Cooking With Gourmet Coffee

If you’ve never tried shoofly pie, or made one, you really should. A specialty
of the Pennsylvania Dutch, it’s a very full-flavored, molasses-y pie with a part
jelly-like, part crumbly filling. It’s noteworthy that historians aren’t sure where
the pie got its name. One theory says that the sweet stickiness of the pie was
a real fly magnet. Another claims that the name came from the French
chou-fleur - cauliflower - which the surface of the pie is said to resemble,
texture-wise. In any event, I don’t know that the Pennsylvania Dutch ever add
coffee to theirs. It’s not at all out of the question: the coffee flavor has a certain
compatibility with the molasses. So why wouldn’t a clever and thrifty cook
substitute leftover coffee for the boiling water that is typically used?

Bottom line: this is a delicious pie, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
to balance the forward flavor. Easy, too, since you can use a frozen pie shell
from the supermarket (or make your own, of course.) I’d love to know what you
think about this pie, so don’t hesitate to email me and let me know.

1 9-inch frozen pie shell
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup unsulphured or blackstrap molasses
3/4 cup boiling brewed coffee
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. Remove the frozen pie shell from its packaging, then put it back in the
freezer for the time being. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a
large bowl. Mix with your hands. Add the butter. Using your fingers or a
pastry blender, rub or cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the
mixture resembles a fine meal that forms small clumps. Set aside.

3. In another medium bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and
molasses. Add the boiling coffee, stirring to dissolve the brown sugar.
Whisk in the baking soda, vanilla, and beaten egg.

4. Pour the molasses liquid into the frozen pie shell. Scatter the crumbs evenly
over the liquid; don’t press them down. Put the pie on the center oven rack
and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake until the filling
is fully set, about 25 minutes longer. When done, the center should not be
soupy and the filling should wobble as a whole. Transfer the pie to a cooling
rack and cool thoroughly before slicing.

Makes 8 servings