Pie the top culinary trend in 2011? Yes, says one analyst

Once a staple of restaurant dessert selections in America, pies have fallen off the pastry-tray radar over the last few decades, replaced by ubiquitous European imports tiramisu, creme brulee and flan. Even bread pudding, once a clever way to use up leftover bread and rolls, has become suddenly a sophisticated dessert.

But the all-American pie — once the beloved sweet finale at hundreds of diners, lunch counters and coffee shops — is poised to become upper crust all over again.