What's your favorite pie?

[super_b]

I watched "Waitress" last evening...Now all I can think about is pie. I'm not sure I can pick just one as a favorite...Apple, Key Lime, Pecan, Blueberry, Chess...I love pie.

What's your favorite?

PS: Please include recipes.

[toodie jane]

Gooseberry. Oh good gracious.

[greygarious]

Here are 3 unusual recipes - I've lost a 4th, for LEMON CAKE-PIE, which formed a cakey top layer, above a creamy middle layer. Anyone?

OATMEAL-COCONUT PIE:
1 unbaked 9" pie shell, 350 preheated oven
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c old-fashioned or quick oats
3/4 c light or dark corn syrup
1/2 cup sweetened coconut
1 stick butter, melted
2 large eggs

Whisk eggs, stir in other ingredients, pur into shell and bake 50-60 minutes, until crust and top are golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out oily but clean. Center may still jiggle. Cool completely before slicing. This pie looks like pecan pie, has the same texture, and, oddly, even tastes similar.

SAWDUST PIE:
1 pre-baked 9" pie shell
1 1/2 c sweetened coconut
1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 c chopped pecans
1 1/2 c sugar
1 c egg whites (6-7)

Whisk whites lightly, stir in other ingredients, pour into prebaked shell, then bake in preheated 350 oven for 35 minutes.

SOUR CREAM PEAR PIE:
1 unbaked 9" pie shell Preheat oven to 375
5 pears, peeled, cored, diced
1/2 c golden raisins
1 tbsp cinnamon
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 c sour cream

Whisk eggs, stir in remaining ingredients, pour into shell and bake for 1 hour.

[TrishUntrapped]

My go-to pie book, with over 700 recipes is Farm Journal's Complete Pie book from 1981. As expected, there is a recipe in it for Lemon Cake-Pie, which I have modified accordingly to fit the CH guidelines

LEMON CAKE-PIE

Ingredients:

Unbaked 9 inch pie shell
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons flour
1 lemon, grated peel and juice
1 cup milk

Directions:

1. Cream together sugar and butter.
2. Beat egg yolks and add to the creamed mixture.
3. Add flour, grated lemon peel (approx. 2 teaspoons), and lemon juice (approx. 3 tablespoons), and milk.
4. Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry, peaks form.
5. Fold egg whites into lemon mixture. Pour into pie shell.
6.Bake in very hot oven, 450 degrees, 10 minutes; reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake 20 minutes longer, or until filling sets and top is browned.

[EmmaToo]

Peanut butter is my favorite pie. I use a recipe I snagged off of RecipeZaar but substitute fresh whipped cream for the Cool Whip (blech).

[Boccone Dolce]

Pizza Pie is my favorite!
But you obviously meant dessert. That would be mincemeat (after Daddy died, I'm the only one that eats it-but I get one every Nov. anyway)

I am not an experienced baker. I did once make a chess pie (and the crust) because my boss asked for one. I followed a recipe I found somewhere on line. He flipped out and suddenly all these grown men were crowded around the pie plate with plastic spoons. It looked like a pecan pie without the pecans, I did not try it. Other than that, I'll do pumpkin, cherry, and I've done apple before but I usually buy the crust or wimp out at the last minute and make a crumble or cobbler (mmmmmmmmmm cobbler).
I've done many, many ricotta pies and I'm tired of them.

[alkapal]

boccone dolce, i had to laugh at the mental image of the feeding frenzy with plastic spoons. for some reason it brought to mind a photograph i saw depicting cows in a circle around a feed trough. ;-)

[4maxwelz]

Blueberry!! With homemade vanilla ice cream! YUM! (I love the movie, too!)

[jspear]

Maine blueberry. Gramma used to make it along with the best blueberry muffins I have ever had, more like little pound cakes, both recipes died with her but......Mae's in Bath Me, makes a GREAT blueberry pie and a GREAT wild berry pie. They also have, or used to have, a great wildberry cobbler.....

[roxlet]

I made a couple of wild blueberry pies this year using frozen wild organic blueberries from Trader Joe's. They were fantastic, and a couple of bags were enough for a nice, high pie. I don't think I would make any other kind of blueberry pie again!

[VTtoMAtoCAfoodie]

My two favorite pies are both from my mom.

Her cherry pie was to die for. Unfortunately, we lost our cherry tree after the ice storm that hit Vermont a while back.

