Pie

In the good old days, when everyone baked, the bake sale offered cooks a chance to strut their stuff. The competition was friendly but cut-throat, and winners were determined by whose sweets sold first - and at what premium price. In celebration of those leisurely times, here is a classic lemon meringue pie.

This pie rivals peach pie for flavor and texture. The double-crust pie is piled high with lush tart nectarines interspersed with raspberries. The flesh of a nectarine is slightly firmer than that of a peach, producing a pie with an excellent texture.

A great-looking, great-tasting summer pie. Brown sugar enhances the crust.

This super-easy pie from the Harvest Market is loaded with maple flavor.

Cool the apples thoroughly before filling the crust (warm apples could soften the lattice).

This recipe originally accompanied epi:recipeLink="101888"Plum Pine-Nut Tart</epi:recipeLink>.

When you brush the bottom pie crust with an egg wash, you keep the fruit from making the pie soggy as it bakes. By sprinkling the top crust with sugar, it makes for a great sugary crust.

Blended in the processor, the no-bake cream cheese filling is ultra-smooth.

By the time Crisco came out in 1911, apple pies had long been an American classic. But Crisco, the first hydrogenated vegetable shortening, gave cooks a boost. Here was a shelf-stable alternative to perishable butter and lard. While a lot of consumers were skeptical of Crisco, many early sales were generated by Orthodox Jews, who bought the shortening after a recipe booklet was published in Yiddish showing how Crisco could be used without breaking kosher dietary laws. Its success was assured when rationing made lard scarce during World War I.

As the pie bakes, the filling separates into a soft pudding-like bottom and a cakey top.

For extra convenience, make this a week ahead and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator.

Key limes are also known as Mexican or West Indian limes. If you can't find them in your area, substitute bottled Key lime juice. We've tried several different brands in our test kitchens, and prefer the taste of Manhattan.* This recipe is modified from the classic one found on many condensed milk and Key lime juice labels; we've added additional lime juice for more tartness.

Note that this recipe calls for either walnuts or almonds and either water or crème de cacao. Use the walnuts and ice water for the <epi:recipelink id="102543"">Caramelized Apple and Pear Pie</epi:recipelink>, and the almonds and crème de cacao for the <epi:recipelink id="102544"">Chocolate-Almond Pie</epi:recipelink>.

Bill Borger created this rich dessert and its decadent sauce.

Our food editors loved shavings of Stilton cheese on these tarts. We understand that nobody has much room for dessert after a big meal, much less one with cheese, but these tarts are actually quite light and refreshing: The Stilton lends depth and provides a savory counterpoint to the sweet grapes and crust.