Posted by Amanda Clarke, July 9, 2008 at 2:45 PM
My first experience with shoo-fly pie ended in disappointment. I was probably ten, had recently learned the basics of pie making from my grandmother and was firmly in the grips of a sort of pie mania. One day, while paging through a now-forgotten cookbook, I found a recipe for shoo-fly. I was intrigued—It was a pie that I had never tasted, let alone heard of. Adding to its lure, the recipe called for just a handful of common ingredients, all of which we had on hand, and was accompanied by, as I recall, a rather provocative image of a crumb-topped beauty with a ring of sticky, tar-like goodness around its perimeter.
I think it may have been my mother who claimed to have tried shoo-fly pie once and found it unpleasant, admonishing me against making it, but I proceeded, undeterred. Unfortunately, the result was a bitter, overwhelmingly molassesy flop of which nobody but my intrepid stepfather could tolerate more than a mouthful.
Shoo-Fly Pie Done Right, From the Pennsylvania Dutch
It wasn’t until recently, when my husband and I started planning for a weekend trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, that I gave shoo-fly another thought. The pie is a specialty of the Pennsylvania Dutch or Amish, who are prevalent in the Lancaster area and known in no small part for their tradition of fresh, simple, soul-satisfying baked goods. Shoo-fly consists of an unbaked pie shell filled with a molasses mixture that is layered, mixed or topped with a crumbly mixture of flour, butter, and sugar before baking.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, June 5, 2008 at 6:45 PM
Not Martha makes adorable pies in tiny jars after seeing them at lloyrdandlauren.com. The result is an ample supply of snack sized pies in ready-to-bake containers that you can pull out of the freezer whenever you get a pie craving. Follow Not Martha's tips for successful tiny pie-making!
Related
For an Edible Container, Try Bacon Bowls
Photo of the Day: Crawly Spider Cakes
Vodka: the Secret to Foolproof Pie Dough
Posted by Ed Levine, May 23, 2008 at 8:30 AM
I forgot my scale (I was going to throw it into my duffel bag when we left the house on Wednesday), so I'm afraid there will be no moment of reckoning, no not-so-high drama, in my diet post this week. We have been up on Martha's Vineyard for two days now, and I must say my diet challenges up here are great, so there's plenty to write about and report on.
I have been coming to the Vineyard for more than thirty years now, and I have battled my addiction to pie for at least that long. Check that. I think my mother must have been addicted to pie, so she gave birth to a pie-addicted son more than fifty years ago. Over half a century of a craving for pie that has gone on unabated.
The problem is that Martha's Vineyard happens to be awash with pies. No matter what direction I drive in, no matter what town I head for up here, I pass at least a passable pie emporium. There's Garcia's Deli in back of Alley's General Store, the Chilmark Store in Chilmark, Morning Glory Farm and Just Pie in Edgartown, Black Dog Bakery and the Scottish Bakehouse in Vineyard Haven, The Old Stone Bakery and Little Rock Farms in Oak Bluffs, and many more pie establishments that I won't bore you with by listing. Anyway, you get the picture. Martha's Vineyard is pie central.
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Posted by Alaina Browne, April 22, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Mrs. Smith's parent company surveyed Americans about their 3 favorite pies. The results probably won't surprise you especially if you take into account the source, but we still couldn't resist creating a pie chart:
[via Epi-log]
Related
A Pie Chart of Pies T-Shirt
The Serious Eats Pie Honor Roll
Pie Recipes
Posted by Robyn Lee, March 14, 2008 at 1:59 PM
What makes March 14 so special? Besides that it's Friday, it's also the Pi Day! And while the purpose of this day may be to honor our favorite mathematical constant, it's also a great excuse to eat its buttery crusted homophone: pie.
I think in honor of it being the 20th anniversary of Pi Day, you should feel no shame in eating at least 20 different kinds of pies. (You don't have to finish all of them; just think of it as a pie buffet.)
