What's That Aroma Coming From the Oven?

Yesterday I was leafing through my recipe box which contains some of my mother's old recipes.  I found her recipe card for Raisin Pie.  It is well-worn with food stains on it.  So doesn't that mean it was a much loved recipe and used often?

Raisin Pie is also sometimes called Funeral Pie.  It was a popular dessert to take for the potluck meal following a funeral.  It could be made ahead of time, and would also keep well without refrigeration.

My Mother's Recipe for Old Fashioned Raisin Pie/Funeral Pie

2 cups raisins

2 cups water

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 TB cornstarch

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 TB white distilled vinegar

1 TB butter

Combine raisins and water and cook for about 5 minutes.  Blend brown sugar, corn starch, cinnamon, and salt.  Add to the raisins and cook until clear, stirring while cooking.  Remove from heat and stir in vinegar and butter.  Pour into pastry-lined plate.  Cover with top pastry.  Bake at 425 degrees until brown (approx. 30 minutes.

Do you need a good pastry recipe to go with this pie? This pastry recipe has vinegar as an ingredient, which helps the dough to be light and flaky.

Vinegar Pastry

3 cups flour

1 cup shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

5 tablespoons cold water

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

Mix flour, shortening, and salt until fine crumbs about the size of small peas.  Beat in egg.  Add cold water and vinegar.  Combine with flour and shortening mixture.

This recipe makes three single 9-inch pastries.  Bake at 425 degrees.  You can freeze the unbaked dough, or store it in the refrigerator about two weeks.

So what's your favorite pie?