A brief field guide to Norske Nook pies

Editor’s note: This post was guest-written by Madison blogger Nichole Fromm. She’s filling in for Lindsay today, who has ditched Wisconsin for the West Coast for a few weeks.

When you say you’re from Osseo, Wis., as my husband JM is, anyone who has a clue asks “You mean where the Norske Nook is?” JM has many a memory of childhood weeknights spent gazing at a mural depicting a Norwegian glade while his parents enjoyed a slice of Sour Cream Raisin or Coconut Meringue.

He himself doesn’t care much for pie. But because he’s infinitely indulgent (see this project) and our travels (and those of our family and friends) through that corridor afforded plenty of stops at Exit 88, we’ve attempted to sample every type of Norske Nook pie. For the Norske Nook novice, however, a field guide of sorts is in order to help you make the most of your own visits.

It’s worth noting that 23 of the Nook’s pies have won blue ribbons at the American Pie Council National Pie Championships, an annual event open to amateurs, professionals and commercial pie companies. Blue-ribbon winners are denoted with an asterisk*.

Two-crust pies

• Apple
• Baked Strawberry* (2010)
• Cherry
• Cranberry Apple
• Lingonberry Apple
• Peach*
• Rhubarb
• Strawberry Rhubarb

The two-crust pies are the best way to get a feel for the heart of the Nook’s success, its hand-rolled crusts. Hearty, rustic, and neither too sweet nor too salty, they have character. If you’re new to the Nook, start with a double-crust pie, especially with fruit in season.

Streusel-top pies:

• Blackberry Crunch
• Blueberry Crunch*
• Cherry Crunch
• Dutch Apple
• Harvest Apple
• Peach Melba* (2010)

The bakers refer to the streusel topping on these reliably excellent pies as a “Dutch” topping, and variously embellish the brown sugar and butter mix with cinnamon or nuts. Along with the two-crust varieties, these travel well, and some are available for shipping by next day air.

Cream cheese pies:

• Apple Cream Cheese* (2010)
• Blackberry Cream Cheese
• Blueberry Cream Cheese*
• Maple Raisin* (2010)
• Pecan Cream Cheese*
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese*
• Raspberry Cream Cheese
• Strawberry Cream Cheese

These pies are the most consistent ribbon winners. Each has a graham cracker crust, a layer of fluffy, sweetened cream cheese, a layer of fruit, and whipped nondairy topping. The whipped topping is the Achilles heel to many pie purists but is not out of step with the Nook’s Scandinavian-American aesthetic. The best choices in this group use tart, acidic fruits such as raspberries and strawberries.

Nut pies:

• Maple Raisin* (2010)
• Peach Praline
• Pecan
• Pecan Fudge
• Pecan Stout* (2010)

The nut pies are notable, and include one of our all-time favorites: pecan fudge. It’s a rolled crust with caramel custard filling topped with a layer of pecan bits and mini dark chocolate chips baked to a decadent fusion. It freezes well, so there’s really no excuse not to grab an extra slice (or whole pie) just because you can. The Pecan Stout, new for 2010, is baked with Kelly’s Stout from Northwoods Brew Pub.

Fruit pies with whipped topping:

• Blackberry
• Blueberry*
• Coconut Pineapple Dream*
• Fresh Raspberry
• Fresh Strawberry
• Raspberry White Chocolate*

These fruit pies use rolled crust with a few variations. The simplest are the berry pies under a whipped topping. Some appear to use gelatin filler to mound the filling to epic heights, to the ultimate detriment of flavor. Two newer, fancier recipes bend categories and both brought home the blue ribbon: Coconut Pineapple Dream (cream cheese, pineapple custard, whipped topping, toasted coconut) and White Chocolate Raspberry (two alternating layers of cream cheese with a faint white chocolate flair, fresh berries, and whipped topping decorated with chocolate syrup).

Sour cream pies:

• Sour Cream Blackberry
• Sour Cream Apple Blueberry
• Sour Cream Lingonberry
• Sour Cream Raspberry

Four sour cream pies deliver a consistently good balance of fruit and zingy flavor. Especially fun is lingonberry, with whole, snappy berries in each bite.

Custard pies:

• Banana Cream*
• Custard*
• Pumpkin

The Nook is no slouch in the custard department. Their classic plain custard, dusted with cinnamon, is mild and elegant, while the banana cream with whipped topping is practically a wall of fresh, ripe banana slices that would never be used as a punchline for a slapstick joke.

Chocolate and candy-themed pies:

• Butterfinger* (2010)
• Butterscotch
• Chocolate
• Chocolate Cream
• Chocolate Mint*
• Chocolate Mousse
• Chocolate Peanut Butter
• Northwoods Root Beer Float*
• Snickers* (2010)

For a “church basement potluck” feel, go with the chocolate or candy pies. Most use the rolled crust; Chocolate Mint and Chocolate Peanut Butter use a chocolate cookie crust. Another new recipe, the Northwoods Root Beer Float, is a one-of-a-kind experience, filled with a light mousse that practically fizzes on the tongue.

Meringue pies:

• Coconut Meringue
• Lemon Meringue
• Sour Cream Raisin

Finally we come to the crowning glory: Norske Nook’s meringue. The filling under these dozen-egg-white mountains may belong to other categories, but they deserve their own classification. To move these pies, an eight inch tall cake box and a very steady hand is required. Better to enjoy a slice of Coconut, Lemon, or Sour Cream Raisin on site – the pros at the cafe never fail to stand each slice up on the plate, defying gravity itself.

Never sitting on its laurels, the Nook took home a record number of ribbons in 2010. (Someone may just have a shrewd business sense, too, since two of these prominently feature raisins and the California Raisin Marketing Board is one of this year’s sponsors.) This is where our research will have to pick up. We haven’t had the good fortune to try these seven new recipes yet, nor can we speak to the quality of the many sugar-free pies on offer. In the meantime, if you travel Wisconsin with any regularity, we highly recommend putting down a few dollars for a deposit on a pie tin; your ninth refill is on the house, and you won’t be sorry.

Nichole Fromm is half of the restaurant review blog Eating in Madison A to Z with her husband and Osseo native JonMichael Rasmus. She invites you to add your Norske Nook pie photos to the photo group on Flickr.