A Rootsy Way to Experience the Best of Southern Baking
I’ve got Mississippi on my mind these days… the marvelous Mississippi Mud Pie from Zingerman’s Bakehouse! An excessively (in the best possible way) extreme chocolate “cake”—it’s called a pie, but it always seems more like a cake to me—that was, apparently, named by some unknown baker, for its textural resemblance to the muddy banks of the Mississippi River. Mississippi Mud Pie’s origins? No one really seems to know! Even the late Craig Claiborne, longtime New York Times food writer, who was born and raised in Mississippi said he never knew how it started! What we do know is that if you like a great chocolate dessert, Mississippi Mud Pie is kind of magical.
What is It?
It’s a dense, kind of brownie-like chocolate cake, that’s doused in dark chocolate ganache, then topped with housemade meringue! Something to enjoy after dinner (with a cup of Zingerman’s Roadhouse Joe?), for an afternoon pick me up, or, if you’re up for it, have pie for breakfast. Whatever time of day you partake, I can tell you it’s pretty much a guarantee that you’ll love it!
Like all our cakes and pies (and cheese and ham), the Mississippi Mud Pie is best when served at room temperature. If you buy a whole one to bring home, be sure to allow time for it to warm up a bit before you serve it—that way you’re sure to get the fine flavor and compelling complexity at full force. Chocolaty, intense, delicious, slightly addictive! Amy Emberling from Zingerman’s Bakehouse says, “It’s super intense and a small amount goes a long way.”
Mississippi Mud Pie will probably never be our biggest seller, but it sure does make a soulful impact that will leave you with a lifetime of lovely food memories. Other sweets may win bigger headlines, but if you like chocolate, I’m pretty sure that Mississippi Mud Pie will make you happy time and time again. Once you experience it, I think it’s safe to say, just the thought of it will get you smiling! And hungry!!
