Cherry Pie - American Dessert Pies

Have you ordered for our Thanksgiving / Friendsgiving Special Delivery yet! Last week to order (by 13 November). Delivery is on 29 November.

Check out our November offerings including Gingerbread Men Cookies, Sweet Potato Pie (by the slice or whole pies or mini tarts) and traditional Whoopie pies with Marshmallow Fluff Cream.

And being strawberry season, we're featuring a new sweetroll, Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls with Lemon Glaze.

See you at our stall, orders due by Tuesday.

Just two weeks to order for our Thanksgiving / Friendsgiving Special Delivery. Head to our website www.cherrypieamericanpies.com.au Shop tab. Sweet Potato Pie is back on the menu including our Thanksgiving menu.

Come by and see us at our market stall this month to see our seasonal treats.

Orders due by Tuesday.

Cherry Pie discovers some pioneering African-American food stars.
Part 2 Leah Chase

When I finally get to live out my "Visit New Orleans" bucket list item, the first culinary stop will be the famous Dooky Chase's Restaurant in the Treme-Lafitte neighbourhood. According to the New Orleans tourist website (neworleans.com) this “Queen of Creole Cuisine, Chef Chase became the inspiration for Princess Tiana in Disney’s animated 2009 classic The Princess and the Frog" Reading about her culinary career makes me want to watch this Disney show again.

This painting hangs at the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum and her red chef's jacket is part of the collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture; she truly earned the title of Queen of Creole Cuisine (more info here: https://shorturl.at/4BbDL).

Reading her story, I learned about her passion for cooking creole food and uplifting African-American foodways into a fine dining, James Beard award winning, restaurant experience. This decades-old establishment has been host to black office workers during the Jim Crow era, a meeting spot for civil rights leaders like MLK, the "go to" place for actors such as Sidney Poitier, celebrities including Lena Horne and US presidents such as President Barack Obama.

Scanning the current menu, I've already made my first order. I'll have to start with Crabcake over Fried Green Tomato, followed by Creole Gumbo (of course!), for my main dish Crawfish Etouffee - and dessert Peach Cobbler!

Hope this post hasn't made you too hungry, but it's definitely made me want to invent a wormhole device that goes from my kitchen to the front door of this New Orleans gem - so I can work my way through the whole menu.

Leah Chase passed away in 2019 aged 96 and you can find some great YouTube videos of her including a Louisiana Public Broadcasting documentary here: https://shorturl.at/GEpmY.

There is also a short article with a 2-minute video at NPR All Things Considered here: https://tinyurl.com/25w26huh.

Chef Leah Chase “We changed the world over a bowl of gumbo” is how Chef Leah Chase (1923–2019) recalled the strategy sessions led by Civil Rights leaders at Dooky Chase’s restaurant. Chase's sense of drive compelled her to eschew the factory jobs left to Creole girls for restaurant work in New Orleans’s F...

Welcome to the "Holiday Season". This month we have lots coming including our Thanksgiving / Friendsgiving Special Delivery. Order due by 13 November and check our our special menu www.cherrypieamericanpies.com.au (Shop tab).

We're headed to St Kilda for a Twilight Market at The Well on 23 November.

We're bringing back our Gingerbread Men Cookies (available until Christmas), our traditional Whoopie Pie with Marshmallow Fluff Cream, and look out for Sweet Potato Pie.

Orders due by Tuesday.

Our Thanksgiving / Friendsgiving Special Delivery is back.
Orders order at our Shop under the Thanksgiving Menu.

Delivery to zones up to 20km from our kitchen (contact us if you fall outside our zones, we may be able to assist).

Find the menu under the Holiday Orders on our website.

www.cherrypieamericanpies.com.au

Orders close 13 November.

Try something new on our menu - Pumpkin Cheesecake! This recipe came to us from a fellow American expat and we're excited to bring it to our customers. Available by the slice at Coburg Farmers Market and our Pop-Up Dessert Shop.

