Shoo Fly Pie

"Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy,
Makes your eyes light up,
Your tummy say 'Howdy!'"

I've always loved the song 'Shoo Fly Pie'. Dinah Shore had a bestselling hit with it in 1946, and I quite like the version by Ella Fitzgerald. The name of the song so intrigued me that I decided to find out what this strange sounding pie was, and how to make one.

Shoo Fly (or Shoofly) pie is a molasses pie considered traditional among the Pennsylvania Dutch and Southern cooking. Some say the pie gets its name from the need to 'shoo' flies away that are attracted to its sugary sweetness from the molasses filling. Wikipedia notes the term "shoo-fly pie" first appeared in print as early as 1926.

The early Dutch settlers brought staple food items with them on the long boat trip, including flour, brown sugar, molasses, lard, salt, and spices. Women skilled in the culinary art of 'making do' found a way to make a sweet pie from these basic pantry ingredients. Shoo Fly Pie is essentially flour, sugar and fat. In other words, it sounds delicious!

As with many classic recipes, there seem to be a huge variety of variations of how to make a Shoo Fly Pie, but there does seem to be agreement that it is best served slightly warmed with whipped cream and a cup of coffee.

Here's a recipe for Shoo Fly Pie to try. Now I just need to figure out how to made Apple Pan Dowdy!

Shoo Fly Pie

INGREDIENTS
1 unbaked 9" pie crust

1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 cup butter

1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup golden syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg, beaten

METHOD
Preheat oven to 325 F and baking sheet covered in foil (to catch any overflow) on the rack.

Mix the dry ingredients together with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Alternatively mix the flour, sugar and spices together, then cut in the butter with a knife and rub between your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Beat together the molasses, syrup and egg. Add the baking soda to the boiling water, then add to the molasses mixture and stir well. Pour molasses mixture into the piecrust.

Spoon the crumbs over the top (they will sink in). Place the pie on the baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes or until it is set and dark brown. Serve warm with whipped cream and a cup of coffee.

For a stronger flavour you can make the pie with a full cup of molasses instead of using golden syrup.