title: Southern Pies: A Gracious Plenty of Pie Recipes, From Lemon Chess to Chocolate Pecan
author:  Nancie McDermott 
description: The subtitle says it all. McDermott presents dozens of delicious recipes for pie-loving home bakers in this follow-up to Southern Cakes. With a light hand, McDermott brings in just enough history and context to help bakers appreciate her recipes without fattening her book with too much text. Leigh Beisch's photography adds to the appeal, though some shots of ingredients should have made way for more pictures of actual pies. McDermott splits her plenty in two--chess (Buttermilk, Sweet Potato, Old-School Custard Pies, and others) and chocolate, and includes a helpful lesson on making crusts (or buying them, if need be). McDermott has an obvious affection for the Southern men and women (and their cookbooks) that inspired her recipes, but the proof of the pudding is in the pies themselves. If Peaches and Cream, Hungry Mother Spicy Peanut, Black Bottom, or Muscadine Grape Hull don't whet the appetite, keep reading. With over 60 pies included, even the most finicky pie-eater will find a fare share of "must-bake" recipes. Photos. (Oct.) <BR>(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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  **southern pies**
  
  
  A Gracious Plenty _of_ Pie Recipes, From Lemon Chess to Chocolate
  
  
  Pecan
  
  
  By Nancie McDermott
  
  
  _Photographs By_ LEIGH BEISCH
  
  
  **DEDICATION** To Minister Robert Lee Campbell, chef, poet, and Vietnam
  veteran;
  
  
  husband and father; deacon, preacher, and teacher; bold, faithful community
  leader;
  
  
  and peaceful warrior for justice. Thank you for showing that the pie is big
  enough for
  
  
  all of us to share.
  
  
  **ACKNOWLEDGMENTS** What a sweet and glorious abundance of good, brilliant,
  
  
  creative, and generous people I have on my cookbook-cooking-up team! Deepest
  
  
  gratitude and respect to my editor Bill LeBlond, who took a chance on my first
  book a
  
  
  few miles back along this road. Warmest thanks to Amy Treadwell, Peter Perez,
  Sarah
  
  
  Billingsley, Anne Donnard, Tera Killip, Doug Ogan, and David Hawk at Chronicle
  
  
  Books, for creativity, energy, smarts, and patience beyond the call. For
  photographs
  
  
  that are