Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

The Country Cupboard is a relatively new spot on the road between Marion and Carbondale. The decor is simple and fresh. The staff was extremely helpful and friendly. And based on my sample of food, this is the place to go for a great meal. Every part of this chocolate pie is homemade. That's meringue on top, something you don't see every day on a diner pie. The chocolate filling was rich, chocolaty, and creamy. The crust was flaky and delicious. Wow, what a snack. Thanks, folks!

As soon as I saw the sign for A Pie Spot I knew that I had to visit. I finally made it just before I got on my flight back. I had expected it to be a dessert restaurant serving mostly slices. In fact, they sell mostly whole pies and some mini-pies. Upon reflection, this makes some sense. I can imagine stopping by in January, picking up a whole pie, taking it home, and doing a faceplant. I managed to snag the last minipie in the shop. It was a cherry and superb: wonderful cherry flavor, not too sweet, outstanding flaky crust. These people clearly know what they are doing.

Debbie and I paid a visit to Sprayberry's in Newnam for an excellent lunch. Debbie ordered turkey that she said was moist and tender;it certainly looked delicious. I ordered these baby back ribs that gave just the right amount of tug when I pulled off the meat. We decided to sample their pies. The fried peach pie was outstanding, with rich peaches (very appropriate for south Georgia), nice spices, and a flaky crust. The lemon icebox pie was, however, the star of the show. Rich lemon taste balanced with creaminess topped with a feather-light meringue.

I spotted Baked on the way to dinner and instantly knew where dessert would be. The shop has a wide range of pie flavors in several styles: cream, fruit, low-sugar, nut. The place was hopping on a Saturday evening. An evening pie shop is a great idea. The decor is cozy. I didn't manage to get a photo of my low-sugar raspberry pie but it was all-around good: filling and crust.

Four and Twenty Blackbirds is a pie shop with a big media profile. Its physical presence is demure---a nicely appointed building in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn, complete with its stamped tin roof and wall paneling. The menu is simple: pie and a few additional baked goods. This is a place with a purpose. I ordered a slice of apple caramel pie with whipped cream. The whipped cream is noteworthy in and of itself---very rich and thick, both beautiful and delicious. The caramel was subtle, the apple filling was very good and fairly traditional. The crust is the star here, made with 100% butter. It was baked off to a deep golden color. You can see the pattern made of several large pieces on the top. The crust was excellent; it also communicates that this is not a homestyle pie but one for a special occasion.

Given my success with metal bread pans, I decided to try a metal pie pan. This is a very nice pan from Fat Daddio’s. It has high sides that tilt slightly out. Here is the bottom crust in the pan. I then added the filling: peach, some sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and tapioca flour to thicken. Next came the top crust. Here is the pie ready for the oven. And here is the result. The baking time was about the same as with the Pyrex pan.

I decided to top my latest pie with a lattice. My results in this domain have always been mediocre but this pie is the worst one so far. I started by violating two key rules. First, I started at the edges rather than the middle. Second, I started with strips in both directions; I should have laid down several in one direction, folded up alternate ones, then added the crossing strips. This is the final result. A little sad, isn't it? Perfectly edible but sad. I am not a role model. Do not follow my example. If I ever manage to put together a presentable lattice top, I will let you know.

I was passing through St. Mary, just outside Glacier National Park and in the Blackfeet reservation, when I saw this sign. I should have “I brake for pie” bumper sticker, although perhaps a tattoo would be a more appropriate expression of my commitment. So of course I stopped and ordered a piece of pie. Luckily, I snagged the last piece of cherry pie for the day. The pie was very good. The lattice top in particular was perfectly executed, making my attempts look sad in comparison. Of course, I’m glad I added the vanilla ice cream. If you do travel to this part of the country, be sure to visit the Museum of the Plains Indian in Browning. It has a superb collection of Plains Indian artifacts that are both historically important and visually stunning

The Pie Hole is in the arts district east of Japantown. This neighborhood is changing by the minute. Apartments and parking buildings are being built all around but aging industrial structures still dot the landscape. Fashion photographers and can collectors share the sidewalk as they practice their respective trades. The Pie Hole is a modest storefront. I almost passed it by as I walked on the opposite side of the street. The interior is similarly low-key although nicely decorated with pie recipes. The staff was very happy to talk pie baking with me. I started with a savory pie, the curry vegetable. I could smell the curry even before I cut into the pie and did it smell good. Once I got into the pie, I found that the curry was just right, strong but not too strong. The vegetables were very soft and tender. The crust was perfect in color, texture, and taste. I finished my lunch with their signature pie, the Earl Grey. The top layer is a white chocolate that has been i...

