Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies

by Bryan, Mollie Cox

• ISBN13: 9781580089807
• ISBN10: 1580089801
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-04-28
• Publisher: Ten Speed Pr

Summary

Legendary Recipes from Virginia's Queen of Pie Mrs. Rowe, known fondly as "the Pie Lady" by legions of loyal customers, was the quintessential purveyor of all-American comfort food. Today her family carries on this legacy at the original Mrs. Rowe's Restaurant and Bakery in Staunton, Virginia, as well as at the new country buffet. The restaurant's bustling take-out counter sells a staggering 100 handmade pies every day! With the pies being snapped up that quickly, it's no wonder that Mrs. Rowe urged her customers to order dessert first. InMrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies, recipes for Southern classics likeKey Lime PieandPecan Fudge Piesit alongside restaurant favorites likeFrench Apple PieandOriginal Coconut Cream Pie. Additional recipes gathered from family notebooks and recipe boxes include regional gems likeShoofly PieandLemon Chess Pie. With berries and custards and fudge--oh my!--plus a variety of delectable crusts and toppings, this mouthwatering collection offers a little slice of Southern hospitality that will satisfy every type of sweet tooth--and convince even city slickers to take the time to smell theFresh Peach Pie.

Author Biography

Mollie Cox Bryan is an award-winning writer, essayist, and columnist. She has written for GRIT magazine, Relish magazine, Taste of the South magazine, NPR's "Kitchen Window," the Christian Science Monitor, the Chicago Sun-Times, and parenting magazines across the country. The author of Mrs. Rowe's Restaurant Cookbook, she is also a family life columnist for the Daily News Leader in Staunton, Virginia. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Waynesboro, Virginia.


THE AUTHOR SCOOP
What was your first job?
I worked at a little country restaurant/truck stop called "Mary's" in Raccoon Township. I scooped ice cream and made donuts, which I loved because I could make the icing any color I wanted and decorate it creatively. Eventually I was fired for my inefficiency–I used too many nuts and sprinkles.
 
Do you eat your vegetables?
I am a vegetarian and can't think of a vegetable that I don't like.

Who would you cast as yourself in a movie of your life?
Myself–Kerri Russell
Mrs. Rowe–Maggie Gyllenhaal

Are you "six degrees of separation" away from anyone famous?
My grandfather's cousin was Jean Harlow.
 
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I've always been a writer, but I have had some other ambitions, like dancing and acting. One time, when I was 14 or 15, the circus came to town and I decided I wanted to join as an acrobat. I even got the application, and filled it out, but because I was under age, I needed my mother's legal consent. Of course, that did not happen.

Table of Contents

Contents
 
Acknowledgments  •  viii
 
Introduction  •  1
 
Chapter 1  •  14
Crusts and Toppings
17  Plain Pie Pastry 
19  Vinegar Pie Crust
20  Cream Cheese Crust
21  Chocolate Cookie Crust 
22  Gingersnap Crust 
23  Graham Cracker Crust
24  Mrs. Rowe's Meringue 
25  Weepless Meringue
26  Sweetened Whipped Cream
27  Caramel Sauce 
28  Chocolate Sauce 
 
Chapter 2  •  29
Fruit, Berry, and Nut Pies
31  Apple-Dapple Pie
33  French Apple Pie
35  Caramel Apple Nut Pie
36  Crabapple Pie
37  Granny Smith Apple Pie
38  Fresh Peach Pie
40  Mrs. Brown's Grape Pie
41  Damson Plum Pie
42  Blueberry Pie
43  Strawberry Pie
45  Blackberry Pie
46  Gooseberry Pie
47  Simple Cherry Pie
48  Spicy Pumpkin Pie
49  Sweet Potato Pie
50  Butternut Squash Pie
52  Mrs. Brown's Winter Squash Pie
53  Chestnut Pie
55  Hickory Nut Pie
56  Mincemeat Pie 
58  Green Tomato Mincemeat Pie
 
Chapter 3  •  60
Cream and Custard Pies
63  Virginia's Almost Impossible Coconut Pie
64  Original Coconut Cream Pie
66  Coconut Custard Pie
67  White Christmas Pie
68  Susan's Banana Cream Pie
70  Classic Banana Cream Pie
71  Sour Cream and Raisin Pie
72  Strawberry Sour Cream Pie
73  Never-Fail Lemon Pie
75  Key Lime (or Not) Pie
76  Chocolate Chess Pie
77  Tar Heel Pie
79  German Chocolate Pie
80  Willard's Chocolate Pie
81  Chocolate Meringue Pie
82  Smoothest Ever Peanut Butter Pie
83  Peanut Butter Custard Pie
84  Cinnamon Sugar Pie
 
