From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Today, the universe cruelly conspired to remind me that I am no longer young. The first revelation was an obituary for a star whose name I'd never before heard. The second, and far more unkind, was the discovery that my favorite perfume, Shalimar, is no longer being made. I was also reminded, by a child who shall remain nameless, that I have cracks in my face. He refused to buy my smile line gambit and went on to count my cracks. Fortunately, he can't yet count past ten, so we were able to part amicably. All in all, it turned out to be a great day to bake another of those old-fashioned desserts that are going the way of the dinosaurs. The Silver Fox wanted something really sweet and shoo-fly pie came to mind. This is a Pennsylvania Dutch dessert that has tap roots linking it to German settlers in Lancaster country. The name has intrigued folks for years, and while it is a very sweet pie, it's named after a molasses company rather than the flies that may be drawn to its treacly sweetness. A wet bottomed shoo-fly pie has a gooey bottom, cake-like middle, and crumb topping. If you prefer a dry bottomed pie, simply cook it for a longer period of time. The pie is surprisingly good to eat when warm and it is painlessly easy to make. Here is how it is done.
