Thick slabs of buttery turkey. Mounds of creamy mashed potatoes. A scoop of fluffy stuffing. Without a doubt, there are many reasons to love Thanksgiving. But if you’re like me, the best part of the meal comes after all that “real food” nonsense, with the cake stands, cookie plates, and of course: pie tins. And, what could be more integral to the quintessential American holiday than the classic American dessert? To get in that festive (and perhaps gluttonous) mindset, I set about scoping out a few of the best. No offense to grandma, but these pies just may make it hard to enjoy anything else.

Two Little Red Hens
1652 2nd Ave. (btw. 85th and 86th St.)
Innovative, yet familiar, the “plum walnut” tart at this cozy Yorkville bakery is but more evidence of TLRH’s mastery of the baked good. More like a pie-shaped cobbler than anything else, the tart is mottled with globs of crisp caramelized brown sugar streusel and rich walnuts, which give way to a gooey filling that seeps out the sides of each slice. Teeming with thick slices of soft and juicy plums and cherries, the sweet, tangy, and slightly-citrusy sauce they marinate in is peppered with flecks of spicy crystallized ginger, adding an unexpected but brilliant kick to the already intense fruity flavor.

Four and Twenty Blackbirds
439 3rd Avenue (at 8th St.), Park Slope, Bk.
When by November 1st, a bakery informs customers that “we are no longer accepting pre-orders for Thanksgiving,” two conclusions can be drawn: the residents of Park Slope are insane; or these must be really good pies. Happily for me, that latter is far more likely. While the signature “salted caramel apple pie,” sounds like a kooky take on the “salty baked goods” trend, it is nothing short of brilliant. The diamonds of sea salt studding its crisp lattice crust (provide) something reminiscent of a pretzel, which shatters to give way to a gooey mess of tender, butter-soaked granny smith apples. Balancing the tartness of the apples and saltiness of the crust is the golden drizzle of gooey caramel lacing the outskirts of generous slice, completing that salty-sweet-tart trifecta.

City Bakery
3 West 18th St. (btw. 5th and 6th Ave.)
Those familiar with the cornmeal and molasses based “Indian Pudding” will immediately understand why City Bakery dubbed its version of the autumnal staple “Indian Apple Pie.” Instead of the traditional butter crust, the bakery opts for one derived from cornmeal, which, when coupled with its glaze of molasses, is a delightful sweet, chewy-grainy surprise. Equal attention is paid to the pie’s filling – as the apples are drenched in enough butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon to be melt-in-your mouth tender, but not so much that they mask the apples’ perfect sweet-tart flavor.

 

 

Momofuku Milkbar
251 East 13th St. (at 2nd Ave.); 15 West 56th St. (btw. 5th and 6th Ave.); 561 Columbus Ave. (btw. 87th and 88th St.); 382 Metropolitan Ave. (at Havermeyer St.)
Butter and sugar. They’re basically what people live for. And, they are incidentally the first two ingredients in Momofuku Milkbar’s “crack pie” (the following two are egg yolks and heavy cream). With the dense, gooey-yet-cohesive consistency of a lemon square, almost painfully intense flavor of butter, vanilla and caramelized sugar, and oatmeal crust rendered sticky with chewy burnt caramel, we humans are utterly powerless over it’s euphoria-inducing properties. So don’t delude yourself into thinking you can stop at half a slice, or, even more preposterous – share.

 

Pies ‘n’ Thighs
166 South 4th St. (at Driggs Ave.)
Slicing over eight varieties a day, it is clear that the Williamsburg establishment takes their sweet co-specialty seriously. Unfortunately, when selections include everything from “sweet potato” to “bourbon pecan” and  “smoked ‘s’mores,” it can become painfully hard to select just one. The “sour cherry” I decided on featured the traditional half-inch thick butter crust, and was packed
full of plump, misshapen blobs of cherry. Just beware, they live up to their name, so be sure to save some of those rocks of brown sugar cobbling the crust lest your cheeks start puckering.

 

 

 

Buttercup Bakeshop
973 2nd Ave. (btw. 51st and 52nd St.)
As Magnolia has shown us time and time again, just because a bakery specializes in cupcakes doesn’t mean it’s other offerings can’t be killer. Such is the case with the midtown Buttercup Bakeshop, whose strawberry rhubarb pie I had the pleasure of devouring. Its label as a “crumb” pie doesn’t even come close to describing the inch-thick layer of what are effectively oatmeal cookie chunks floating atop its dense jam-like interior. Packed with cylinders of stringy candied rhubarb and hunks of soft strawberries, it’s almost like a super-thick compote.
(Note: Buttercup doesn’t sell slices of its pies, so be prepared to commit to either an enormous 6” snack, or a group dessert)

 

-Alice Preminger

1 Comment | Posted on November 15, 2011 | Categories: Dining, From the Blog

tags: Alice Preminger, dessert, Fall, Foodie Tuesday, holiday, Pie