Chapter 4  •  85
Frozen and Icebox Pies
89  Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri Pie
90  Frozen Strawberry Margarita Pie
91  Watermelon Pie
92  Peanut Pie
93  Mudd Pie 
94  Grasshopper Pie
96  Layered Ice Cream Pie
98  Caramel Coconut Pie 
99  Make-Your-Own-Flavor Chiffon Pie
 
Chapter 5  •  100
Pies for the Cupboard
102  Brown Sugar Pie
103  Brown Sugar Pie from the Attic
105  Shoofly Pie
107  Brownie Pie
108  Pecan Fudge Pie
109  Raisin Pie
110  Lemon Chess Pie
112  Old-Fashioned Monterey Maple Syrup Pie

Index  •  113

Excerpts

When I bite into a slice of coconut cream pie at Mrs. Rowe's Restaurant and Bakery, in Staunton, Virginia, I know where I am. One taste tells me with extraordinary smooth and rich flavors that take me home--or what I'd like home to be--a place of warmth and comfort where mothers and grandmothers fawn over me with delicious temptations from the oven. "One more slice, honey. Everything will be all right." Another bite and I absolutely believe it. That is the magic and glory of pie.
 
Pie takes you home even when you're sitting at a table in a restaurant that seats 250 and serves half a million meals a year. Even the waitresses buzzing around, the countless murmuring conversations, and the clanking of dishes and silverware don't detract from the ultimate pie experience. No food conjures images of home and hearth the way that pie does.
 
Pie is center stage when you walk into Mrs. Rowe's Staunton eatery, one of the most successful family-owned restaurants in the state of Virginia, a family business since 1947. Glass cases brim with puffy meringues, some dotted generously with chocolate chips, some just nicely browned, enticing eaters to wonder what delicious secrets lie beneath the sugary mounds. Often passing glances turn into stares as the hostess attempts to get people seated.
 
"What kind of pie is that?" one man wants to know. "Lemon meringue? Coconut Cream? Chocolate? Butterscotch?"
 
Answer: all of the above.
 
Pie. Some are born to make it; it's in the flick of their wrist, the intuitive touch in the tips of their fingers, and exacting instincts about how it should taste, look, smell, and even feel in the mouth.
 
Mildred Rowe was one of those people, blessed with sensitive, practiced hands and an extraordinary palate. She gladly filled the role of "Pie Lady," a nickname her customers gave her. Her green eyes sparkled, her hands went to her hips, and a smile spread across her face. "If you want some of that blackberry pie, you'd better order it now." Knowing that the specialty, seasonal pies would go fast, Mildred advised her customers to order dessert before anything else--just one of her personal touches that made customers feel special. Of course, that it was good for business did not escape her.
 
Mildred's extraordinary pies became legendary. Even as she earned the title of the undisputed "Queen of Pie" in the Shenandoah Valley, and maybe the state, she never took her role for granted. She was always seeking better recipes, better ingredients, and better financial success, balancing good food, reasonable prices, and staff management with the need to earn a living.
 
Now that Mildred is gone, her family and staff carry on. They strive for balance and efficiency in a constantly fluctuating business environment. Now the balancing act includes holding true to Mildred's vision while meeting the growing demands of over half a million increasingly younger customers each year.
 
Pie is one of the mainstays that has allowed the business to expand. Mildred once served slices of coconut cream, strawberry rhubarb, or chocolate pie to restaurant customers exclusively. Then, seeing a business opportunity, she began to sell whole pies to other local restaurants. At least four restaurants now buy whole pies from Mrs. Rowe's. Whole pies are also sold to locals on a regular basis, especially around the winter holidays.
 
The homemade pies Mildred made famous remain the most popular dessert at her restaurant. Throughout much of the country, pie is passé, having given way to fancy desserts like mousse, crème brûlée, and the inevitable biscotti lining coffee shop counters. But at Mrs. Rowe's, in the heart of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, pie has never gone out of fashion.
 
Maybe it's the way the valley is wedged between the Alleghenies and the Blue Ridge, but change takes its time here, where

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Excerpted from Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies by Mollie Cox Bryan
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.