Strawberry season makes North Carolina people happy, and with good reason. Come the Merry Month of May, farmer's markets tend to have a bountiful supply, such that even the tardy-arriving market-goers have a good chance of finding sweet ripe strawberries, enough to eat, sprinkle on cereal, cook into jam, and bake into pies. You can find ...
Southern pies
Delicious Black Walnut Pie
Black Walnuts Though they seldom appear on standard lists and menus, black walnuts are both growing on today trees and widely available for purchase in supermarket produce sections and by mail order. Even back when they were familiar as a Southern pantry ingredient for baking and sweets, buying them shelled was common practice and shelling them ...
Butternut Squash Pie
Pie Time! Pumpkin pie has been on my A-list forever, and I've never understood why we relegate it to the holiday menus between November and January 1st. Delicious? Check --- Simply and swiftly made? Check --- Made from accessible inexpensive ingredients? Check --- Popular? Check! Perhaps its automatic inclusion on menus that require turkey, ...
Magic Coconut Pie
What's sweet and a little crunchy, rich and coconutty, and so easy to make, it's like you waved a magic wand? That would be my magic coconut pie! This dream dessert skips the crust completely, and makes coconut custard filling the star. No-Crust Coconut Pie? This Coconut Pie is one of two recipes in Southern Pies with no crust to keep ...
Easy Egg Custard Pie
Scalding the Milk? First pie I ever made, and it still delights me in every way. Scalding the milk is a technique seldom used in today's recipe instructions; it's gone the way of sifting flour and testing cake layers for doneness with a toothpick or a spear of broomstraw. It was part of basic cooking and baking when I took up the art and craft as ...
Easy Buttermilk Pie
Wishing for the rich tangy goodness of cheesecake, but short on time to fuss? My Easy Buttermilk Pie uses only six ingredients, and gets stirred together with a fork. Made in minutes, it's what you need for your Thanksgiving celebration. What is Buttermilk Pie? Buttermilk Pie is an old-timer which was surely edged over to the ...
“Southern Pies”, now out of the oven and onto the bookshelves and countertops!
Though I've had my author copy for a month, and the Chronicle Books warehouse has been shipping out advance orders for a couple of weeks, today is the official start of publicity month for my latest book, "Southern Pies: A Gracious Plenty of Pie Recipes, from Lemon Chess to Chocolate Pecan". I haven't gotten over it yet, not even close --- still ...
Easy Strawberry Icebox Pie
Pretty, pink, party-ready: This easy strawberry icebox pie is simple to make and sure to delight you and yours! Use a graham cracker crust and serve it with whipped cream for a cool finishing touch. Easy as Pie, no-bake, do-ahead, and sure to please your people AND you! Icebox Pies and Why We Love Them: What is make-ahead, easy to prepare, ...
Bill Smith’s Daddy’s Sweet Potato Pie
Pumpkin pie suits me fine, and I gladly eat it all year long. With Thanksgiving meals on my mind this week, I wanted to share a simple treasure that my friend Bill Smith shared with me about 3 years ago. When he was in his early 60's, my father began making the pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving, and he continued that tradition as long as his health ...
Brooklyn’s “Four & Twenty Blackbirds” = Pie Heaven
Why do I deeply trust anything suggested by my friend Nicole Taylor, food writer, host of Heritage Radio Network's "Hot Grease", and food justice activist? Because during a recent visit to New York City, she told me to check out Four & Twenty Blackbirds in Gowanus, Brooklyn, cause she knows I love pie. The shop's website ...
Pi Day ? Try an Osgood Pie
An old-school member of the chess-pie family, Osgood Pie is a simple stir-up of pecans, raisins, butter, sugar and eggs. It's been a long time since I sat in Mrs. Holder's geometry class, learning about proofs, formulas, and recipes for figuring out the area of a square, the volume of a cylinder, and the meaning of 'rhombus', a word I like very ...
Three Swingin Chicks’ 20-Minute Apple Pie
Janice Cole's 20-minute apple pie is gorgeously good, and so beautiful coming out of the oven in my cast-iron skillet. My friend Janice Cole writes a delightful and unique blog, one you will want to visit often. Here is where you'll find it: http://threeswinginchicks.blogspot.com/ Not only will you find excellent recipes from a superb food ...
Fresh Fig Pie
It's too late for figs here in Piedmont North Carolina, the late summer season having passed us by --- though with warmer than usual days popping up now and then, it can be difficult to tell. They come and go quickly, and by the time we've eaten them fresh off the tree, or wrapped in proscuitto or chopped up and mixed with toasted ...
Peanut Pie
Though not equal to the grand dame of Southern piedom, pecan pie, peanut pie has long had a loyal and enthusiastic following, and it quickly earns a place of honor anytime it's given a chance. Peanut pie is another variation on the chess pie theme, with coarsely-chopped dry-roasted peanuts stirred into a sugar-butter-eggs ...
Muscadine Grape Hull Pie
Muscadine Grape Hull Pie, juicy and wonderful, worthy of the time it takes. I love the old-school way it uses everything but the seeds. This pie is an heirloom well worth dusting off and setting out in a place of honor at today's table. Made with a dedication to thrift and flavor, it uses the thick, sturdy hulls of the ...
Lemon Icebox Pie
Meringue gives Lemon Icebox Pie an old-timey touch, but whipped cream works wonderfully as well. Or serve it as is, plainly irresistibly good. For a do-ahead, pleasing and simple to make pie, lemon icebox pie --- well, I almost said "...takes the cake!", but I will make that... has little competition. Lemon juice, grated lemon rind, sweetened ...
Delicious Pumpkin Pie
Fall brings flavors and colors we love, with one classic I can't wait to bring back to my kitchen: Delicious pumpkin pie. Why wait till the holiday season when this traditional favorite is so easy to make and perfect for breakfast and snacktime, not just dessert? Remember, people: Pumpkin pie delivered "pumpkin spice" to our tables long before a ...
Almond Custard Pie
Made from finely ground almonds, eggs, sugar, and butter, Almond Custard Pie reminds me of marzipan and makes luscious, simple-to-prepare dessert, with or without ice cream! With early American roots and accessible ingredients, it's ideal for celebrations and a perfect finale on your Thanksgiving dessert menu. What is Almond Custard ...
Classic Chess Pie
Looking for a great, crowd-pleasing dessert that is sweet, luscious, and easy to make? I've got you covered, with this old-time Southern standard, Classic Chess Pie. A fork, a bowl, eggs, butter, sugar, and flavorings, and you're ready to deliver delight! What Is Chess Pie? Chess pie comes to mind when I want to get a magnificent sweet onto ...