She also makes a French Canadian pie that we call meat pie. It's a mixture of ground pork, beef (and maybe lamb), mashed potatoes and spices such as nutmeg. If anyone is interested I could try to find the recipe. We always eat it with dill pickles. It is so delicious.

[TheSnowpea]

That meat pie sounds like a tourtière! Lots of Quebecers eat it with chow chow and pickled beets (and shhh, ketchup if the pie is dry), so a pickle is not far off :-)

[alkapal]

coconut custard pie. not-too-sweet pecan pie, with chopped pecans packing in the filling and halves on top. key lime pie with the authentic pastry crust. cherry pie.

[ThreeGigs]

Hmm, well as long a we're talking about pie, I'll post again with some of my pie crust tricks I've picked up over the years.

-Half butter and half shortening - Butter for flavor, shortening for more flakiness.
-Put your grater in the freezer with your butter and shortening, and grate them instead of just cutting them. Microplane graters are perfect for this.
-put your flour in the freezer, too!
- Instead of adding just water, I do the following: I take a cup to a cup and a half of water, add an egg yolk and a tablespoon of white vinegar. I also add my salt to the water instead of to the dry ingredients. The egg yolk seems to work better than other fat sources, like sour cream, and the vinegar keeps gluten formation down. Use lemon juice instead of the vinegar for a more interesting taste with fruit pies.
- 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar mixed in with the flour makes for better browning and a sweeter taste.
-keep an empty mustard squeeze bottle handy for the water, it's a lot easier to drizzle the water in evenly with it, so no wet or dry spots.
-when rolling out the crust, I use bread flour to dust the board, rolling pin and top of the crust. Makes for a nice tissue thin outer flake layer.

Anyone else have any pie crust tips?

[Pampatz]

I make my pie crust pretty much the same way with frozen butter and Crisco, sugar, egg and vinegar. I use milk, however, instead of water. My recipe comes from one of the Junior League of Denver cookbooks, probably Colorado Cache.

[jspear]

sounds like a recipe I use from a local cook book from popham beach maine, mine makes two, top and bottom crusts and needs refrigeration....

[greygarious]

When you're baking pies often, roll the pastry cloth around the rolling pin, put them in a plastic bag or wrap in foil, and keep them in the fridge between uses. The cold helps make rolling dough easier, and you don't need to wash the cloth each time if you keep it cold.

[TheSnowpea]

Like Scuzzo, the one i front of me?

No recipes to offer right now, but faves are lemon meringue, rustic cherry tart, mincemeat, apple (with cinnamon), strawberry rhubarb...

Okay, I have my recipe for Rustic Cherry Tart on hand.

Flaky Butter Crust (from Sally Schneider's New Way To Cook)

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
4 Tbsp very cold butter, cut in small bits
3 Tbsp low fat or full fat sour cream (I used full fat)

Put dry ingredients in food pro with blade, whiz together.
Add butter. Whiz to coarse meal.
Put food pro bowl with flour mix in fridge for 15 minutes so that everything stays cold.
After 15 minutes, remove and add sour cream, whiz until dough forms.
Take out dough, knead 7-8 times (use a bit of flour on your work surface).
Form into a ball, flatten into a thick disk, wrap in plastic film.
Leave in fridge for at least 30 minutes (so the butter will form sheets when you roll it out).
Roll out carefully into a disk about 15 inches diameter. Put on a cookie sheet.

Recipe can be doubled (when my flour did not come together, I added more sour cream until it did).

For the tart filling
Use 3 cups of whatever fruit is good right now. I use fresh tart cherries straight from my backyard. Flavour with a 2-3 Tbsp sugar, a few drops of vanilla and tiny splish of a nice fragrant booze like Kirsch, 1-2 tsp lemon juice, pinch of salt (it makes sweet taste better), and 2-3 Tbsp flour to thicken (depending on how juicy the fruit will be).

Pile the fruit mix in the middle of the disk, fold the edges of the dough over the fruit. Brush with egg and sprinkle with demerara or coarse sugar if you want. Bake 40 minutes at 400F (keep an eye on it so the edges don't burn).

I've had to put some aluminium foil barriers around to support the sides when I overdid it with the filling and the walls started collapsing!

[oakjoan]

This sounds great when cherries come around again out here in Oakland.

