Mission 2: Raisin Pie

Yup...raisin pie. I have never had raisin pie, but I have heard my Uncle J talk about it for as long as I could remember. He is in his seventies and he will tell stories of growing up in a large but fairly poor family. They had a good time despite their hardships. He recalls raisin and mincemeat pies from his home kitchen and you can see as he takes a trip back to olden days, that they have good memories attached.

Occasionally my aunt would be able to find them at a bakery or in the frozen section at the grocery during the holidays. That has not been the case for the past several years. When hubby and I decided that we would be able to make the trip to Texas this year, my thoughts started rolling. I made the Cranberry Cherry pie for Uncle G (it is in the previous post), a Cherry Cream Cheese pie for my cousins (who actually fought over it at the gathering!), and I found a raisin pie recipe!!! I decided to practice my lattice work...Don't chuckle to hardy, it was my first try!

When presented with the pie my uncle was speechless....no small feat! He hugged me and then hid it! I don't think he had to worry about it, no one else has an affinity for raisin pie. Throughout our visit different family members would tell me how excited he had been. Uncle J said it was the best one he has had....so maybe it tasted like the ones from his childhood!

Here it is: It is fresh from the oven and you can see it is still bubbly :)



Raisin Pie

Ingredients:
• 1 cup sugar
• 2-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups cold water
• 2 cups raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)
Directions:
In a saucepan, stir together sugar and flour. Add water and mix well. Stir in raisins, salt and cinnamon; cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Pour into a pastry-lined pie plate. Top with lattice crust, or cover with top crust and cut slits for steam to escape. Bake at 375° for about 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Yield: 6-8 servings