THE BAKERY, THE FAR SIDE OF THE CRICK — Come Minadiddy season, folks line up clean past the creek for it. One pie a customer. Mr. Haskel has been known to count.
What's In It
- Westler nuts, shelled and halved
- Dark treacle — the thick, black, slow kind
- Brown sugar
- Eggs, three of them
- Butter, melted
- A good pinch of salt, which is what keeps it from being sickly
- One crust, no lid
How It's Made
- Shell the nuts and split them in half. Set the prettiest halves aside — those go on top and they're the whole look of the thing.
- Lay the plain halves into the raw crust in an even layer.
- Beat the eggs, then beat in the brown sugar, the treacle, the melted butter and the salt until it's smooth and dark.
- Pour it over the nuts. Don't stir it. The nuts float up on their own and set into a solid lid across the top — that's the trick of it. Lay your pretty halves on last.
- Bake slow. Not hot and fast, or the middle stays wet and the edges go bitter. It's ready when the middle only just wobbles when you nudge the tin.
- Cool it all the way through. A warm nut pie runs off the plate.
Where You'll Find It
At the Bakery, Minadiddy season only, and only while the nuts last. The line starts before the doors open and runs back past the creek. Come the Minadiddy Fair there's a pie auction, and this is the pie that empties pockets.