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Sunday, December 12, 2010

Including my Grandma in Christmas - Her Sour Cream Raisin Pie

Yesterday we got together with my parents, one of my sisters and her family, and one of my brothers and his wife for our family Christmas celebration.  My dad's parents have been gone only a few years, so it still seems odd to gather without them.  At Christmas Grandma always made Creme Wafers, the most amazing cookies in the world, but time and labor intensive, and Sour Cream Raisin Pie, which is quite easy, so suited the last-minute time slot in my prep schedule.  I made a regular version for most of the crowd, and a sugarless version for my dad, who is diabetic.  --Not that raisins are sugar-free by any means, but every little effort helps.  (I'm not a personal fan of Splenda, and other artificial sweeteners, but my parents utilize them, and request that we do when making desserts for family gatherings.)
       
Sour Cream Raisin Pie
      
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
        
Prepare 1  9" (unbaked) bottom pie crust
            
To small saucepan add
1 slightly beaten Egg
1 cup Raisins + 1 Apple, cut in 1/2" cubes, or 1 1/2 - 2 cups raisins - *see note below 
1 cup Sugar (or Splenda)
1 cup Sour Cream
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
2 Tablespoons Vinegar (I use apple cider)
        
Mix and cook over medium heat until the raisins start to plump, stirring to keep it from burning.  (Grandma's recipe says this should take 'a few minutes.'  I think this took me at least 10 minutes, and they didn't plump a lot.  The sauce turns a light brown with the sugar, but not the Splenda.)  Pour into pie crust.
        
Bake 35 - 40 minutes.  Serve alone or with whipped cream.
            
*Note: Grandma's recipe calls for 1 cup raisins, it makes a very small amount of filling that way, and there seems to be plenty of sauce, so I use 1 1/2 to 2 cups.  Yesterday I decided that next time I make it, rather than adding more supersweet raisins, I would try adding apple.  The taste should be about the same, the pie will be more satisfactorily filled, and it should be a bit less sweet. 

1 comment:

  1. It sounds a little weird, and I've never had it anywhere else, but it's good. Kind of like meat-free mincemeat, I suppose, only not so strong.

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