GET A PIECE OF THE PIE

You didn’t know there was a National Pie Day? Well, then you may be surprised to know there’s an American Pie Council, which each year co-sponsors the National Pie Championships.

“American” and “pie” seem to be inextricably linked, but according to research by the American Pie Council, the origins of the pie actually have been traced to the ancient Egyptians — though of course the Romans got in on the act soon after. Linda Hoskins, executive director of the council, said it appears the pie’s beloved spot in the American culinary canon stretches back to pioneer days and the primitive food-preservation methods employed then.

“When people put them in a shell, they could turn those dried fruits into something really good,” she said. “It became an American staple. We’ve adapted it and made it even better.”

Hoskins said the council was founded in 1983 by a group of pie-lovers who feared that their labor of love was a dying art. By 1995, she said, commercial operators had become aware of the council and expressed interest in membership.

“It kind of became an odd little combination of manufacturers, professional chefs and people who genuinely love pie,” she said.

And Las Vegans do love their pie, according to Treasa Teliska, who with her husband, Michael, opened Pies Unlimited at 9310 Sun City Blvd. about three and a half years ago. The company offers about 90 varieties of pies — more than 20 flavors, in sugar and no-sugar-added varieties, with fruit pies available with top crust, crumb top or cream top.

The most popular flavors, she said, are good ol’ American apple, plus chocolate cream, lemon meringue and — surprise — strawberry-rhubarb.

“For the older generation, it just takes them back,” she said of the latter. “You don’t really find rhubarb in anything these days.”

On a national level, lemon meringue and banana cream hold supreme, according to Erin Wieghaus, marketing manager for Marie Callender’s.

So why are we so fond of pie?

“Who doesn’t have great memories about pies?” Hoskins said.

She added that she doesn’t have any research supporting whether home pie-baking is up or down, but “definitely people are cooking more; as people are cooking more, I think they’re baking more.”

But retail bakers say one thing their customers report is a fear of tackling their own pie crusts. The expression “easy as pie” just doesn’t seem to hold anymore.

Which brings us to Carol Socier. Socier, a resident of Bay City, Mich., is one of Crisco’s “pie pros.” The winner of the 2007 National Pie Championships for her Strawberry Cream Delight Pie (the recipe for which follows), Socier has provided tips for the Crisco Pie Hotline, which can be reached at (877) 367-7438 (or visit www.Crisco.com, or the council at www.PieCouncil.org.) And she’s a font of pie-crust wisdom.

“Personally, my No. 1 tip is don’t jump in and say you want to make six pies for Thanksgiving,” Socier said. “I make each crust singly.”

She rolls her dough out in cake flour, which she said seems to make the crust flakier. She also adds things to her crusts to make them more flavorful — vanilla-wafer crumbs in her strawberry-pie crust, for example, or gingerbread crumbs in a crust for pumpkin pie. Sometimes she’ll add nuts. Sometimes she uses the basic Crisco crust (the recipe for which also follows), maybe adding about 2 teaspoons of sugar.

Socier is a believer in buying the newest and latest equipment, noting that while her grandmother used pie tins and her mother glass dishes, she has found that stoneware produces the best crust — but she cautions to use those that aren’t glazed on the bottom of the exterior.

Instead of using a knife to make a lattice, she suggests buying a lattice-cutter onto which the dough is simply rolled.

“I buy every gadget that’s out there,” she said.

And …

“Don’t be afraid to experiment,” Socier said. “Different fruits being put together, different ingredients … People should not be afraid to experiment, because you can only get better. It’s like anything else.”

And eventually, it will be as easy as pie.

CLASSIC DOUBLE PIE CRUST

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 stick well-chilled all-vegetable shortening (such as Crisco)

4 to 8 tablespoons ice-cold water

Blend flour and salt in medium mixing bowl. Cut chilled shortening into 1/2-inch cubes. Cut in cubes into flour mixture, using a pastry blender in an up-and-down chopping motion, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some small pea-sized pieces remaining.

Sprinkle half of the maximum recommended amount of ice cold water over the flour mixture. Using a fork, stir and draw flour from bottom of bowl to the top, distributing moisture evenly into flour. Press chunks down to bottom of bowl with fork. Add more water by the tablespoon until dough is moist enough to hold together when pressed together.

Divide dough in two, one ball slightly larger than the other. Flatten balls into 1/2-inch thick round discs. (Optional: For ease in rolling, wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes or as long as 2 days.)

Roll larger ball of dough from center outward with steady pressure on a lightly floured work surface or between two sheets of wax or parchment paper into a circle 2 inches wider than pie plate. Transfer dough to pie plate by loosely rolling around rolling pin. Center the rolling pin over the pie plate and then unroll, easing dough into pie plate.

