Ingredients

• • 1 recipe basic flaky pie pastry, double crust, refrigerated 1 hour
  • 1  1/3 cups fresh raspberries[1. As of November 2018, Publix sells frozen berries in the same combination of fruit]
  • 1  1/3 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1  1/3 cups fresh blackberries
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 tablespoon coarse sugar (aka sanding sugar) or 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Instructions

1. On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the larger half of the dough pastry into a 13-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9 ½-inch deep-dish pie pan; center and peel off the paper. Tuck pastry into pan, without stretching it. [2. ALTERNATE:  Sculpt and flute edge into an upstanding ridge. Place in freezer, 15 minutes; also place remaining unrolled pastry in the freezer. Heat oven to 400 degrees.]
2. Combine the berries, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl; toss gently to mix. Add flour; toss gently again. Turn the filling into the chilled pie shell, smoothing the top of the fruit with a spoon. Dot the top of the filling with the butter.
3. Roll out the top pastry.  Place in on top of the pie, and seal the edges.[3. ALTERNATE TOP PASTRY:   Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the other half of the pastry directly over the fruit, as if it were a block of cheese. Using a fork, gently move the gratings here and there for an even covering. Sprinkle the coarse sugar over the top.]
4. Bake pie on the center rack, 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and rotate pie 180 degrees so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward. Slide a foil-lined baking sheet onto the rack below to catch any spills. Bake until the top is golden brown and the juices bubble thickly around the edge, 25-30 minutes.
5. Transfer pie to a wire rack; let cool at least 2 hours before serving.

Culinary Tradition:  USA (traditional)
My Rating (out of 5 stars)
★★★★★

———————–

FOOTNOTES:

Recipe: Old Fashioned Raisin Pie

Summary: Easy, delicious recipe. Some people[1. Tom Truex] will tell you raisin pie represents the high water mark of the American cuisine. This is another recipe popular in Northern Indiana in the mid 20^th century (and probably a lot earlier).[2.

Raisin pie was called “funeral pie” by some people. My mother-in-law, who grew up near Pittsburgh from the 1920’s, was the only person I could find who knew about this alternate name. In fact, her source was having seen it in an old cook book. In researching the matter further I discovered the Old Order Mennonites and Amish (and probably others) applied the description “funeral pie” to raisin pie. It seems the ingregients required for this simple pie were non-seasonal and usually on hand. So a pie could be whipped up on short notice, should a friend or relative pass away without giving any advance notice. The pie could also remain out, without refrigeration, as visitors visited the home of the mourning family during the course of the day. I found one source who claimed raisin pie / funeral pie does not need to be refrigerated. I’ve never tested this claim, and don’t think it merits a test. Common sense suggests raisin pie might withstand a day without refrigeration better than other types of pie — but leaving a pie out on the counter indefinitely is asking for trouble, not to mention insects.

The black appearance of raisin pie filling also matches the somber mood of the typical funeral.

This recipe replaces the raisin pie recipe posted on April 18, 2010, which is identical except for the addition of this footnote.

]

Ingredients

• 1 box raisins (15 ounces)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups of water
• Top and bottom pie crusts

Instructions

1. Put raisins in a pot.
2. Add 1/2 cup sugar, 2 Tablespoons flour and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
3. Add 2 cups of water, while stirring.
4. Put pot on stove, medium heat. Continue stirring periodically.
5. Bring to a boil. Allow to cool somewhat.
6. Pour the raisin filling into the bottom pie shell.
7. Put the top pie crust on top, and seal the edges. Vent the top by piercing it with a knife 6 or 8 times.
8. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. About 50 minutes to an hour.

This is another pie that can be eaten warm, with no ill effects. However, I think it tastes better, as leftovers, after it has seasoned in the refrigerator for a few days

CulinaryTradition: USA (Traditional)

My rating: 5.0 stars

FOOTNOTES:

Ingredients

• 3 cups (1.25 lbs.) of raw, peeled carrots
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

Instructions

1. Peel the carrots. Cut into small pieces.
2. Put the carrots in a pan of water (enough to cover the carrots and provide a little room for them to swim around). Bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat and cook on a low boil/simmer for 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can steam the carrots to preserve more of the nutrients
3. Puree the cooked carrots. A blender on a high setting works well (see my comment below). Apparently a food processor works well too. You could try hand crushing with a potato masher, or hand mixer, but I’m not sure you would be able to achieve the silky smooth texture you are looking for. TIP: I wasn’t able to really puree the carrots alone, so I added the can of evaporated milk to the carrots, while still in the blender.
4. Make the pie crust. For obvious reasons, the hand made pie crust is greatly preferred (see my comment below).
5. Mix the rest of the pie contents thoroughly, using a hand mixer or a spatula/spoon with a lot of effort.
6. Pour the mixture into a pie pan. You will have plenty to fill it to the brim, and probably some left over. Feel free to use the leftover mixture in a second, smaller, pie or “crustless” pie.
7. Bake at 400 F for the first 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F, and bake for another 45 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. The center of the pie may puff up quite a bit during baking. It should settle back down as the pie cools.
8. Serve warm, or refrigerate until you are ready to eat.

Culinary Tradition
USA (traditional)
My Rating (out of 5 stars)
★★★★★

COMMENTS:

• I prefer to use the “old school” methods and equipment, when possible. However, a food processor or blender seems necessary to achieve the silky smooth texture we are looking for. Crushing the carrots by hand probably will not yield the same results.
• If you are going to the trouble of making this recipe, rather than using the pumpkin pie filling from a can or (gasp) buying a frozen pie, then you owe it to yourself and your family to make the pie crust. It’s not that difficult.
• Some people might compare this recipe to the Sweet Potato Pie (another one of my favorites), found at http://k-line.org/9/2010/03/16/sweet-potato-pie/. While the look is similar, most people won’t confuse the taste of Sweet Potato Pie with Carrot Pie or Pumpkin Pie.