Recipe: Caramel Tin Roof Pie

the appetizer:

Sweety Pies by Patty Pinner, dispenses down-home wisdom with recipes like Flaky Pie Crust; Caramel Tin Roof Pie; and Miss Oleda Halliburton's Easy Pear Pie on a Baking Sheet.

Caramel Tin Roof Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

Daddy grew up in a Tennessee farmhouse that sat on 88 acres of land. From what they tell me, Grandmother was a country cook, capable of winning ribbons. They say, she made the best cobblers and her homemade ice cream was divine. Daddy was used to eating well and he really loved ice cream.

Mama was the kind of woman Daddy needed. She practically lived at the grocery store; she was always there, looking for new ways to spruce up Daddy's suppers. When I was growing up, there was always a gallon of vanilla ice cream in our deep freezer. Seems to me, we had a serving of it every other night, under various sauces, scooped on top of a slice of pie, or stuffed inside of a fresh waffle cone, but we liked it best when Mama used it to crown a slice of her tin roof pie.

My mother started making this pie in the late 1960s/early 1970s. It was part of her repertoire of trendy entrées—sort of like the fondue phase she went through—that she'd bring out to impress her company. But I know she got the most enjoyment when she made this pie for Daddy on a weekday, because he liked it so much. You should have seen the glorious look on her face when he'd push away from the table and wink or blow a kiss, or make some quick, little gesture that he thought I didn't see, and say, "Supper sho was good."

1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 cups crushed cereal flakes (I use Kellogg's Nut & Honey® cereal)
4 cups vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
3/4 cup caramel dessert topping
3/4 cup chopped salted peanuts

Butter a 9-inch pie plate and set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat the corn syrup just until it starts to boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter and the crushed cereal until the flakes are well coated. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the buttered pie plate. Put the plate in the freezer until the crust is firm, 10 to 15 minutes.

In a medium-size bowl, thoroughly blend together the ice cream, 1/2 cup of the caramel topping, and 1/2 cup of the peanuts. Spoon the mixture into the chilled crust. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup peanuts over the filling, pressing them into the surface. Drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup caramel topping over the pie.

Place in the freezer until firm, about 4 hours. Remove 10 minutes before you plan to serve it to let it soften a bit to make slicing easier.