Review: The Heritage Pie Company: Award Winning Apple Pie?

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

Recipe: Panko Chicken with Red Bell Pepper - Peanut Sauce

I would like to tip my hat to my wife for the inspiration for this recipe. While she is not as passionate about cooking as I am, she does turn out her own really good dishes when she feels inclined. One of the areas of cooking where she surpasses me is with the venerable crock pot. She is a crock pot master and I am just a humble student.

Beyond a stew, I don't think I'd be able to coerce much good from a crock pot. Not so with my wife. She has produced all manner of wonderful things from crock pots. From tasty dishes like the one the recipe below finds its roots in, to delightfully gooey and delicious chocolate desserts. There are no clinkers in her cadre of crock pot cookery creations! So, unlike many homes in which the crock pot either collects dust or is relegated to warming cocktail weenies or beans at parties, our crock pot sees regular use.

Recently, she created a version of a Thai dish she found in one of her crock pot cook books. It was of course delicious and pretty authentic tasting. I loved the rich, satay-like peanut sauce and at some point mid-dinner, after my compliments and comments regarding its various delicious aspects I got the idea to take elements of the recipe in a different direction. My idea was a Japanese and Thai fusion of sorts.

Chicken Katsu is a popular dish in my house. Easy-to-prepare and loved by all. So, I just thought I'd bend my wife's dish a little bit by preparing my version of the sauce from it with katsu-style fried chicken dish along with steamed Jasmine rice (or noodles like my wife's recipe). The resulting dish is rich and delicious and will certainly find its way on our dinner table again.

NOTE: If you are on a low sodium diet, you may want to prepare this recipe using low-sodium options where you can.

Panko Chicken with Red Bell Pepper - Peanut Sauce

4 boneless breast of chicken
2 red bell peppers (one cut in 2" slices, one cut into a 1/4" dice)
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup of smooth peanut butter
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1-1/2 tsp Thai red curry paste
2-1/2 tsp corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup of water
Peanut oil for frying
1 cup of flour
2 eggs
1 TBS milk
Panko bread crumbs
3 Green onions (cut into 2" pieces
3/4 cups peanuts (chopped)
3/4 cups cilantro (chopped)


Trim the boneless chicken breast and flatten to 1/2" with the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Season with salt and pepper and set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a sauce pan combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, peanut butter, garlic, red curry paste and sliced red bell pepper. Place over medium heat and bring to a low simmer. Whisk frequently until the peanut butter is dissolved and sauce is smooth. Set to a very low simmer and cover pan while you prepare the other ingredients. Stir occasionally.

Prepare the Jasmine rice the normal way. While it cooks prepare the other ingredients.

Place the peanut oil in a deep frying pan and bring to frying temperature.

Place the flour in a plate, beat the eggs with the milk in a wide shallow bowl and place the panko flakes in a plate. Dredge each chicken breast in flour (removing excess), then dip it in the egg wash (draining excess), then coat well with panko flakes. Fry each breast in the peanut oil until golden brown on each side and cooked through. Place on draining rack.

When done frying the chicken remove the cover from the sauce pan. Raise the heat to a simmer and slowly drizzle in the cornstarch and water mixture while constantly stirring until the sauce thickens well. Add the green onions to the sauce and continue stirring for 1-2 minutes being careful not to scorch the sauce. Remove from heat.

Plate with a bed of rice with the panko chicken breast on top. Cover the rice and chicken with a generous portion of the red bell pepper-peanut sauce and garnish heavily with the chopped peanuts, cilantro and the diced red bell pepper. Serve immediately.

If you'd like it a little spicy, add some sriracha or some chopped red chilis.

Enjoy this recipe with an ice cold Thai beer!

Recipe: Barbecued Pork Ribs

Are you ready? Here comes a diatribe.

Propane should be used for hot air ballooning and forklifts and never for barbecuing.

Propane should be used for hot air ballooning and forklifts and never for barbecuing.

Propane should be used for hot air ballooning and forklifts and never for barbecuing.

Did you get that?

When barbecuing, NOTHING equals a wood or charcoal heat source, NOTHING. Of course there are going to be nay-sayers, pseudo-scientists and pseudo-philosophizers and all manner of malignant thinkers out there who are going to protest and offer numerous reasons why propane is just as good as charcoal or wood. Well guess what? I'm not listening because I know better.

Nothing can impart the flavors on food that wood and charcoal do, especially not a smelly gas like propane. Sure it's cleaner and convenient but so is masturbation compared to the real thing, and I don't know about you, but you can put me in the "real thing" column when asking folks what they prefer.

If you own a propane grill, stop using it, fill it with dirt and grow geraniums in it. Then go out and get yourself a well-made, sturdy barbecue like a Weber or Charbroil. That's what I finally did (well, except for the geranium part), and I have no regrets because the results are remarkable.

If you do take this sound advice and come over to the purist ranks, seriously consider the charcoal and wood you're going to use. You wouldn't put regular fuel in a Maserati and you can't use those uniform futuristic-looking briquettes in a good barbecue. They are processed and covered with chemicals to make them burn uniformly, and well, you might as well use propane if you're going to use them.

Look for the good chunky and irregular (naturally) shaped stuff that comes in big bags. You'll find these burn hotter and impart a better flavor on the food you prepare with them. Do a little research on the subject and you'll see what I mean. It also doesn't hurt to investigate the best barbecue and ribs joints and see how they're cooking. If they're the best, I know what's burning in their kitchens!

This is one of my first original barbecue recipes. I hunted around for a good ribs recipe, but came up short. No single recipe looked like something I wanted to try. So I just combined what I thought were the best ingredients in each one. Most recipes recommend simmering the ribs for 20 to 30 minutes and then letting them marinate overnight in the sauce. I don't, I go from pot right to the grill and slow cook them until I can't stand waiting to eat them any longer. These things are a smash hit at my house.

Barbecued Pork Ribs

2 full racks of pork ribs (St. Louis style or babyback)
1 litre of Coca-Cola®
1 large onion (frenched or sliced)
1 Tbs of ginger powder
1 4 oz. can of tomato sauce
4 cloves of garlic (crushed)
Salt and pepper to taste
Sweet Baby Ray's® barbecue sauce (or your favorite which should be Sweet Baby Ray's®)

In a large pan, place the ribs, Coca-Cola®, ginger, onion, garlic and tomato sauce, salt and pepper and add enough water to just cover the ribs.

Set on high heat and bring to a boil.

When it reaches a boil, lower heat and continue at a low simmer for 30-40 minutes. (Important note! You can simmer these longer or leave them in the warm liquid longer. The ribs will become more and more tender. They can get too tender and begin falling off the bone on the grill. It's your choice. I generally simmer them for 30 to 40 minutes and then let them sit in the warm broth for up to 4 hours for perfectly tender ribs.)

Remove from heat and remove the ribs. Slather them with the Sweet Baby Ray's® and place them on a preheated grill.

Slow cook them over medium heat being careful not to burn them. Turn them occasionally and slather with the barbecue sauce each time.

When they have been cooking for at least an hour and looking like the sexiest ribs you've ever wanted to eat, remove them from the grill, re-slather with barbecue sauce and cut into individual ribs.

Serve with cole slaw, roasted corn-on-the-cob, corn biscuits, beer and bbq'd beans.

Apologize to your heart and dig in!