Simple Cooking

The dough for these savory scones gets its unique texture and flavor from a combination of butter and olive oil. It was inspired by a similarly flavored yeast bread sold at Amy’s Bread in New York City.

These scones are so rich and dense, you may prefer to eat them as an afternoon snack, rather than for breakfast. Either way, they’re great with coffee.

Feel free to substitute other dried fruits for the apricots. We particularly like using sour cherries, cranberries, golden raisins, or chopped figs.

Sanding sugar is coarser than granulated sugar and lends a lovely sparkle when sprinkled over the tops of scones, biscuits, pies, and cookies before baking. It is available at baking-supply stores and many grocery stores.

Since they will start to deflate as they cool, popovers are best served warm from the oven. Butter and jam are traditional accompaniments.

You can freeze the unbaked biscuits on a baking sheet, then store in a resealable plastic bag for up to three weeks. When ready to serve, bake them (without thawing) on a parchment-lined sheet (the baking time will be the same).

These biscuits are very quick and easy to prepare, since the dough is dropped onto the baking sheet without first having to roll it out or cut it.

The icy strawberry filling in this pie is pleasantly complemented by the luscious whipped cream. The pie tastes just like a margarita—the tequila flavor adds quite a zing. The recipe calls for freezing the whipped cream on top of the pie, but you can also freeze just the strawberry part and add the whipped cream when you serve the pie.

Fresh watermelon is a summertime treat throughout the South, where the melons can be seen sprawled in many backyard gardens. These days, watermelon can be bought almost any time of year at most grocery stores. This pretty pink pie makes a spectacular offering at a special brunch.

Stephen Harriman, a writer for the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, says, “For some reason, I was expecting the peanut pie to be a pecan pie look-alike. Instead it looked more like a lemon meringue or banana cream pie. If you like peanuts smooth, you’ll love this.”

Smooth, firm, and creamy, this pie is naturally a lovely shade of pink, so you need not add the food coloring unless you want a deeper color. After 6 hours in the freezer, it’s slice-able but still soft. Left overnight, it’s firm but still creamy—a little piece of strawberry heaven.

This pie, one of the most popular at the Staunton eatery, has a medium-dark chocolate filling topped off with mounds of fresh meringue. Vivian Obie, a cook and baker for the restaurant for over forty years, remembers her first day as a baker, which was an Easter Sunday—one of the busiest days of the year. She recalls using this recipe to make chocolate pie: “The baker who usually made the chocolate pie called in sick. I thought I could do it. I made it and it looked so pretty with the meringue on it and all. I thought I had it made. But when they sliced it, the pie ran all over the place. The chocolate just wasn’t thick enough.” If you follow the instructions and make sure the pie is cooled completely, then don’t worry—it will turn out great.

Peanuts are grown in the southeastern part of Virginia but enjoyed throughout the state, especially in pie. The crunchy peanut butter crumbles and the smoothness of the custard pair for a scrumptious pie experience. For an interesting take on the classic combination of chocolate and peanut butter, try it in the Chocolate Cookie Crust (page 21).

The texture of this pie is creamier and smoother than the version that Mrs. Rowe’s restaurants serve, which was included in Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant Cookbook: A Lifetime of Recipes from the Shenandoah Valley. For smooth peanut butter fans, this pie is hard to beat. The recipe comes from Susan Simmons, a baker for Mrs. Rowe’s Catering.

Velvety smooth, fragrant, and creamy, this is a warming and perfectly soothing pie.

This rich pie is creamy on the inside and crusty on the outside—a treat for those who love chocolate, as well as for those who love interesting contrasts in texture. Serve cold for the best flavor.

Mrs. Rowe’s restaurants serve this luscious dream of a pie for chocolate lovers only on special occasions—but you can make it anytime at home.

Roger Bible, a relative of the Rowe family, says “My favorite pie is Mildred’s banana cream, which she often brought along to family gatherings. I think it was the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.”

This pie is unbelievably easy—you really can’t fail. You could make this pie in a plain pie crust, but why would you want to when this sweet and spicy alternative is available? When you prepare the egg yolks for the filling, remember to save the whites for the meringue.

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.