Shoofly Pie

 For those of you who live in Chicago, 

this weekend was all about NATO...  

The dignitaries, the security, the delightful groups of protesters... 

We are all quite weary of the lot of them 

and would like our town to get back to normal...  

For those of you who live 15 minutes outside of the metro area 

and beyond, you probably heard not a peep about it....

At least I hope not...  

Most of Chicago either left town 

or stayed close to home to avoid all that mess...  

Or they went to the Crosstown Classic 

to witness the Cubs get bludgeoned by the White Sox 

three games in a row...  

Tommy was not happy...  

And me, in between doing a little gardening, 

I hid away in the comfort of the kitchen, 

far from the chants 

and the motorcades (aka "Car Porn" in my house...)

This recipe has been stuffed in my binder of magazine tears 

for a year now...

Shoofly Pie...  

Given that this pie has no nuts, fruits nor proteins, 

I was curious as to what the fuss was all about.  

How could it be tasty?  

But, it has stood the test of time...  

My great-grandmother had her own clipping for Shoofly Pie 

in her wooden recipe box...  

If you read the card above, apparently Mr. Robert Deardorff 

wrote a scintillating article on the Pennsylvania Dutch... 

Shoofly Pie does have Amish origins.  

Mrs. Lloyd Bedsworth Jr offered up her version... 

It must be good for Mamaw to have saved it... 

 

So I decided to give the 2011 version a try... 

The first failure was the box of ready made pie dough....  

Note to self:  use said pie dough within six months of purchase...  

Blue spots do not indicate freshness...  

So I made the dough from scratch...  

If you have a food processor, 

making dough couldn't be quicker nor easier.  

The key is to stop as soon as the dough 

starts to come together...  

The filling for Shoofly Pie looks like an Old Fashioned, 

without the ice and rocks glass...  

So weird...  

Although, you could drink an Old Fashioned while baking the pie....

Sorry, just a thought...

Where was the texture for this confection? 

It is just this amber liquid, swimming in the fresh pie crust...

Then you top the whole thing with a lot of streusel.  

I was quite skeptical until the pie started 

to rise and take shape.  

The baking soda is the key...  

One must have a sweet tooth to appreciate this pie, 

but let's just say my family hoovered their slices 

in mere seconds.  

I took the remainder next door to assure 

that tantalizing pie didn't make its way to my posterior...  

Try Shoofly Pie... 

It's a gentle nod to the past, a unique offering at a potluck 

and it's delicious!

I'll bet if Chicago's Finest served slices of Shoofly Pie 

to the protestors 

those chants might have turned 

into a rousing rendition of Kumbaya...

Shoofly Pie, courtesy of Country Living Magazine

Ingredients

Piecrust:

• 2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon(s) salt
• 3/4 cup(s) shortening
• 5 tablespoon(s) water

Filling:

• 1/2 cup(s) dark corn syrup
• 1/4 cup(s) light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1/2 cup(s) hot water

Crumb Topping:

• 1 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon(s) shortening
• 2/3 cup(s) light brown sugar, packed
• 1 pinch(s) salt
• 1 pinch(s) ground cinnamon

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Directions

1. For crust: In a medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add water until combined. Press together to form dough and chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness; fit into a 9-inch pie pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. For filling: Combine corn syrup, brown sugar, and egg. Dissolve baking soda in hot water, stir into syrup mixture, and pour into crust.
3. For topping: In a medium bowl, mix ingredients using your fingers or a pastry blender until combined. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over corn-syrup mixture. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.