Old Fashioned Cream Pie
This morning I got it out of the drawer to see if there was anything I could do ahead of time.
As I read the recipe I realized it just said "Cook in a moderate oven until thick and brown."
What the heck does that mean? I'm thinking 350 for an hour. That's usually what pies go on.
I did an internet search and found a recipe with similar ingredients that had the same temp/time as I had guessed so that is what I'll try. Once the pie is completely baked, if it's a keeper, I'll write the specifics on the card.
First I would need a pie crust. I keep a page protector with my go-to recipes in one of my kitchen drawers so I knew where to get the pie crust.
This is a recipe I cut out from the "Taste" section of the Express-News several years ago.
For me it is fail-proof.
After I made the pie crust, I made the filling:
Mix 4 level TBSP cornstarch or flour. I chose flour because cornstarch is largely made by Monsanto and I try very hard to avoid products by them after seeing Food, Inc. (see Intro to blog).
When I worked in the Child Nutrition department of a school district I went to a training class and they covered such basic things as how to properly measure. For dry ingredients you need the measuring device and a table knife. I was shocked at how many adults didn't know how to measure properly. I have fond memories of learning this skill in Girl Scouts when we earned our Cooking badge by making Magic Muffins (a Malt 'o Meal recipe).
After you scoop the ingredients, you tap the straight edge of the knife all across the surface to even it out and fill in any holes.
Then you scrape the back of the knife over the measured amount to make a flat, LEVEL surface. (Hold over the original container to knock the excess ingredient back in and avoid waste.)
1 cup granulated or light brown sugar I chose granulated (Morena Pure Cane sugar) because I was afraid the brown sugar would change the taste too much.)
Dash of salt I picked up a magnetized chart I keep on the side of my fridge that says a dash if less than 1/8 tsp.
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Several years before she died my mom was downsizing and divided between my sister and myself many of the furniture pieces and silver pieces she had acquired in Europe. I am so glad I got the spice rack made of Danish teak wood. It hangs on a wall and spins! As a teen I often gave into the temptation to spin it as I walked by. Mom never fussed about it but I got that she didn't appreciate the spinning. When we worked together in the kitchen it always felt like a bit of an honor to go to the spice rack, turn it to the right spice and unscrew the jar from the permanently affixed lid/holder.
1 pint of rich cream
Combine well. Some of the recipes I saw on the internet stressed how important it was to blend well, even suggesting a blender. Normally for this small volume I would use a hand mixer but because of the emphasis on the mixing I used my Kitchen Aid with the whisk attachment.
In hindsight, I would've used the hand mixer because I had to stop quite a few times, turn off the mixer, lower the bowl, and scrape the sides. I find that whole process a bit of a hassle to do once, let alone four or more times.
Pour into unbaked pie shell.
Dot with butter and a few dashes of nutmeg.
This was a new one for me. I had a butter tub that was almost out so I just scraped up bits of that and flung it onto the pie. I used about 1/8 tsp nutmeg because we are not huge nutmeg fans. I thought if I put it through a strainer I would be able to evenly scatter it across the top but it ran through really quick and I wound up with a blob. But - no worries, I knew I'd be stirring the pie up anyway.
Stir several times while baking to prevent settling.
I wound up baking for 1 hr 10 mins. I set the oven timer for the whole bake time and the microwave timer to stir it every ten minutes. I was a little nervous about this step. After the first ten minutes there was already a skin forming on the pie so I stirred it around and then worried that there would be chunks of skin throughout the pie. At the second stir there was another skin but I didn't worry so much. By the fourth stir the edges were starting to firm so I just stirred the middle. Same at the fifth. At that point there was 10 minutes left in the original hour of baking I had planned. So when I checked it after an hour it didn't need stirring but was still a little jiggly so I gave it the additional ten minutes.
After 1 hr 10 mins. at 350 it was still a bit jiggly but a lightly browned color so I decided to take it out and see what cooling would be. I let it cool 20 minutes and since it was already 8 p.m. we had some. It was nice but it didn't wow me.
It was still a bit loose but still very edible.
I refrigerated it overnight and had a slice for breakfast in the morning. I actually liked it better straight out of the fridge. The first couple of bites were very tasty but after that it was no longer exciting. Also, I felt like both slices (warm at night and cold in the morning) sat a bit heavy in my stomach.
I also don't think this is the right pie crust for it - as much as I love the pie crust.
MAYBE a graham cracker crust would be better. Or maybe crust-less. Or perhaps get a pre-made pie crust that you roll out (like Pillsbury) and cut circles with a cookie cutter and put them in muffin tins and make individual pies.
But all-in-all, I probably won't make this again.
This was a new one for me. I had a butter tub that was almost out so I just scraped up bits of that and flung it onto the pie. I used about 1/8 tsp nutmeg because we are not huge nutmeg fans. I thought if I put it through a strainer I would be able to evenly scatter it across the top but it ran through really quick and I wound up with a blob. But - no worries, I knew I'd be stirring the pie up anyway.
I wound up baking for 1 hr 10 mins. I set the oven timer for the whole bake time and the microwave timer to stir it every ten minutes. I was a little nervous about this step. After the first ten minutes there was already a skin forming on the pie so I stirred it around and then worried that there would be chunks of skin throughout the pie. At the second stir there was another skin but I didn't worry so much. By the fourth stir the edges were starting to firm so I just stirred the middle. Same at the fifth. At that point there was 10 minutes left in the original hour of baking I had planned. So when I checked it after an hour it didn't need stirring but was still a little jiggly so I gave it the additional ten minutes.
I also don't think this is the right pie crust for it - as much as I love the pie crust.
MAYBE a graham cracker crust would be better. Or maybe crust-less. Or perhaps get a pre-made pie crust that you roll out (like Pillsbury) and cut circles with a cookie cutter and put them in muffin tins and make individual pies.
But all-in-all, I probably won't make this again.
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