Who sells the best PIE in the Deep South
Sep 24th, 2012, 09:04 PM
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Who sells the best PIE in the Deep South
My family and I will be travelling to the Deep South next year. It was suggested to us that perhaps a fun road trip would be to try to find the best PIE in the Deep South.
The states we are likely to visit are:
Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
So if anyone has any suggestions as to where we should try some great PIE in the South then please let us know.
Many thanks.
The states we are likely to visit are:
Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
So if anyone has any suggestions as to where we should try some great PIE in the South then please let us know.
Many thanks.
Sep 25th, 2012, 03:06 AM
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Mississippi will feature chess pie (also popular in Tennessee), many places will have banana cream and coconut cream. Pecan pie is my favorite but the addition of chocolate on top is a modern addition (or desecration, if you will). Be on the lookout for Mississippi Mud Pie, a base of chocolate wafers for a crust, then a filling of coffee ice cream, then a pour of melted chocolate on top, all served cold. Sweet potato and squash pies are pretty well indistinguishable from pumpkin pies.
Also be on the watch for cobblers. A cobbler is a fruit filling, somewhat liquid, in which pieces of dough have been baked to absorb the juices. Many southerners prefer them to pies.
Where to get them: small, unprepossessing restaurants and cafes; farmer's markets; church fairs; fundraising events of all kinds. If you need help locally, ask at the local public library or any policeman.
Also be on the watch for cobblers. A cobbler is a fruit filling, somewhat liquid, in which pieces of dough have been baked to absorb the juices. Many southerners prefer them to pies.
Where to get them: small, unprepossessing restaurants and cafes; farmer's markets; church fairs; fundraising events of all kinds. If you need help locally, ask at the local public library or any policeman.
Sep 25th, 2012, 03:40 AM
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My mom was originally from Missouri - parts of which are just like the deep south - and after moving west from Chicago with my Dad after he finished Med School - she took the wonderful Oregon grown/slightly tart Gravenstein apple,(a "Royal" apple from Denmark originally) - and she lovingly made a super, cinnamon dusted, thick crust - and that was to this day - the best pie that I have ever had. 
Oh her Cherry and Peach and Rhubarb pies were also very good - but the apple was our favorite. Double
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravenstein
And then - we put some Crater Lake Ice Cream on it (one of the best dairies ever - won many awards but now out of biz due to the bigger chain store sales) - and our Pie A La Mode was simply divine!!!
http://www.kdrv.com/oregon-trails-dairies-deliver/
Oh her Cherry and Peach and Rhubarb pies were also very good - but the apple was our favorite. Double
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravenstein
And then - we put some Crater Lake Ice Cream on it (one of the best dairies ever - won many awards but now out of biz due to the bigger chain store sales) - and our Pie A La Mode was simply divine!!!
http://www.kdrv.com/oregon-trails-dairies-deliver/
Sep 25th, 2012, 03:54 AM
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Oprah featured the "best" pie on her show one time. I think it was in Alabama. It really IS a moot point!! I'd look on Diners Driveins and Dives books, or Jane and Michel Stern's Road Food books.
Sep 25th, 2012, 11:31 AM
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If you are in New Orleans, you might want to try Emeril's Banana Cream Pie. I don't really consider it a southern pie, but it is good.
Mammy's Cupboard in Natchez would be a good stop for pie.
The Loveless Cafe is really good southern food near Nashville.
Here is a http://www.southernliving.com/travel...ge19.htmlgreat list from Southern Living Magazine.
Mammy's Cupboard in Natchez would be a good stop for pie.
The Loveless Cafe is really good southern food near Nashville.
Here is a http://www.southernliving.com/travel...ge19.htmlgreat list from Southern Living Magazine.
Sep 27th, 2012, 07:12 AM
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Thought you might enjoy these response from Klamath Falls, Oregon grade school chums of mine. The second was also about mom's apple pie - but mainly pertains to beautiful Lake of the Woods - about a 10 minute drive past the west end of 30 mile long Klamath Lake.
Your delightful prose took me back to my own childhood out in the
suburbs of Klamath and to my mom's apples pies. I remember with joy
being sent out to pick apples (I think Golden Delicious, the pedigree
remains a mystery to me.) from the tree next to the house. It was an
easy chore and my two little brother always seemed to make a game of it.
