Raisin and Sour Cream Pie

Earlier this past November, northern Montana and North Dakota had the pleasure of a terrific winter storm, which dumped quite a bit of snow and plunged temperatures into the 30s below zero - even colder, with wind chill.

A friend of mine who works the Bakken oilfields was actually stuck in a blizzard in a very remote part of eastern Montana. In the spirit of hospitality that is common in this region, he ended up staying over-night with a nearby ranching family. As part of the experience, the family prepared a hearty and comforting winter's meal, which was concluded with a dessert that seems to have deep roots in the area: raisin and sour cream pie. I'm sure that this old-time favourite exists elsewhere, but it seems to me to be a quintessential facet of days gone by in this part of the country.

Not long after that, I was perusing the Germans-from-Russia Heritage Collection on North Dakota State University's website, and found this recipe, which was contributed by Miriam Palm of California, who coincidentally has ties to my own hometown:

quote:

I don't know if this is particularly a Germans-from-Russia treat, but it's a great delicacy (if you could say that) in north-central Montana. [It is ] obviously made with what people had to hand when there was no fresh fruit...and it's so easy to make. The cream and raisins caramelize as they cook, and it's delicious. I got the recipe from my mother-in-law, Laura McKinnie Palm, whose nickname is Kinnie; she's 96 years old and lives in Chinook, Montana.

Here is Kinnie's recipe, which really stretches back to the old days:

quote:

Raisin and Sour cream Pie

1 cup raisins
1 cup water
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 level tablespoon of cornstarch
1 baked pie shell

Bring the raisins and water to a boil together; meanwhile, mix together the sour cream, sugar, 2 egg yolks, and the heaping tablespoon of cornstarch. add this mixture to the boiling water and raisins and cook, stirring often, until thick. Pour this mixture into the pie shell.

Whip the two egg whites until stiff, combine the 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, then mix them into the egg whites to make the meringue. Cover the pie filling with the meringue, taking care to see that the edges are sealed.

Bake the pie at 425 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes, until the meringue is golden-brown.

http://library.ndsu.edu/grhc/f.../raisincreampie.html

Depending on the time of year, fresh fruit would not always be available during the early half of the 20th Century in rural America; however, dried raisins could be found at any country store or mercantile. Likewise, fresh dairy products - while usually available from the barnyard - were a precious commodity, often reserved for other, more immediate purposes - leaving sour cream to fill a variety of gaps. Together, these two unlikely partners were able to provide a wonderful foundation for some outstanding down-home eating in the form of a raisin and sour cream pie.

I was able to try this unique dessert a couple of weeks ago, and it was truly delicious; more than that, the experience was a bit like stepping into a time machine and going back to “the good old days,” enjoying a meal around the farm- or ranch-house table - or perhaps engaging in the fellowship of a church social or a picnic with some friends. For those of you who are into good, old-time country eating, this is definitely a pie to try.

I took a few photos in order to show just how easy this is; however, I will warn you ahead of time that we (my son and I) completely pranged it where the meringue is concerned! Either we didn’t whip the egg whites long enough, or we added the sugar too fast - or perhaps the kitchen was too cold or damp...or something. But no worries - everything still tasted great, and the flawed meringue gives me an excuse to make this again soon!

First, take note of the few necessary ingredients for two pies:



As is usual with rural, down-home cooking, not much is needed to make this, and what is needed can be found any barnyard or pantry full of staples. A small-town grocery might only be visited once each week - or even each month, so it was always necessary for a farm wife to be resourceful. This is a crucial element that is often not fully appreciated until you actually limit yourself to what can be grown, foraged, hunted or otherwise procured in your immediate vicinity, but the results always seem to be worth it.

Aside from the ingredients above, you will need the makings of some pie crust. I am ashamed to say that I used pre-made pie shells, mostly because I have no faith in my abilities and need to devote time to practicing the making of pastry dough. Daikon has posted some excellent advice on this, and it is worth a look:

http://foodsoftheworld.activeb...crust_topic2563.html

Whether you buy pie the shells or make your own, you want them to be baked and cooled before making this pie. I always poke holes in the bottom of mine with a fork before baking, in order to allow moisture to escape. Is this absolutely necessary? I don’t know - but my grandmother did it, my mother does it, so I do it, too!

This is a very easy pie to make, and if you have any doubts or worries about the combination of raisins and sour cream, please put them to the side. This is definitely something that you will thank yourself for trying! Assuming that your pre-baked and cooled pie crust is ready, simply bring 1 cup of raisins and 1 cup of water per pie to a boil. reduce the heat a bit and continue to simmer for a few minutes.

How long? I’m not sure, but a few minutes should be enough to allow the raisins to soak up most of the water and expand. In any case, while this is going on, mix together (per pie) 1 cup of sour cream, 1 cup of sugar (see note below), 2 egg yolks and a heaping tablespoon of cornstarch (looking back, 2 tablespoons might be better). Since I made two pies, I doubled all of these measurements.

A note on sugar: Following the recipe, I used 1 cup of sugar per pie; this tasted fine, but was just a little too sweet for my palate. The next time I make this, I will probably go with 3/4 cup of sugar per pie and see how it turns out.

Once you’ve combined the above ingredients, add the sour cream/egg yolk mixture to the pie. Continue to cook the custard over medium to medium-low heat, stirring often. The sugars in the mixture will caramelise as the mixture heats, and the cornstarch will thicken it to a pudding-like consistency. Once it reaches a slow bubble, keep an eye on it and stir more often as it continues to cook and thicken; eventually, it will obtain a colour and consistency similar to this:



From this point, you will need to judge how long it is necessary to cook it. Mine came in a little on the thin side, and a few minutes beyond this point would have improved the “binding” of the finished pie; then again, it is possible that I needed a little more cornstarch. In any case, the taste is what counts, and the finished pie tasted great!

When you have judged that your filling is ready, pour it into your pie shells:



If you haven’t already prepared your meringue, do so now. It’s quite easy: simply combine 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 scant tablespoon of cornstarch per pie in a small dish. Whip the leftover egg whites (2 per pie) into stiff peaks, then slowly add the sugar/cornstarch mixture, beating the egg whites constantly to build your meringue. If you are careful, yours will turn out nice and fluffy, unlike mine!

In any case, once your meringue is ready, spread it across the surface of the pie filling, taking care to seal the edges. When this is done, bake the pie (or pies) in a pre-heated oven at 425 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the meringue is lightly toasted to a beautiful golden-brown.

Here is how my pies looked coming out of the oven:



As you can see, the meringue didn’t turn out as well as it should have, but I never claimed to be a professional.

I really liked this pie, for all of the reasons mentioned above in my introduction. It speaks highly to the resourcefulness of the people who homesteaded here and carved out a new way of life as they tamed the last tracts of unsettled land in the continental United States.



As I’ve tried to convey throughout this pictorial, mine could have used a few small improvements. the next time I make this, I will add a bit more cornstarch to the custard, perhaps double, in order to improve the thickening. I will also, of course, make the meringue correctly, and may even try to make my own pie crust.

Aside from those small flaws - which are mine alone - I can assure you that if you try this pie, you will fall in love with it, as I did! If you do give it a go, please feel free to ask if you have any questions, and let me know how you like it.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and enjoy!

Ron

You could easily drop the sugar to 1/2 cup as you have the sweetness of the raisins . I wonder if there would be any benefit to replace at least some of the corn starch by adding 2 more eggs to make similar to chiffon pie ?
I could have used one this morning to help with the - 10 F weather.