"a custard with raisins"

As I mentioned yesterday, when I was at my parents I was trying to recreate a 30 year old memory.  I talked with my Dad about it a lot and come to find out it sounded a lot like a buttermilke chess pie.  When he mentioned that Grandma put flour in it I was "wait a minute, that is a chess pie."   My Mom looked at me a bit crossed eyed.  I have obviously lived in the southern region of the United States too long to know this.  Or just read too many cookbooks.

Grandma always baked by a pinch of this and a dash of that.  This recipe was not written down and when my Mom tried to learn it did not work.  My Mom measures everything.  I definitely bake bread by a pinch of this and a dash of that.  There was something I recently baked that I thought I was following my Grandma's footsteps.  It is why I quietly chuckle when someone gets all up and arms about having to be precise.  Not my Grandma.

I looked at all the recipes that my Dad had been given or had been tried and none of them really had the chess pie feel to them so I took a buttermilk chess pie and modified it.  That means heavy whipping cream that is soured with vinegar, raisins, and nutmeg.  Do not forget the nutmeg because it might not add a large flavor but it changes it just a bit I was told.

As my Dad said, this version was getting there.  He remembered more raisins.  But otherwise good flavor.  He forgot to mention that he remembered it to be more like a pecan pie but Grandma did not use corn syrup.  I still have more experimentation to do because of that.

This was my Beloved's favorite version, though he would not turn his nose up at the next one.  My Beloved like flan and this becomes more like a flan with raisins.  He brought the rest of this pie home.  It is why this version has to be documented.  Notice though, he would not turn his nose up at the next one which means I have to document that as well.  

I made a lot of pie.

sour cream raisin pie - more like custard with raisins

one pie crust

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

5 eggs

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon vinegar

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup raisins, soaked in boiling water

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roll out the pie crust and line a pie tin.  Make sure the crust is well pressed into the corners of the pan.  Crimp the edges to make the pie pretty.  

Put the raisins in a bowl and cover with boiling water.  Swish them around a bit and make sure there are no stems.

Put the vinegar in the heavy whipping cream.

Put the sugar and flour in a large bowl.  Mix in the eggs and soured cream until well blended.  Mix in the vanilla and nutmeg.

Drain the raisins.  Dry off a bit and toss with a small amount of flour.  Mix into the custard mixture.

Pour into the pie crust.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the filling is set.  

I actually had a carmelized sugar crust form at 45 minutes but at 40 minutes it did not look set enough.

I actually did not get a picture of a piece of this pie on a plate.  I was lucky to have the camera out but this shows why my Dad said it needs more raisins.  There should be raisins all the way to the top.  But, this is why my Beloved likes it because it is custard with raisins.

For such an old fashioned pie, this is pretty darn good.