Raisin pie is a mainstay in the Berne, Indiana Amish settlement. Â I've sampled several variations of it over the years there and most are a more liquidy/custardy incarnation. But the kind I tried last week was different.
"Tastes more like a cookie," said Leah Schwartz who served me a slice of her homemade pie after a long day of exploring the settlement.
Sure enough, she was right.
You can see a picture of the raisin pie I'm accustomed to and the recipe here.
Meanwhile, here is the raisin pie version that I have a recipe for today. Â Leah put out a piece of pie on a pretty plate and then set down a fork, but said:
"you probably don't want to eat it with a fork, just use your hands, it eats like a cookie," she advised. Â And she was right. At first I was worried custard would run out and I would have a mess, but everything held together perfectly. Definitely a pie with little mess.
The "raisin cookie" pie I was served last week had like a crunchier top that did encase a sort of custardy filling. Â The raisin taste was more pronounced in this version. Â In the more traditional versions the custard overpowered the raisins so that you couldn't taste them a whole bunch. Â So if you like raisins you might like the raisin cookie pie better. Â I'm not a huge raisin fan so I think I prefer the custard-y version.
Raisin pie is a delicacy often served at weddings in the Berne community, which contrasts to the pie's place in Pennsylvania's Amish community as a funeral dish.
Here is Leah's recipe for the Raisin Cookie Pie.
- 3 beaten eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 /2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 /2 teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 1 /2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
- 1 cup seedless raisins
- 1 /2 cup broken walnuts
- 1 unbaked 8 inch pie crust
- Combine eggs, sugar, spices,s alt and lemon juice and butter.
- Stir in raisins and nuts.
- Pour into pie plate.
- Bake in moderate oven 375 for 30 minutes or till set in center.
- Cool.
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