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Fresh Peach Pie

MAKES ONE 9INCH PIE

Peach season is eeting, 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.

1 recipe Plain Pie Pastry (page 17)

or Vinegar Pie Crust (page 19)
5 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches
1 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup sugar
cup all-purpose our
teaspoon ground cinnamon
teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a 9-inch pie plate

with 1 rolled-out crust.
Put the peaches in a bowl, add the lemon juice, and
gently stir to coat. Separately, combine the sugar,
our, cinnamon, and nutmeg, mix thoroughly, then
add to the peaches. Gently stir to coat the peaches,
then spoon the lling evenly into the crust.
Brush the rim of the crust with water, cover with
the second rolled-out crust, seal and ute or crimp
the edges, and cut a few steam vents in the top.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from the oven, brush with the melted butter, and cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm.

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BASIC CRUST TIPS

Placing beans on the crust before

inserting into the oven is a good
way to keep the crust from popping up unevenly.

Handle the dough as little as

possible.

Roll the pie crust dough as flat

and smooth as possible.

Smooth the crust gently into the

pie plate.

You can use pastry scissors, other

clean scissors, or your fingers to
trim the crust.

Gather the dough into a border

and squeeze into shape.

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CRUSTS

Plain Pie Pastry

MAKES TWO 9 OR 10INCH CRUSTS

Mildreds light touch took years to master. Too much our 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 dont have a pastry
blender, you can use a fork here, as well as your ngersif you start with cold hands and
work fast. The more the shortening melts, the less aky the crust will be.
Sift the our and salt into a bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until it is the size of
small peas. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the milk over
part of the our mixture. Gently toss with a fork
and push to the side of the bowl. Sprinkle another
tablespoon over another dry part, toss with a fork
and push to the side of the bowl. Repeat with the
remaining milk until all of the our mixture is
moistened.

2 cups all-purpose our

1 teaspoon salt
cup vegetable shortening
5 to 7 tablespoons cold milk

Press the dough together to form 2 equal balls,

then atten into disks. Roll out the crusts right
away, or wrap the dough tightly, smoothing out any
little wrinkles or air pockets, and refrigerate for up
to 2 weeks. On a lightly oured surface, roll out
each ball to a thickness of inch. Use a light touch
and handle the dough as little as possible.
(continued)
C RUS TS A ND TOPPI N G S

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Plain Pie Pastry, continued

To prebake an empty crust, preheat the oven to

400F. Press 1 rolled-out crust into a 9- or 10-inch
pie plate. Line with parchment paper and weigh
the crust down with dry beans or pie weights to
keep the crust from bubbling or shrinking. Bake
for 10 minutes, until rm and lightly browned.
To parbake the crust, remove it from the oven
after about 10 to 20 minutes, when you rst see a
golden hue to the crust.

A notice posted in the kitchen

at Mrs. Rowes Country Buffet:
HOW PIES ARE CUT:
Cut all fruit pies and Boston cream
pies into eight slices. This includes
peach, apple, all sugar-free pies,
strawberry rhubarb, cherry, red raspberry, blueberry, French apple, Boston
cream. And egg custard.
Cut all meringue pies and pecan pies

I think that sometimes the best

part of the pie is the crust. And
we Southerners know that our
Southern, soft-wheat flour is the
best for making flaky pie crust. If
you have a bad crust, it almost
doesnt matter if the filling is good.
LORNA REEVES, EDITOR, TASTE
OF THE SOUTH MAGAZINE

into ten slices. This includes lemon,

coconut, chocolate, peanut butter,
and butterscotch.

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Vinegar Pie Crust

MAKES TWO 9INCH CRUSTS

The vinegar in this crust is a avorless stabilizer, making the dough more forgiving and
patchable. In addition to being easy to work with, it also tastes greateven butter-loving
pastry fans enjoy the avor.
Sift the our and salt into a bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until it is the size of
small peas. Add the vinegar, egg, and just enough
ice water to moisten the dry ingredients.
Form the dough into 2 equal balls, then atten
into disks. Roll out the crusts right away, or wrap
the dough tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
On a lightly oured surface, roll out each ball to a
thickness of inch.

2 cups all-purpose our

teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable
shortening
1 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

To prebake an empty crust, preheat the oven to

400F. Press 1 rolled-out crust into a 9- or 10-inch
pie plate. Line with parchment paper and weight
the crust down with dry beans or pie weights to
keep the crust from bubbling or shrinking. Bake
for 10 minutes, until rm and lightly browned. To
parbake the crust, remove it from the oven after
10 to 20 minutes, when you rst see a golden hue
to the crust.

C RUS TS A ND TOPPI N G S

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Copyright 2009 by Mollie Cox Bryan and

Mrs. Rowes Restaurant and Bakery, Inc.
Food photography 2009 by Jennifer Martin
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
in any form, except brief excerpts for the purpose of review,
without written permission of the publisher.

Ten Speed Press

PO Box 7123
Berkeley, California 94707
www.tenspeed.com
Distributed in Australia by Simon and Schuster Australia, in
Canada by Ten Speed Press Canada, in New Zealand by
Southern Publishers Group, in South Africa by Real Books, and
in the United Kingdom and Europe by Publishers Group UK.
Cover and text design by Katy Brown
Food styling by Kim Konecny
Prop styling by Christine Wolheim
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bryan, Mollie Cox, 1963Mrs. 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.
ISBN 978-1-58008-980-7
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
Printed in China
First printing, 2009
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