I remember my aunt visiting us several times during the heat of the summer in L.A. She would moan and groan about how hot it was, all the while making a Swedish specialty she learned growing up in Duluth. They were called sandbakelser (sp), and were very short sweet and crumbly pastry tarts made in small molds shaped like those pie pans with fluted edges. The pastry was so delicate that it would crumble and fall to the bottom of the tart pan over and over again when I tried. She did a lot better. They were served with fresh fruit like strawberries and raspberries inside and topped with whipped cream. They were amazingly good, but mostly I remember her grumbling about the heat. My mother would mutter under her breath when she was out of earshot "If she's so hot, how come she keeps BAKING f'godsake!"

She also ironed frequently, with the same moaning and groaning.

But those sand tarts were amazing. I've never tried to make them on my own.

[Louise]

Pumpkin pie. *Grandma's* pumpkin pie. All other pies just aspire.

[fresnohotspot]

In elementary school, I was famous. I was the kid whose mom made the best lemon meringue pie. Glory days.

[JenBoes]

Strawberry Rhubarb. A bakery in my hometown also makes a fruit pie that contains a blend of peaches, raspberries, and blueberries. It's also really good.

[Pampatz]

Fresh peach pie, apple pie with a streusel crust (2:1 crust to apples), mixed berry cobbler, pecan and buttermilk pies are my favorites.
In the summer, I make an refrigerated pie called a millionaire pie with cream cheese, crushed pineapples and pecans in a crumb crust.

[Victoria724]

Pampatz - would you be able to share your recipe for millionaire pie? Thank you,

[Pampatz]

I've been using this recipe for the past few years because it doesn't call for incorporating raw eggs. Super easy and quick to make.

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
8 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup grated coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups whipped cream sweetened with 3 tbl. sugar (or 8 oz. of whipped topping)
1 9 inch pie shell - I use the Keebler shortbread shell

Cream together the cream cheese and sugar. Let the mixer run on high for a few minutes. Stir in the pineapple, coconut and pecans. Fold in 1/2 the whipped cream or topping. Pour pie filling into pie shell, cover and chill for several hours.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

[Victoria724]

Thank you very much.

[laliz]

Marie Callendar's fresh peach pie (seasonal of course)

Boston Cream Pie

Coconut cream pie

my friend Tonia's sweet potato pie

[oakjoan]

My favorite pie for the past few years has been Jamie Oliver's recipe for Baked Ricotta and Mascarpone Tart with Chocolate and Orange. It's a sort of cheesecake pie with a lattice crust which is sprinkled with small chunks of chocolate before baking. Not only heavenly to eat but gorgeous to see.

[VTtoMAtoCAfoodie]

That sounds heavenly. which cookbook is that recipe in?

[Amuse Bouches]

Mincemeat. Oh, how I love Mincemeat. Best in small pielets.

[gsElsbeth]

Lemon chess, a peach pie recipe from a very old Better Homes and Gardens that had peach halves rather than sliced peaches, Heavenly Pie ( a baked meringue crust, filled with a sweetened whipped cream and topped with grated chocolate).

[jen kalb]

rhubarb (needs some egg mixed with the sugar-flower thickener to be really good)
note: rhubarb/strawberry is horrid, but I had a rhubarb cherry that was excellent recently
cherry
apple
sweet potato
pecan

[mikkos]

Here are my 2 favorites and links to the recipes:

Berry Pie: http://www.ehow.com/how_4525598_easy-berry-pie.html

Fast Pecan Pie: http://www.ehow.com/how_4527488_fast-pecan-pie.html

Also, some pie baking tips if you'd like them: http://www.ehow.com/how_4519779_perfe...

[Karl S]

A properly tart cherry pie (please, no sweet cherries in my cherry pie!) is an underappreciated thing of beauty.

Apple-rhubarb.

Sweet potato.

And now that pie-baking season had returned, I finally bought my long-sought after Aunt Chick's mesh-bottomed pie pan at the Vermont Country store (a fabled item that was off the market for decades, but Aunt Chick's pie recipes are da bomb, including her unique method of folding the fat into the crust dough, and that special pie pan that makes for a wonderful crust).

http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/br...

[roxlet]

Coconut custard. It took years for me to find the ideal recipe, but my favorite pie cook book called, appropriately, Pie, has an excellent one. I make it and lemon meringue for Easter every year. Both are very spring-y IMHO.

[fallingup]

coconut cream, banana cream, apple, lemon meringue

[hipchick47]

I love pie, My mom made the best apple pie, but ,alas I did not inherit the crust gene. I love banana cream, blueberry with Maine berries, and pumpkin with whipped cream.

