Instructions

1. Preheat over the 450 degrees.
2. Line a 9 inch pie pan with the unbaked pie shell. Make sure the edges of the pie shell are fluted as high as possible. The liquid portion of the pie tends to bubble up and often spill.
3. Prepare the crumb portion of the pie as follows:
4. Cut the shortening into the brown sugar/flour mixture until crumbly. Set aside.
5. Prepare the liquid portion of the pie as follows:
6. Use boiling hot water. The hotter the water, the more your filling rises to create the layered crumb
7. Mix all ingredients for the liquid portion together in a medium glass Pyrex bowl and add hot water. Stir gently. The mixture will fizz as the baking soda reacts.
8. In unbaked pie crust, spread half of dry crumb mixture, then slowly pour all of the liquid mixture in a concentric circle so as not to disturb the bottom crumb layer. Top the liquid layer with the remaining crumbs. The liquid will not be totally covered.
9. Carefully place in oven and bake at 450 degrees first 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes or so.
10. The crumbs should not burn but turn a golden brown and the liquid should be oozing out along the edges.
11. Although the filling does rise, it will shrink back down some in the middle as the pie cools.