Fried Pies

The Peak of Perfection

April 1, 2020 12:00 AM

Photo courtesy Mercier Orchards • mercier-orchards.com

I’ve always held you can tell mountain southerners from all other southerners by the kind of fried pie they prefer. My father, raised up in eastern Kentucky, wouldn’t have turned down any form of hand-sized, fruit-filled pastry so perfect for a workingman’s (or schoolgirl’s) lunch. But he believed that ones made with dried apples were the peak of perfection.

Emmylou Harris, with Alabama roots, says simply: “It’s got to be peach to be a real fried pie. Peach is the only way to go.”

As for me, well I thought my Aunt Minnie’s fried apple pies, hot from her cast-iron skillet, were just about the best things ever invented. I couldn’t imagine anything to equal them until we stopped one day at Sprayberry’s Barbecue down in Newnan, Georgia. There the pies were fat, half-moon shaped confections, stuffed and oozing with golden brown dried peaches infused with the sweet scent of a Georgia summer. They were as good as my memory of Minnie’s—and I had to declare a draw.

But wait, one night I ran out of dried apples and turned to some dried pears instead. Mashed with brown sugar, their flavor was higher pitched yet more delicate than either apple or peach. The pies made with them were as good as any I’ve ever had. So it’s up to you to figure out which you would prefer.

Six of one, Half Dozen of Another

“We used to take fried pies to school for lunch,” recalled Bertha Monroe, Bill’s older sister. That was back around 1918 or so, when the father of bluegrass music was still a rambunctious little schoolboy down in Rosine, Kentucky.

“He was awful sweet,” Bertha recalled. “And so when Mama would make us those fried pies for school, I’d always take me about six, but I’d give William about five-and-a-half of them. There’s nothing so good as a fried pie.”

Fried Pies

Makes one dozen

You Will Need

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 cup shortening
3⁄4 cup hot skim milk
2 cups dried apples, peaches or pears
2 cups water
1⁄2 cup brown sugar
oil for frying

To Prepare

Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. In a large bowl, use a spoon to mix shortening and milk. You want some of the shortening to dissolve while the rest breaks up in little lumps. Add the flour a bit at a time and blend with a fork. When just blended, pat together into a ball and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. It will keep overnight.
Cover fruit with water, bring to a boil, turn down and simmer for an hour, adding more water if necessary to keep fruit from drying and sticking. Add brown sugar and mash together until it reaches a very thick, jam-like consistency.
When you’re ready to fry, divide dough into 12 small, equal balls. Flatten each into a disc and roll out on lightly floured board until about 6 inches around.
Put about two heaping tablespoons of the dried fruit mix on the center of the lower half of the dough circles, and fold over to make a half-moon shape. Press and crimp edges together securely to seal. Make sure the edges are well sealed, otherwise the fillings may seep out and cause the hot oil to splatter dangerously.
In a wide, heavy skillet, heat oil about a half-inch deep until a little piece of dough dropped in it will dance around and slowly turn golden brown. Put pies in the oil a few at a time, being careful not to crowd. When they turn golden on one side, turn over carefully with a spatula and fry until second side is golden brown. Remove from oil and let drain on paper towels. These are pretty good the next day, but are finest when eaten as soon as they’ve cooled enough to bite into.