In the Oven: Sawdust Pie

Sawdust Pie sounds like an old-timey pie, but it’s not – the header note for this recipe says that it was created at Patti’s 1880’s Settlement restaurant in Grand Rivers, Kentucky sometime after 1975.

This version includes the sawdust from the original recipe – graham cracker crumbs, coconut and pecans – but it also has the benefit of white chocolate and salt. Is anyone planning on taking it even further by adding dark chocolate too?

Post date is August 12!

Sawdust Pie
From Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis, Renato Poliafito and Tina Rupp, p. 63
Yield: One 9″ Pie

Ingredients
1 ball Classic Pie Dough
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
1 1/4 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, about 21 graham crackers
2 ounces high-quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Simple Whipped Cream for serving (optional)
Sliced bananas for serving (optional)

Instructions
Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Roll out the dough ball into a 12-inch round. Transfer it to a pie dish and carefully work it into place, folding any overhang under and crimping the edge as you go. Wrap and refrigerate the crust for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon to combine the sugars, coconut, pecans, graham crackers, white chocolate and salt. Add the egg whites and vanilla and stir until just combined – the egg whites should coat all the ingredients.

Transfer the filling to the prepared pie shell. Bake until filling is set to the touch, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool the pie for at least 1 hour before serving it warm, with whipped cream and sliced bananas, if you like.

Excerpted from Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2010 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.