Old Fashioned Raisin Pie
Submitted by Taadow2000
Old-fashioned raisin pie with brown sugar, walnuts, and a hit of orange drink mix in the filling. The double-crust country dessert often called funeral pie for its long shelf life.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
60 minRaisin pie has a few unkind nicknames in rural America: funeral pie, mourner’s pie, even rosin pie. The history is practical. Raisins keep through the winter when fresh fruit doesn’t, which made this pie the dependable bringalong for any year-round gathering, including the somber ones. The orange drink mix is a 20th-century shortcut that adds bright citrus without keeping fresh oranges on hand. Tang or any orange instant breakfast drink works.
Three cups of raisins get plumped with water, brown sugar, lemon juice, and the orange drink mix on the stove until the cornstarch sets the filling glossy and thick. Walnuts stir in at the end so they keep their crunch through the bake. The double crust is the classic move; vent it well so steam can escape during the 30-minute oven turn at 400°F (205°C). The result lands somewhere between a mince pie and a pecan pie: chewy, sweet, deeply flavored, and good cold the next day.
Pro Tips
- Don’t oversimmer the filling. Once it boils and thickens, pull it from the heat. A long simmer turns the raisins to mush.
- Cut the steam vents generously. Without good venting, filling steam blows the top crust apart.
- Place the pie on a sheet pan in the oven. Raisin filling is sticky, and any boilover hardens onto the oven floor.
- Cool the pie completely before slicing. Hot raisin filling is too liquid to slice clean.
Variations
- Use real fresh orange juice and a teaspoon of grated orange zest in place of the drink mix for a brighter, less artificial citrus profile.
- Substitute pecans for the walnuts for a sweeter, more Southern-leaning take.
- Add a tablespoon of dark rum to the filling for a deeper, holiday-friendly flavor.
Ingredients
Directions
*Any type of Instant Orange Breakfast Drink will do.
Divide the pastry almost in half and roll out the larger half, on a lightly floured surface, to a 13-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry and trim the pastry ½ inch beyond the rim of the pie plate.
Combine the raisins, brown sugar, corn starch and drink mix in a 3-quart saucepan. Stir in the water and lemon juice.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the walnuts.
Turn the mixture into the pastry-lined pie plate and dot with the butter.
Roll out the remaining pastry to an 11-inch circle. Place the top crust over filling and trim the edge to 1-inch beyond the rim.
Fold the top crust under the bottom crust and form a ridge. Flute the edge and cut steam vents in the top crust.
Bake in a preheated 400 degree F. oven for 30 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
Cool on a wire rack.
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