Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies

Mrs. Rowe, known fondly as the 'pie lady' by many of her customers, was the quintessential purveyor of comfort food. Now her family carries on her legacy at her sixty-year-old all-American roadside cafe in Staunton, Virginia, as well as at the new country buffet, catering business, four cafeterias, and a bustling take-out counter that sells 100 pies a day. With Southern classics like Key Lime and Pecan Fudge and restaurant favorites like Peanut Butter Custard and Strawberry Sour Cream, along with a variety of crusts and toppings, this little slice of Southern hospitality will satisfy every type of sweet tooth, while convincing even city slickers to take the time to smell the French Apple Pie.

“Writer and poet Bryan follows up 2006's Mrs. Rowe's Restaurant Cookbook by zeroing in on the Virginia establishment's highly lauded desserts. Bryan's compilation of 65 recipes hits all the sweet spots, offering reliable standards like peach, blueberry, coconut cream and sweet potato pies, as well as caramel coconut, german chocolate and watermelon variations. Though most of the recipes are basic, achieving the perfect crust isn't; Bryan offers patient tutelage and step-by-step photos, but acknowledges that Mrs. Rowe's technique took years to master. Even experienced pie makers should pick up a trick or two; Virginia's Almost Impossible Coconut Pie, for instance, has no crust--the custard filling creates a firm outer layer when baked. Those looking to tweak their crust might want to consider cream cheese, which makes a tangier product than butter and flour alone. Bakers stymied by weeping meringues, meanwhile, will be comforted by the restaurant's "weepless" version, bolstered with salt and cornstarch. Seasoned pie pros and newbies will both find this ode to southern desserts a helpful and lasting resource. (July) --Publishers Weekly , 6/8/09 "Those pies! Man, oh, man. Like no other. She made a butterscotch pie that we would buy whole and take up to my granny's in Bluefield, West Virginia. I can taste it now." --Kendra Bailey Morris, "Accidental Chef" columnist, Richmond Times Dispatch From the Hardcover edition.”

Writer and poet Bryan follows up 2006's Mrs. Rowe's Restaurant Cookbook by zeroing in on the Virginia establishment's highly lauded desserts. Bryan's compilation of 65 recipes hits all the sweet spots, offering reliable standards like peach, blueberry, coconut cream and sweet potato pies, as well as caramel coconut, german chocolate and watermelon variations. Though most of the recipes are basic, achieving the perfect crust isn't; Bryan offers patient tutelage and step-by-step photos, but acknowledges that Mrs. Rowe's technique took years to master. Even experienced pie makers should pick up a trick or two; Virginia's Almost Impossible Coconut Pie, for instance, has no crust--the custard filling creates a firm outer layer when baked. Those looking to tweak their crust might want to consider cream cheese, which makes a tangier product than butter and flour alone. Bakers stymied by weeping meringues, meanwhile, will be comforted by the restaurant's "weepless" version, bolstered with salt and cornstarch. Seasoned pie pros and newbies will both find this ode to southern desserts a helpful and lasting resource. (July) --Publishers Weekly, 6/8/09 "Those pies! Man, oh, man. Like no other. She made a butterscotch pie that we would buy whole and take up to my granny's in Bluefield, West Virginia. I can taste it now." --Kendra Bailey Morris, "Accidental Chef" columnist, Richmond Times Dispatch

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.

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