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Flapper pie is a long, long time family favorite of my mother’s, mainly because it’s her favorite pie on earth. My mom doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth- I inherited my sweet tooth from my dad- but a few years back my sister discovered that my mom loves a piece of flapper pie above all else.
Flapper Pie Recipe
When you read the title of my newest pie recipe for pie day, you’re most likely going to be in one of two camps.
Either you’re going to scratch your head and think to yourself : “What the devil is flapper pie?”
Or you’re going to think “Wow, now there’s a pie I haven’t heard of in a long time!!”
I’ll give a small percentage of you the chance of falling into the rare category of “Ooh, that’s a family favorite!” My mom was in seventh heaven when she found it in a small cafe around Pine Lake Alberta and made sure to visit whenever her and my dad went out to the lake for the weekend.
What is Flapper Pie?
Flapper pie is a graham crumb crust pie filled with a decadent, creamy custard filling topped with a meringue. It’s so unique to the prairies that if you didn’t grow up here you most likely haven’t ever heard of it. Indeed, perhaps not many Albertans have heard of flapper pie, this is a Manitoba recipe straight from the family archives, one that would have been passed around the farms!
Flapper pie seems to have been popular with my grandma’s generation……then just plainly died out. My mom never made it. I never had it at my friends houses. When I asked around, so few people have heard of it. Even fewer have ever baked it! What once was a staple in prairie kitchens is now a rarity to find, unless you are lucky enough to still find an older generation baking it in their cafe or restaurant, such as the one in Pine Lake.
I don’t ever recall having flapper pie, so even though this is something my mom grew up loving it’s not something we had as kids. My mom isn’t a pie baker, that fell to my grandma and now apparently I’ve taken up the baking mitts and am carrying on the tradition.
If you read last week’s pie day post – Drunken Peach Galette – you’ll know that I spent the week at my sisters. What you also might know if you follow me on Instagram is that my sister and I were up at 9 am baking pies one morning.
This is what Ukrainian women do. We get up. We bake pies. Sometimes in pajamas.
My sister was totally in her pajamas.
I have no pictures because I value my life.
Ingredients For Flapper Pie:
Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham crackers
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
dash of cinnamon
Filling:
2 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/4 cup of cornstarch
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Meringue Topping:
3 egg whites
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 tsp of cream of tartar
Kick the tires and light the fires to 350 degrees.
Flapper pie is notorious for being delicious and falling apart easily. It’s very hard to nail it so that it stays together, so be prepared that it won’ t be picture perfect. Using butter in the crust will help solidify it when refrigerated but really, custard and meringue? You know it’s not going to be a clean slice.
Mix all the crust ingredients together, save about 2 tbsp to the side and press the rest into a 10 inch pie plate, in the bottom and up the sides. Refrigerate.
Combine the filling ingredients together and cook on a medium heat until it boils and thickens, making sure to stir constantly! Set aside to cool while you make the meringue.
Beat the meringue ingredients together until they form stiff peaks.
Pour the filling into the crust and top with the meringue, making beautiful little spikes that will brown up all lovely on top! Sprinkle the rest of the crumbs on the top and slide into a 350 degree oven.
Bake until the meringue browns like below, around 10 minutes but watch it carefully! All ovens are different!
Cool in the fridge and eat the same day. This isn’t a pie that is going to last a few days, meringue topped pies get slimy between the layers. This is best made mere hours before serving.
Now, you can see below that you can get a clean slice.
Unless you are my sister and I and eat it warm out of the oven because when you do, it will collapse.
We didn’t give a hoot if it fell apart. (and it most certainly did)
We wanted that pie. For breakfast.
This was the best Saturday morning breakfast I have ever had. I highly suggest to everyone that you put “eat flapper pie straight from the oven for breakfast” on your bucket lists.
What I have been missing all my life! This is definitely a favorite pie now, I’m not sure how or why everything comes together to make such a great pie. It’s simple, it’s easy, it’s so darn tasty!
Happy Pie Day everyone! I really hope you all try this recipe, what a truly lost prairie pie this is and I really don’t understand why! It’s so simple yet decadent. If nothing else, add it to your archives to try one day and pass it on to your kids! I know I will be including this at family meals a lot know, knowing it’s a childhood favorite of my mom’s.
Have a fabulous weekend all!
Love,
The I Want a Piece of Flapper Pie For Breakfast Again Magpie
Flapper Pie- The Lost Prairie Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/4 cups graham crackers
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 dash cinnamon
Filling
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch salt
Meringue Topping
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- Mix all the crust ingredients together, save about 2 tbsp to the side and press the rest into a 10 inch pie plate, in the bottom and up the sides. Refrigerate.
- Combine the filling ingredients together and cook on a medium heat until it boils and thickens, making sure to stir constantly! Set aside to cool while you make the meringue.
- Beat the meringue ingredients together until they form stiff peaks.
- Pour the filling into the crust and top with the meringue, making beautiful little spikes that will brown up all lovely on top! Sprinkle the rest of the crumbs on the top and slide into a 350 degree oven.
- Bake until the meringue browns like below, around 10 minutes but watch it carefully! All ovens are different!
- Cool in the fridge and eat the same day. This isn’t a pie that is going to last a few days, meringue topped pies get slimy between the layers. This is best made mere hours before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Brent Frew says
That’s the exact same flapper pie that my grandmother, (born in England & took the train across Canada), my mother who was born in Victoria also made that recipe. Oddly enough, I’ve never been in the prairies, nor has anyone else in my family been to the prairies-oops, my niece was there for a few days several years ago. My niece has never made a meal for me, let alone a pie and I’m OK with that. I love your recipe and look forward to trying it sometime before I go to the prairies. I’m 55 now so I still have plenty of time to see the rolling Hills of Saskatchewan.
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I’m looking forward to using it!
Darlene says
Ok