We also are featuring other Halloween themed items this month including Cinnamon Rolls with Pumpkin Spice Icing, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies and Snickerdoodles.

Orders due by Tuesday.
See you at our markets.

October is coming up Pumpkins (well Pumpkin Spice).

Find our menu full of this popular American flavour whether your fave is Whoopie Pie (Pumpkin with Maple Cream) or Cinnamon Rolls (with Pumpkin Spice Icing) or Snickerdoodles (a very more-ish cookie).

We are also introducing a new to the menu Pumpkin Cheesecake - a recommendation from one of our customers. Available by the slice at our markets.

Orders due by Tuesday.

We are trying something new in our Take & Bake range.
This week from Tuesday - Wednesday 10:30am - 4:30 and Thursday and Friday 10:30am - 5:30pm you can pop into our kitchen and grab a tray of cinnamon rolls.

They come in an assorted pack or vanilla (while supplies last).

We are located next to the Love Eyebrow Shop in the building with Woolworths at Docklands District.

Cherry Pie discovers some pioneering African-American food stars. Part 1

If you asked me a year ago who was the first woman celebrity chef in America I would have guessed Julia Childs. While she was one of the most famous, there were many more before her and one I found after listening to a Smithsonian Podcast (the Sidedoor) is Lena Richards.

She was an extraordinary African-American woman and managed to have her own cooking show in 1949 (14 years before Julia was premiered on The French Chef cooking show).

Mrs Richard brought Creole cooking, a classic New Orleans cuisine to wider American audiences. New Orleans is also home to another amazing cuisine, cajun. I have yet to visit New Orleans but when I do, my itinerary will include a long list of restaurants to try.

I mentioned Collard Greens, one of my favourite soul food meals, in a recent post and after securing some more collards from Coburg Farmers Market I decided to make Shrimp and Collard gumbo. Every good gumbo starts with a well made roux, it was my brother Patrick who taught me how to make this delicate cajun staple.

Find out more about Lena Richards at the Smithsonian magazine (with a link to the Sidedoor Podcast episode) at this link below. Enjoy the ride down the rabbit hole...

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/meet-mama-lena-celebrity-chef-and-creole-cookbook-author-180975085/

(Photo from the Lena Richards 1939 Cookbook)

Next time, find out about Leah Chase (another New Orleans chef).

The display case is restocked for our final hour of sales. Cinnamon Roll Extravagan #2.

It's the month of Halloween, that means... PUMPKIN SPICE time!

Find Pumpkin Whoopie Pie with Maple Cream, Cinnamon Rolls with Pumpkin Spice Icing, Snickerdoodles and new to the menu Pumpkin Cheese Cake (another customer suggestion.

Orders due by Tuesday.

See you at our Farmers Market events.

It's back. Our selection of cinnamon rolls available at our Pop-Up on Saturday 28 September from 11am - sold out.

Pre-orders due by Tuesday 24 September.

Don't miss our final event this month at Coburg Farmer's Market.

As usual come on down to grab our varied selection of treats - mini tarts, cinnamon rolls, brownies, Whoopie Pies and gluten friendly options or something for entertaining or for family dessert.

Remember orders are due by Tuesday if you want to be sure to take home your favourite pie.

See you there!

Welcome to spring in Melbourne where the weather could be anyone's guess.
Let's hope for fine weather at Elwood for the Elwood Farmer's Market where you can come and grab a special treat, a celebratory dessert or a sweet pie... just because!

Don't forget to try this month's cinnamon roll, Pistachio Cream with chopped pistachio sprinkled throughout. If you're feeling in the mood for spring flavours have a Carrot Cake Whoopie Pie.

On Sunday, pop in to the Pop-Up Dessert Shop at our Docklands kitchen where you can grab a selection of pies by the slice including a rotating refrigerated "Pie Of the Month". Since this month is customer selections our chosen pie is from Sistah Chef Toni - Vietnamese Coffee Pie. It's creamy with a hint of coffee flavour and tastes just like a Vietnamese coffee (in pie form).

