Brown Sugar Pie
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I sort of have this thing when it comes to old recipes. I own several antique cookbooks, which include a first edition Fanny Farmer, which I love to thumb through just to see how and what people were cooking 100 years ago. So, of course, I was pretty interested when I came across this recipe for Brown Sugar Pie recently, which is an old (not sure how old) Canadian recipe (tarte au sucre brun) that eventually migrated to the Northeast.
As is typical of many old-time recipes, this one is simple and pretty easy to put together with items that you’re sure to have on hand. And, like many old-time recipes it’s also extremely delicious.
How to describe the flavor… something like a pecan pie without the pecans, but not quite as rich, with a lighter texture, yet a definite caramel thing going on. I served it with some homemade vanilla frozen yogurt, but vanilla ice cream or whipped cream would be equally perfect. Oh, and it definitely needs to be served warm.
I can’t say enough about how good this pie is. It doesn’t pretend to be anything other than a homey, comforting pie your grandmother would have made, to the delight of everyone around the table. I almost feel sad that I did not discover it sooner, because it’s one that I think deserves to be served alongside our other favorite holiday pies. We’ll be taking care of that real soon.
Brown Sugar Pie
Recipe adapted from The Washingtonian
Makes one 9-inch pie.
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 heaping tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 disk pie dough (homemade or store-bought, here's my recipe)
Heavy cream or vanilla ice cream (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the ingredients (except the pie dough and ice cream or heavy cream) in a bowl and mix on medium speed for two minutes. Roll out the pie dough, press it into a 9-inch pie plate, and trim off any excess dough around the edges. Pour the brown sugar mixture into the pie shell and bake for 35 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned and the filling has set. (It took mine longer than the 35 minutes...more like 45 or 50). Remove from the oven and let cool. Slice and serve with heavy cream or ice cream.
