Union Pie: The State of the Union is Delicious

Image: Me, Myself and Pie by Sherry GoreIf there's one thing that I gained during my year living in Philadelphia, it was a deep love of Amish cuisine. Living next to the Reading Terminal Market, it was all at my fingertips--well, from Wednesday through Saturday, that is. 

This is all to say that I am immediately intrigued when I see a new book featuring Amish recipes. So suffice it to say that I was super excited to receive the new, pie-centric Me, Myself, and Pie by Sherry Gore. And guess what? It's as awesome as you might think an Amish pie recipe book would be. Full of recipes from the expected (Shoofly Pie) to the downright unusual (Union Pie, which is featured here) and with many lovely sweet and savory recipes in-between, I think that this book is a fine addition to any baker's repertoire, especially if you liked my second book, The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts, and have an interest in the stories behind sweets. (Like how I just plugged my book there? Yup, just did it. BUY IT.)

I am excerpting the recipe for "Union Pie" from the book. This recipe immediately intrigued me because A) I'd not seen it before, and B) in the picture, it looked almost like a pie filled with tar, so dark was the filling. Turns out it's a slurry made primarily of molasses, buttermilk, sour cream, and spices. Well. I'll let Sherry Gore take it from here with the headnote and recipe--enjoy!

Thanks to Harper Collins for letting me reprint the recipe, which is from Me, Myself, and Pie by Sherry Gore.

Union Pie

I love this pie! Made with sour cream, buttermilk, and dark molasses, this custard confidently charges in like a brisk cup of licorice coffee to preserve the harmony between your fork and your sweet tooth. United we stand, indeed.

FOR THE CRUST

  • One 9-inch unbaked pastry pie crust

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk (or sour milk)
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

TO PREPARE

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. In a bowl, combine sour cream, buttermilk, molasses, and egg.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour the flour mixture into the sour cream mixture and combine thoroughly.
  4. Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie crust.
  5. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking for 20–25 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Have you ever heard of Union Pie?