See you there, orders due by Tuesday.

We love when our customers give us feedback and in response to a request for more flavours in our sugar free and gluten friendly range we answered the call.

We are offering our GF / SF mini pies in Apple Mini Pie and Blueberry Mini Pie both gently spiced and flavoured with a hint of maple syrup.

The flavours will change seasonally as depending on what is available from our local farmers (think peach, apricot, strawberry & rhubarb...)

Pick up from our market stall or pre-order from our website (new e-commerce site coming VERY soon).

Cherry Pie-American Dessert Pies is at

Treat your father / father-figure to a classic American treat - COOKIES.
We've got Chocolate Chip and Peanutbutter Cookie Father's Day goodie bags at South Geelong Farmers Market tomorrow.
8:30am to 1pm South Geelong Primary School.
See you there.

Find us at these markets for the second weekend of September.

We're bringing back our Carrot Cake Whoopie Pie (by customer special request and to celebrate Spring) and also a customer request our Cinnamon Roll of the month is Pistachio Cream.

While the apples are still available this season, we're continuing our large selection of Apple Pie varieties including with Blueberry, Walnut, Mixed Berry or Rhubarb (when available from our local growers).

See you at St Kilda and Williamstown.

What a surprise to find a classic ingredient for one of my favourite and simple Soul Food dishes - GREENS. At home in the USA this dish is closely associated with the holiday season making appearances at Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. For a few years I had to forgo the greens (unless I made them myself) when in college I became vegetarian and one of the major flavouring ingredients in our family was ham hocks. After my mom also became vegetarian, the family cooks had to cater to the matriarch's tastes (yay) and my siblings developed a yummy veggie version using flavours from hickory liquid smoke, apple cider vinegar, worchester sauce, smoked paprika and even smoked fish (we both still ate seafood).

I have never encountered collard greens in Australia until I happened upon them at the Coburg Farmers Market where I quickly snatched up 3 bunches (at the holidays our family easily goes through 10 times this amount). These were incorporated into a mini-Soul Food feast coupled with stove top Mac & Cheese and slow Baked Beans.

Find out more about the history of this dish at SBS https://shorturl.at/ohHtW or NPR https://shorturl.at/mXbfL. I'm sure you can find LOTS of recipes online for greens and there are a variety of leafy greens that can be used. But my all time fave and the only ones my family uses is collards.

I love when I can bring traditional African-American foodways for my AAA (Aussie-African-American) kids.

Father's Day is next week but there's just 2 days before orders close to make a special day even more fun with a pie from our dessert range. Browse the full range of seasonal, local and homemade pies at www.cherrypieamericanpies.com.au and click the SHOP tab.

ORDERS ARE DUE TUESDAY.

Father's Day is coming soon and we'll help you celebrate with a delicious dessert. Find us at South Geelong Primary school from 8:30am - 1pm.
Orders are due by Tuesday.

We're also making special treats only available on Father's Day - limited supply so get in quick.

Whoopie! We're bringing an American classic to the menu this month with the traditional chocolate with marshmallow filling Whoopie Pie.

Come and grab your OG Whoopie Pie and while you're there, maybe pickup a popular Biscoff Cinnamon Roll, a slice of pie (or two ), or go "whole hog" and take home a Cherry Pie for dessert and to share with friends, co-workers or cut into slices, freeze and have some as a special treat all month.

See you there - pre-orders due by Tuesday.

Sugar Bowl Project Final Chapter – Who knew pie could be so litigious?

This is our final chapter in the journey down chess pies and all sorts of ingredients traditional to American dessert pie baking. It’s been a blast to introduce recipes by sister baker Toni from and menu items featuring from Vermont.

