Apple Quince Pie — The Chain Extends, and So Does the Table

Cicadas at sundown. The porch light catching them. The neighborhood quiet at ten PM. Tuesday feeding ran clean. Sister Beulah was there at three. The chicken was dredged by four. We served from six until eight. Sister Beulah shooed me out at nine-thirty.

Calvin preached Sunday on the prodigal son. The church said amen. A new face at Bernice's Table this week. A young woman with a baby. I gave her two plates. She thanked me. I told her, baby, come every Tuesday.

Tomato sandwiches for lunch — heirlooms from the farmer's market, white bread, mayonnaise, salt. The Alabama summer lunch, baby.

The work is the work, baby. I am tired in the right way.

Doris called Thursday. Three times a week, the standard. We talked about Calvin's health. We talked about Harold's health. We talked about the family. We talked about what I was cooking.

Bernice's Table Tuesday. The team was sharp. The food held. The room held.

The garden in the side yard, sugar. The tomatoes are coming on. The okra is up. The collards are getting big. I will be canning by August. I always say I am not going to can. I always end up canning.

Mr. Henderson across the street brought me a bag of pecans Friday from his tree. I made a pecan pie with them. I took half of it back to him. He said, Loretta, this is wrong, you took my pecans and gave me back a pie. I said, that is exactly right. That is how it works.

Sister Beulah came by Tuesday afternoon to drop off the bulletins. She stayed for coffee. We talked about the church, about her grandbaby, about the heat. The visit was the visit.

Calvin and I watched the news Wednesday evening. He fell asleep in the recliner. I covered him with the afghan that Bernice crocheted before she died. The afghan is holding.

I drove to the grocery Saturday morning. Greens, three pounds. Onions, two big ones. Buttermilk, half gallon. Cornmeal, the good kind. Salt, because I always run out of salt.

Calvin Jr. called Tuesday night. He was tired. He had been at work twelve hours. I told him, baby, eat something. He said, Mama, I will. I said, what did you eat last. He said, a granola bar. I said, baby, that is not eating. He laughed.

I read for an hour Sunday night before bed. The Bible, then a book Doris sent me about the civil rights movement in Birmingham. The book made me think about Bernice in the church kitchen during the bombings.

I stood at the kitchen window with my coffee Tuesday morning. Six o'clock. The light just coming. The yard quiet. Talking to Mama about the day ahead. The talking is its own prayer, sugar.

I went to the cemetery Saturday morning. I left a small piece of pound cake on Bernice's stone. I sat on the grass for fifteen minutes. The wind moved the trees.

A new young wife joined the Saturday cooking class. Twenty-two years old. She does not know how to make rice. I will teach her. The chain extends.

I had a small cry Wednesday morning at the kitchen window. No reason in particular. The grief comes when it comes. I made coffee. I went on. That is how this works.

A young woman from the new members class came to me Sunday. She was nervous. She said, Mother Simms, my husband and I are expecting our first and I do not know how to cook. I said, baby, come to the Saturday class. She said, I'm coming. The chain extends.

I said I was not going to can this August, and I say that every year. But when Mr. Henderson brought those pecans and I turned them into a pie — half for him, half for us — I remembered something Bernice used to say: you take what the season gives you and you make it into something that lasts. The quince at the farmer’s market were sitting right next to those heirlooms I bought for my tomato sandwiches, and I thought, baby, that is a pie waiting to happen. This Apple Quince Pie is slow and a little old-fashioned, just like the work — and it is exactly right.

Apple Quince Pie

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 prepared pie crusts (homemade or store-bought), enough for a 9-inch double-crust pie
• 2 medium quince (about 1 lb), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 3 medium apples (such as Honeycrisp or Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for topping
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions

1. Prep the quince. Quince are firm and starchy raw — peel, core, and slice them thinly (about 1/4 inch). Toss slices in a bowl with the lemon juice to prevent browning.
2. Make the filling. Add the apple slices to the bowl with the quince. Sprinkle in 3/4 cup sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Toss well until every slice is evenly coated. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes so the fruit begins to release its juices.
3. Prepare the bottom crust. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Fit one pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish, pressing gently into the edges and letting any overhang drape over the sides.
4. Fill the pie. Pour the fruit filling into the bottom crust, mounding it slightly in the center. Scatter the butter pieces evenly over the top of the filling.
5. Add the top crust. Lay the second crust over the filling. Trim any excess dough to about 1/2 inch beyond the rim of the pie dish. Fold the edges of the top and bottom crusts together, then crimp to seal. Cut 4–5 small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
6. Finish and bake. Brush the top crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Place the pie on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 375°F and bake for an additional 35 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling through the vents.
7. Cool before slicing. Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before cutting. This allows the quince filling to set so it slices cleanly and holds together on the plate.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 340 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 210mg