, so that’s evidence enough for me that Pizza is, in fact, a pie.
Blackberry Pie
I’m going to let all you Scout readers in on a little secret. In the mid to late summer wild blackberries can be found growing in abundance all over the Midwest. Go out to your local nature preserve, and if you find a good spot, you can fill up a five gallon bucket in less time than it takes to put your pants on in the morning (it will actually take at least a few hours). That’s a free five gallons of delicious berries that are infinitely tastier than any over-priced blackberry you would buy at a grocery store.
Not only is it the objective truth that blackberries are the best fruit of all time (not truth, just an opinion), but they also are the star ingredient of the greatest culinary masterpiece to ever grace the title of pie (also, just an opinion).
In my modest opinion, blackberries make a real nice pie.
