Buttermilk Raisin Pie

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                            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Rosemary Zwick for this:

It's the day before Thanksgiving, and the butcher is just locking up
when a man begins pounding on the front door. "Please let me in," says
the man desperately. "I forgot to buy a turkey, and my wife will kill me
if I don't come home with one."

"Okay," says the butcher. "Let me see what I have left." He goes into
the freezer and discovers that there's only one scrawny turkey left. He
brings it out to show the man.

"That's one is too skinny. What else you got?" says the man.

The butcher takes the bird back into the freezer and waits a few minutes
and brings the same turkey back out to the man. "Oh, no," says the man,
"That one doesn't look any better. You better give me both of them!"

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                            TODAY'S RECIPE
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This is a recipe which James Beard recalls his mother making with the
buttermilk she had left after churning butter. Today we have to make do
with commercial buttermilk, but the results are still just as good, and
with a lot less elbow grease involved.

Buttermilk Raisin Pie

6 Tbs (90 ml) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (180 ml) sugar
1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
2 cups (500 ml) buttermilk
1/2 cup (125 ml) seedless raisins
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbs (30 ml) lemon juice
2 Tbs (30 ml) butter
1/2 tsp (2 ml) cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1 ml) nutmeg
A pinch of ground cloves
A 9-inch (22 cm) baked pastry or crumb pie crust

For the topping:
3 egg whites
2 Tbs (30 ml) sugar
1/4 tsp (1 ml) cinnamon
A grating of fresh nutmeg

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and gradually stir in
the buttermilk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the
mixture thickens. Add the raisins and cook 1 minute. Add a little of the
hot mixture to the beaten eggs and stir. Add the egg mixture to the pot
and continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the
heat and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice,
butter, and spices. Cool to room temperature and pour into the cooked
pastry or crumb crust. Combine all ingredients for the topping in a
mixing bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Spoon onto the pie and bake
in a preheated 350F (180C) oven until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
Makes one 9-inch (22 cm) pie.
Received on Thu Nov 26 08:52:34 2009