Stacey Mei Yan Fong joined "Good Morning America" on the Fourth of July to celebrate her passion project-turned-debut cookbook, "50 pies, 50 States."
The Brooklyn, New York-based home baker and author was born in Singapore and spent her early life in Hong Kong, where she developed a deep love of baking and American culture, before eventually moving to the U.S. for college.
"In an ode to the country I have chosen to call home, I have decided to bake 50 pies," she wrote about her project at launch in 2016. "Each pie will represent one state and be inspired by the state fruit, state food, state pastry or something that I feel encompasses the state itself."
Fong baked all the pies in alphabetical order and documented her culinary journey on her website and social media pages as a love letter to America.
On Tuesday, she shared three recipes from her cookbook: two sweet summer pies and one savory potato pie that uses tots three ways, each representing a different state known for some iconic ingredients.
Check out the full recipes for each, below.
Sweet tea, peaches and pecans scream summertime in Georgia. Fong developed this dessert with the Peach State in mind.
Active time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 1 hour
Total time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Makes: 10-inch pie
Ingredients
All-Butter Crust (homemade recipe below or preferred store-bought), rolled out, fit into a greased 10-inch pie pan, crimped, and frozen
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
Sweet tea syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
2 black tea bags
1/2 lemon, zest removed with a vegetable peeler, then lemon juiced
Peach filling
6 to 7 medium ripe peaches, peeled and sliced (about 5 cups)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Crumble topping
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup (2/3 stick) unsalted butter, softened
Directions
Make the sweet tea syrup: In a large saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the tea bags and lemon zest strips. Cover and steep for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture then stir in the lemon juice. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Make the filling: In a large bowl, combine the sweet tea syrup, peaches, flour, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Set aside until ready to fill the pie.
Make the crumble topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix well and incorporate the butter until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
Assemble and bake the pie: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the frozen crust on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the 1/2 teaspoons flour and sugar on the crust base and swirl around with your fingers. Fill with the filling and top with the crumble topping.
Bake for 1 hour on the center rack, rotating the pie clockwise every 15 minutes, until golden brown and you can hear the filling bubbling. Let cool for at least 3 hours before slicing and enjoying. Best served à la mode or with whipped cream and enjoyed on the front porch as the breeze blows through the magnolia trees!
To represent New York, aka the Big Apple, Fong created two versions of her apple pie recipe -- a large traditional 10-inch pie and multiple individual pies.
Active time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 1 hour
Total time: 2 hours 30 min
Makes: 10-inch pie
Ingredients
All-Butter Crust, homemade or preferred store bought, rolled out, fit into a greased
10-inch pie pan, crimped, and frozen
Filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
7 Granny Smith apples (about 1 pound), peeled, cored, and cubed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Crumble topping
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
Directions
Make the filling: Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Toss the cubed apples in the lemon juice and coat with the spice mixture. Set aside.
Make the topping: In a large mixing bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon to combine. Add the softened butter and mix until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Fill and bake the pie: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Fill the crust with the filling and top with the crumble topping. Bake on a baking sheet on the center rack for 1 hour, rotating the pie 90 degrees every 15 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour before serving. Enjoy à la mode or with the strongest cup of coffee you've got while "New York, New York" blares loudly!
Active time: 3 hours
Bake time: 6 hours
Total time: 13 hours
Makes: 150 3-inch mini pies
Ingredients
Crust
All-Butter Crust x 7, rolled out 1/4-inch thick and cut into 150 3-inch rounds, or preferred store bought crust
Filling
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
35 Granny Smith apples (about 5 pounds), peeled, cored, and diced
5 tablespoons lemon juice
Crumble topping
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
Directions
Make the filling: Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a large bowl and stir to combine. Toss the diced apples in the lemon juice and coat with the spice mixture. Set aside.
Make the topping: In a large mixing bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon to combine. Add the softened butter and mix until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Fill and bake the pies: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Fit each cup of the muffin tin with a dough round. Fill each with about 1/4 cup filling and top with about 2 tablespoons crumble topping. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.
Repeat until all dough, filling, and topping are used. Keep dough rounds in the fridge in between batches to keep them nice, cool, and workable. After baking, allow to cool for at least 1 hour before removing from muffin tin. Enjoy!
Active time: 1 hour
Bake time: 1 hour
Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Makes: 9-inch pie
Ingredients
Hash Brown Crust
4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Mashed potato filling
4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh sage
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Scalloped potato topping
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 to 4 small red and purple potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (with mandoline if available)
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup whole milk
Directions
Make the hash brown crust: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Toss the grated potato and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Transfer to paper towels or a tea towel and wring out excess water.
Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and saute for 10 to 15 minutes, until all the moisture has evaporated. Press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Take your time with this step, using a quarter-cup measure to help pack the sides and bottom evenly if needed. Bake for 15 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool completely before filling.
Make the filling: Add the potatoes, rosemary, and sage to a large pot filled with cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and discard the herbs. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl.
In a medium saucepan, heat the cream, butter, and bay leaf until almost at a rolling boil. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or mixer, making sure not to overmix. Continue mashing the potatoes, adding the hot cream mixture a little bit at a time, until it is fully incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix in the chives. Set aside until ready to fill the pie.
Make the topping: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix the salt, pepper, and nutmeg together. In a greased 9-inch pie pan, arrange about one-third of the sliced potatoes in a single layer. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the salt-spice mixture and 1/2 tablespoon of the cubed butter on top.
Continue layering to make three layers. Pour the cream and milk all over the potatoes, making sure the potatoes are submerged in liquid. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 1 hour, until the edges are crispy and the center is fork tender.
Assemble the pie: Heat the broiler. Place the hash brown crust on a baking sheet and fill with the mashed potatoes, smoothing the top as best possible. Place the cooked scalloped potatoes on top. You can do this by using a spoon or by quickly inverting the pie and placing it, mashed potato side down, onto the scalloped potatoes. Then in a swift motion, flip so the potatoes end up on top. Remove the scalloped potato pan.
Place the pie on an oven rack 2 inches under the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown. Watch it carefully to make sure it doesn't burn.
Let the pie sit for 10 minutes before serving. Best served in a hot tub while it snows and you're drinking a chilled white wine. Enjoy!
Excerpted from 50 PIES, 50 STATES by Stacey Mei Yan Fong. Copyright © 2023 by Stacey Mei Yan Fong. Photography by Alanna Hale. Food styling by Caitlin Haught Brown. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company.
