Southerners may think of themselves as being preeminent pie makers, but according to food historian KC Hysmith, many Southern pies are adapted from our country’s Colonial history.
“We brought the recipes over from Europe as part of our baking tradition and adapted them to the ingredients we had on hand,” said Hysmith in a phone interview from her office in Carrboro, North Carolina.
Credit: Savannah Shoemake
Credit: Savannah Shoemake
Hysmith holds a master’s degree in gastronomy from Boston University and a doctorate in American studies and food history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was the historical editor for “When Southern Women Cook: History, Lore, and 300 Recipes With Contributions from 70 Women Writers” (America’s Test Kitchen, $40).
“I’ve studied food at every opportunity I got and honed my skills doing research in archives reading historical recipes, deciphering historical handwriting, understanding why we eat certain things,” Hysmith said. “One of the things I’ve learned is that so much of what we eat is not original to this country, to our state or to whatever region we’re in.”
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Take vinegar pie. It falls in the category of chess or transparent pies — sweet custard pies with a filling of eggs, butter and sugar and something to set the filling like flour or cornstarch — with roots that may trace back to England. Chess pies were often made with lemon but when lemon wasn’t available, cooks substituted vinegar.
As with many old recipes, vinegar pies can go by many names. Hysmith noted that during the Depression it was sometimes called “desperation pie” or “pantry pie.” “In the ’70s it was styled as ‘pioneer pie’ tying into a nostalgia for pioneer things at that time,” Hysmith said.
Another transparent pie with many names is a chocolate chip nut pie that some might know as a “Derby pie” or “thoroughbred pie.” “Lots of people have recipes for these, often from their aunts and grandmas. These pies became especially popular when chocolate chips were created, probably in the ’20s or ’30s. Some have walnuts and others use pecans. They might be flavored with whiskey or bourbon,” said Hysmith.
The most famous recipe may be Kern’s Derby pie, trademarked in 1968 by Kern’s Kitchen outside Louisville, Kentucky. In the ’50s and ’60s when magazines like Good Housekeeping featured celebrity recipes like John Wayne’s mustard barbecued steak and Lucille Ball’s Camembert souffle, Dinah Shore’s chocolate chip walnut pie became one of the most popular.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Savory tomato pies grace many contemporary summer tables, but sweet tomato pies have a long history in areas where a green tomato might fill the gap in fruits between blueberry, peach and apple seasons.
Credit: handout
Credit: handout
Hysmith said these would be popular in places where tomatoes were grown in abundance and are often considered a type of mock apple pie. “I have several historic recipes including one in ‘Housekeeping in Old Virginia’ by Marion Cabell Tyree.” Hysmith described that recipe, first published in 1878, as one that involved stewing tomatoes in sugar syrup with lemon juice then baking it in a double crust. “In ‘Rufus Estes’ Good Things to Eat’ (Dover Publications, $11.95), first published in 1911, Estes, who was one of the first Black men to have a cookbook, offers a similar recipe where the tartness comes from a bit of vinegar,” she said.
Credit: handout
Credit: handout
In “Georgia’s Historical Recipes” (The University of Georgia Press, $34.95), Valerie J. Frey records the tomato pie recipe from “House-Keeping in the Sunny South” by Ella Ruth Tennent of Marietta, originally published in 1885 and now available through the University of Georgia Press. The recipe instructs the home cook to “slice very thin tomatoes which have just begun to turn. Lay them evenly in the paste (pastry crust) and cover with sugar. Add a little lemon juice and grated peel and cinnamon. Cover with strips of paste and bake one hour.”
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
A more contemporary pie we claim as Southern is the Atlantic Beach pie, popularized by Bill Smith formerly of Crook’s Corner restaurant in Chapel Hill. Hysmith said she learned about the pie when she moved to North Carolina and Smith became one of her neighbors. “It’s made with sweetened condensed milk, a product that was originally produced as rations for soldiers during World War II. When the war ended, Borden pivoted to developing recipes for home cooks. I enjoy watching Bill … argue over which cracker — saltines or Ritz — is correct. I think the answer is that it comes down to whatever your family could afford.”
Of the many pies Hysmith makes and enjoys, this one might be the family favorite. “It was served at the baby shower for my second child because at the time, Atlantic Beach pie was all I wanted to eat. As it turns out, my kids like it too. In fact, we all love a cracker pie.”
RECIPES
Try these four pies with a long history and Southern flair.
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Crook’s Corner’s Atlantic Beach Pie
This recipe is an adaptation of the one developed by Bill Smith, chef of Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill for 25 years before his retirement in 2019. He wrote a story for Our State magazine that describes growing up in New Bern, North Carolina, in the ’50s when Atlantic Beach pie often was the only dessert served at seafood restaurants on the North Carolina Coast. “The best thing about the pie wasn’t the lemon flavor, but its salty, cracker crumb crust,” he wrote.
- 40 saltine crackers (about 2 1/2 sleeves)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature but not melted
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Coarse sea salt, for garnish
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Put saltines in a food-grade plastic bag and, using a rolling pin, lightly crush saltines. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in sugar.
- Using your hands, rub the butter into the saltine-sugar mixture until it holds together like a dough. Press into an 8-inch pie plate. Refrigerate 15 minutes, then bake until crust begins to turn light brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool while mixing filling.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together condensed milk and egg yolks, then whisk in lemon juice and pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes or until filling is set. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- When ready to serve, combine cream and vanilla in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer with the beater attachment, start beating at medium speed. After the mixture turns frothy, increase mixer speed and continue mixing until cream forms stiff peaks, about 7 minutes. Spoon onto cold pie and sprinkle lightly with coarse sea salt. Serve immediately.