We’re bringing one of the most controversial pies to you this month linked to a horse race in the state of Kentucky aptly named Kentucky Derby. According to Kern’s Kitchen in Louisville, Kentucky (official owners of the registered trademark Derby-Pie®) this variation of a southern nut pie started out in Prospect, Kentucky at Melrose Inn. Their website continues that the pie was crafted by Leaudra and Walter Kern with their son George in 1954. The full story, history and lovely photos of the family can be found at https://derbypie.com/pages/our-story.

So where does the controversy lie? According to many sources (including Southern Kitchen website https://shorturl.at/mzxLW and Kentucky Courthouse News website https://shorturl.at/Z8FE6) the bakery was officially granted registered trademark in 1969 and is not shy about rigorously protecting that registration including filing a suit against food magazine giant “Bon Appetit” in the 1980s (from Smithsonian https://shorturl.at/tD6gr).

So in order to stay out of the courts, Cherry Pie is bringing a variation on their variation simply called “We Can’t Call it Derby Pie” or Choc Pecan Chess Pie. Our recipe brings in pecans as well as the traditional chocolate chips and can be likened to a gooey chocolate chip cookie in pie form. We also layer ours in a biscuit base rather than the traditional pie pastry. This pie is available all month at our farmers market stalls as a medium family size whole pie or by the slice. Hope you get a chance to try this pie. If you miss out we plan to bring it back around the holidays with a hint of Kentucky Bourbon to bring out the season’s festive vibe.

Hope you enjoyed our series of the history of some traditional pies.
See you at our stall or at our Docklands kitchen. Remember orders are due each week by Tuesday

Come on down to our stall and check out the August menu featuring the classic Whoopie Pie - chocolate with marshmallow filling, our popular Biscoffee Cinnamon Roll is back and find out what our mystery Chess Pie will be.

See you there and don't forget orders are due by Tuesday.

This is our last month featuring some traditional American chess pies. Our collaboration with Sister Chef Toni and sharing some of her gorgeous recipes is coming to a close.

This month we'll bring a final chess pie to the menu so come on down to our weekend markets and be surprised ... we will be.

Sugar Bowl Project Chapter 4 – A taste of (indigenous) American holiday foods

This month has been too chilly to think about a 4th July celebration but this weather has put me in mind of winter celebrations and warming foods – thus Christmas in July.

Holiday foods, particularly Thanksgiving and Christmas have a large component of foods that are native to the USA such as turkey, cranberries, corn(bread), maple syrup, pecans and pumpkin. As a kid my Thanksgiving plate was piled high with two of my favourites that my mom made, cornbread dressing with cranberry sauce. For such a yummy condiment, cranberry sauce only made an appearance at the winter holidays. It came in a can that when opened and both ends the sauce slurped out into a solid gelatinous blob (and oddly in the exact shape of the can including the ridges) that was easy to cut with a butter knife. It’s something to see and something that is missed in a nostalgic way.

The cranberry has been a staple food source for indigenous Americans in many parts of eastern USA and Canada across to parts of the central USA and down into the Appalachian mountains. It’s a bitter berry (actually related to blueberries) and has the unique property of floating in water which makes harvesting in bogs easily accomplished. If you are interested in a history of cranberries you can check out Gastropod’s episode here: https://gastropod.com/crantastic-the-story-of-americas-berry/. They also have an episode on another indigenous food source, maple syrup https://gastropod.com/the-maple-boom/.

As part of celebrating Christmas in July Cherry Pie is focussing on three ingredients that go so well in desserts – maple syrup, cranberries and pecans. New to our menu is Apple & Cranberry Pie with a streusel topping (recipe inspired by sister chef ); Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls featuring ; Oatmeal & Craisin Whoopie Pie (another Honey Child recipe); and gorgeous little Gingerbread Cookies (a classic holiday cookie from childhood).

You can still find these items at our Coburg Farmers Market on Saturday and at our Pop-Up Dessert Shop on Sunday. See you there.
Orders due by Tuesday