Raisin Crumb Pie

Three layers stacked into a single slice: plump cooked raisins on the bottom, a cakey eggs-and-milk batter through the middle, and crumbly streusel sprinkled across the top. Each one cooks into the next during baking, so what comes out reads almost like a cobbler in pie form.

The trick is reserving a cup of those flour-sugar-shortening crumbs before mixing the rest into batter. That reserved cup goes on as topping while the bulk of the crumbs become a tender almost-cake layer above the raisins. Same starter mix, two completely different jobs.

Cooking the raisins fully before they go into the pie pan is the move. Plumping them in the cold water and sugar lets them absorb sweetness and turn glossy. Skip this step and the raisins steal moisture from the batter during baking and you get a dry pie.

This recipe makes two full pies, worth knowing before you start mixing.

Kitchen Tips

• Use cold shortening cut in with fingertips just to pea-sized lumps. Overworking creates a tough crumb instead of a tender one.
• Drain the cooked raisins lightly but keep some syrup in the pan for moisture. Bone-dry raisins stiffen during the bake.
• Tent the pies with foil if the crumb topping browns too fast in the second baking phase.
• Cool at least an hour before slicing. The batter layer needs to set or it will collapse.

Variations

• Stir chopped walnuts or pecans into the crumb topping for extra crunch.
• Swap golden raisins for half the dark raisins for brighter flavor.
• Add half a teaspoon of cinnamon and a quarter teaspoon nutmeg to the batter for warm-spice depth.