Take a glance at any historical American cookbook, or anybody’s old recipe file, and you are apt to find a version of shoofly pie. Though each varies slightly in its ingredients, the results, I have found, are quite similar, with a sweet, crisp topping covering a caramel-like filling. Like many simple recipes, the result is better than the sum of the parts, and the ingredients are so basic you might not even have to go to the store. In the Pennsylvania Dutch region, homemade shoofly pies can be purchased from the kitchen of almost every farmhouse.
Makes one 9-inch pie
Basic All-American Pie Dough for a 9-inch pie shell (page 20)
TOPPING
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable shortening
FILLING
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dark corn syrup
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Roll out the dough and fit it into a 9-inch pie pan, then trim and flute the edges (see page 22). Set aside.
To make the topping, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Stir together with a fork or whisk, making sure to break up any large lumps of brown sugar. Drop in the shortening and, using your fingertips or a pastry blender, blend the shortening into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like small, irregular crumbs. Set aside.
To make the filling, in a small bowl stir together the boiling water and baking soda. Add the corn syrup and stir until evenly blended. Pour into the prepared pie shell. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top, distributing it as evenly as you can. Be careful not to spill the filling while carrying this pie to the oven, as it is very liquidy.
Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350°F and bake for 25 to 30 minutes more, until the topping is browned and the filling is set.
Serve warm or at room temperature.