Fresh fruit pies are one of the short-lived joys of a long, hot summer.
Polly’s Pies plans to begin selling fresh peach pies on Saturday, July 29, according to representatives. Triple Crown blackberry pie will follow a few days later. The Placentia-based restaurant chain expects to receive its first flats of the berries, which are said to be sweeter than other varieties, on Aug. 3. And fresh strawberry pie remains on the menu.
Being in the pie business isn’t always easy as pie. Even though Polly’s has suppliers that bring in produce from all over the world, it’s still at the mercy of Mother Nature.
“We wait for a certain texture, and we wait for a certain sweetness,” said Jacklyn Mitosinka, director of brand.
Polly’s had been shooting for mid-July to begin serving fresh peach pie, but the crop was delayed by rain and cool weather, said president and chief executive officer Eric Stenta. Polly’s uses tree-ripened freestone peaches.
“When you cut them in half, you can by hand-pluck the pits out. And then if you look at our pies, we have big wedges. We can make those beautiful cuts without squishing the fruit. Most of the pie companies that are serving pies early, they’re getting cling peaches. They’re a little bit more difficult to handle, and they’re not as pretty inside the crust.”
Selling out
Polly’s double crust pies are made in a commissary but baked in individual restaurants, and its fresh fruit pies are filled onsite.
Once Polly’s has the peaches, they require little preparation for fresh fruit pies, just a 20-second blanching to get the skins off before they are sliced, tossed in glaze and go into a pie shell, according to Stenta. Berries don’t even require that step.
Polly’s has a steady supply of strawberries so it can keep fresh strawberry pie on the menu from April through October, and Stenta said it can serve its signature Banberry Pie all year. It is topped with glazed strawberries but has a banana cream…
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