Rhode Island's 5 Best Classic Pies

Rhode Island's 5 Best Classic Pies

"Qu'ils mangent de la brioche!" Let them eat cake? Really? Look, cake is fine. We love it. But it lacks a certain creativity, a depth of flavor, a seasonality and a freshness that the humble pie provides. Come springtime, our palates, in dire need of a piquant peach, a succulent strawberry, a creamy coconut cream… they dream of pie. Ok, it may not hold a birthday candle as well. But pie is so much more elegant! And while you may think there’s nothing more American than pie, well, you’d be wrong. The combination of pastry and filling (fruits, creams, meats, stews, vegetables) is as old as man – almost 10,000 years, as far as anthropologists can tell. Pie might have been invented by the Greeks, or maybe the Egyptians. No doubt it was perfected by the Europeans, whose creativity with fats (butters, lards, oils) and flours helped them nail the execution of the crust. And after all, a pie without crust – well, it’s just a bowl full of filling, really. Oh, no. The crust, in all its buttery, flaky, golden deliciousness, is the thing. Pastry chefs spend years perfecting their recipes and forever guard them afterwards. We don’t particularly like the fact that pie has always taken the rumble seat to cake. And so, in celebration of the classic, popular varieties of pie, we present out favorite five.