In the 1970s, Aberdeen, Mississippi, population 6,000, was fairly slim on eating establishments. Ernie’s Fountain Grill enticed idle high school kids to hang out. Adam’s Dairy Bar served the best burgers and milkshakes in town. But, Shelaine Restaurant cornered the market on the lunch crowd. On Sundays, the line of churchgoers waiting for the buffet snaked out the door.
The Robinson family owned Shelaine Motel and Restaurant, the only accommodations in town. Fred and Viola managed the restaurant along with Fred’s mother, Myrt. Myrt, who was in charge of the cash register, always greeted paying customers with a toothpick in her mouth. The restaurant served a daily lunch buffet, featuring typical southern fare.
Every morning as I was driving to school, I would hear Fred’s Southern drawl on WMPA announcing Shelaine’s daily buffet menu. He’d start the advertisement with “Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Monroe County and all the cars out on the highway.” On a typical day, he’d say some something like, “Today’s buffet includes fried chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes, butter beans, creamed corn, fried okra, and for dessert…Apple Pandowdy was its name.”
I’d never heard of Pandowdy, and I don’t think I ever had Shelaine’s version. However, “Apple Pandowdy was its name” became a running joke between my brother and me.
I knew Pandowdy was some form of fruit and pastry, but I had to do a little research to determine how it differs from a cobbler, buckle, betty, clafouti, crisp, or crumble. The truth is they’re all fairly similar. The distinguishing characteristic for a pandowdy is that the crust is broken up during baking and pushed down into the fruit to allow the juices to come through. There is speculation about the name, but no one knows its origin for sure.
Georgia peaches are showing up in markets, and I had to bring in the season with a delicious use for them. This rustic peach dessert will serve you well through the summer months. Top it with vanilla bean ice cream and it’s the perfect way to end a summer cookout.
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter (one stick)
1 1/4 cup all unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 tablespoons iced water
8 cups sliced fresh peaches
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 egg, beaten
Coarse sugar
Instructions
1. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes and place in freezer for 15 minutes.
2. Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
3. Place flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor. Add cold butter to flour mixture and pulse several times until mixture resembles coarse meal. Some larger pieces of butter are okay.
4. Add one tablespoon of ice water at a time to the flour, pulsing after each addition. Dough is ready when it forms a clump when pressed together in your hand.
5. Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead two or three times. Form dough into a 4"x2" rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Roll dough out to an approximate 18"x8" rectangle. Cut dough into 2 1/2 inch squares. Gather scraps, roll out again, and continue cutting squares.
In a large bowl combine peaches, sugar, corn starch, cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix well and set aside.
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Transfer peach mixture to a 12-inch iron skillet. Top peaches with dough squares in a random overlapping pattern, leaving some space between some of the squares. Brush crust with egg and sprinkle with sugar.
2. Transfer skillet to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Using a spatula, press dough into peach mixture, letting some of the liquid come up over the crust. Return to oven and bake for 15 more minutes.
3. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
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Dear Bill, I was looking on the internet for a peach pandowdy and yours was the 1st one to pop up. It is cooling as I type. I pretty much stayed with your recipe I just used my own pie crust recipe and almond extract. I too had leftover peaches and needed a way to make something before they went bad. We have great peaches here in Missouri also. My roots go back to Georgia on my paternal side. Grandma from Waycross and Grandpa from Brunswick. Interesting to find someone who gets the southern style of cooking.
I just cooked an apple pandowdie last night. Fruit filling was cooked on the stovetop and covered with the crust squares. Then, since my oven is not in use this summer, I slipped it under a my broiler, heated to high, turned the broiler to low, and this lovely dessert was fineished in just 10 min., instead of 45 min… pandowdie made EASY!,
Viewing the pictures, I’m assuming you blanched and peeled the peaches first? I was going to do an apple one, but since I have a few peaches languishing in the frig, giving yours a try….
I peeled the peaches but did not blanch. Hope you like the recipe.
We made our pandowdy this way- 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1 stick of butter melted and an egg. Mix well and put on top of prepared fruit. Bake until bubbly, and a little brown. Top with vanilla ice cream.
Fun post! I’ve never heard of Pandowdy but I love that name. ๐ Georgia peaches… YUM! Can you send me some. We get mostly California peaches which aren’t near as good and as any peach lover knows…you can’t pick a peach until it’s ripe. When we had peach trees, I would let anyone pick the peaches but me. ๐ Oh how I wish I still had those trees because they would be awesome in a pandowdy! Guess I’ll just have to use CA peaches.
Boyo, I feel blessed. Living in the southeast has its advantages…
…”Pandowdy was it’s name”. What does that even mean? Love your GA peach version. GREG
Go figure, Greg. That’s why it was running joke with us.
Ok, I never herd of Pandowdy, but it looks delicious. I like the idea of the juices coming through the dough.
Being a southern boy, you could have totally played it off that you grew up eating this. But I am happy to hear the real backstory and love the visuals of 1970s Aberdeen and it also makes me smile thinking about my own inside jokes with my sister.