We’re a week and a half into November, which, stateside at least, means one thing: Time to get Thanksgiving menus in apple-pie order.
Apple-rose-pie order, rather. Or maybe salted-maple-pie order. Or cannoli-pie order. Or pecan-pear-chestnut-pie order. Or Meyer-lemon-meringue-pie order. Or…
No matter how you slice, there are now almost as many flavors, innovations, ingredients, proportions, combinations and presentations as the number pi is long. So, which sweet course should you take this season?
From the artful creations at Carissa’s the Bakery in the Hamptons to the classic comforts at Wick’s Pies in Indiana, each of the off-the-pie-charts spots listed here deliver the baked goods. But order now before the holiday rush, or risk being stuck with leftovers.
California
Manresa Bread — Pumpkin Mousse Tart
With several locations in the California Bay Area, Manresa Bread has delivered the baked goods nationwide for years. Now, the bakery has added a mousse-tart-slash-pie with a silky cream cheese-pumpkin filling and a tangy sour cream topping to its delivery mix. The classic combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and buttermilk are both elevated and balanced by the earthier additions of pepitas, key lime juice and ginger, evoking fall without the sugar rush.
Colorado
Gold Star Bakery — Salted Maple Pie
A riff on Southern chess pie, this buttery and rich custard concoction from Gold Star Bakery in Colorado Springs uses the best dark maple syrup and cream around. The light sprinkle of flaky sea salt takes this pie from syrupy to the sophisticated upper crust (a classic, handmade flaky crust, that is).
Connecticut
The Cannoli Pie Company — Cannoli Pie
Bye, bye Miss American Pie. Hello Miss Italian pie. The Cannoli Pie Company makes pies made from a cannoli-shell crust and filled “to the brim” with “cannoli cream.” The bakery, which ships across the country, operates with “the cannoli state of mind” when making its three-cheese-blend filling (“sweet enough to satisfy but not too much to overwhelm the experience”) dusted with powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and a sprinkle of mini-chocolate chips. For something more reflective of traditional American tastes, try the Oreo Cannoli Pie or Butterfinger Cannoli Pie.
Florida
Blue Heaven — Key Lime Pie
Blue Heaven, a tropical restaurant, sits on the corner of Petronia and Thomas, in Bahama Village. The location is a fascinating slice of Florida Keys history. Originally serving as a casual meeting place for Bahamian and Cuban immigrant workers in the early 1900s, it later became a boxing ring, where Ernest Hemingway was said to have frequented when he lived down the road, before becoming a brothel and a gambling den. Today, Blue Heaven has turned the space into the home of the best key lime slice in Key West. The towering meringue shaped like a surf wave defies gravity. The tangy custard, a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, is an ocean of bliss.
