Easy as apple pie: tasting the quintessential fall treatDate: 11/4/2020 As we move into the holiday season, we at Reminder Publishing are acutely aware that some of our readers may be looking for a small escape in our articles. A distraction – if you will – from all that’s going on in our world these days, and this past year.
In a few weeks homes around the country will be celebrating Thanksgiving, and then a few weeks after that Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwanza. Though these celebrations may look and feel a bit different this year – one aspect to the season doesn’t have to change: the delicious food.
Last year the Reminder Publishing news staff had the privilege of taste testing scrumptious pumpkin pies from several Western Massachusetts bakeries. We joked – this is our service to the community – the public must know where they can purchase a great pie for the holidays. In case you’re a pumpkin pie lover, check out our article from last year here: http://archives.thereminder.com/features/page2feature/feast-your-eyes-on-this-local-pumpkin-pies/.
This year, we are back at it again with apple pies.
Here are the logistics: members of the news team spread out across Western Mass. and into our communities in search of bakeries that make apple pies. We each purchased a few pies, and made sure that there was at least one pie representing each of our five newspapers. In many cases, readers will see, we were able to get two to three pies representing each edition.
The standard disclaimer: when we do a feature like this one, it is impossible to go to every bakery in every town to try out their goodies. We make a conscious effort to trek out to a new location, if possible, with each tasting to make sure other storefronts are featured.
As our circulation area grows and we expand our publications, we wind up with more and more food at our tastings. Luckily, our news staff has grown as well to help us bare the load of the tough job eating all of these goodies.
Now for what you’ve all been waiting for: pie.
An introduction by our Managing Editor, G. Michael Dobbs: “You know the phrase ‘As American as apple pie.’ Just how American is Apple pie? “American Cookery,” the first cookbook published in this country in 1796 had a recipe for apple pie.
“Published in Hartford, CT, the book is still in print and can be found at on-line booksellers. It has even been designated by The Library of Congress as one of the 88 Books That Shaped America. The author Amelia Simmons wrote in one of several recipes for apple pies, ‘Stew and strain the apples, to every three pints, grate the peel of a fresh lemon, add cinnamon, mace, rose-water and sugar to your taste.’ Centuries later, we are still baking and eating apple pie. It’s a fall staple as apple crops come in.
“For our informal tasting of area apple pies, it’s important to note that all of the pies came from farm stands or independent bakeries, which ensured a variety of approaches and most important freshness. For many of the pies we sampled the filling literally came from a tree on the property.”
The following is a breakdown of the pies we tasted, in no particular order.
Bob’s Bakery
218 Exchange St., Chicopee
592-9416
When I look at a pie from a bakery, I always note if it is one that someone could pass off as their own – I’m looking at all of our baking–challenged readers on this one. There may come a time when a reader who is not as skilled in the kitchen is asked to bring the apple pie to the holiday get–together, and there are simply some pies that can be passed off as homemade, and others that look a bit more commercial. Bob’s Bakery makes the perfect pie if you’re looking to pretend that you spent hours slaving in the kitchen. It features a golden crust that is hand formed.
Dobbs explained his enjoyment of Bob’s apple pie, as he noted he was raised on the “applesauce approach,” for a filling. He shared his mom would make applesauce and use that within the crust.
Dobbs said, “Any baker who takes that approach instantly is in my favor. The nostalgia pops right in. Although we tasted many wonderful pies, my favorite came from Bob’s Bakery on Exchange Street in downtown Chicopee. I will admit a certain prejudice as I’ve never eaten anything I didn’t love from the Polish bakery.”
Other members of our staff noted Bob’s “flaky crust,” and that it had a “good balance between sweet and tangy.” The apples were still crisp, and notably fresh. If you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy an overly sweet pie, Bob’s Bakery apple pie may be the one for you, as it was sweet, but not sugary. It had a tang, but was not too sour.
Rice Fruit Farm
757 Main St., Wilbraham
596-4002
Though we tasted many delicious pies, the apple pie from Rice Fruit Farm was overwhelmingly the favorite of the eight staff members that were at the tasting.
The best reaction to this pie was that of staff writer Dennis Hackett. As I pulled the pie from its packaging to show it off to each staff member for their notes, there was instant silence as we took the look of the pie in. Hackett broke the silence, stating, “Oh my god, that looks so good.”
I’m personally a big fan of a doughy, flaky crust. Crust is probably my favorite part to any pie, and Rice Fruit Farm nailed their crust. It was the perfect combination – in my opinion – of the two traits.
Staff writer Ryan Feyre described the pie as having a “classic warmth to its texture,” and that there was a “large cinnamon presence that adds nice flavor.”
Many staffers agreed that the pie filling featured crisp apples, and was less of a sweet pie, and more of a tart pie. Staff writer Amy Porter stated that she felt Rice’s pie was the tartest of all of the pies, and staff writer Sarah Heinonen agreed, explaining that the pie was “filled with large pieces of spiced apples that were a more tart variety than your standards pie, but that kept the overall taste from being too sweet.”
Chmura’s Bakery
14 Pulaski St., Indian Orchard
543-2521
At times, apple pies can be almost too loaded with spices. If you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy an over-spiced pie or the traditional spices that go into an apple pie, Chmura’s apple pie is the one for you. The taste of this pie is “subtle and not too sweet,” as described by staff writer Danielle Eaton.
The pie was noticeably easy to serve, which I appreciated. It didn’t crumble as I began to slice it, and the pie stuck together well on the plate without crumbling.
