Apple pie still tops in America

In a world filled with trendy cupcakes, spirited creme brulees and decadent ganache-covered cakes, one dessert stands out as a perennial favorite among home cooks and professional chefs alike: apple pie.

Look no further than the American Pie Council's annual pie competition for proof of this classic's continued popularity. Of the 859 pies entered in this year's national competition, more than 100 fell into the apple category, putting it far ahead of its cherry, chocolate cream and custard cousins.

"Apple pie is a phenomenon," says Linda Hoskins, executive director of the Lake Bluff-based group.

"So many different flavors of pie come and go, but whenever you ask the American public what they prefer, they say 'apple pie.'"

The reason, she theorizes, is apple pie's centuries-old history.

Because of their abundance and storage stability, apples were a staple of the early American diet.

"Apples (stayed fresh) a long time; the apples that weren't as fresh could always be put in a pie and taste good," Hoskins says.

While she didn't grow up in this country, Helga Ziegler grew to love apple pie. Ziegler moved from Germany to downstate Hainesville several decades ago; there, she and her husband opened Ziegler's Orchard.

"I made apple strudel, but people would always ask me about apple pie," she says. So after one too many people asked, she grabbed a bunch of cookbooks and, borrowing ingredients and techniques from a number of recipes, created her own apple pie recipe.

The pie that featured whatever apples were ripe at the time and a crumb topping became a quick hit with friends and her family. She learned to add more flour when Macintosh were available because of that apple's higher moisture content, and to use a squirt of lemon juice and bake the pie longer when Golden Delicious were in the filling.

"I would make this pie, cut it into slices and it would be gone in no time. When I made two, they would just halve or quarter it and I'd say, 'Geez, can't you guys save me a piece?'" she recalls. "So I made four pies, one for each of them and one for me."

Connie Fairbanks, a Chicagoan and author of "Scratch That," has picked up many "pearls of wisdom" about baking apple pie from the women in her life as well.

Bigger slices mean more texture in the filling, a pinch of salt balances the fruit's natural sweetness and brushing the top crust with half and half and sprinkling it with cinnamon and sugar adds color and crunch.

When you hit on a favorite recipe, whether from a friend, relative or your own creation, write it down for future generations.

"Everyone has an apple pie memory," Hoskins says. "Their mom made apple pie, or their grandma made it."

Adds Fairbanks: "I think our mothers and grandmothers excelled at making homemade desserts. We need to honor these recipes."

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