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MARYVILLE

KXCV-KRNW


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July 3, 2025 |  By: Gavin McGough

Local baker Stephanie Reed with tips on baking

Apple Pie in the making

The fourth of July is upon us, and nothing celebrates summer like a slice of good ‘ol fruit pie with a dollop o' cream.
For KXCV-KRNW, Gavin McGough caught up with local baker Stephanie Reed for some tips on baking with the season’s fruit.

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 Yes, there's nothing as American is apple pie. And on this Wednesday morning before the holiday, Stephanie Reed is at her kitchen counter filling crust after crust with mountains of cinnamon scented fruit. Reed's area's a Victorian kitchen near the center of Maryville has turned today into a full pie factory as she fulfills orders for her business. The little saying, bird eats and sweets.

Reed instructs, "You want about oh half inch or something overhang, and then you just tuck it under."

She's put me to work crimping pie crusts before the final bake.

"So it's quite a process.", says Reed.

Reed's 4th of July Pie menu takes inspiration from the summertime. In addition to the ever classic apple pie, she's baking off a s'mores pie, a triple colored berry, and a fresh berry pie.

That one is a great use for summer fruit, she says, and hardly requires an oven.

Reed says, "My fresh summer berry pie is a fresh strawberry raspberry pie, um, and that you use gelatin. Um, I use raspberry gelatin and corn starch and water. You cook that and then I won't tell you the rest of the secrets in there, but you add your fresh berries to it after it's cooled a little bit. Pour that in your pie. Shell let it set for, um, about four or five hours and you're good to go."

Serve the pie with some whipped cream. That's to make it yourself. Says read.

Reed says, "I use heavy whipping cream, vanilla and powdered sugar is what I go use in mine. And then if it's something that maybe I'm doing a design in it, that's whenever I'll add in the cream of tartar 'cause I want it to hold it shape a little bit more."

You can also drop some cream of tartar in your egg whites if you're making a lemon meringue and are going for those big billowy clouds of topping.

"If whenever you make a peak, if it flops over, that's a soft wave. If it stands straight, then you know it's done.", says Reed.

The key to getting those stiff peaks, whip it and whip it, good. I'm not the only helper on hand today. Reid's daughter is in on the action. Sophie, what's your favorite pie making activity?

"Sometimes I help mommy make the crust.", informs Sophie. 

And what are the good secrets, um, to making a crust.

Sophie says, "Keeping it cold."

Reed says, "You also are an excellent apple peeler."

Peaches, cherries, rhubarb berries, key lime and oh, it's so much warm to celebrate the summer bounty. Perhaps you are now inspired to get into the kitchen. If not, you can always order a pie from the singing bird at her Facebook page. And if you're making whipped cream or beating a meringue, remember to whip it and whip it good.

* Cue Whip It by Devo. *