Pie No. 3--The Soupy Mess

January 15, 2022

For Christmas, I asked for a pie plate and The Book on Pie by Pie Queen Erin Jeanne McDowell in hopes to improve my pie baking skills. I felt motivated after baking a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving a few months ago. And I'm a firm believer in pie improving the quality of life. 

For my first pie, I chose her Chocolate Sugar Pie, which she described as "virtually impossible to mess up." Sugar pies, also known as Hoosier Pies (in Indiana), have a smooth, custard-like filling, which is thickened by flour rather than corn starch or egg yolks. 
The Recipe: Chocolate Sugar Pie from The Book on Pie but Erin Jeanne McDowell has a recipe available online for a Mint Chocolate Sugar Pie on Food52.  
The Results: Welp, I managed to mess up this foolproof pie! The filling never thickened and remained watery/soupy throughout its bake (and even an extra long bake as I hoped it would thicken). I wonder if it wasn't mixed well, or I forgot an ingredient? I dm-ed Erin Jeanne McDowell on instagram but never got a response. 
But my genius friend suggested I freeze the pie and it made it edible and almost ice cream-like. The pie was delicious, albeit quite cold. And I'm still trying to figure out how to not make pie crust too crunchy...here's to more pies in 2022! 


1 comment

  1. Know you posted this a while back, but I just tried to make this pie and had the exact same issue. So frustrating because I followed the recipe exactly and it would not set up. Just a liquid swamp. It’s still in the oven after more than an hour and ten minutes!!!! The crust is going to be incinerated. Such a disappointment!!! Not sure I’ll try any of the other recipes in this book after this.

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