humble. sweet and savory pies: southern hospitality, madison charm

humble. sisters: Shelly Cross and Jill Long

Thanksgiving is about a week away and I am willing to bet you are thinking about pie.  Perhaps you are feeling a little stressed about putting the perfect pie on your holiday table.  Maybe you don’t bake but would still like to offer your guests a homemade pie for dessert.

Am I right?  Well then, may I suggest we let the local professionals handle it this year?  Walk through the door of humble. sweet and savory pies and into the  talented and welcoming arms of Madison’s very own southern sisters of pie, Jill Long and Shelly Cross.

These sisters have flour, sugar and butter in their blood and souls filled with southern tradition.  They grew up in a military family and moved about the United States during most of their childhood.  They do, however call Arkansas their childhood home and agree that all this relocating has made them the best friends they are today.  And they are here in Madison to stay.

Born to Bake

Jill and Shelly were raised as “latch-key kids” with the added benefit of having unsupervised access to the kitchen.  Shelly says, “We wanted to bake something that was really good so our mom wouldn’t be mad at us for using the oven.”

Jill’s memory of her first baking experience was when she was nine years old.  It involves climbing up on the kitchen chair to reach the Bisquick, making and then eating the Impossible Pie recipe on the back of the box.

Humble. is built on their grandparents’ pie recipes, however both Jill and Shelly enjoy researching and experimenting with new flavor combinations.  The sisters agree that their customers tend to at first choose a more traditional pie but then, Shelly smiles and nods, “soon they begin to trust us and are willing to sample our other offerings.”

That was certainly my experience as a new customer.  First I had the Not-For-Your-Toaster Pumpkin Tart with Maple Vanilla frosting – so good!  I enjoyed the flaky crust and the just-enough pumpkin filling with traditional spices of cinnamon and nutmeg.  The sweet maple-infused vanilla frosting drizzled over the top made me feel like a kid again.  Then I had the Door County cherry galette, a perfect balance of sweet and tart, and again that delicious buttery light crust.  I can say without a doubt, I trust these women.  They know pie.

Humble is coming up on it’s one-year anniversary and I have to ask: “Any bakery mishaps?” Jill admits that she completely forgot to add the sugar to her scone recipe.  It wasn’t until after she sold one and the customer left the store with it that she realized what she had done.  She wishes that customer would come back so “we could make it right!”

“We want everyone to be happy!”  she tells me from behind the counter.

How have they grown in this first year?

“Well,” Shelly says, “we are calmer and are able to produce a lot more pies a lot more quickly!”

And after learning that these sisters make thirty-two pie crusts a day, I had to ask them what I know you are all hoping for….pie crust advice!

Shelly says use a food processor when making the dough.  Jill says keep it cold, move quickly and let the dough rest in the refrigerator at least over night before rolling it out.

They both believe in reading a recipe thoroughly and visualizing the steps before actually getting to it.

Shelly’s favorite cook book is The Southern Living Cookbook and her favorite comfort food when she is away from all those pies is mashed potatoes.  Jill says comfort for her is a vegetable soup, but when her big sister makes fun of her for choosing such a healthy meal Jill quickly exclaims, “but with big meatballs…and corn bread!”

What pies will appear on their own Thanksgiving table?  The sisters easily agree: a traditional pumpkin as well as their grandmother’s Alabama Pecan.

Lucky for us, both pies will be offered throughout the holiday season along with Bourbon Pumpkin, Cinnamon Apple, Chocolate Pecan, Coconut Pecan and Cranberry Relish with Sour Cream Sauce.  Non-traditional dessert offerings include a galette of green beans over stuffing and a cranberry relish hand pie.

But hurry!  This Friday, November 22^nd is the last day to order your Thanksgiving pies!  Humble. will be open November 26th and 27th and will have pie (primarily pumpkin and pecan) for purchase.

Visit their website for holiday hours and up-to-date menu items: humble4pie.com or their Facebook page.