Happy Thanksgiving! This is my dessert for the evening, a pumpkin ricotta pecan pie. I started making pumpkin ricotta pies several years ago. I was experimenting with pumpkin pie. One day, I caught an episode of Mike Colameco's food show that featured an Italian grandmother making ricotta pie. A light went on in my head---I realized both of these tastes would be better together. The recipe is pretty simple: half pumpkin, half ricotta, two or three eggs, your favorite spices. I found the pecan topping trick this morning in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Still waiting to dive in...

This idea came to me a few years ago. I'd been playing around with pumpkin pies. I'd also tried ricotta pie after seeing an Italian grandmother describe her recipe on TV. (That was on Colameco's food show http://www.colameco.com/ a very good show.) I realized that these two things would be a lot better if I combined them. The ricotta makes the pumpkin much richer and the ricotta by itself is a little bland. So here goes... Makes 2 pies (it's Thanksgiving, after all) 2 pie crusts (see my earlier recipe) 1 large can (20 oz) pumpkin 16 oz ricotta 2 eggs 1/2 cup honey 1 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp ginger 1/4 tsp cinnamon Mix ingredients and load into crust. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 375 degrees.

I call this the pecan chocolate pie because there's a small amount of chocolate in it, but what a difference that one bar of chocolate makes. The main theme of this pie is, of course, pecans. I firmly believe that a pecan pie can't have too many pecans. Commercial pies in particular often have a thin layer of pecans floating on top of Karo(TM) syrup. My pies are full of pecans. Here's the recipe: Pie crust: See my March 7 entry for the crust recipe; make 1/2 of that recipe. Filling: 3 eggs 1 c. light corn syrup 2/3 c. sugar 1/3 c. butter Nuts: 12 oz. pecans Chocolate layer: One 3.5 oz dark chocolate bar, such as Ghiradelli Twilight Delight 72% Cacao. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly beat the eggs. Melt the butter. Combine the filling ingredients. Roll out the pie dough and put in pie pan. Break up the chocolate bar and use it as the bottom layer of the filling. Pour the pecans into the pie pan. Add the filling over the nuts. Bake for 50 minutes.

It's getting to be that time of year again.  You can't talk about Georgia food without mentioning peaches.  Here is my peach pie recipe.  Before we dive in, two comments.  First, this recipe uses no added sugar.  Feel free to add to your taste, but I continue to believe that good fruit doesn't need extra sugar. Second, you'll notice that the crust contains lard.  For those raised on the artificiality of modern grocery store food, this may seem repulsive.  But I understand that lard is in some respects healthier than butter and I find it hard to believe that it's worse for you than shortening.  You can find lard/manteca in any grocery store that caters to a Hispanic clientele, which in this day and age is just about all of them. Pie: 6-8 peaches 1/4 cup flour 1 tsp cloves 1/4 tsp ginger 2 pie crusts Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray deep dish pie pan with non-stick coating and place bottom pie crust.  Dust the inside of the crust with flour.  Add sliced peaches in l...

I had breakfast again at the Silver Skillet with colleagues Bernhard Rinner and Sudha Yalamanchili.  My meal consisted of biscuits and gravy plus lemon icebox pie.  This may seem like an odd combination to some people---actually, it probably seems odd to most people.  But I like biscuits and gravy and I like their icebox pie.  Why not have them together? Biscuits and gravy is emerging as a key test of one's tolerance for Southern cuisine.  Many people consider gravy to be disgusting physically and a heart attack waiting to happen.  Sauce is one thing, but many people who love sauce can't extend their sympathies to gravy.  I think one reason for this reaction is the thickness of the gravy, which makes it far too easy to visualize clogging up one's arteries like something out of a Roto-Rooter commercial.  When you throw in the sheer quantity of gravy that Southern cuisine demands and those without experience in the region simply recoil.  All I can say is they don't know w...

The Silver Skillet, a Southern restaurant, has received a steady stream of media attention, most recently on Tuesday's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives."  I missed that episode but I made sure that I went back this morning for their biscuits and gravy.  I cut back on coffee just so I could keep the rich taste of gravy in my mouth a little longer.  But one aspect of their menu doesn't receive enough attention---their icebox lemon pie.  It's cold and creamy with the right balance of sweet and sour.  It's good for either breakfast or lunch.  Pie is, after all, the All-American breakfast.