Serves 8.
Per serving: 478 calories (percent of calories from fat, 56), 7 grams protein, 46 grams carbohydrates, 33 grams total sugars, trace fiber, 29 grams total fat (18 grams saturated), 179 milligrams cholesterol, 284 milligrams sodium.
Southern Baked Pie Dough
You can use your favorite recipe for flaky pie crust, but we suggest trying this recipe from “Southern Baked: Celebrating Life With Pie” (Gibbs Smith, $24.99) by Amanda Dalton Wilbanks for the green tomato, vinegar and Dinah Shore’s chocolate chip walnut pies.
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 cup cold water
- In a medium bowl, toss flour and butter together then use a pastry blender to cut butter into flour. After a minute, add salt and sugar. Continue to work the butter into the flour until the mixture is the consistency of coarse-ground cornmeal. The cubes of butter should be smaller than the size of green peas.
- Add the water, all at once. Use a fork to stir the mixture until it begins to come together. Form into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and press into a disk. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to two days.
- When ready to form pie crust, remove dough from refrigerator and roll out to desired size on a lightly floured surface. Arrange in pie plate and flute as desired. Bake filled or unfilled according to your pie recipe.
Makes 1 crust (8 servings).
Per serving: 173 calories (percent of calories from fat, 60), 2 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrates, trace total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 12 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 30 milligrams cholesterol, 149 milligrams sodium.
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Dinah Shore’s Chocolate Chip Walnut Pie
This recipe is adapted from the one in the Recipe Exchange column of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, published Jan. 29, 2003. The original recipe calls for serving the walnuts on the side, but we chopped them and added them to the filling.
It’s a good make-ahead recipe since you can freeze the pie for up to a month and then thaw before serving.
- 1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnut halves
- 1 9-inch unbaked pie crust (see Southern Baked Pie Dough recipe)
- Whipped cream, for serving
- Heat oven to 325 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together corn syrup, eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts and pour into pie crust.
- Bake 45 minutes or until top is evenly puffed and starts to form cracks. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
- If not serving within 12 hours, cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. When ready to serve, top with whipped cream.
Serves 8.
Per serving, with 1/4 cup whipped cream: 603 calories (percent of calories from fat, 40), 7 grams protein, 88 grams carbohydrates, 70 grams total sugars, 2 grams fiber, 28 grams total fat (13 grams saturated), 100 milligrams cholesterol, 287 milligrams sodium.
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Vinegar Pie
This recipe is adapted from one published in the Miami Herald, Jan. 3, 1962. It reminds me of the lemon meringue pie that was my mother’s staple dinner party dessert in the ’60s and ’70s.
The recipe calls for white vinegar, but you can adapt with any vinegar that has a flavor you enjoy. Hysmith says vinegar pies in her area of North Carolina often use apple cider vinegar, which makes for a slightly darker filling. The quantity of vinegar is adaptable. At 3 tablespoons, the vinegar flavor is present but not overpowering.
- 1 9-inch unbaked pie crust (see Southern Baked Pie Dough recipe)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Line pie crust with parchment paper or foil. Fill with pie weights, uncooked rice or dried beans.
- Bake until crust is firm, about 15 minutes. It will still be very pale.
- Remove the parchment or foil and weights, then return the crust to the oven. Bake the crust 5 to 7 minutes more, until pale golden brown. Let it cool on a rack before filling.
- Make filling: In a small saucepan, whisk 1 1/4 cups sugar with cornstarch. Stir in water and vinegar and add butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl, beat egg yolks. Add a tablespoon of sugar-cornstarch mixture and whisk to combine. Repeat with one more tablespoon, then add egg yolk mixture to the sugar-cornstarch mixture in the saucepan. Return saucepan to cooktop over low heat, stir constantly for 2 minutes. Pour into baked crust.
- Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Make meringue: In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer with the beater attachment to beat egg whites with remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cream of tartar until stiff and glossy, about 3 minutes. Spread meringue over filling, making sure to spread to the edges of the crust. Bake 10 minutes or until meringue begins to brown. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature before serving.
Serves 8.
Per serving: 352 calories (percent of calories from fat, 35), 4 grams protein, 56 grams carbohydrates, 38 grams total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 14 grams total fat (8 grams saturated), 81 milligrams cholesterol, 168 milligrams sodium.
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Green Tomato Pie
This recipe is adapted from one published on the website Taste of Home. We didn’t find it necessary, but peel the tomatoes if you wish.
- 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch table salt
- 3 cups thinly sliced cored green tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Doubled Southern Baked Pie Dough, divided (see recipe)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Add tomatoes and vinegar and toss with your hands to coat tomatoes in sugar mixture.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll half the pie dough into a 1/8-inch thick circle about 10 inches in diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate leaving an even overhang on all sides. Add filling and dot with butter.
- Roll remaining half of pie dough into a 1/8-inch thick circle about 10 inches in diameter. Cut into 1-inch strips and arrange over filling in a lattice pattern. Fold the overhanging strip ends inside the pie and flute the edge. Sprinkle lattice with remaining tablespoon sugar.
- Bake 1 hour 15 minutes or until tomatoes are tender and filling is bubbling. Transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. If made ahead, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Serves 8.
Per serving: 534 calories (percent of calories from fat, 40), 6 grams protein, 77 grams carbohydrates, 42 grams total sugars, 2 grams fiber, 25 grams total fat (15 grams saturated), 65 milligrams cholesterol, 327 milligrams sodium.
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