Previously:
The Best Pies in America: The Serious Eats Pie Honor Roll
Vodka the Secret to Foolproof Pie Dough, Banana Cream Pies in New York City
In Gear: Pie Birds
Photo of the day: Pi Pie
Posted by Robyn Lee, January 23, 2008 at 6:30 PM
What is banana cream pie besides my most favorite pie in the universe? Just a combination of four of the best things on Earth: buttery pie crust, bananas, thick vanilla pudding, and a heavy dose of fluffy whipped cream. That's a little piece of stomach-crushing heaven right there.
I once went to Billy's Bakery for dessert after eating dinner at Grand Sichuan with Kathy. Despite that we felt like our stomachs were going to explode and/or burn away from stuffing ourselves with hot Sichuanese food, we proceeded to dig into a hulking slice of their banana cream pie. The plastic plate it came on was barely strong enough to support the pie's heft. Each forkful of crust, banana chunk, creamy vanilla pudding and freshly whipped cream that we swallowed was like a stab to our digestives systems, but the combination was too perfect to resist. Sometimes you just have to eat through the pain.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, January 23, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Photograph from cowfish on Flickr
I enjoy dessert pies more than savory pies, but cowfish's homemade pork pie is quite a looker if you're into fat, towering cylinders of meat-filled pastry. Which I am. Witness the transformation of a pile of flour into the finished porky beauty in his raised pork pie photo set.
Posted by Erin Zimmer, January 23, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Ever wonder what complements the sourness of rhubarb pie? Or the tartness of apple pie? After consulting the gastro-scientific website of joy FoodPairing, we’ve done some research and got the answers. Disclaimer: Some of these are awfully strange, and potentially inedible...
If you’re having Rhubarb Pie, try: black tea, coffee, a broad range of fish (ew), apple juice or celery leaves.
More bizarre pairings after the jump.
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Colossal bummer. We missed last weekend’s 4th Annual Pies on Parade in beautiful coastal Maine. The Historic Inns of Rockland totally have their priorities straight, dedicating a weekend to fruity and savory fillings inside buttery crusts. Beyond the lighthouses and quaint scenery —yes, it gets better—those signed up receive a local Rockland cookbook called Let Us Eat Pie, a personal pie (all for yourself; no sharing) and a trademarked Pies on Parade poster. Again, mark your calendars NOW for next year. We apologize to the following charming inns for missing out: Berry Manor Inn, LimeRock Inn and Captain Lindsey House.
Posted by Robyn Lee, January 23, 2008 at 12:30 PM
British DJ Mr. Scruff must really like pie. Why else would he have made a music video portraying a city of potato-shaped people making pies and carrying them around like the hottest new accessory? Even the animals and robots love pie.
Watch this animated world of pie excess after the jump.
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Posted by Ed Levine, January 23, 2008 at 8:30 AM
I've told you all before of my undying love for pie, and of my never-ending search for the perfect slice. In fact, I have called on all of you to help in this endeavor before, and I am asking you again.
In honor of National Pie Day I've decided to put together, with the help of serious eaters everywhere, the Serious Eats Pie Honor Roll. I've tasted most of these myself, but I've also taken the liberty of adding some pielicious places my friend John T. Edge has written about in two of his wonderful books, Apple PIe and Southern Belly. Please add your favorite pie places to the Serious Eats Pie Honor Roll.
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Posted by Ed Levine, November 16, 2007 at 6:45 AM
How many of us actually sit down for our Thanksgiving feast and think, "Man, I can't wait to get through the turkey, stuffing, gravy, and mashed potatoes, so I can dig into that piece of pumpkin pie that's sure to be coming"?
How do I love pie? Let me count the ways. I love an apple pie, all cinnamony with firm apples in a a flaky crust. I love cherry pie made with Michigan cherries if it's not too sweet and too goopy. I love streusel-topped crumb pies because, well, they invariably taste really good unless the streusel-to-fruit ratio is out of whack. Key lime pie, like the really good, not very jiggly ones they make at Steve's in Red Hook, Brooklyn, bring it on, no questions asked. Lemon chess, apple-cranberry, banana cream, coconut cream, coconut custard, lemon chiffon, pecan (as long as the pecan-to-sweet-jellied-goop balance is respected), I love them all.