Once mom had the apples she would bring out the "corer,slicer peeler"
and turn the fruit into just the right size. She would soak the apples
in a big bowl of salted water to keep them from turning drown. Now
this lady had grown up on a farm in Arkansas with seven brothers and
sisters. She had been the baker of the family so she knew her way
around the kitchen.
No one actually measured the height of her pies but it memory serves
right they would be four to six inches in the center after baking. I
don't have the cool Crater Lake Creamery story you do but some one
would have been sent down to the Oregon Food Store on South Sixth
Street to purchase a half gallon of vanilla ice cream. Apple pie ala
mode was to die for that evening! j.j.
(re: Lake of the Woods: http://www.lakeofthewoodsresort.com/ )
Stayed with a friend, Tom xxxxx, at his home overlooking the lake this summer. I had forgotten how beautiful K Falls was, if you are there appreciate!
Your delightful prose took me back to my own childhood out in the
suburbs of Klamath and to my mom's apples pies. I remember with joy
being sent out to pick apples (I think Golden Delicious, the pedigree
remains a mystery to me.) from the tree next to the house. It was an
easy chore and my two little brother always seemed to make a game of it.
Once mom had the apples she would bring out the "corer,slicer peeler"
and turn the fruit into just the right size. She would soak the apples
in a big bowl of salted water to keep them from turning drown. Now
this lady had grown up on a farm in Arkansas with seven brothers and
sisters. She had been the baker of the family so she knew her way
around the kitchen.
No one actually measured the height of her pies but it memory serves
right they would be four to six inches in the center after baking. I
don't have the cool Crater Lake Creamery story you do but some one
would have been sent down to the Oregon Food Store on South Sixth
Street to purchase a half gallon of vanilla ice cream. Apple pie ala
mode was to die for that evening! j.j.
(re: Lake of the Woods: http://www.lakeofthewoodsresort.com/ )
Stayed with a friend, Tom xxxxx, at his home overlooking the lake this summer. I had forgotten how beautiful K Falls was, if you are there appreciate!
Sep 27th, 2012, 11:15 AM
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Ridiculous question. The Deep South is bigger than Queensland and has almost 3x the population of Oz even without counting Florida (which has about the same population as your whole country).
Just go and sample - it's fish + barrel + shotgun easy to find good pie.
And don't accept foolish statements like: "Sweet Potato pie is what the south is known for."
That's preposterous. The South is larger than many countries and as varied as western Europe.
The South is known for cream pies, and buttermilk pie and chess pie and peach pie and (#1) PECAN pie and key lime pie and . . . (continue Forrest Gump "shrimp" iteration here).
Just go and sample - it's fish + barrel + shotgun easy to find good pie.
And don't accept foolish statements like: "Sweet Potato pie is what the south is known for."
That's preposterous. The South is larger than many countries and as varied as western Europe.
The South is known for cream pies, and buttermilk pie and chess pie and peach pie and (#1) PECAN pie and key lime pie and . . . (continue Forrest Gump "shrimp" iteration here).
Sep 27th, 2012, 12:23 PM
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If you're looking for one single pie the South is known for, I think it's either pecan or chess. But it's hard to go wrong - sample them all! It's not as popular on restaurant menus as other desserts - you can find it, but it's more often a home-cook or mom-and-pop/diner dish than a nice restaurant dish.
Ideally you'd get yourself invited to a church potluck with a lot of grandmothers in attendance.
Ideally you'd get yourself invited to a church potluck with a lot of grandmothers in attendance.
Sep 27th, 2012, 04:19 PM
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3lR2NASZqI
Watch the above link from Food Network
I know that anything in a crust is a pie. But, IMOP a key lime pie isn't a true pie. I consider it in a class all by itself-sort of a half pie/half cheesecake. Most people use a graham cracker crust. I think of a real pie with a flour/shortening crust.
A Chess Pie is often called Buttermilk Chess Pie.
Watch the above link from Food Network
I know that anything in a crust is a pie. But, IMOP a key lime pie isn't a true pie. I consider it in a class all by itself-sort of a half pie/half cheesecake. Most people use a graham cracker crust. I think of a real pie with a flour/shortening crust.
