Lazy Pie

From Miss Mary's Kitchen ....
Lazy Pie


Tasty and easy to make desserts rank high on my list of "must haves" in my recipe collection. My mother's mother, Memaw, was capable of putting a made-from-scratch meal on the table that almost always included one of those yummy desserts.

Getting her to give you the exact measurement of ingredients she used was quite another thing! Memaw was taught how to cook using the sight and feel of the ingredients as measurements, and when she used "measuring" utensils, it was often a spoon from the table setting or a coffee cup used at breakfast. While these were standard measurements in earlier days, converting them to today's units of measure was a process of trial and error, not to mention many hours of joyfully watching and helping my grandmother in her kitchen.

Lazy Pie is not truly a pie but is closely associated to a cobbler. The ability to use a variety of fruits (fresh or canned), and the ease in preparation makes this one of my favorites - you can have it ready for the oven in less than 15 minutes.

If you use fresh fruits, add a compatible fruit juice to fill the measuring cup. The baking of this dessert can be done in advance because it is as good at room temperature as it is hot out of the oven. I must confess, however, that a melting scoop of ice cream over a bowl of Lazy Pie made with cherries is extremely mouth-watering as well as the tastiest treat you can have!

LAZY PIE
Serves 4 - 6

1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 stick butter (1/4 lb.)
pinch salt
2/3 c. milk
2 c. fruit and juice (fresh, frozen or canned)
extra sugar for topping

Place butter in an 8" baking pan, put in 350 degree oven to melt. Into a medium mixing bowl, sift the measured flour. Mix in remaining dry ingredients, and gradually stir in milk to blend thoroughly. Remove pan from the oven, pour batter over butter - do not stir. Pour fruit and juice on top of batter - do not stir. Before putting pan in the oven, sprinkle 1-2 T. sugar on top to create a waxy crust.

Bake for approximately 1 hour until nicely browned.