[FriedClamFanatic]

Blueberry! Especially if it is made with the much smaller, but much more flavorful, wild berries (and if I really wanted to be picky, from the State of Maine).

[tzurriz]

whichever one is in front of me when I'm asked that question. :)

[debvil]

butterscotch meringue or chocolate pecan are my faves

[fern]

Frozen Mincemeat pie. It is French vanilla ice cream with some mincemeat blended in. Put the mixing bowl and carving fork or whatever you're going to use for mixing in the freezer for a while, let the ice cream soften a bit in the fridge. You don't want it to get melty so mix quickly. Pour the rather stiff mixture into a cooled homemade graham cracker crust. (please don't use a store-bought for this, the delicious crust is an important part of this flavor combo.) This pie looks nice if you heap it higher in the center. Freeze hard and enjoy.

I was trying to find the recipe in order to give amounts but so far I can't find it. We've been having every Christmas since I was a child. If I find the written recipe I'll post it.

I also love apple pie. Made an apple crisp yesterday and my husband & I ate almost the entire thing over the course of the evening. The only thing that stopped us from doing so was the guilt that began creeping in at the idea of saving none at all for our son who was out. We saved him a small serving. I made it with extra topping and it was just delicious.

[LoN]

I've been making the mincemeat pie for a few years now....with a caramel sauce...yum....here's the recipe I use.....
1 ¼ cup vanilla wafer crumbs
½ cup finely chopped pecans
¼ cup butter, melted
2 T packed brown sugar
½ t cinnamon

6 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup mincemeat

½ cup brown sugar
1.2 cup whipped cream
½ t vanilla

Combine wafer crumbs pecans butter sugar and cinnamon. Press into bottom and 1 ½ inches up side of a 10 inch springform pan. Freeze for 30 minutes

Place ice cream in bowl and let stand at room temp for 10 – 15 minutes til soft. Stir in mincemeat till evenly distributed. Pack into crumb crust. Cover and freeze overnight and up to 4 weeks.

In saucepan bring sugar and cream to boil. Cook and stir for 3 – 4 minutes til thick. Do not overcook. Stir in vanilla. Let cool for 3 minutes and store in airtight container in fridge (up to 4 weeks).

[fern]

This sounds absolutely delicious. Mine is just the ice cream and mincemeat filling in a graham cracker crust and I love love love it so I can't wait to try yours!

[gordeaux]

In my eyes, there is only one true pie: pecan.

All recipes are generally the same. I use butter flavored pancake syrup instead of corn syrup, and only about 1/2 the granulated sugar the recipe calls for. Butterscotch chips, and chocolate chips work quite well, but IMO not needed. I can never turn down a slice of pecan pie. I think for most, it's a love it or hate it type thing.

[maxandrick]

I love apple- cranberry with a few raisins thrown in.

[girlwonder88]

I don't know that it's my favorite-that would probably go to peach, or rhubarb, or blackberry, or butterscotch cream, or banana cream (oh! the banana cream pie from the Dahlia Lounge in Seattle!) but every year for thanksgiving I have to bring my cranberry apple harvest pie-an open faced cranberry apple pie with caramel drizzled over it after baking. Gorgeous and yuymmy.

[Candy]

Sour cream apple with nut strusel crunchy topping. Recipe later if anyone wants it. The pie is best served chilled.

[super_b]

yes to the recipe...that sounds yummy.

[Candy]

Okay here it is.

Sour Cream Apple Pie

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Have a prepared single crust for a deep dish pie. I use Nick Malgieri's all butter crust.

Sift together 2 Tbs. flour, 3/4 C. sugar, 3/4 tsp. cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Then stir in 1 egg, 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (I like Singing Dog) and 1 C. sour cream (don't use non-fat). Fold in 6 apples which have been peeled, cored and sliced. Pour into the waiting pie shell. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 F. and bake 30 mins longer.

While the pie is in the initial baking, crumble together 1/3 C. flour, 1/3 C. sugar, 3/4 tsp. cinnamon. Then cut in 1/4 Cup butter and combine with 1/4 C. chopped walnuts that have been blanched and toasted. Top the pie with this and return to the 350 F. oven and increase the heat to 400 F. Bake an additional 10 mins. Remove from the oven and cool. Chill well before serving.

I like to add about a cup of raisins to the apple mixture. If you are not a fan of raisins leave them out. I sometimes grate some fresh nutmeg into the pie mixture too. It is a flavor combo I like.

