THE PIE POLL: What Is Your Favorite Kind Of Pie?

Of course, if you're like me, you might try to be amusing and say "I'll take cookies or a hot fudge sundae".

But assuming you enjoy pie now and then, which is your favorite?

My tastebuds seem to gravitate to three major ones:

Lemon
Blueberry
Chocolate

Pies I don't really care for (for some reason):

Rhubarb
Custard
Pumpkin

And pies that seem very "style-dependent" to me are:

Apple
Cherry

Like many, I assume, I find the scrumptious-ness of the crust to be a key element to all forms of pie seduction.

Jeff

Why only one choice? Many years ago, I dated a girl who's grandmother told me "Girls like cake. Boys like pie."
Mince meat
Apple pie with sharp cheddar melted on top

of the selection I'd say Cherry pie, but on balance I'd go for a Game pie

Why only one choice? Many years ago, I dated a girl who's grandmother told me "Girls like cake. Boys like pie."
Mince meat
Apple pie with sharp cheddar melted on top

I almost thought to do a "Cake or Pie?" poll. Stay tuned next week perhaps...

And I couldn't keep it to one choice either. Which is why I had to list three. But I suppose my actual vote would have to go for blueberry or lemon. I still can't decide. Hmm....decisions, decisions...

Jeff

Voted for blueberry because I find that most difficult to resist, especially at the very best diners in the United States, but I can be fickle and will often turn to apple, pumpkin, strawberry and others.

Best
Rogov

I'm in the camp with Rogov: especially irresistable is a wild blueberry pie with a bit of grated lemon rind in it.

I make a good pumpkin pie.

Apple pie is the tricky one, I think. It's so easy to make it goopy. It's so easy to make it too sweet. It's so easy to use the wrong kind of apples or the wrong kind of crust or a thousand other flaws. But a good one is really really good.

Mince meat

This was my favorite pie as a child. I didn't even need the crust, just the filling!

Apple pie is the tricky one, I think. It's so easy to make it goopy. It's so easy to make it too sweet. It's so easy to use the wrong kind of apples or the wrong kind of crust or a thousand other flaws. But a good one is really really good.

Interesting.

I'm not a huge fan of apple pie, although I was born in a country that reveres them and have a wife from a country that adores them. But then I just don't get excited by apples very much. Obviously they're great when fresh off the tree. But I prefer my fruit to be luscious.

I'm not a huge fan of apple pie, although I was born in a country that reveres them and have a wife from a country that adores them. But then I just don't get excited by apples very much. Obviously they're great when fresh off the tree. But I prefer my fruit to be luscious.

As with wine, the key to a good apple pie is good acidity and not too sweet.

Lemon

I assume you mean lemon meringue pie? That's another of my favorites. Or anything in the meringue family. When we were in Germany this past July my mother-in-law made a red gooseberry meringue pie with gooseberries from her garden. Not something that gets used in the States very often but it was so delicious I must have eaten half the pie.

Otherwise, I don't think anyone has mentioned peach yet. So I'll put in a plug for that luscious concoction!

As with wine, the key to a good apple pie is good acidity and not too sweet.

Oh yes, I agree. I rarely get pies in public because they are often way too sweet. We just got back from a few days on the North Fork where every establishment touts its fruit baking skills. But it would have all been better with a touch less sugar. Still, I wasn't truly complaining!

It's a great time of year to eat.

I'm in the camp with Rogov: especially irresistable is a wild blueberry pie with a bit of grated lemon rind in it.

That sounds good! And also eliminates my decision of having to pick blueberry or lemon as my favorite.

Jeff

Lemon

I assume you mean lemon meringue pie? That's another of my favorites. Or anything in the meringue family. When we were in Germany this past July my mother-in-law made a red gooseberry meringue pie with gooseberries from her garden. Not something that gets used in the States very often but it was so delicious I must have eaten half the pie.

Otherwise, I don't think anyone has mentioned peach yet. So I'll put in a plug for that luscious concoction!

Yes, traditionally, lemon meringue. Although I have had lemon pies that had a "closed crust" on the top as well. I enjoy either one actually.

At the last minute I thought to add Peach to the the poll candidates but I admit it's not one that first came to mind for pie. On the other hand, I love peach cobblers! Mixed with the ice cream...oh my...that's a whole other seduction.

Although with cobblers I suspect it's largely the contrast of the warm thick crusts mingled with the coldness of the ice cream that grabs me the most. Definitely delicious!

I've heard that Peach was Jackie Kennedy's favorite flavor (for ice cream anyway).

Jeff

Blueberry Pie is ahead...wow, I never knew they were so popular. My husband would tell you Lemon Meringue is his fave, with apple as his second. I love coconut cream, home made, not the kind made in restaurants. However, when I find an excellent apple pie or peach pie, it could be my favorite at that time. I like a light, flaky crust, and the ingrediets must be very fresh and in season. That said, I rarely make a pie or even eat any.

[Robin Garr]

Where is pecan?

I voted strawberry among the choices, though, because Mary makes a great one with patè brissée and cream cheese.

FRESH sour cherry pie is the best for me. We pick when ripe and pit immediately and make the pie the same day. This is the only way to make cherry pie.

Where is pecan?

I knew there was a major one I'd forget!

I guess that's why I always make sure to include the "other" option. There's just no way to account for all possible tastes.

Jeff

Pie Franco (particularly Cappellano's).

Apple, and Gravenstein apple in particular. Pear pie is second, then peach, apricot, and a couple of varieties of lemon pie.
Gravensteins are in, and I made my first pie of the season this week. YUMMY!

This is a tough one for me as I'm not a big fan of most pie. Almost all pies taste just fine to me, but they rarely get me excited. When they do, it's not because of the kind of pie but because of how well it's made. Most apple pie is so-so, but a great apple pie is an amazing creation (and a rare one). Same with blueberry and lemon and pecan. No particular type stands out to me just due to its ingredients.

Oh, I forgot another one - banana creme! I don't know how that one skipped my memory.

My Aunt made a delicious version of that one. It's really the only variety of it I've ever had. And I'm not even a banana fan in general. I think it was something in how the crust contrasted with the banana-creme filling that made it delicious and something distinct from just eating a banana. But I gather it's not a popular pie (at least nowadays).

Jeff

Jeff,
You are so right about the crust. If it's not right it doesn't matter how good the filling is. A great crust is not easy to make

[Jenise]

As with wine, the key to a good apple pie is good acidity and not too sweet.

Perzactly! So it's absolutely one of my favorites when made simply and tasting almost unsweetened, which is how I make and LOVE them. But the majority are weighed down with too much sugar and spice, and often further ruined with things like raisins and nuts.

Pumpkin is fairly irresistable to me when made with fresh pumpkin and cream. And apricot made from fresh apricots is out of this world.

The safest commercial pie for me is cherry or any of the berries, especially marionberry and boysenberry, all of which I love if they're made well.

And purest that I am: two crusts please, fruit pies only made from fresh fruit, don't heat it up, and hold the goop or I won't eat it. Absolutely no toppings, no ice cream.

Jeff,
You are so right about the crust. If it's not right it doesn't matter how good the filling is. A great crust is not easy to make

I like both the tender and the flaky styles but I slightly prefer tender (meaning, it bends a bit before it tears, but not because it's damp).