Fruit

Damson plums were first introduced to the British by the Romans, and eventually English settlers brought them over to America, where they thrived in the climate of the eastern United States. Because of their acidic, tart flavor, Damsons make tasty jams and pies. This recipe, handwritten by Mildred in one of her old notebooks, calls for Damson plums—if you substitute another variety of plum, you may need to cut back on the sugar.

Mike DiGrassie recalls, “We used to have blueberries growing all over our camp. The birds went crazy over them. When I tried picking some for myself there was always some bird eyeballin’ me.” Due to the high cost of blueberries, this is the most expensive whole pie at Mrs. Rowe’s—but you can still get a deep blue slice for the regular price of $2.75.

Eric Brown, an employee at Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant and Bakery for eleven years, asked his mother for his favorite grape pie recipe and she graciously offered it to us—for all true pie lovers and bakers are generous in spirit and love to share recipes. When Mildred Rowe was a child, she often picked wild grapes, which used to grow plentifully in the Appalachians. “Mother told us how they fought the wild turkeys for the grapes,” says Mike DiGrassie. This recipe calls for Concord grapes since many of us don’t live near a wild grape patch. It’s one of the few grape pie recipes that doesn’t require peeling the grapes.

If you like the flavor of sour apples, cut the amount of sugar in the filling to 1/3 cup. If you want to enhance the sweetness, serve with a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. This recipe comes from Cynthia Craig, a longtime baker at the restaurant.

Peach season is fleeting, but this seasonal pie is so delicious that you should slip it into your summer any way you can. If the edges of the crust begin to brown before the rest of the pie, cover them with foil. Enjoy plain or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This pretty pie is reminiscent of the toffee apples that were a fairground favorite in Mrs. Rowe’s day. The brown sugar delivers a gooey, sweet flavor. For an extra treat, serve with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream.

This moist and crumbly pie has a consistency almost like a coffee cake. As a result, unlike most pies, it’s safe to cut into this one when it’s slightly warm. As with all prebaked pastry crusts, it’s important to cover the edges with foil or crust shields while the filling bakes, so it doesn’t burn. Walnuts, almonds, or pecans work nicely with this pie.

This pie offers a perfect blend of apples and raisins. You can add the sweet icing, which is a surprising and delightful touch—or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a blisteringly hot, Southern summer day.

Inspired by the time-honored specialty cakes of Christmas, these down-scaled versions are studded with mixed dried fruits and nuts and flavored with spirits. Once baked, they are blanketed with billowy frosting and topped with another familiar holiday treat, meringue mushrooms. In place of the apricots, figs, and dates used here, you may substitute other fruits, such as dried pineapple or candied citrus peel. Just be sure to purchase good-quality fruits from a store with a high turnover (avoid supermarket varieties sold as “mixed candied fruit”) and use kitchen shears to cut the fruit into uniform pieces.

Unlike the creamy American dessert of the same name, puddings from Great Britain are dense and cakey. This small-scale version includes pureed dates and a splash of brandy; after baking, the puddings are coated with a delectable toffee glaze.

Drizzled with a liquor-spiked caramel glaze and filled with rum-soaked raisins, these cupcakes are reminiscent of a popular ice cream flavor

Make the most of fresh cherry season by baking the little stone fruits right into charming tea cakes. The cakes, made with ground almonds, brown butter, and egg whites, are similar to financiers, which are small, springy brick-shaped cakes named for their resemblance to gold bullion. These cakes are baked with the pits left inside the cherries (be sure to warn guests before serving). Or, if you prefer, remove the pits before baking, leaving the stems intact.

A chirping trio of newly hatched birds is a charming ode to a baby’s pending arrival (or first birthday). The buttercream bluebirds and coconut nest are perched atop cupcakes frosted with chocolate buttercream.

The batter for these candy-bar-like cupcakes is laden with ground sweetened coconut and pecans; to further enhance their appeal, the cupcakes are dipped in a bittersweet chocolate glaze, then sprinkled with toasted coconut flakes. Creamed coconut, usually sold in jars at natural-food stores or online, differs from “cream of coconut,” which has added sugar and is typically used in cocktails. If you can’t locate creamed coconut, you can use another quarter cup of butter in its place.

A trio of citrus zests brightens simple cupcakes. The ones pictured are finished with lime-flavored glaze and finely grated lime zest, but lemons or oranges could replace the lime. Or, for a particularly pretty display, divide the glaze into thirds and flavor each portion with a different citrus, with garnishes to match.

Some say the hummingbird cake, a Southern specialty replete with pineapple chunks, bananas, coconut, and walnuts, earned its name because each otherworldly bite makes you hum with delight. Others hold that the cake is as sweet as the sugared water used to attract the tiny birds. Adorned with dried-pineapple “flowers,” the cupcake variation makes a beautiful presentation for Mother’s Day. To give the flowers a cupped shape (shown opposite), cool them in muffin tins as described on page 323 (instead of on a wire rack, shown below).

If you grew up eating tiny sandwiches made with date-nut bread and cream cheese—or even if you didn’t—you’ll appreciate the wonderful flavor combination of these tiny cupcakes. Crème fraîche is a rich and velvety update, and soft enough for dolloping on top of the spiced cakes. A little batter goes a long way when baked in mini muffin tins, but the cupcakes freeze well and thaw quickly, so you can serve some now and save the rest for later. Or, if you prefer, you can bake the batter in standard muffin tins for about thirty minutes; you’ll end up with about three dozen.

Smaller adaptations of favorite desserts, such as raspberry-swirled cheesecake, are always appealing. Everyone gets his or her own, with plenty of buttery graham-cracker crust in each bite. Drops of fresh raspberry puree are pulled through cream-cheese batter to give the cakes a marbleized look. Baking the cupcakes in a hot-water bath produces the creamiest results and prevents the batter from sinking in the oven.