Jeff and the Power of Pie

I’m sitting on the Lowcountry Weekly porch, a space that’s loaded with happy memories, overlooking Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park on a late summer day with my compadre Mark Shaffer. We’re sharing a bottle of pinot grigio and reminiscing about our friend-colleague-publisher, Jeff Evans. Mark and I are perched in an extra-special place where we’ve both partied with our tribe for almost 20 years. I’ve had it in my mind to write about Jeff’s fabulous homemade Peach Pie. The loss of our dear friend made me hit a writer’s block, so I invited LCW’s former editor-at-large to help me write this column. So far, the wine has been an asset. Jeff’s favorite dessert was actually carrot cake. More years ago than I’d like to admit, I baked a birthday cake for Jeff’s wife Margaret as a surprise. I had contacted Jeff to ask what Margaret’s favorite cake was. He said “carrot.” Later, when Margaret asked me why I chose carrot cake I admitted that I had asked her husband for advice. She laughed. Turns out that carrot cake would have not been her first choice. Typical Jeff. Jeff baked a mean carrot cake. It was elaborate, fully-loaded (it weighed 10 pounds!) and delicious — but his peach pie was my favorite. I requested it every time that he asked what to bring to a dinner party. I requested it every year at Water Festival parties in the LCW offices. Jeff always came through and I have the photos to prove it. Jeff loved to bake, and he was really good at it. He even made his crusts with the lattice tops from scratch. Mark and I believe that it gave him as much joy to create as it did for us to devour. Mark and Jeff spoke often about Jeff’s love of baking. Mark said that Jeff’s time in the kitchen was his escape from the crushing responsibilities of publishing two papers. Mark was Jeff’s official fresh peach dealer. He regularly brought Jeff peaches from McLoud Farms in McBee, SC. I was a recipient of some of those delicacies myself. Late summer freestones were the tastiest.

 

Mark: “What’s your most vivid food memory? Something that takes you back to a specific time in your

life?”

Debbi: “Gosh! That’s a hard question for a foodie.”

Mark: “How about BBQ? Every time to you eat North Carolina BBQ, do you want to go home?”

Debbi: “Honestly? No. I’m just glad that I have friends who are willing to stop in Wilson and bring some back to me. Thanks for that last box of goodies by-the-way.” [laughter]

Mark: “Every time you take a bite of peach pie you’ll probably think of Jeff Evans.”

Debbi: “Oh, I’m sure I will.”

Mark: “That’s what I’m saying. Food is evocative. It creates memories. Jeff’s peach pie was a fixture at the annual Water Festival party. You want to write about his peach pie. How much can you write about peach pie? Jeff always prided himself for using the freshest ingredients completely made from scratch. What else?”

Debbi: “Do you remember Water Festival this past July? Did you hear that woman ask Jeff if he used canned peaches? Everyone in the room drew a deep breath. Dead silence. I don’t even remember what Jeff said but we’re all still talking about it.”

Mark and Debbi: [unrestrained laughter]

Mark: “One my memories of Jeff’s pie, even though I don’t necessarily like peach pie, I couldn’t help but sample a slice every year. And that in a nutshell, or a peach pit, [laughter] is Jeff in the power of pie. Scratch made with love.”

My column is now complete. Almost as easy as pie. Sometimes a pie isn’t just a pie.

 

Publisher’s Peach Pie

Recipe courtesy of Jeff Evans.

For the crust:

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon white sugar or 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 cup Crisco or ½ cup Crisco and 1 stick cold unsalted butter broken into small pieces

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water

For the filling:

2½ pounds of peaches, about 6 peaches, skinned and pitted, halved and cut into slices

¾ cup sugar

4 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon almond extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 to 3 tablespoons butter

Milk or cream

2 teaspoons sugar

Whisk dry ingredients together. Cut fat into flour mixture using 2 knives or pastry blender until it has peas sized pieces mixed with coarse crumbs. Drizzle ice water over flour. Softly blend dough together until mixture forms a rough looking dough. Halve the dough and form each half into a thick round disk. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days. (May be frozen for up to 6 months.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees and position rack in the lower third of oven. Remove the disks of dough from the refrigerator and roll one out to about ¼ inch thick and fit it into a 9-inch pie dish. Return to refrigerator. Mix together peaches, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, almond extract and salt. Set aside for 15 minutes. Roll out second disk of dough for the top crust of the pie. Remove pie pan from refrigerator and fill with peach mixture. Cut 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and put on top of peach mixture. Cover pie with top crust or lattice then crimp the edges and trim off the excess. Cut vents in the curst in not using a lattice top and then brush the top with milk or cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake pie for 25 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees, place cookie sheet under pie and continue baking for another 30 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting.  Serves 6 to 8.

 

The writer owns Catering by Debbi Covington and is the author of three cookbooks, Celebrate Beaufort, Celebrate Everything! and Dining Under the Carolina Moon. For more great recipes and to view her cooking demonstrations, visit and subscribe to Debbi’s YouTube channel. Debbi’s website address is www.cateringbydebbicovington.com. She may be reached at 843-525-0350 or by email at dbc@cateringbydebbicovington.com.