Les tartes de Simonne

Peach pie (ready to bake)

Born in 1914, the same year that Canada entered the First World War, Simonne grew up at the end of Saguenay−Lac-Saint-Jean’s settlement period. At the age of 14, she started working as a maid for a doctor and got married at 20 to a farmer’s son, who became a merchant in her village. She had her first son in 1935 and was the mother of 9 children. The house was always busy with family, friends, employees, and trappers passing by to stock up at her husband’s store. The dinner tables were always full and when it came time for dessert, Simonne’s pies were always eagerly anticipated. With summer came pies made with seasonal fruits (strawberries, rhubarb, raspberries, blueberries, etc.) that the children picked, eating almost as many as they put in their baskets! The pies were baked in a wood-fired oven in the summer kitchen attached to the house, which gave them a unique taste. Simonne has been inspiring her family’s dinner tables for generations, and today she is the inspiration behind the pie that you are about to taste. Peaches, largely grown in Ontario, have many benefits. They can help reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol related to heart diseases and have an interesting supply of vitamins C, E and pro-vitamins. An average size peach can provide 5% to 9% of your recommanded daily fibre and is also a source of copper and iron. This fruit could almost be part of your daily skin routine! You will find them from June to August at farmers markets, country stalls or at the grocery store. This thirst-quenching fruit will definitely keep you going!