Shoofly Pie

Shoofly Pie is a favorite in our house, with a great backstory. My Mr. and I were in Seattle a few years ago, desperately looking for some late lunch in West Seattle after flying in to town. It was pouring rain (shocking, right?) and every legitimate lunch spot was closed. I turned around, distraught, as anyone can tell you I don't do "hungry" very well. When I turned, I saw the light. That is, I saw the warm, welcoming lights of the Shoofly Pie Co., a little house full of dreamy slices of sweet pie, as well as mini chicken and veggie pot pies. We spent the afternoon having the most memorable pie extravaganza ever.

We had savory pies, then big, luscious slices of sweet pie. Mr. chose a slice of Shoofly Pie, and that was the beginning of the end of our waistlines.

Shoofly Pie is a gooey, spiced molasses pie, unlike anything else we've tasted. And at least once a year, certainly on Thanksgiving, we give thanks to the Amish for giving us this delectable treat!



Shoofly Pie
Adapted from the Splendid Table

Makes one 9-inch pie; serves 8 (or 2, if you've invited my husband for a slice!)

Pie crust (for a single layer 9-inch pie):
* 1 and 7/8 cup flour
* 15 Tablespoons salted butter
* 2 Tablespoons sugar
* Ice Water

Pie filling:
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
* 1 rounded tablespoon cold butter
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 egg
* 1 cup molasses
* 3/4 cup cold water
* 1/4 cup hot water
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
* 1/8 teaspoon Ground Ginger
* 1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
* 1/8 teaspoon Ground Cloves

Make the pie crust. In a food processor, or with a pastry cutter, mix the flour, sugar and butter until it is crumbly. Then slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball. Refrigerate for an hour (if you can wait that long!) and then roll out the dough and line a 9-inch pie pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, butter, and salt. Remove 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside.

Transfer the rest to a medium mixing bowl. In a small bowl, beat the egg lightly. Add the molasses, Spices and cold water, and blend but do not beat; you don’t want bubbles in the batter. Set aside.


In a small bowl, mix the hot water with the baking soda and blend into the molasses mixture. Add to the flour mixture and mix well.

Pour into the pie shell and top with the reserved crumbs.




Bake for 35 minutes. The pie will appear quivery but will firm up as it cools. Transfer to a rack to cool completely before cutting.

Adventures in Gluten-Free Land

Despite my overall feelings about the importance of tolerance in the world, my Mr. recently helped me realize that I may be a little intolerant towards gluten. Some might say, "oh, that's cool, you can just go kinda low carb!" or "what did gluten ever do for you?" But for me, it's a little bit of a disaster. My favorite foods, in no particular order, are pie, hawaiian rolls, waffles, cupcakes, and shrimp. I can now comfortably eat only one of those foods (hint: one of these things is not like the other...).

Plus, I love baking, and baking gluten-free is no fun. First you need to buy all kinds of weird ingredients, like xantham gum, tapioca starch, sorghum powder...following the "grandma rule" of eating, my grandmothers would NOT recognize these ingredients in their kitchens. Then you have to trash your favorites and find all new recipes using the above stuff.

Happily, Thomas Keller has come to the rescue with Cup 4 Cup, a direct replacement for all-purpose flour. Yes, it is simply a combo of all those weird ingredients I already mentioned, but it is intended to replace the flour in your favorite recipes, one for one. And yes, it is ridiculously expensive, at $20 for 3 lbs of flour. And yes, you can only buy it at Williams-Sonoma, so you have to brave the holiday shopping crowds if you want to make your traditional holiday cooking gluten-free. But it's worth it!!

So far, we have made pancakes and pie crust. Both had a very different, somewhat gummy, texture when raw (unlike their glutenous counterparts), but cook up just perfectly, and there is really no difference in taste with the original recipe. Next up, chocolate chip cookies...

