Mollie Cox Bryan - Mrs. Rowes little book of Southern pies

Copyright 2009 by Mollie Cox Bryan and
Mrs. Rowes Restaurant and Bakery, Inc.
Food photography 2009 by Jennifer Martin

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by
Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com

Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bryan, Mollie Cox, 1963
Mrs. Rowes little book of Southern pies / by Mollie Cox Bryan and Mrs. Rowes Restaurant and Bakery.
p. cm.
Includes index.
Summary: A sweet collection of sixty recipes for pie from the famous family-owned Shenandoah Valley institution, Mrs. Rowes Restaurant and BakeryProvided by publisher.
1. Pies. 2. Cookery, AmericanSouthern style. 3. Mrs. Rowes Restaurant and Bakery. I. Mrs. Rowes Restaurant and Bakery. II. Title.
TX773.B8835 2009
641.5975dc22

2008037779

eISBN: 978-1-60774-135-0

Food styling by Kim Konecny
Prop styling by Christine Wolheim

v3.1

For my daughters, Emma Aine and Tess Mathilde,
my own sweet little pie makers and eaters.

Also for my mom, Sandy, a master pumpkin pie baker.

Contents

CHAPTER 1
Crusts and Toppings

CHAPTER 2
Fruit, Berry, and Nut Pies

CHAPTER 3
Cream and Custard Pies

CHAPTER 4
Frozen and Icebox Pies

CHAPTER 5
Pies for the Cupboard

Acknowledgments

First a great big thanks goes to my husband, Ericalways there for me and for pie, as are my daughters, Emma and Tess. At this point, they can all tell you everything you need to know about Mrs. Rowe, pie, or the restaurant.

Special thanks goes to Kate Antea, our pie tester, whose talent, patience, and observations added a great deal of depth to this book. Thanks to Chef William Poole of Wen Chocolates for letting us borrow Kate from her work from time to time to test pie. I understand that Kates sister Bevin and her colleagues endured countless hours of pie tastingso a big thanks goes to them.

Id also like to send out a big thanks to my agent, Angela Miller, for her patience, unique observations, and her encouragement on all fronts.

Thanks to Michael DiGrassie, Aaron DiGrassie, and the whole Rowe-DiGrassie clan. Thanks to Angie Bedlinsky, Cynthia Craig, and Susan Simmons, Mrs. Rowes bakers, for answering my pie questionsover and over again. Thanks to Mrs. Brown for sharing recipes.

Also, a few of my writer friends read the manuscript and offered suggestionsAlice Leonhardt and Elizabeth Massie. I am honored to know them and count them as my friends. Christy Majors, another good friend who I am honored to know, also read the manuscript, and I thank her for finding time in her hectic schedule.

Thanks to Esther Shank, Stephanie Witmer, Kendra Bailey Morris, John T. Edge, and Lorna Reeves, food writers and editors who were all generous with their time and thoughts. Thanks to Karen Becker and David Puckett of the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia, for filling me in on the history of pie safes.

Id also like to acknowledge Aaron Wehner, editorial director at Ten Speed Press. This little book was his vision, and I want to thank him for his faith in meand in the restaurant. I am thrilled, once again, to be a part of the Ten Speed team. A heartfelt thanks to the countless supporters who bought, reviewed, or otherwise supported Mrs. Rowes Restaurant Cookbook: A Lifetime of Recipes from the Shenandoah Valley, which certainly helped pave the way for this new book. This most assuredly includes Kristin Casemore, publicist extraordinairethanks so much for your hard work.

I have been twice blessed by Ten Speed editors. Lisa Westmorelands questions and directions provided a much needed focus for this book. I thank her for her generous, professional, and kind nature while editing this book. Thank you to copy editor Jasmine Star and designer Katy Brown, photographer Jennifer Martin, food stylist Kim Konecny, and prop stylist Christine Wolheim.

Thank you to Antonia Allegra, who told me about the movie Waitress, which I found incredibly inspiring. What a great movie about pie and the power of mother-daughter love. After all, crafting a pie is basically about loveMrs. Rowe knew that. If she were here today, Id like to think shed wink and smile about this book. So a very special thanks to the lady who started it all is in order. As long as we make her recipes, Mrs. Rowe lives in our hearts, minds, and satisfied bellies.

Mollie

Introduction

Virginia is for lovers of pie.

Pascale le Draoulec, American Pie: Slices of Life (and Pie) From Americas Back Roads

When I bite into a slice of coconut cream pie at Mrs. Rowes Restaurant and Bakery, in Staunton, Virginia, I know where I am. One taste tells me with extraordinary smooth and rich flavors that take me homeor what Id like home to bea 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 youre 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 dont 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. Rowes 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.