A Chess Pie is often called Buttermilk Chess Pie.
Sep 27th, 2012, 04:22 PM
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one other thought. A buttermilk chess or chess pie is somewhat a similar taste like a pecan pie, but without the nuts. The filling for both is basically sugar, butter, and eggs. Pecan pie normally has Karo syrup and chess pie doesn't. Some people use dark karo, some use light karo, and others use a combination of the two.
Sep 27th, 2012, 04:32 PM
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor..._United_States
Interesting list of foods, including many pies. I had forgotten about the Derby Pie. The list also reminded me of Southern Desserts like Bread Pudding and Red Velvet Cake.
The wiki list included a moon pie. LOL. Don't waste your time with those, imop.
Interesting list of foods, including many pies. I had forgotten about the Derby Pie. The list also reminded me of Southern Desserts like Bread Pudding and Red Velvet Cake.
The wiki list included a moon pie. LOL. Don't waste your time with those, imop.
Sep 27th, 2012, 04:45 PM
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Go to your places you want to visit, and THEN look for a place with "pie".
I haven't seen chess pie on a menu for years, but I will be the first to say, I haven't "looked'' for it.
Spiro, you have got to be kidding that a pecan pie is similar to a chess pie.
YOu spent a lot of time saying how they differ, AND you are correct. They are the same, BUT different!!
do you make them!! LOL I do.
I haven't seen chess pie on a menu for years, but I will be the first to say, I haven't "looked'' for it.
Spiro, you have got to be kidding that a pecan pie is similar to a chess pie.
YOu spent a lot of time saying how they differ, AND you are correct. They are the same, BUT different!!
do you make them!! LOL I do.
Sep 27th, 2012, 05:46 PM
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I meant the filling is somewhat similar.
Pecan pie probably 5 times each year, chess pie(maybe once every 2 years). I can't remember exactly, but chess or buttermilk has cornmeal. Have made chocolate chess and lemon chess a few times. and for the record, I like my pecan pie to have pecan halves-not chopped or crushed.
My favorite pie is probably Egg Custard. Neither myself nor my wife can make it like my mother. My wife does make the best crust, however. She recently started using the Pioneer Woman's crust and it's pretty hard to beat(something about freezing the dough does make it better). We would never use a store bought crust. I can't believe that people like Paula Deen even suggest it.
I must say that our cobblers are pretty much like pie, basically the same crust. Most cobblers have more of a biscuit type crust.
My mother makes a pie that has buttermilk, pineapple, and coconut in it that's pretty good. My wife frequently uses 3 or 4 different kind of berries for her pie. She also makes a sour cream apple pie that is somewhat different from the norm.
Now believe it or not, I do 95% of the cooking at our house. However, my wife makes all the pie crust, I've never made one(sI do make the filling about half the time). My mother is a very good cook and even wrote a cookbook that she sold in our small town for a school fundraiser. We are in a town of 2000 population and she sold 500 of them in one week.
A piece or TWO of pie sounds really good now.
Pecan pie probably 5 times each year, chess pie(maybe once every 2 years). I can't remember exactly, but chess or buttermilk has cornmeal. Have made chocolate chess and lemon chess a few times. and for the record, I like my pecan pie to have pecan halves-not chopped or crushed.
My favorite pie is probably Egg Custard. Neither myself nor my wife can make it like my mother. My wife does make the best crust, however. She recently started using the Pioneer Woman's crust and it's pretty hard to beat(something about freezing the dough does make it better). We would never use a store bought crust. I can't believe that people like Paula Deen even suggest it.
I must say that our cobblers are pretty much like pie, basically the same crust. Most cobblers have more of a biscuit type crust.
My mother makes a pie that has buttermilk, pineapple, and coconut in it that's pretty good. My wife frequently uses 3 or 4 different kind of berries for her pie. She also makes a sour cream apple pie that is somewhat different from the norm.
Now believe it or not, I do 95% of the cooking at our house. However, my wife makes all the pie crust, I've never made one(sI do make the filling about half the time). My mother is a very good cook and even wrote a cookbook that she sold in our small town for a school fundraiser. We are in a town of 2000 population and she sold 500 of them in one week.
A piece or TWO of pie sounds really good now.
