Raisin Pie (Rosina Pie, Funeral Pie)

Pulled straight from the 1936 Pennsylvania Dutch Cook Book, this funeral pie is the kind of dessert that made it through the Depression on practically nothing. A cup of raisins, some flour, sugar, an egg, and a lemon: ingredients that most rural farmhouses kept in the pantry without thinking about it.

The pie earned its grim nickname because Amish and Mennonite families served it at funeral gatherings when fresh fruit was out of season but raisins kept indefinitely. Rosina is the German word for raisin, hence the alternative name.

The technique is straightforward but particular. Three hours of cold soaking plumps the raisins fully. Cooking the filling over hot water (a double-boiler setup) gives gentle, even heat that thickens the flour smoothly without breaking the egg. Lemon juice and zest cut the sweetness and pull the whole thing into balance.

Chef Tips

• Cool the filling completely before pouring into the pastry-lined pan. Hot filling gummies up the bottom crust before it bakes.
• The lattice strips do not need to be a perfect woven pattern. Period cookbooks called for simple criss-cross. Function over fancy.
• Chill leftover pie. It cuts cleaner the next day and the lemon notes deepen overnight.
• Pair with a strong, unsweetened black coffee to balance the heavy sugar load.

Variations

• Add a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon and clove for a more modern holiday-warm spice profile.
• Swap currants or chopped dates for half the raisins for textural variation.
• Stir a tablespoon of dark rum or brandy into the raisin soak (unlikely in a 1936 Amish kitchen, but very tasty).