Flapper Pie? What is that?

Flapper: The term flappers in the 1920s referred to a “new breed” of young women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior. [Source]

My Grandma is in the white flapper dress. Yay Grandma! She certainly is flaunting her disdain! Heh.

I had to post this recipe because it was such a lovely surprise. I don’t remember having this type of pie before, and that’s one reason why I baked it. I had to know, what is Flapper Pie? It’s sweet and lovely, and as far as I can tell, it’s lemon meringue in a graham cracker crust. It’s a little complicated, but worth all the steps.

First, start by making the pie crust:

Graham Wafer Crust

1 cup graham wafer crumbs (about 18 squares) *I cheated. I bought the crumbs in a box.
4 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Method:
Mix the cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon; add melted butter.
Press the mixture firmly into a greased pie plate; make 1/4 inch thick.
(Save a tablespoon of the mixture to sprinkle on top of the meringue).

Bake the pie crust before filling. Bake 8-10 minutes at 375°.
Place in refrigerator and leave for at least 45 minutes before filling.

Next, make the filling:

4 Tbsp cornstarch
5 Tbsp flour
1 cup sugar
1 & 3/4 cup boiling water
3 egg yokes (keep the whites for the meringue!)
1 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 & 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind (optional)

Method:
In the top section of a double boiler, mix cornstarch, flour and sugar; add boiling water, stir and cook until there is no taste of raw starch.

Beat egg yolks; add to hot mixture, first adding a little cornstarch mixture to the eggs. Blend thoroughly. Stir over boiling water until egg thickens. Remove from heat; add butter, lemon juice and rind. Cool slightly, pour carefully into pie crust.

Cover with meringue:
2 or 3 egg whites and 2 tablespoons of sugar per egg white
Beat egg whites until stiff then add sugar and continue to beat mixture until stiff.
Spread over pie filling, sprinkle crumbs on top and bake at 300° until meringue is golden brown. (that took about 12-15 minutes. But keep an eye on it!)

And THAT is Flapper pie. DEEEELISH!

I hope you enjoyed the Grandma Wilson recipe series. I know I sure did. The cookbook is finished and in line to be printed. You’ll be the first to see it when the hard copy arrives in the mail – estimated time of arrival is the week of August 23rd. About a week before we go to Toronto for Grandma’s birthday.

Tagged as: flapper pie, lemon meringue pie, recipe, thank you Grandma