Baking

If you don’t like the texture of lime zest in an otherwise smooth and silky filling, feel free to leave it out. Although it isn’t really a Key lime pie without Key lime juice, regular lime juice is just as delicious in this pie. For those who like a wonderfully tart pie, serve it plain, or you can top it with a dollop of whipped cream. If the pie sticks to the pan when you’re scooping it out, try dipping the bottom of the pan into a bowl of warm water to loosen it.

Mrs. Rowe attributed this recipe to her friend Mrs. John Martin, a Mennonite from Harrisonburg. The custard is slightly grainy, which is normal for this old-fashioned pie, and its pleasant, refreshing flavor is unusual to the modern palate. For plumper raisins, bring them to a boil in a small amount of water, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain the raisins thoroughly before proceeding with the recipe.

Here’s another recipe from Susan Simmons, a longtime baker at Mrs. Rowe’s Country Buffet who now works in the catering arm. Pouring the hot custard over the bananas infuses an incredible banana flavor into the creamy custard, making for an ultimate pie experience. When you prepare the egg yolks for the custard, remember to save the whites for the meringue!

This recipe was found in a notebook belonging to Bertha, one of Mildred’s sisters. It was clipped out of an old newspaper and pasted onto a page of the notebook. It’s a festive-looking and showy pie offering a delicate almond-coconut flavor and a spongy, frothy texture somewhere between meringue and marshmallow, with a hint of chewiness from the coconut. It makes a delightful addition to any holiday table.

This recipe was found in a notebook belonging to Willard Rowe (Mildred’s second husband), on a stained and yellowed sheet of ruled paper. Willard died in 1972, but many of his recipes are still used by the family and the business. This pie is a favorite of longtime customers Marion and Gene Harner, who remember when Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant included a slice of pie with every meal. “You got a complete meal for under $2,” says Gene.

Bonnie Cash, a customer at Mrs. Rowe’s, says, “When my husband used to travel on business and was in Staunton, he always ate lunch or dinner at Rowe’s. He ate there so often that on one occasion Mildred told him she wanted to cook dinner for him and invited him home to eat. He would never eat mincemeat pie. Well, she served mincemeat pie and he ate it so as not to disappoint her. It turns out that it is also now a favorite during the holidays. I must admit he never had eaten ‘real’ mincemeat before.” This mincemeat is about as “real” as it gets. According to Grace Firth in her book Stillroom Cookery: The Art of Preserving Foods Naturally, “Mincemeat is a salute to the triumph of nature and humanity’s ingenuity in bringing it all together in pie.” Because making mincemeat is an undertaking, make a huge batch of it, keep it in the refrigerator, and make fresh pies all season long.

There are never any leftovers of this flavorful pie at Mrs. Rowe’s Country Buffet. Because green tomatoes have such a short season, customers have many long months to look forward to this pie, with its robust spice and vinegar essences perfectly mingled with an underlying sweetness. The flavors unfold with every bite. Longtime regular customers know to get to the restaurant early enough to enjoy a slice. If the green tomato season slips by, try tomatillos instead. This pie also works as a side dish with pork chops or chicken.

“Impossible” pies, which were popular in the 1960s, are made with Bisquick instead of pie crust. This recipe, from Mildred’s sister Virginia, isn’t authentically “impossible” because it doesn’t use Bisquick. Instead, the filling makes its own firmer layer of custard next to the pie plate as it bakes, forming a sort of crust. It’s simply perfect for the crust-shy baker. The coconut on top of this pie is nice and crunchy, providing a delightful contrast to the creamy custard.

This is the most popular dessert at Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant and Bakery. Enough said.

Hickory nuts are only available in a few areas of the country, and the South is one of them. They’re usually sold in their shells, which are extremely thick and hard. But if you’re a hickory nut lover, this pie will inspire you to do the hard work of shelling them. If you can’t find hickory nuts, pecans are in the hickory family and make a great substitute. A shot of bourbon enhances the flavor—and makes it even more Southern. For a crisp bottom crust, parbake the shell before filling it. For a crunchy pie, go with the larger amount of nuts.

Thanks to Mrs. Brown, mother of longtime Mrs. Rowe’s employee Eric Brown, for this gently flavored pie recipe. It’s a testament to the Southern creative ability to use everything from the garden, not letting anything go to waste.

When she was a child, Mildred harvested and sold chestnuts. She often arose earlier in the morning than her brothers and sisters to pick the cherished nuts, which were a cash crop for many Appalachian families. But by 1950, most American Chestnut trees were wiped out by a devastating blight. Even though you can’t pick chestnuts from a tree growing in the forest now, you can certainly buy chestnuts in the grocery store—most of which aren’t grown in the United States. Processing chestnuts isn’t a chore to be taken lightly because of their very hard shells, so we recommend using sweetened chestnut puree, which can be found in better grocery stores. This pie is moist and has a pleasant hint of orange flavor to complement the earthy, sweet chestnut taste.

This pie recipe is shared by Susan Simmons, a baker at Mrs. Rowe’s Catering. Although most people consider the gooseberry to be a British fruit, it also flourishes in the eastern United States. The flavor of this pie is a wonderful balance of tart and sweet, with the perfect touch of cinnamon. This pie comes out flat, not mounded, but packs a powerful flavor. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delicious play of texture.

This pie, so deep orange that it’s almost brown, gives off a heavenly scent as it bakes. It’s a warmer, richer twist on the traditional pumpkin pie recipe. If you like, garnish the center of the pie with pecans after it’s baked.

This recipe was found in one of Mrs. Rowe’s old handwritten notebooks. You can substitute fresh cherries or, for a special treat, use fresh sour cherries. You may want to adjust how much sugar you use, based on the sweetness of the cherries.

This extremely moist pie tastes milky and sweet. The consistency is nothing like pumpkin pie; rather than being a smooth custard, it’s sturdy and textured.

Mildred’s grandson Aaron DiGrassie learned to make this pie during his days of cooking at the Excelsior Hotel in Italy. With its sturdy texture and perfect amount of sweetness, this recipe seems like it could have come from any Southern granny’s recipe file.

If you have access to a bramble of blackberry bushes, guard it with your life. The price of blackberries makes it more than reasonable to pick your own, besides which nothing is quite so satisfying as picking your own berries. Perhaps it’s knowing where the food came from and taking part in the ancient practice of foraging. If you must use frozen berries, you should measure them while they’re still frozen, because they shrivel as they thaw. Also, it’s important to thaw and drain frozen berries before placing them in the pie shell, otherwise the pie will be watery. Use potato starch in this pie if you can. It gives the filling a clear, jewel-like color, and it has less flavor than cornstarch.

On Mother’s Day, 2008, Mrs. Rowe’s Country Buffet sold out of its fifty-six strawberry pies—it’s become such an integral part of the local tradition. You must use fresh berries for this pie. Frozen ones would make the pie too runny. For variety, you can use any kind of fresh berry; just make sure the berry and the flavor of gelatin complement one another.

Damson plums were first introduced to the British by the Romans, and eventually English settlers brought them over to America, where they thrived in the climate of the eastern United States. Because of their acidic, tart flavor, Damsons make tasty jams and pies. This recipe, handwritten by Mildred in one of her old notebooks, calls for Damson plums—if you substitute another variety of plum, you may need to cut back on the sugar.