Revisiting Raisin Pie - Working with the Master

My mom was in town. What an opportunity to learn from the PIE MASTER! The big question was what pie to make. We discussed our many possibilities - pecan, apple, something wacky. We decided to do sour cream raisin pie.

Why sour cream raisin? When I was about 5 we went to the Amana colonies in Iowa. We were on our way to visit Mark Twains house and we stopped off at an Amana colony restaurant. The Amana's are like the Amish, except a wee bit more liberal. They make, but do no use, the ranges and kitchen equipment of the same name.

I had a tremendous, almost famous, apetite when I was a kid. My parents always let me order from the adult menu. And, I always ordered a desert. At the restaurant and after my lunch, I ordered sour cream raisin pie. My mother commented, "You won't like it." Out of spite, or adventure, I ordered it anyway. I claimed it was a great pie. So, from that time on, my mom tried to make it. She probably tried about 5 versions, but we never hit it.

So, we decided to try it again. The first thing I wanted to make with her was the crust. She is a crust master. But she uses shortening. So we tried her way but with my fat - butter. She added the water all at once and added, 13 T. I couldn't believe it. But the crust came out smooth and rolled EASY. I was impressed.

And then we made the pie. We researched it a bit. And choose a recipe from the Farm Journal book.

Fresno Raisin-Nut Pie

• Baked 8" pie shell
• 3/4 c sugar
• 2 T cornstartch
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t cloves
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 c sour cream
• 1 c raisins
• 2 t lemon juice
• 1/2 c chopped pecans
• Meringue with 4 egg whites

Pre bake the pie crust. Roll it out and fork it completely. Bake for 15 minutes at 425. Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and spices. Blend in 2 egg yolks. Add sour cream, raisins and lemon juice. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constonatly, until mixture thickens. Cool. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie shell. Beat 4 egg whites with 1/4 t cream of tartar and 4 t sugar. Top with meringue. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes until meringue is browned.

The pie looked beautiful. The inside was pretty good. I think it was pretty close to what I had originally had. It was a little too thick though. Maybe less cooking on the stove top, or more lemon juice. The crust unfortunately was really tough. Bummer, I thought I had found my solution. Water is really the key with butter. Arrrgh, I am still battling with the butter. The next morning the pie tasted better, as seems to be the case often.

The real fun though was making the pie with my mom. She is the pie master.