Chmura’s pie was the first one of the few pies that we noticed had a sugared crust. The filling of this apple pie was gooey, with the crust being more chewy than crumbly. This most likely aided in the serving factor. Feyre noted that the “crust started sweet but turned tart.”
Outlook Farm, Barn & Eatery
136 Main Rd., Westhampton
529–9388
Outlook Farm was host to the most aromatic pie of all. Through our masks, Eaton and I could smell this pie’s strong scent as we sliced and distributed slices to each staff member.
The filling had a darker color than many of the other pies, perhaps due to the delicious spices. Porter noted that the pie was flavorful and had a soft filling. Feyre stated that the crust tasted “like a good cannoli shell.”
Heinonen explained her feelings of Outlook’s pie, “It was a homemade looking pie, in a good way. Some pies look cookie cutter and I always feel like they weren’t made with as much love.”
Chris Maza, assistant managing editor of our West editions, explained that while the crust was a smidge overdone on the bottom, this pie had one of the best aromas of the bunch. The texture of the filling felt more of a “chunky spiced applesauce,” which was satisfying, he noted. I agreed – the texture of the inside of the pie felt like more of an applesauce, and it had the perfect ratio of “sweet, but not too sweet.”
The Apple Place
540 Somers Rd., MA–83, East Longmeadow
348-9628
The Apple Place’s pie was another staff favorite. The pie sold at The Apple Place reminded me of the look of Rice’s. It featured a savory, flaky, buttery crust which balanced out with the sweetness of the apples, Eaton shared.
The crust of this pie was Porter's favorite, and Maza agreed that it had the flakiest crust and was also “extremely flavorful.”
Heinonen noted that this pie was “large and looked professional.” While she did state she felt the filling was thinner than some of the other pies we had, the pie had a crumbly texture and a sweet aftertaste.
I too noted that this pie was on the sweeter side, but it wound up being one of my top favorites.
Kosinski Farms
420 Russellville Rd., Westfield
572-4344
“You can’t go wrong with this pie,” Eaton said as she was eating a fork full of pie. Kosinski’s crust is crumbly and flakey, and features a sweet filling.
Feyre explained that he thought their filling was “very tangy,” and noted that the crust was “well–cooked.” The spices in this pie, he explained, are subtle and not jarring, and the apples were fresh.
Heinonen raved, “The filling in this pie was overflowing its shell, with drips of appley goodness running down the side. The crust was puffy but firm.”
Hackett explained that he also liked the presentation of this pie, with the center oozing out of the top shell. “I liked that there were less spices so you could really taste the apple,” he commented.
Maza stated that the apples in this pie were “obviously very fresh,” and though they weren’t as firm as he normally likes, it was “quite flavorful. “The flakey, buttery crust was the highlight, however. It almost melted in your mouth.
We must note, however, that Kosinski Farms closed for the winter on Oct. 31. Their pies – and apple cider donuts – will be greatly missed!
Bashista Orchards
160 East St., Southampton
527-9091
Porter described Bashista Orchard’s apple pie as having a “thick, rustic crust.” Many staff members agreed. Feyre explained that the pie’s presentation was “unreal,” and Heinonen noted that this was an “absolutely gorgeous pie.”
Bashista’s pie was no-nonsense. There were large slices of fresh apples throughout. The apples were spiced, and they were aplenty. We did note, however, there was less filling in this pie. This is not a bad thing – I actually enjoyed having clear slices of apples instead of a more applesauce filling. With that said, this did leave the pie more liquidy on the inside than others, which we attributed to the fresh apples.
“If you’re a fan of no frills and no fillers, this is a good choice for you,” Maza explained.
Nina’s Cookies
541 Springfield St., Feeding Hills
304-2075
Don’t let the name fool you – Nina’s Cookies makes a mean apple pie. We resoundingly agreed that the pie of Nina’s Cookies was the most unique we tasted. Eaton shared, “The Italian bakery hasn’t wronged me in the times I’ve gone there, and they didn’t disappoint this time.”
We all took turns going around the room trying to figure out what the crust reminded us of. After many guesses, we landed on the crust resembling a shortbread cookie right out of the Christmas tin. It was fantastic – and though I did enjoy many of the other pies, I differed from the group in that Nina’s was my favorite apple pie of the day.
The presentation of the pie was beautiful in that they were the only apple pie to have a unique–looking crust. It featured leaf dough cut–outs that were adorable and festive.
Nina’s pie was also one of Porter’s favorites. She noted that she enjoyed the “sweet shortbread cookie crust with tart apples.”
While Heinonen noted the crust was sugared which she doesn’t generally enjoy, she thought the filling was “soft, but super flavorful.”She added, “The pie crust had the flavor of shortbread cookies and I thought, ‘This tastes like the holidays.’”
Union Street Bistro & Bakery
35 Union St., Easthampton
203-5759
The final pie of the day that we ate was that of Union Street Bistro & Bakery. Many staffers agreed that this was an impressive–looking apple pie, and had a great presentation. It featured a “heaping crust,” as described by Heinonen, and was “at least twice as tall as most of the other pies.”
Maza noted, “This pie’s presentation was outstanding – big, tall, fluffy top and the whole thing held together well when cut and served.” We even had to take a photo of a side view of this pie just to illustrate how tall it was.
The filling had a strong flavor, and it was more thick like a chunky applesauce.
Heinonen added, “It cut extremely well and made for easy serving. The spiced apples had a nice, strong flavor. Anyone would be proud to serve this pie at their holiday meal.” I thought this was a solid pie – it was a wonderful combination of sweet and tart.
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