[TrishUntrapped]

Personally I like what I call a Black and Blue Pie (half blackberries, half blueberries), or a straighforward fresh Cherry Lattice Pie, (I use tapioca as the thickener), or a fresh Raspberry Cream Pie.

But come holiday time, be it Thanksgiving or Christmas two pies disappear first - my mother in law's Apple Pie and my Chocolate Cream Pie. As I have posted the apple recipe with pix, elsewhere on CH, here is the recipe for the Chocolate Cream Pie.

Please note: The better quality chocolate you use, the better the filling. If using a chocolate with sugar, decrease the amount of sugar slightly.

Chocolate Cream Pie

1 pre-baked pie crust shell in a 10 inch pie pan

For the Chocolate Pudding Layer

3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon unsweetened non-alkalized cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup half-and-half
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
4 ounces unsweetened or very dark chocolate with high cacao content, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Cream Topping
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Prepare pie crust, set aside and cool.
2. Make the chocolate pudding layer. In a medium bowl, sift together the cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk in about 2 tablespoons of the half-and-half until it is a smooth paste. Whisk in the remaining half-and-half; set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, and chocolate. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot chocolate mixture into the half-and-half mixture. Whisk this mixture into the remaining chocolate mixture in the saucepan. Return the pan to the heat and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. When the mixture begins to bubble, continue to cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and then the vanilla. Scrape the pudding into the cooled pie shell. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it gently all around the top of the filling to keep the air out, and refrigerate the pie until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 hours.

To make the whipped cream topping:

1. Beat the cream and add the sugar and vanilla until the cream forms soft peaks.
2. Scrape the whipped cream over the chilled pie and, using a rubber spatula, sweep it into dramatic swirls. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

[jfood]

Mrs jfood's apple crumb. She started years ago with the recipe frm Kathleen's Bake Shop recipe and had modified over the years. She has a great sense for the apple combos and topping combo.

This week is banana cream then back to the apple diet.

[jeanmarieok]

Old fashioned apple pie. But I can never turn down a piece of bumbleberry (mixed berries) or mincemeat, no matter how full I am.

[jpc8015]

Quiche Lorraine.

[jerzzy]

Peach and cherry about a toss up. Apple close third

[greedygirl]

Steak and kidney, probably. The OH will kill for chicken and mushroom.

[Kate is always hungry]

Toss up between fresh (uncooked) strawberry and peach. The kind with the glaze. Use your favorite crust. I cut the fruit, take the mushiest ones, mash and heat in a pan with a little water and a little lemon juice and sugar. I sprinkle a little cornstarch to thicken the glaze. When cool, I pour the glaze over the fresh fruit piled into the baked pie crust. No ice cream or whipped cream required.

[BamiaWruz]

Not really a pie person, I enjoy apple if it's done well (no goupy fillings, just nice tender cinnamon spiced stewed apples and a good pastry)

[Janet]

Derby pie: this is like pecan pie with Bourbon, chocolate chips mixed in the with pecan pie. Serve it warm with whipped cream. Derby pie has been trade marked. So some recipes call it Louisville pie.

[ziggylu]

Blackberry or Peach. Or even better...Blackberry AND Peach.

[Querencia]

I posted a year or so ago my wonderment that Lemon Meringue Pie has just about disappeared from the American scene. I never see it on restaurant menus and good bakeries don't seem to sell it. Once in a while a disgusting fake-flavored fake-colored version turns up in a supermarket, but the real thing is like a delicate lemon cloud. It's labor-intensive to make but when I do make one whoever gets a piece of it just about faints with joy, so I don't think the public taste has changed to a point of not liking lemon meringue pie, which used to be the ultimate treat. Any thoughts on why it has become so scarce?

[BeefeaterRocks]

My late mother was famous for her Lemon Meringue pie and was always asked to make it for potlucks etc. Unfortunately I am not a pie or a lemon person so I have not carried on her legacy. Perhaps it is daughters like me who have caused the demise. I do occasionally like a piece of apple and of course pumpkin at Thanksgiving.

[TrishUntrapped]

I think one of the problems is Lemon Meringue Pie needs to be refrigerated if not sold right away. With cream pies, refrigeration doesn't bother them much, but meringue is not as good after it is refrigeratored for a period of time.

