From GG’s Personal Journal

Here’s to Muscadine Pie . . .
and Other Desserts I Have Known and Loved

Most of the time, I skip dessert – even though I know life’s uncertain and that’s the most tempting way to start a meal. However, when it comes to my friend Barbara Williamson’s Muscadine Pie, I always indulge. It’s that good.
Barbara makes the pie from scratch, and her husband Ed (a fantastic gardener) cultivates several Muscadine varieties. Drive by the vineyard in late September, and you’ll see clusters of the fruit hanging from dozens of vines – 90 at last count. Supreme, a large purple grape, proves to be one of Ed’s most popular with other varieties falling in the bronze, black, and red categories. (Note: For those unfamiliar with the Muscadine, this native American grape has a thick skin and a sweet, musky flavor. It grows in the U.S. southeast.)
All desserts are not created equal. Some are irresistible, and some are not. Muscadine Pie falls in the former category. At the end of this essay, you’ll find Barbara’s recipe for this specialty, which I call Communion Pie. (My first taste reminded me of the sacrament of Communion.) Though somewhat labor intensive, I think you’ll agree the end result is worth it.
Another dessert I find addictive is Homemade Peach Ice Cream, and my daughter Lisa makes the best. I can never stop with just one bowl. But I justify that by counting the peaches as part of my daily fruit requirement. Don’t you?
Other desserts I adore include Pavlova, which I first met in Australia; Creme Brulee; tartlets filled with Lemon Curd; and Chocolate Mousse – or anything chocolate made by Sebastien, who creates his specialties in a nearby restaurant by the same name. He makes lots of yummy things, but then he is a master baker after all – and French at that. He’s got a sense of humor, too. You can tell by looking at his famous Disappearing Bunny Cake.

Sara Martin with Sebastien’s Disappearing Bunny Cake

My Aunt Peanut’s Orange Slice Cake ranks right up there, too. She inherited her culinary talent from my grandmother, who made the best Fried Peach Pies ever. I can still taste them – the sweet fruit with a hint of tartness, enveloped in a flaky homemade pastry, crimped on the edge with fork tines.
Oh, and I love the Caramel Cake my friend Betty Sue makes. She’s elevated this cake to an art, and she brings me one on my birthday. At least, so far she has, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
So, here’s to that perfect sweet ending – or beginning.

Barbara’s Muscadine Pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

4 cups muscadines (about two pounds)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice (or less)
1 ½ tablespoons butter, melted
1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell (Barbara uses a 10-inch deep dish and makes her own pastry.)

Wash and drain muscadines.
Separate hulls from pulp – chop and set hulls aside.
Bring pulp to a boil in heavy sauce pan.
Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered 5 minutes (or longer) until pulp separates from seeds.
Press pulp through a sieve to remove seeds.
Combine pulp, chopped hulls, sugar, and next 4 ingredients (flour, salt, juice, and butter).
Stir well.
Pour into pastry shell.

Crumb Topping
l/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
Combine flour and sugar, then cut in butter.
Sprinkle crumb topping over pie.
Bake at 400 degrees about 40 minutes (or until pastry is brown and crumb topping is brown. You may need to cover edge of pastry to prevent over-browning). Enjoy.