Bitter Cream and Raisin Pie Recipe - Burgers Recipe

This submit might comprise affiliate hyperlinks. Please see my full disclosure for particulars.

Hello Daring Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: My timeless Bitter Cream and Raisin Pie Recipe is a uniquely scrumptious custard pie topped with a cloud of toasted meringue. This budget-friendly deal with is made out of a handful of pantry staples, and it’s principally hands-off. You prep and bake the pie in lower than 90 minutes, then go about your small business whereas it cools. It’s good for Thanksgiving and different autumn get-togethers!

This nostalgic pie is discovering new followers who admire its irresistible candy and tangy flavors.

A mix of delectable textures offers this bitter cream raisin pie layers of pleasure.

A piecrust to be pleased with! Our good pie crust, wealthy with butter and egg yolk, superbly enhances the filling.

Private Story: I ended up testing this pie thrice so what you see is the perfected model. Initially the filling wouldn’t set and the outcomes had been a runny pie you couldn’t slice. The second spherical of testing I added further egg and I elevated the cornstarch barely to actually purchase myself some insurance coverage. With fingers crossed I may see that the second time was the allure! The pie set properly, not too agency and holds its form. It’s an quaint recipe nevertheless it’s a very good one so It knew I needed to get it proper.

I like this kind of retro dessert, just like the sort of treasure you’d discover in your granny’s recipe field. Typically, the very best recipes are classic favorites, perfected through the years and savored by generations! Typically they get elbowed apart by the newest trending fad, however my Stovetop Chocolate Cake, Gentle & Chewy Molasses Cookies, Hummingbird Espresso Cake Recipe, One Bowl Applesauce Cake, and Mile Excessive Candy Potato Pie are time-tested winners and can please everybody from toddlers to grandma and grandpa.

Desk of Contents

What’s Bitter Cream and Raisin Pie?

Bitter Cream and Raisin Pie is a one-crust pie that includes raisin-studded cinnamon custard filling and a meringue topping baked till golden brown. Raisins add texture and healthful sweetness, as they do in my Finest Ever Oatmeal Cookies, Finest Ever Irish Scones, and O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey Cake.

Blind baking or parbaking retains the crust from getting soggy. Brushing egg wash over the pastry ensures a properly crisp and flaky crust.

Bitter Cream and Raisin Pie originated in Midwestern Amish and Mennonite communities within the 1800s, and it’s an ideal instance of their sensible and comforting cooking model with roots in German and Japanese European traditions. Shelf-stable raisins had been a pantry staple, and s our cream was available as a result of most households saved dairy cows. This budget-friendly pie was standard in the course of the Despair and is a staple dessert within the Midwest.

Make it Bolder!

Raisins give this pie its distinctive fruity-sweet taste, however you need to use different dried fruits in the event you choose. Substitute an equal quantity of currants or dried cranberries or cut-up cherries, plumping in them boiling water earlier than mixing them into the custard.

Key Elements and Why

1 recipe Home made Pie Crust

My buttery crust completely enhances the filling.

Observe my step-by-step directions to make pastry making simple, even in the event you’re a newbie.

Raisins

Raisins give this pie beautiful molasses-like sweetness and add texture to the custard.

When grapes are dried to make raisins, the sugar concentrates, giving raisins an intense sweetness with hints of caramel and vivid fruitiness.

You should utilize common darkish raisins or golden raisins (sultanas) on this recipe, however darkish raisins give a greater visible distinction.

Boiling water

Soaking raisins in boiling water plumps and softens them, mellowing their chewiness.

Egg yolks

The egg yolks emulsify the custard filling’s elements, making a persistently silky texture.

Egg yolks are wealthy in fats, which is crucial for making a creamy filling.

Importantly, egg yolks assist the custard thicken because it cooks.

Make egg wash (a further egg blended with a tablespoon of water) to brush on the pie crust.

Bitter cream

Bitter cream, with a fats content material of about 20%, offers the custard a wealthy, plush texture and velvety mouthfeel.

Bitter cream is fermented dairy cream. The fermentation offers it its signature tangy taste and thickness.

Alternatively, you may substitute full-fat yogurt for bitter cream. If it’s too thick, skinny it with a spoonful of milk.

Entire milk

Mixing complete milk with heavy cream retains the custard from turning into too dense and heavy.

