Oat of this World
This year we’re celebrating the 4th of July with my husband’s family and I’m bringing pie! I’ve been especially excited to share this one with them. My husband’s family loves pecan pie, and this Oatmeal Pie shares many of the same qualities. You know that brown sugary goo that holds everything together in a pecan pie? Imagine that, but with oatmeal instead of pecans. According to the recipe, when this pie bakes, some of the oatmeal rises to the top, creating a chewy cookie-like crust. Let’s dive in!
Baking Up Memories
The smell of oatmeal and brown sugar brings me back to my grandparent’s house in Pennsylvania. At 6 years old, I’d wake up in the morning and run downstairs. The adults were already up—my parents drinking cups of coffee, my grandma solving a crossword puzzle in her armchair. My grandfather would invite me into the kitchen to help him cook breakfast. Sometimes it was eggs, but most often it was oatmeal. He’d pull a chair over to the stove. Standing tall on the seat, I could see the whole kitchen. Together we’d pour milk and oatmeal into a large pot, and watch it simmer.
“When little bubbles form at the edge it will be ready,” my grandfather would say.
“When? Soon?” I’d ask, excited and impatient
“Keep watching.”
I’d wait. Anticipation building in the quiet of the morning. At last the bubbles would appear, and my grandfather would send me into the family room to gather orders—who wanted their serving plain? With brown sugar? With fruit? We’d prepare the bowls and I’d delivered them, so proud of the breakfast we had made together.
The Result
So…I may have flown too close to the sun with my decorations this time. I made this beautiful ruffle for the edge of the crust. I thought it was stable, but when I took a peek in the oven I saw that a large chunk had fallen into my pie. I tried to fish it out, but the filling had overtaken it like a saber tooth cat in a tar pit. I decided to just let it be.
Aside from the crust ruffle casualty, this pie turned out great! The filling was made with a mixture of dark corn syrup, eggs, butter, and spices (just like a pecan pie!). As promised, the oatmeal in the filling rose to the top as it baked, giving it a chewy top layer and a gooey bottom layer. The recipe called for half a teaspoon of cinnamon and half a teaspoon of clove. I’m not much of a clove lover, so for me it was a lot. My taste testers agreed that the spices made the filling taste a bit like pumpkin pie. It wasn’t bad, but in the future I think I’d eliminate the clove and use more cinnamon so that the flavor of the oatmeal can shine through.
Here’s the final product! The only question now is, if this pie has oatmeal in it…does that mean you can eat it for breakfast??