I would also think the LMP is not as popular as other pie flavors. On occasion my husband gets a craving for one, so I make it, and yes it is time consuming, much more than a berry or apple pie.

But the results are worth it. Citrusy fresh lemon with cloud-like meringue is heavenly. I also have made a Grapefruit Meringue Pie when I've had a lot of extra juicy grapefruits lying around.

[roxlet]

Lemon meringue pie is best made at home where the meringue can be browned at the very last minute to prevent the meringue from weeping.

[oakjoan]

TrishUntrapped: Grapefruit Meringue Pie - sounds heavenly. Will have to drag out the old Bittman.

[MMRuth]

I love the idea of a Grapefruit Meringue Pie - particularly using pink grapefruit.

[Glencora]

One of my favorites, too. I often ask my SO to make it for my birthday. It's a huge pain, but he obliges. I also love berry pies, especially ollieberry. I had a blueberry pie for my birthday this year. (Can you tell I don't like cake?) Sometimes I make pumpkin pie and eat it for breakfast.

[ThreeGigs]

Lemon meringue pie is *so* 1990's. Didn't you know this decade's fad pie is Key Lime?

Yeah, lemon meringue was supplanted by key lime pie. I wasn't thrilled about it either.

[roxlet]

I was just thinking of making Lime Meringue Pie with a ton of limes in my fridge that are starting to get old. I don't love Key Lime Pie, but I think Lime Meringue Pie would be delicious.

[jen kalb]

hmm you are forgetting 50s 60s and before - it was a classic for a long time. As commercial bakeries replace home cooking and the number of people at the table (it needs to be eaten fast) and home cooks with pastry skills drops, a delicate specialty like this becomes less favored. Key lime definitely has more shelf life. My mom won a 1st prize at state fair for her lemon meringue back in the 60s- but Ive never even tried to make it. Maybe this year.

[mar52]

The Lemon Chess Pie with walnut topping from the now defunct Beadles Cafeteria in Pasadena.

If anyone out there has the recipe for that topping, I sure would love it.

[Emme]

always been a fan of french apple or whichever apple has loads of crumb topping... 2:1 crumb to apple for me please.

[scuzzo]

The one in front of me???

Very hard to choose, but with a bit of a fall in the air, an apple pie can be a thing of great beauty and perfection.

[Tripper]

Raspberry or mixed berry pie

[ThreeGigs]

Shoo-fly pie.

1 9 or 10 inch unbaked pie shell. Just a normal flaky pie shell recipe will do.

Crumbs:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Syrup:
1 large beaten egg
1 cup molasses (dark preferred) *-don't confuse maple syrup or corn syrup with real molasses!
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in the cup of boiling water

Mix ingredients for crumbs thoroughly, should look like coarse crumb. Set about 1/2 cup aside.

Mix molasses, egg, salt and vanilla. Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water (it'll fizz a bit), then add that to the molasses mixture and stir.

Pour the syrup into the pie shell. Pour the crumbs on top of the syrup (try to distribute them evenly, I suggest spreading half, waiting a minute to see what soaks through, then the other half). Bake at 425 for about 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350, sprinkle the 1/2 half cup of crumbs you set aside previously on the pie (careful if you move the pie, it's very liquid still and may 'slosh'), bake for another 30-40 minutes (until firm).

Let cool completely.

If done right, most of the liquid will have soaked 'up' into the crumbs, but there will be a layer of just molasses on the bottom. This is known as a 'wet bottom' pie. If you mix (lightly) the crumbs and syrup before putting them in the pie, you'll get a 'dry bottom' shoo-fly pie. Obviously, I prefer wet bottom. Yes, I understand Dutchified English. :-)

[Emme]

can you or someone give a description of what this pie tastes like... i look at the ingredients, and wonder if it's something like the gooey taste of gingerbread without the ginger... i know that sounds odd...

[ipsedixit]

Think of coffee cake with molasses.

[ThreeGigs]

Yeah, that's about right. Like crumb cake, although the molasses texture comes out like jelly if you make the wet bottom version. You *must* like molasses to enjoy this pie though.

[oakjoan]

All I know is "Sho-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy make you eyes light up and your stomach say 'howdy!"

[jacquelyncoffey]

Fresh peach or fresh cherry, no other cooked fruit pies. Chocolate or vanilla cream pies are great, no coconut anything, pecan pie is only good for the pecans on the top. Just my preferences ;-)

[RGC1982]

Cherry. Lattice top is best. The rest are all second, third and fourth places for me.