Granulated sugar

Granulated sugar sweetens this bitter cream raisin pie.

Importantly, sugar additionally thickens the raisin pie filling.

So as to add a word of molasses taste, you may substitute gentle brown sugar for granulated sugar.

Cornstarch

Cornstarch thickens the custard by absorbing liquid within the combination and forming a gel, making a secure construction.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon offers the custard heat seasonal spiciness.

Salt

Salt is important in dessert recipes to stability the sweetness and improve particular person flavors.

Vanilla extract

Vanilla’s creamy, floral style elevates the pie filling and unifies the elements.

The best way to Make Bitter Cream and Raisin Pie

Make the pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Roll out the ready crust in a ⅛-inch (3 mm) thick circle and place in a 9-inch (23 cm) pie tin. Crimp the sides and brush the complete crust with egg wash.

Line the crust with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes, then take away the weights and parchment paper.

Bake for a further 10 minutes, till the crust is golden brown. Put aside to chill.

Put together the custard filling

5. In a heatproof bowl, add the raisins and boiling water, cowl and permit to soak for at the least 10 minutes till plump. Pressure and put aside.

6. Place egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl subsequent to range. Place a sieve over one other heatproof bowl and set it close to the range.

7. In a saucepan, add the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly pour within the bitter cream and milk.

Prepare dinner over medium-low warmth till steaming (about 5 minutes).

8. Slowly add this sizzling combination to the egg yolks whereas whisking continually.

9. Return the combination to the saucepan and cook dinner, stirring continually, till it has been actively effervescent for one minute.

10. Pour the combination by means of a sieve right into a clear bowl. Combine within the raisins and vanilla.

11. Pour into ready crust. Cool for 10 minutes.

Make the meringue topping

12. In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, whip egg whites and salt on excessive pace till tender, foamy peaks kind, about three minutes.

13. With the mixer nonetheless working, add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Beat for 5 minutes till stiff, shiny peaks kind.

14. Pile the meringue on high of the custard filling, ensuring the filling is totally coated.

Bake the pie

15. Bake pie for quarter-hour till meringue is golden. Cool for one hour on the counter, and place in fridge to chill for at the least three hours earlier than serving.

Gemma’s Professional Chef Ideas

Earlier than baking the crust for this raisin pie recipe, brush it throughout with the egg wash. This can assist seal the crust and stop it from getting soggy when you add the custard.

Plumping the raisins is important to maintain them tender within the chilly custard.

Be sure you cook dinner the custard for 2 full minutes whereas it’s simmering to make sure the cornstarch is activated or the pie won’t thicken.

Making meringue is straightforward, however it will possibly take some follow. Use my high suggestions for achievement, even when it’s your first time:
- Watch fastidiously to ensure the sugar is good and foamy with tender peaks earlier than you add the sugar.
- Add the sugar steadily, only one spoon at a time.
- As soon as the peaks are stiff and shiny, cease beating so that you don’t danger overwhipping the meringue, which is able to make it dry, clumpy, and susceptible to collapsing.

Make Forward and Storage Directions

Make Forward Ideas

Put together the pie crust prematurely to avoid wasting time on baking day:
- Make the pie crust, roll it out, and both form it in a disc or press the pastry in your pie pan and crimp the sides.
- Wrap the pie crust dough properly and refrigerate for as much as two days.
- For longer storage, wrap the dough properly and place it in a freezer bag for further safety. Freeze for as much as eight weeks.

The best way to Retailer Leftovers

Retailer leftover pie in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as two days.

FAQs

Do I’ve to blind-bake the crust?

I all the time advise blind baking (pre-baking) pie crust when a pie has a moist filling, corresponding to custard.

Not solely does partially baking the crust earlier than filling it hold it crisper, nevertheless it additionally helps the crust keep its form, making it simpler to fill, and prevents the formation of steam pockets which might make the underside crust uneven.

How do I guarantee my meringue received’t shrink or weep?

Use giant eggs for probably the most quantity, and you’ll want to use room-temperature eggs, as they may whip up higher.

Take a look at our suggestions for how one can whip eggs completely.

When baking, get the meringue a pleasant darkish golden, which is able to give it a beautiful toasted marshmallow taste.

Can I make this pie egg-free?

For a custard pie like this bitter cream and raisin pie recipe, eggs are the principle ingredient. No substitute can obtain the identical outcome.