Snack

This extremely moist pie tastes milky and sweet. The consistency is nothing like pumpkin pie; rather than being a smooth custard, it’s sturdy and textured.

If you have access to a bramble of blackberry bushes, guard it with your life. The price of blackberries makes it more than reasonable to pick your own, besides which nothing is quite so satisfying as picking your own berries. Perhaps it’s knowing where the food came from and taking part in the ancient practice of foraging. If you must use frozen berries, you should measure them while they’re still frozen, because they shrivel as they thaw. Also, it’s important to thaw and drain frozen berries before placing them in the pie shell, otherwise the pie will be watery. Use potato starch in this pie if you can. It gives the filling a clear, jewel-like color, and it has less flavor than cornstarch.

Damson plums were first introduced to the British by the Romans, and eventually English settlers brought them over to America, where they thrived in the climate of the eastern United States. Because of their acidic, tart flavor, Damsons make tasty jams and pies. This recipe, handwritten by Mildred in one of her old notebooks, calls for Damson plums—if you substitute another variety of plum, you may need to cut back on the sugar.

Mike DiGrassie recalls, “We used to have blueberries growing all over our camp. The birds went crazy over them. When I tried picking some for myself there was always some bird eyeballin’ me.” Due to the high cost of blueberries, this is the most expensive whole pie at Mrs. Rowe’s—but you can still get a deep blue slice for the regular price of $2.75.

Eric Brown, an employee at Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant and Bakery for eleven years, asked his mother for his favorite grape pie recipe and she graciously offered it to us—for all true pie lovers and bakers are generous in spirit and love to share recipes. When Mildred Rowe was a child, she often picked wild grapes, which used to grow plentifully in the Appalachians. “Mother told us how they fought the wild turkeys for the grapes,” says Mike DiGrassie. This recipe calls for Concord grapes since many of us don’t live near a wild grape patch. It’s one of the few grape pie recipes that doesn’t require peeling the grapes.

Crabapples grow abundantly in Appalachia and in other parts of the South. It takes a lot of these small apples to make 6 cups, but for people who love tart apples, this tiny powerhouse of a fruit is unbeatable. Depending on where you live, the season starts in August and sometimes continues into early winter. Whenever crabapple season occurs in your area, make it a point to slip this unusual treat into your yearly pie rituals. To core the crabapples, slice off the blossom end with a paring knife and cut around the core in four cuts. This will leave a squarish core, which is much easier than trying to halve and core the crabapples. If you can’t find crabapples, substitute tart apples, such as Granny Smith, and coat the diced apples with the vanilla, lemon juice, and water right away, instead of sprinkling them on after the pie is filled.

If you like the flavor of sour apples, cut the amount of sugar in the filling to 1/3 cup. If you want to enhance the sweetness, serve with a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. This recipe comes from Cynthia Craig, a longtime baker at the restaurant.

Peach season is fleeting, but this seasonal pie is so delicious that you should slip it into your summer any way you can. If the edges of the crust begin to brown before the rest of the pie, cover them with foil. Enjoy plain or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This pretty pie is reminiscent of the toffee apples that were a fairground favorite in Mrs. Rowe’s day. The brown sugar delivers a gooey, sweet flavor. For an extra treat, serve with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream.

This moist and crumbly pie has a consistency almost like a coffee cake. As a result, unlike most pies, it’s safe to cut into this one when it’s slightly warm. As with all prebaked pastry crusts, it’s important to cover the edges with foil or crust shields while the filling bakes, so it doesn’t burn. Walnuts, almonds, or pecans work nicely with this pie.

This pie offers a perfect blend of apples and raisins. You can add the sweet icing, which is a surprising and delightful touch—or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a blisteringly hot, Southern summer day.

The miniature marshmallows are a great time-saving device in this recipe. Full-size marshmallows also work, but they’re more difficult to measure and don’t melt as quickly.

Pile this meringue on as thick as you can for a splendid-looking pie. Meringue is a perfect opportunity for the home baker to get creative with the spatula. You can smooth it over, swirl it around, or make fancy peaks. No one way is better than the other. Mrs. Rowe insisted on using a chilled bowl for the mixing. It’s a bit of a mystery why, as modern bakers claim it’s unnecessary. Maybe her eggs were so fresh that they were still warm and she needed to bring them down to room temperature by using a chilled bowl. In any case, the bakers at Mrs. Rowe’s restaurants still use chilled bowls. Weeping can happen with any meringue. A “weeping” meringue occurs when the sugar solution comes out of the meringue in drops. Sometimes a weeping meringue makes a slimy layer on top of the filling. The meringue will still taste yummy, but it won’t be as pretty. Sealing the edges of the meringue is an important step in helping to prevent weeping; it also helps assure that the filling won’t spill over. Just add some water to your fingers and press the meringue to the crust along the rim.

This sauce is a must for the Layered Ice Cream Pie (page 96), where it meshes with the cookie crust and ice cream for a sinfully delicious combination of textures and flavors. If you’re adventurous, this sauce could top off almost any pie.

You can crush the crumbs using a food processor, rolling pin, or kitchen mallet, whichever you prefer. This crust should be baked before filling. If you use pie weights or beans to keep the crust from bubbling during baking (highly recommended), remove the paper and weights for the last few minutes of baking so the crust will brown well.

This versatile crust, which is extremely easy to make, adds zip to any pie, and its enticing flavor offers many intriguing possibilities. In this book it’s paired with the Never Fail Lemon Pie (page 73), but you can also try it with pies like Cinnamon Sugar (page 84), Willard’s Chocolate (page 80), German Chocolate (page 79), Peanut Butter Custard (page 83), Peanut (page 92), or Layered Ice Cream (page 96). You can crush the crumbs using a food processor, rolling pin, or kitchen mallet. This crust should be baked before being filled.

Mildred’s light touch took years to master. Too much flour will make the dough tough. Use just enough to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin. Make the dough ahead of time and place it in the refrigerator wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. If you don’t have a pastry blender, you can use a fork here, as well as your fingers—if you start with cold hands and work fast. The more the shortening melts, the less flaky the crust will be.

A simple pie crust with countless creative possibilities, the Chocolate Cookie Crust has been paired with the Frozen Strawberry Margarita Pie (page 90) and Grasshopper Pie (page 94) in this book, but also consider using it with any of the lemon or peanut butter pies, or even the Spicy Pumpkin Pie (page 48). You can crush the crumbs using a food processor, rolling pin, or kitchen mallet. This crust should be baked before filling.

This crust, which has a nice tangy flavor, can be used in any recipe that calls for Plain Pie Pastry (page 17) or Vinegar Pie Crust (page 19). It’s a good idea to chill the crust for at least 15 minutes before baking; this will help the crust stick together better.