Now it is, anyway. Before it was just a thing for the norms. But since I gluten-freed a sweet-tea pie, this totally weird dessert can also be eaten by you, the gluten hater. Here’s how this craziness happened.

After I stopped throwing things and crying, I decided this weekend would most definitely begin to look up if I went to work out with Richard Simmons and had pie. In that order. In another stroke of good luck, I happened to pick up a free download of the latest ebook from Tasting Table at Starbucks, so I had a very enjoyable browse through some recipe porn. The star of that particular show was this, the Sweet -Tea Pie.

Apparently this hot number came from Lucy’s Fried Chicken in Austin, Texas. Where I obviously can’t eat anymore, but surely would have pre-diagnosis had I know this amazingness existed. You guys, there is so much gluten in this original recipe that I paused momentarily as I considered whether all that work was worth it. Then I remembered who I am and that I always have a frozen gluten-free pie crust in my freezer. Win!

So while the original recipe calls for an incredibly complicated chilled pie crust before you even get to the sweet-tea filling — gluten-free kids, just grab one from the freezer. Seriouslys. Let it thaw out, but not warm up and you’re good to go. The crust does not matter when you’ve got 2 1/2 sticks of butter (cubed) as one of the ingredients in this custard pie. This is what that looks like:

Yep, it’s basically a butter pie.

This reminds me a heck of a lot of my Grandma Faye’s chess pie, but fancied up a bit. There is a bit of a tea taste in the back of your mouth after you take a bite, which is super fun and summery. That really is the main difference (other than the process by which it is made) from my grandmother’s recipe. Also, granny did not use 11 egg yolks in her recipe or 2 1/2 sticks of butter. Holy cholesterol, people.

Here’s how you can get your arteries all clogged up and delicious this summer.

Gluten-Free Sweet-Tea Pie

adapted from  Tastingtable.com

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

One pre-made gluten-free pie crust

Filling:
1 cup hot water
2 orange pekoe tea bags
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose gluten-free flour
2 teaspoons gluten-free cornmeal
2/3 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into cubes
11 egg yolks
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and move rack to center. In a coffee cup, pour the hot water over the tea bags. Set aside to brew for 5 minutes, then remove and discard the bags.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour, gluten-free cornmeal, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large heatproof mixing bowl, whisk together the yolks and sugar. Whisk in the reserved tea and lemon juice. Whisk in the flour mixture.

4. Fill a medium saucepot with water and bring to a simmer. Place the mixing bowl with the sweet-tea filling over the simmering water and add the butter in four batches, whisking until each bath is melted before adding the next batch.

5. Pour the filling into the chilled pie shell and place in the oven on the center rack. Bake until the center jiggles but does not ripple and the top is a deep brown, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes (cover the pie loosely with aluminum foil if it begins to brown too much).

6. Remove the pie from the oven and set aside to rest at room temperature until cool. Refrigerate and serve cold or at room temperature.

Makes: 8 servings