NOTRE CUISINE ACADIENNE...

TITLE TARTE AU BIS
HISTORY I have to be the luckiest guy in the world because I have this wonderful kindergarten teacher with whom I am still in touch. Her name is Sister Olla Laplante and she is a Sister of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. The Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary have educated so many of us in Maine and the province of Québec, and also do important mission work in other countries. Where would many of us be today without them? 

In any case, during a visit recently with Sister Olla, we were talking about the different Acadian and French Canadian dishes and foods that we use to enjoy. She mentioned that her mother use to make Molasses pie which she calls 'Tarte au Bis'and she further explained that the Sisters would include the pie in their festivities whenever they would celebrate the founding of their order and the building of the convent. Here is what she said in part: "By the way, once you have cooked the molasses all you need to do is to pour it in a cooked pie crust.  (After it cools), you can put whipped cream on the top of it or ice cream or cool whip.  Of course, it is strictly forbidden for us (the Sisters) to add any of those ingredients because we are reenacting  "la montée du vieux couvent / the rise of the old convent".   It is plain and simple the way they ate it in 1907.  If you like molasses, you will like it.    Good luck and enjoy!"

I thought I would share Sister Olla's recipe with you. Here it is.

INGREDIENTS
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1/2 cup of brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup of boiling water
  • 4 tablespoons of corn starch
  • PREPARATION Mix the molasses and brown sugar and add the boiling water. In a separate dish, dilute your corn starch with a little water.  When the molasses and sugar come to a good boil, thicken it with the corn starch.   Once done, pour into a baked pie crust and let cool.

    That's it! Very simple. 

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