Nut Free

Provolone cheese provides the dominant flavoring in this recipe, so select the variety carefully, according to your taste preferences. If you like a sharper taste, err toward provolone piccante; if you’re in the mood for mild, provolone dolce is the way to go. The inclusion of sausage makes this quiche a great breakfast selection.

I’m a sucker for ham and brie sandwiches, thus the inspiration for this dish. This quiche is particularly rich and filling, combining the smoky flavor of ham with the creamy texture of brie. For best results, when selecting your cheese, look for a ripe brie that is less firm and somewhat mottled in appearance.

This quiche is always one of my first picks for a summer brunch or lunchtime treat. As a New Englander, I am lucky enough to be spoiled with regular access to fresh lobster. I’m also the first to admit that the process of cooking and cleaning lobster can be somewhat arduous. To save time, I recommend purchasing fresh lobster meat (as opposed to a whole lobster) from your local seafood purveyor. Your guests will never believe how simple this elegant tasting quiche is to make.

This is the quintessential quiche dish and certainly one of the most popular in the store. French farmers in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France used to enjoy this quiche as a lunchtime meal, and it’s clear why. The smoky bacon floating amid a creamy cheeseinfused filling is enough to keep you going all day long.

This classic combination is great for any time of the day: breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or even a late-night snack. If you are partial to other vegetables, such as asparagus or zucchini, feel free to tailor this recipe to your own tastes, either substituting for the broccoli or adding more veggies.

I discovered this pie while in Maine on summer vacation and could hardly wait to get back to my own kitchen to re-create it. It offers all of the comfort of Chicken Pot Pie (page 153), but with a rich, elegant lobster twist. It’s hard to go wrong with chunks of lobster immersed in a creamy sauce and flaky pastry.

In 2002 I went to Australia and fell in love with their traditional beef pies. In fact, to this day, I would have one for every meal if I had my way. Once I returned to the States, I was determined to come up with my own rendition of this classic dish. Although I created this recipe based on nothing more than my warm memories of this meal, I have nonetheless had many Australians flock to my store to purchase this little taste of home. A true testament.

I first started selling these pies at small farmers’ markets in Vermont and quickly discovered just how many people share my appreciation for them. To this day, we still have a hard time keeping them stocked at the store. This is definitely a more labor-intensive recipe than some others (allow yourself at least 2 1/2 hours from start to finish), but it is well worth it. If you’re short on time, use an already prepared rotisserie chicken, and cook the vegetables for the pie in 2 cups of store-bought chicken stock. Best of all, this pie can be made as a single pie, or as individual pies as pictured.

A unique eggnog flavor seeps through this rich, creamy pie filling, and hints of nutmeg and brandy add a cozy, wintery warmth for good measure.

This is a unique pie because it’s not baked, thus allowing the strawberries to hold their shape and maintain their delicious fresh taste. With its combination of fresh strawberries, cream filling, and a strawberry glacé on top, this pie is perfect for a picnic or potluck gathering. Please note that the glacé part of this recipe should be made at least 4 hours (and up to 4 days) before the rest of the pie so that it has time to set.

This pie is all about decadence, where the smooth and velvety filling melds beautifully with a flaky pastry crust. For optimal results, be sure to use ripe bananas as they’re more flavor packed and they maximize the creamy texture that’s the hallmark of a perfect Banana Cream Pie.

This pie has a lot to offer in one light and fluffy package—it’s not too tart and not too sweet, which makes it a great choice for pleasing all of your guests. It is the perfect ending to a heavy meal, when you want something to satisfy that sweet tooth, but don’t have a lot of room left for a big dessert.

This creamy, sweet, tangy pie is a southern staple. In the shop, we use only fresh key limes (they’re an essential part of this masterpiece), which are imported from Mexico and Central America and are available year-round. Squeezing them does take some extra effort and determination, but it’s worth all the trouble when you’re rewarded with that first bite of fresh Key Lime Pie.

This pie was originally called Lover’s Delight Pie, and for good reason. This is the sort of dessert that you want to share with the one you love. Serve it up on Valentine’s Day or at the end of any other romantic meal for two and indulge in the classic flavor combination of chocolate and raspberry.

Simple and unfussy, this smooth, silky pie is pure chocolate through and through. I have several chocoholic customers who absolutely swear by it. Try the Graham Cracker Crust (page 10) as an alternative to the traditional crust.

Although its name says “pie,” Boston cream pie is actually more of a cake, with its two layers of yellow sponge cake filled with a thick vanilla custard and topped off with a chocolate ganache. Still, it’s one of the most requested items at Michele’s Pies. Be sure to plan ahead a bit when making this pie because the sponge cake and cream will need to cool completely before pie assembly can begin (the cooling process will take at least 2 hours).

This pie is one of those treats you have to enjoy while the weather is warm because rhubarb is in season only from April to September. When selecting rhubarb, look for firm, glossy stalks. Be sure to cut off all of the leaves of a rhubarb stalk—they are toxic to humans. Wash the rhubarb stalk well and then peel the stringy skin to get to the core of this celerylike vegetable. Try this pie with the Cinnamon Sugar Crumb Topping (page 12) for a nice contrast to rhubarb’s naturally tart taste.

Taste testing is one of the great perks of my job. Every summer when our first batch of Raspberry Crumb Pies comes out of the oven, I take one home with me so that my family and I can perform “quality assurance.” It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it! Raspberries are at their best in the midsummer months. For best results, seek out raspberries that are slightly soft and plump. Raspberries continue to ripen after they are picked and have a short shelf-life, so try to make this pie within a day or two of bringing home your raspberries. Raspberry pie is equally good made with a traditional pastry piecrust (as photographed here with a lattice topping) or a Cinnamon Sugar Crumb Topping, but, I have to say, I’m partial to the crumb topping—the sweetness is a lovely complement to the raspberries’ tartness. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of Whipped Cream (page 193). This pie can also be made with the Traditional Pastry double crust (page 5).

This pie packs in all of the traditional pumpkin holiday flavor, but with a much lighter and airier texture than traditional pumpkin pie, making this a great alternative at the end of a heavy, multicourse meal. Serve with a dollop of Whipped Cream (page 193).

When Kelly told me he was going to try making a pineapple pie, I thought he was crazy. I’ve heard of pineapple in a lot of things . . . but pie? Wanting no part in this, I told him to go for it, and walked away. A few days later, I found myself biting into Kelly’s first attempt. It wasn’t bad—granted, it wasn’t great either—but I began to think he was on to something. With my curiosity piqued, I decided to take a stab at it myself. Today, Pineapple Crumb Pie is one of the more popular pies we sell. For a more tropical variation of this pie, you can also try it with Macadamia-Coconut Crumb Topping (page 13).