But pumpkin pie is not a similar object of my affection. I have never been able to fully get behind pumpkin pie. It's not just me, is it? Serious Eaters, I need you to 'fess up here. We've all been merely tolerating the pumpkin pies that have been put in front of us at Thanksgiving forever. Maybe it's time to put an end to the Great Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie Sham.
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Posted by Amanda Clarke, November 15, 2007 at 10:45 AM
Thinking about Thanksgiving, my mind makes its first stop at turkey but invariably forges on to pie, where it lingers, meditating on silken pumpkin, lightly spiced apple and sticky, sweet pecan, among others. Considering topics for this week’s piece, I took the progression one step further: bird to pie to pie bird.
When I was a child, a small, bird-shaped tchotchke perched on my mother’s kitchen windowsill, silhouetted against the sunlight beyond. I recall being told that it was a pie bird, that you stuck it in the center of a pie before baking and that it whistled when the pie was ready. I had all but forgotten it until I received one, almost identical to my mother’s, for my birthday this year. What was the story with these things after all?
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Posted by Adam Kuban, October 15, 2007 at 2:45 PM
We've had these books sitting around the office for some time now, but we were waiting for apple season before featuring John T. Edge's Apple Pie: An American Story
as a Cook the Book installment. Apple Pie is one of four books in a series that explores iconic American food (Donuts, Hamburgers & Fries, and Fried Chicken are the others).
Apple Pie is both a history, a guide, and a "little black book" that will lead you to the best examples the nation has to offer. Of course, no apple pie book would be complete without recipes, and Edge has plenty—five of which we'll be bringing you over the course of the week. The first one will be along shortly, but now's the time that I mention our obligatory win-this-book contest.
We've got five (5) copies to give away. To enter to win, all you have to do is answer the following in the comments here:
Where do you go for the best apple pie? Could be a restaurant, a diner, grandma's house, your own kitchen, or wherever. Just share it with us, and you're good to go.
Winners will be chosen at random from among the comments, and commenting will close on Saturday, October 21 at 3 p.m. ET. The usual Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Posted by Alaina Browne, October 1, 2007 at 7:00 PM
Photograph from VROG in Bristol on Flickr
There are more than 1,500 results for "pi pie" on Flickr. My search for "pi pie" turned up today's Photo of the Day and also led me to this excellent pi pie dish, the perfect thing for your favorite geek baker.
Posted by Ed Levine, June 14, 2007 at 10:20 AM
I'm a dad and I love pie, so I can only conclude that all dads love pie. What's not to love about a great pie? We all appreciate flakey, golden-brown crusts and firm, not-too-sweet fresh fruit filling, don't we? Is there anything better than a great piece of cherry pie served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or better yet some vanilla frozen custard? So this Father's Day give your dad a cherry pie from the Grand Traverse Pie Company. You'll make him very happy. Order it today and your pie will make it to your dad by Father's Day.
Posted by Lia Bulaong, May 7, 2007 at 1:30 PM
Internet T-shirt manufacturer extraordinaire Threadless just released a new batch of designs today, and my favorite of the lot is Pie Chart by Graham Dobson, a stylish pie chart of pies. I love pies, pie charts, and recursive humor, so this shirt is a trifecta of awesomeness for me. $15 for a regular shirt, $17 for a girlie tee.
Previously: Tasty Fast Food T-Shirts From Threadless
Posted by Lia Bulaong, March 16, 2007 at 2:24 PM
Love or hate McDonald's, you have to admit they usually do a good job of integrating local specialties into their menus. McDonald's restaurants in Hawaii have lots of custom items on their menus—the breakfast menu alone has two dishes with SPAM: a SPAM McGriddle and SPAM served with eggs and rice—and they frequently get limited edition delights too. Pomai of Honolulu food blog The Tasty Island recently tried the current offering, the Haupia Pie: "Similar to their familiar Apple Pie, this item uses the same crust and turnover shape, except with this, it has a filling intended to (loosely) replicate the traditional Haupia dessert offered at a Hawaiian Luau. Upon first bite, you ‘ll notice the light, golden crispy texture and mild salty flavor of the crust compliments the sweet, creamy coconut-flavored filling quite nicely."