Fill crust according to recipe directions. Roll out smaller dough disk. Transfer dough carefully onto filled pie. Trim edges of dough, leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. Fold top edge under bottom crust. Press edges together to seal and flute as desired. Cut slits in top crust or prick with fork to vent steam. Bake according to recipe directions.

— Recipe from Crisco

STRAWBERRY CREAM DELIGHT PIE

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup crushed vanilla wafers

Salt

1/3 cup vegetable shortening (such as Crisco)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 (3-ounce) package strawberry gelatin

2 cups frozen unsweetened strawberries

1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Additional whipped cream for garnish

Strawberries for garnish

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, wafer crumbs and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cut in shortening until pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle one tablespoon of cold water over mix. Gently toss with fork and add additional 2 to 3 tablespoons water until all is moistened. Form dough into ball. On a lightly floured surface, flatten dough with hands. Roll into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim and flute and prick bottom and sides with a fork.

Bake in 350-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

For strawberry layer, combine sugar, cornstarch and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in 11/4 cups water. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil and is thick and clear. Add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Add frozen strawberries and refrigerate until slightly thickened.

For cream layer, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium size bowl. Beat until smooth. Add whipped cream. Spoon half of mixture into prepared crust. Top with half of the strawberry mixture. Repeat layers.

— Recipe from National Pie Championships

ENGLISH TOFFEE PECAN PIE

11/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt (divided use)

1/3 cup vegetable shortening (such as Crisco)

2 tablespoons cold butter

3 to 4 tablespoons ice-cold water

3 eggs, slightly beaten

2/3 cup white corn syrup

1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/4 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup toffee bits (such as Heath)

1 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup pecan halves for garnish

To make crust, combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in bowl. Cut in shortening and butter until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle with water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with a fork until all mixture is moistened. Gather into a ball. Flatten dough to a 5-inch disc and wrap in plastic. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Roll out dough into a circle 1/8-inch thick and 12 inches in diameter. Wrap dough around rolling pin and unroll into a 9-inch pie plate, easing pastry into plate. Trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate; fold under extra and flute edge.

To make filling, combine eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, vanilla, almond extract and toffee bits in a large bowl. Pour filling into unbaked pie shell and bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes, covering with foil after 20 minutes. Bake until knife inserted off-center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Decorate top with pecans in an attractive pattern.

— Recipe from the American Pie Council

GINGER, YOU’RE A PEACH PIE

11/4 cups gingersnaps, reduced to crumbs in food processor

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons melted butter

1/3 cup cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

5 ounces Cool Whip, thawed

4 to 6 fresh peaches (canned will work if no fresh peaches are available; allow seven canned peach slices for each fresh peach)

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon butter

Whipped topping and additional ginger cookies for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix gingersnap crumbs, sugar and butter together and press into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Allow to cool to room temperature. Place in refrigerator to cool completely.

Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread into crust and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Peel peaches and remove stones. Slice peaches into 6 to 8 slices per peach. Pat peaches dry and place on a drying rack. Take the four worst-looking slices and chop them into small, marble-sized pieces.

In a small saucepan, mix 1/2 cup water, brown sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and butter. Heat over medium heat and stir constantly. Bring to a boil, then add the chopped peach pieces. Simmer for up to 5 minutes, or until thick. Cool.

Arrange fresh peach slices on top of cream layer to cover top, leaving around 1/4 inch of the cream layer showing on all edges. Pour the cooled brown sugar mixture over the peaches. Refrigerate 2 hours.

Garnish with whipped topping and ginger cookies, if desired.

Serves 8.

— Recipe from the American Pie Council

A TOUCH OF ORANGE APPLE PIE

Dough for 9-inch double-crust pie

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

7 cups peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples (about 2 pounds or 7 medium)

2 tablespoons butter

Milk

Sugar

Prepare for pie dough. Roll out dough for bottom crust and place in pie plate according to recipe directions.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, orange peel, salt and nutmeg in a small bowl. Place apples in unbaked pie crust. Sprinkle sugar mixture over apples. Dot with butter. Moisten pastry edge with water.

Roll out dough for top crust, place onto filled pie and flute edges. Cut slits in top crust or prick with fork to vent steam.

Bake 35 minutes. Remove pie from oven. Brush with milk. Sprinkle with sugar. Cover edge of pie with foil, if necessary, to prevent overbrowning. Bake 10 minutes or until filling in center is bubbly and crust is golden brown.

Serves 8.

— Recipe from Crisco

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@review journal.com or 702-383-0474.