Sweet Potato Ginger Pudding

I'll be honest, I stole this recipe. I didn't adapt it, I just stole it. And it is hands down my favorite Thanksgiving dish (except this year it's getting a run for its money given my new happiness with my Savory Holiday Bread Pudding!). Part of my love affair with this recipe is making it in my Mama's lidded gold baking dish from Gump's, which has always held a special magic as she would whip the lid off to reveal my favorite cinnamon-topped bread pudding.

Here is the beauty of my recipe theft, from the well-worn Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving book in my Stepmom's pantry:

Sweet Potato Ginger Pudding

2 lb. yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes, unpeeled
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teasp. freshly grated nutmeg
4 egg whites

1. Place the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook until tender, 30-40 minutes. Drain and let cool.

2. Meanwhile, preheat an over to 350. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Butter a 2-qt. souffle dish or baking dish.

3. Peel the cooled potatoes and place in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process to a smooth puree. You should have about 2-1/2 cups. Transfer the puree to a large bowl and stir in the lemon zest, salt and crystallized ginger. Then stir in the cream and add nutmeg to taste.

4. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat the egg whites until soft folds form. Add about one-fourth of the beaten whites to the potato mixture and stir in well to lighten it. Then, using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining whites, being careful not to deflate the mixture. Spoon into the prepared dish.

5. Bake until risen and slightly golden on top, 40-50 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 8-10

Savory Holiday Bread Pudding

After hearing reports for rain all week, I was so excited to settle in and make a homey, fall dinner. And after last year's many failed efforts at making the perfect Thanksgiving stuffing (or "dressing" as some people call it, as it is only "stuffed" into a baking dish), I decided this was the weekend to start my quest anew.

The hubby and I realized, after many a dry, tasteless, stuffing, that what I was looking for was really a savory sausage-y version of my Mama's bread pudding - moist and creamy, in need of no gravy (as much as I love gravy!). And last night, I hit the jackpot - the perfect stuffing - or maybe more appropriately named, "Savory Holiday Bread Pudding."

Savory Holiday Bread Pudding
Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites, who adapted it from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

8x8″ pan of Cornbread, minus one taster square for the chef (I used the incredibly delicious gluten-free version from Pamela's)
3/4 pound Mild Italian sausage
1 medium Onion, chopped
3 stalks Celery, chopped
1 Quart Chicken Broth
2 Eggs
3 tablespoons Salted Butter
Sage (6-8 fresh leaves, chopped fine)
Rosemary (I used a tablespoon or so dried rosemary)
Fennel seeds (I used about 1-2 tablespoons dried fennel seeds)
1/4 c. chopped fresh flat-leaf Parsley
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375. Crumble the pan of cornbread and leave in the preheating oven to dry it out a little. No need to go crazy drying it out for days. A little bit of crispy edge is plenty. Once dried, put in a large bowl.

Crumble the Italian sausage into a hot skillet and brown it over medium heat. Transfer the crumbled sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

If there are 2 tablespoons of rendered sausage drippings in the pan, add the chopped celery, onions, and dried herbs and seeds. If not, add enough olive oil to have around 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan and add the chopped ingredients when the oil is hot. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Remove from heat and add to the crumbled cornbread. Add the sausage and chopped herbs and toss until combined. Put cornbread mixture into 9x13" baking dish.

In your now-empty, still dirty, bowl, combine the eggs and about half the chicken broth. Season with pepper, and salt, if you like. Pour mixture over the cornbread mix and press into pan so the dry ingredients are all moist. Put pats of butter around the top of the stuffing.

Bake for about 30 minutes, and then add more chicken broth over the top, if the stuffing appears at all dry. Bake another 20 minutes or so, until the top of the stuffing starts to brown and the liquid appears to have mostly cooked off. Just before serving, put the whole shebang under the broiler for a few minutes to get the top nice and crusty.

Those who know me well know that I don't mind tooting my own horn, and this recipe is no exception. It is hands down, and without a doubt, the best stuffing I have EVER had!!