Leave Room for Dessert... It's Pie Perfection at
Prairie Grass Cafe
When co-chef/owner Sarah Stegner envisioned the perfect dessert for the menu at Prairie Grass Cafe, the new restaurant she has launched with co-chef/owner George Bumbaris, she did what any dessert aficionado would love to do - she went home, to Mom that is, for her homemade pies.
"I'm always saying yes to Sarah because she has such good ideas. My first reaction to her asking me to bake for Prairie Grass Cafe was, oh-yes, " Elizabeth Stegner whole-heartedly recalls.
Elizabeth Stegner started making pies for her family when she first got married 45 years ago. To put it simply, if dessert was made for the Stegner family, then it was pie. "I like pie - it's very American. It fits after an American meal and there's always a different pie to make that's appropriate. It covers all tastes-you can have fruit, you can have cream, you can have chocolate," Elizabeth adds.
Her traditional pies (lifetime favorites of Sarah's) activated a new career for the sixty-seven-year-old grandmother who says she gets a lot of her energy from chasing around her two grandsons.
Elizabeth was formerly a teacher, and since retirement has spent time quilting and painting with watercolors. "I am not a grandmother who sits on the side - I like to get involved - I am excited, I want to do this and I think it will be great." Pecan and apple pies are first up on the Prairie Grass Cafe dessert menu, which will rotate monthly and change according to seasons (pumpkin will be added in November, for example).
Elizabeth notes that she uses as many local resources as possible to get the best ingredients, but having the best ingredients is only part of her pie-making mantra. "You need instinct, you need a touch - and keep your hands out of the dough!"
After baking many pies over the years she is certain that too much dough handling affects the piecrust's texture. "When my husband first wanted pie I started reading and reading and reading about how to make pie and I learned to work quickly, use good ingredients, and keep my hands out."
One taste of an Elizabeth Stegner pie confirms her talent and pie-making finesse-patrons are in for a simple taste of heaven. They will delight in the famous Prairie Grass Cafe piecrust, made from a family recipe that perfectly complements the flavorful seasonal fillings. Those who skip dessert will, no doubt, have regrets.
Pies to go, priced at $24, are also available, but they must be ordered in advance. Prairie Grass Cafe is located at 601 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook, IL. For more information or reservations call Prairie Grass Cafe at (847) 205-4433.
Pies to go, priced at $24, are also available, but they must be ordered in advance. Prairie Grass Cafe is located at 601 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook, IL. For more information or reservations call Prairie Grass Cafe at (847) 205-4433.
