23. November 2005 · Comments Off on Classic Americana: Shoo-Fly Pie · Categories: Eat, Drink and be Merry, General

(My Grannie Jessie reminised fondly about a pie like this, straight from her upbringing in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is really more of a gingerbread cake baked in a pie shell, but which can be as soggy as a sort of gingerbread pudding. I think I copied this recipe from an American Heritage magazine issue, or cookbook, 25 years ago. It is more on the cake side of the scale. Note to our European readers; it is named thus, because it is so good and rich, that you have to shoo the flies away from it. Please don’t make me explain about the Pennsylvania Amish. Just check out the movie “Witness”, or something.)

Combine:
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup soft butter

Mix until soft crumbs form. In another bowl, combine:

1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 molasses
1/2 cup boiling water

Mix liquid with 2/3 of the crumb mixture, and pour into a chilled and prepared 8 in pie shell. Sprinkle evenly with remaining soft crumbs, and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes.

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