About a decade ago, I worked at a mathematically themed pie shop: Gina’s Pies are Square. While our pies were baked in square pans, they were actually cut into isosceles triangle slices to the dismay of many a touristy patron. March was a busy time of year for us. After a quiet winter, St. Patrick’s Day was one of our biggest, most boisterous days, and Pi Day, March 14th, fell just prior. Pi Day was a stellar reason for us to personally indulge in pie and bake like mad to entice the locals. (Not that a fellow co-worker and I hadn’t already renamed nearly every Friday as Pieday…)
It’s been two years now since I’ve made this pie, and two years since the Square Pie has ceased to exist. With its sale, a little piece of my youthful soul went with it. The part of me that ate pie with abandon, knew all of my neighbors by name, and existed in the half-time pace of a small town felt lost. Not that I can’t still conjure the memories on demand, but my fairytale of young adulthood seemed altered. Fortunately, one bite of this Guinness pie helps it all flood back to me in crystal clear focus.
Guinness Oatmeal Stout Pie is a big, bold, beery, bittersweet pie, at his best when topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and sided by a hot cup of black coffee. It’s the kind of pie that you can eat as a meal, one that rides the tides of complexity while still being made of simple, pantry-staple ingredients. It is seasonably appropriate for Pi Day, the Ides of March, St. Patrick’s Day, the Spring Equinox, or any other March event that begs celebrating with a pie. And to top it off, it’s really dead easy to make.
Like yeast breads, pie (or pie crust, anyway) seems to be something that most people tend to avoid making themselves. My best advice is to dive in unafraid, and make your pie crust a day or two before you want to make pie. This simple trick makes it feel like homemade pie is effortless. Of course, you can always purchase a pie crust, but that defeats the mission of pie in my opinion. Pie is something you make for people you love, something you yourself will savor each bite of. Why not make it all from scratch?
For this pie, I test drove a new, all-butter pie crust from Alanna at the Bojon Gourmet. It is the finest pie crust I’ve made in some time and I love the hint of whole wheat it boasts. I used her method of “roll roll fold”ing the pie crust and it made it marvelously flaky, and once baked, the edges held their shape and didn’t shrink in. I’ll let you click over for the recipe since it is one you will want to make for years to come.
You do have enough time to get yourself some Guinness and to make this pie in time for Pi day. If you favor desserts with toothsome vigor and earthy, molassesy sweetness, this pie is definitely for you.
Guinness Oatmeal Stout Pie (the Goddess of Pie, a.k.a. Gina Rae)
1 pie crust (your favorite, or give this one from the Bojon Gourmet a go)
3 eggs
3/4 c. brown sugar
2/3 c. molasses
1/4 c. (2 oz) butter, melted
1 t. vanilla
3/4 c. rolled oats
2 T. flour
1/2 c. chocolate chips (I use bittersweet)
1/2 c. Guinness Extra Stout
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the brown sugar, molasses, butter and vanilla. Add the oats, flour, and chocolate chips, and fold in until well combined. Add the beer (it will foam up a little), and mix gently until combined.
Pour into the pie crust and bake for 40-45 minutes until the pie is set and not “sloshy”. It will set up more as it cools, kind of like a pecan pie. Try to resist cutting it until it has cooled to room temperature. Due to the custard base, I recommend storing any leftovers in the refrigerator.
