I love apple pie. I even have my own favorite recipe for it right here on good ol' Chop Onions, Boil Water! That's the pie I prepare most often. It's made from wholesome ingredients, simple to prepare and damn delicious if I do say so myself! Recently though, Fed Ex delivered a large insulated box containing a fully-baked, frozen apple pie from The Heritage Pie Company in Jasper, Texas. Upon reading the enclosed card we discovered it was a gift from a couple of our friends in Auckland, New Zealand.
Now, a mile high apple pie from Texas via New Zealand is a peculiarity in itself. It was surely not unwelcome, but it did make one think "PIE?". Plus when I read the description inside which noted that it was an award-winning pie, I must admit, I thought it might be a dubious claim. This is America, the land of endless dubious claims, so to say I was skeptical was an understatement. So I did a little research.
I found that The Heritage Pie Company writes that it recreates "down home, old fashioned, handmade pies from scratch", and that the apple pies are "Texas Sized " and "filled to the brim with 12-14 fresh, hand-peeled apples". Also, that each pie stands a whopping 7 inches tall and weighs in at 6 pounds. The Heritage Pie Company also claimed that their apple pies are culinary works of art and that they are hand-made from scratch. That's a lot of tall talk, but coming from Texas, you have to expect it. Their boots aren't tall for nothing you know!
Pressing family business prevented us from immediately trying the pie, but the company's literature assured us that we could freeze it with no ill effects, and that is what my wife did. Several days later, we invited my mother over for dinner and we thawed and prepared the pie as instructed in the accompanying literature from The Heritage Pie Company. It heated in the oven as we ate our main dish and entertained each other.
When we were ready for dessert my wife removed it from the oven and let it sit to cool a bit. She then carefully cut each of us a wedge and added a dollop of good vanilla ice cream to it. A plate of pie and ice cream was placed in front of each of my daughters (ages 5 and 2-1/2), my mother, myself and finally my wife. I must admit, it looked really, really inviting and promising. Flaky crust, a mountain of thinly-sliced apples, and the seeming, gooey goodness of the golden sauce blending with the cold ice cream. Yes, it looked damned good. A few moments went by for everyone to get seated and ready and we all tucked into it.
You know, I've tried a lot of visually promising foods in my life. Sometimes they're true to how they appear and other times they fall flat. Barbecue, pizza and especially desserts are prime examples. I've had some pretty awesome looking versions of each that while looking incredible, were utter disappointments when eaten. Also, there's something I read in an old "how-to" book a long time ago. When the author of that book wanted to make an impression and be sure you remembered what he was writing he wrote "What I write three times is law!" and then proceeded to write that truth three times. It's a habit I've picked up and used many times in my own writing and dammit, I'll use it now:
What I write three times is law!
The Apple Pie I had from The Heritage Pie Company was the best I have had in my life so far!
The Apple Pie I had from The Heritage Pie Company was the best I have had in my life so far!
The Apple Pie I had from The Heritage Pie Company was the best I have had in my life so far!
It was incredible and everyone at the table agreed. We were all "mmmmmmmm-mmmmmmmmm-ing" through each bite and my 2-1/2 year old at one point said "This is DE-EE-EE-EE-EE-LICIOUS!" striking the table with her hands on each "ee-ee-ee-ee-ee"! We all concurred it was the best apple pie any of us had ever had. Everything from the delicious flaky crust, the apples, etc., everything was excellent. The spice blend was perfect, even the cinnamon which is easy to overdo was pushed to the height of perfection! The Heritage Pie Company Apple Pie kicked ass!
I immediately jumped on Face Book and described the pie and offered a link to The Heritage Pie Company to my friends who may want to sample it. Thankfully, the informality of Face Book allowed me to use the proper expletives to drive the sincerity of my high praise home. Let's just say, my message was delivered.
I've had several slices of the pie since and its impact has not faded. It is a remarkably good apple pie and it really is the best I have had in my life thus far. If you love apple pie, the apple pie from The Heritage Pie Company is worth every penny. TRY IT!
Thank you Amber and Martin for your well-timed, generous and delicious gift!
The Heritage Pie Company
1616 F.M. 776
Jasper,TX 75951
1-877-816-1400 Toll Free
1-409-386-4081 Fax
http://www.heritagepies.com
E-mail: ThePieGuys@HeritagePies.com
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I ordered a heritage apple pie for my dad on father's day and it was FAR from the best apple pie. It arrived soggy - their packaging did not keep the pie fresh enough for 2 day shipping (which in fact became 5 day shipping). Then they refused to give me a refund or offer to replace the pie. I spent more than $50 for something that is done better by my grocer.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about this. As you can tell, I posted your comment. People have a right to know both my experience and your experiences regarding Heritage Apple Pie, when deciding for themselves.
ReplyDeleteI too ordered from Heritage Pies - I ordered four small pies to be delivered to my dad for his 92nd birthday. I placed an order online, then called twice, emailed twice - all with no response. The pies were delivered five days later and my dad, unfortunately, did not enjoy them at all. He said, and I quote, "don't send those again". So disappointing. He loves pies, I thought I had the best gift.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I am sorry to hear this. My experience was quite different, but unfortunately it seems like it may have been an exception.
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