The first time I had Sawdust Pie was at a small mom-and-pop diner off Interstate 40 in North Carolina, somewhere between Raleigh and Wilmington. I was with my husband who had been on a mission to revisit a few of his favorite haunts from his college days, back when he had lived along the North Carolina coast.
Caffeine-high, we feasted and visited our way from Durham back to Wrightsville Beach. On that very gray and overcast afternoon, it was our foray off the main road that wound around to a restaurant where Sawdust Pie was on the menu. It turned out to be a particularly bright highlight for us both.
When our waitress brought it to our table, my first thought was, It really does look like sawdust, and though I had been told, it was still a shock.
Similar in texture to a soft granola bar, it was uniformly brown and dense like a cake. Without question, it was unlike any pie I had ever seen, but despite my accurate description of it looking like its namesake, it was, and is, quite a handsome dessert, especially when plated and adorned with my preferred accoutrements.
Its heavy crumb filling is made from three of my favorites: graham crackers, pecans, and coconut, all held together with little more than egg whites. It is unique and delicious presented simply with a dollop of whipped cream, but it shifts to scrumptious and to a class of its own when served warm with ice cream, caramel and thinly sliced bananas.
When peaches are at their season’s peak, I use them in place of bananas for a brighter, summerier dessert that is equally outstanding.
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Because Sawdust Pie requires only egg whites, I choose to make it when I have a plan for the yolks.
Most any time of year, I have plenty of reasons to make hollandaise sauce. Aside from a weekend breakfast that might include Eggs Benedict, it is just the thing to accompany fresh steamed artichokes, asparagus or shrimp.
Alone or as a base to for additional ingredients and flavors, hollandaise is so easy to make and can elevate a simple dish in a snap. And if you have never used only yolks for French toast, you are in for a supremely decadent treat. You will appreciate the richer flavor and be happy to have finally ridded yourself of those unattractive scrambled-egg bits of white that invariably dot your final product when whole eggs are used in your recipe.
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Ingredients
5 to 6 egg whites
1 cup sugar — coconut, regular, or brown
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups flaked, unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (optional, but highly recommend)
1 unbaked pie shell
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350F. Chop pecans finely. Do not pulverize in a machine, just chop fine, then mix with crumbs and coconut in a bowl and set aside.
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Whisk egg whites vigorously by hand about 3-4 minutes then add sugar 1/4 cup at a time, whisking well with each addition. Whisk in salt and vanilla.
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Stir in crumbs, coconut, and pecan mixture and combine before drizzling melted butter, then continue to stir until all is incorporated.
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Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, but check at 30 min. Do not over bake. It should be fully set before taking it out of the oven, but will continue to cook while cooling. (See Cook’s Notes)
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Very important: Cool 2 hours on a rack before cutting. This time finishes the bake.
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Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream, then top with thinly sliced bananas and caramel sauce. Peaches are also good, especially in the summer.
Cook's Notes
Bake Time: This pie is intended to be gooey in the center, but some folk, like those in my family, prefer a drier version, It is Sawdust pie, they like to remind me. I believe they like the texture of a drier pie because of the large spoon they invariably use when serving themselves caramel sauce. Caramel Sauce will indeed cover a variety of sins, over-baking being one.
Half Drop Caramel Sauce: This is called “Half Drop” because if you can remember the order of the three main ingredients, the amounts for each drop down by half. Pretty handy when you want to make a larger or smaller batch!
-1 cup coconut or brown sugar
-1/2 cup butter
-1/4 cup milk
-Dash of vanilla
-Mix all but vanilla in a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil and simmer 5 to 7 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. It will continue to thicken as it rests. Once fully cooled, cover and refrigerate. Reheat gently as needed.
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