Dixie Pie — The Cast Iron Legacy That Carried Our Juneteenth Table

New Hope AME held its first Juneteenth observance this Sunday — a proper one, with a program and speakers and a meal afterward, now that Juneteenth is a federal holiday. Pastor Hendricks has been talking about doing this for years and this year it finally came together. I was on the food committee, which meant I was in the church kitchen by seven in the morning setting up steam pans and organizing the serving line.

I brought Bernice's cornbread, made in her original cast iron pan — the one she bought in 1958 at a hardware store that doesn't exist anymore. That pan has seasoning built up in its pores that is older than I am. I believe food cooked in it carries something of every meal that came before, and on a day about remembering freedom, that felt right. I made two pans. Both were gone before the program even started.

The speaker this year was a retired professor from Alabama A&M who spoke about the history of Juneteenth and the food traditions of Emancipation celebrations — red foods, red drinks, the symbolism of that color going back to West African celebrations and the red hibiscus used in sorrel drinks. I had not known this history. I sat in the pew and thought about all the times I'd served red punch at church and not known what I was continuing. That happens with food a lot. We carry traditions in our hands before we ever learn them with our minds.

Afterward there was a cookout on the church grounds. Somebody brought a crawfish boil. Somebody else brought jerk chicken that they apologized for preemptively, saying it wasn't authentic, and then everybody ate it and said it was wonderful. There were three different kinds of potato salad on the table at one point, and I am not going to tell you which one was best but I will say mine was not the one left over at the end.

I drove home in the late afternoon with the windows down, the smell of woodsmoke still in my clothes, thinking about my grandmother and her grandmother and the length of the chain between us, and how a cast iron pan is one way that chain stays unbroken.

That day reminded me how much we carry in our hands before we ever learn it with our minds — and the same is true of this Dixie Pie, a recipe that has shown up on Southern tables for generations without anyone needing to explain why it belongs there. After spending a morning tending Bernice’s cornbread in that seasoned cast iron pan, it felt only right to end the day with another dish that calls for the same pan, the same patience, and the same respect for what came before. If you have a well-seasoned skillet, use it here; if you don’t, this is a fine reason to start building one.

Dixie Pie

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup whole buttermilk
• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell (or press into a well-greased 9-inch cast iron skillet)

Instructions

1. Preheat. Heat your oven to 350°F. If using a cast iron skillet, place it in the oven while it preheats so the pan is warm when the batter goes in — this helps the bottom set up with a slight crust.
2. Mix the base. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and fully combined.
3. Add eggs and dairy. Whisk in the beaten eggs one at a time, then stir in the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
4. Fold in dry ingredients. Add the cornmeal, flour, and salt to the wet mixture. Stir gently until just combined — a few small lumps are fine. Do not overmix.
5. Fill and bake. Pour the batter into your unbaked pie shell or carefully into the warmed, greased cast iron skillet. Bake at 350°F for 40–45 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and the center has just a slight jiggle when you nudge the pan. It will firm up as it cools.
6. Cool before slicing. Let the pie rest on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or with a spoonful of whipped cream.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 210mg