Since the days of the first European settlers, pies of all types have been a New England staple. While we think of pie today as mainly a dessert (with the occasional exception tossed in for a chicken pot pie or the like), the Puritan settlers in early New England carried on the English culinary tradition of preparing pies for any meal.

Because of that tradition, fruit-filled pies and pastries — basically any combination of fruit filling and dough topping or crust — are longstanding New England classics. Here are some of the most famous, and most entertainingly named, variations on that theme:

Try this recipe for Old-Fashioned Cherry Pie

Even though it’s a cake, one of New England’s most popular desserts is even called a “pie.” Boston cream pie, named after the city that made it popular, combines yellow cake and custard filling topped with either chocolate icing or powdered sugar.

Maple Syrup
Until sugar became readily available, one of the key sweeteners used in New England cooking was maple syrup. European settlers learned how to tap maple trees and boil the sap into a sweet syrup, which was then used to enhance desserts, flavor baked beans, glaze hams, etc. A favorite treat was even created by pouring hot syrup onto fresh snow, causing the syrup to harden into candy — a beloved tradition that is still enjoyed today. Now, even though sugar in all its forms is easy to come by, maple syrup remains a favorite flavor, whether poured over pancakes, drizzled onto baked apples or enjoyed as candy.

Try this recipe for Maple Bread Pudding

from Big Y American Life Magazine, May 2004

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