Nothing and Everything Good About Sugar Cream Pie

There is nothing good about Sugar Cream Pie — and at the same time, what’s so bad about combining cream, sugar and a dash of nutmeg? Seriously, take a look outside? What could be better on these cloudy, dreary cold days than a plate of carefully baked sugar and fat?

Making a Sugar Cream Pie that without lumps, with the starch carefully blended over a pot on a stove, is an art form. Until I found this trick of starting with whipped cream first. Not just whipping cream. Whipped cream.

This was my husband’s favorite pie as a kid, and only his Aunt Vivian had the recipe. She gave it to me once, right after I was married, admonishing me to make sure I followed the recipe EXACTLY if I was using a 9 inch pie crust. If I wanted to make an 8 inch pie crust, I needed to “let her know” and she would give me the adaptations.

Before loosing Vivian’s recipe, my first pie was full of clumps and pin-sized lumps of starch. Now, I know to let the oven do the work of cooking the custard for me. Simply start with “whipped cream” and then fold in the milk, flour and sugar. Here’s how to do it:

* 1 1/3 cups sugar
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, unsifted
* 1/2 pint (1 cup) whipping cream — already whipped into soft peaks
* 3/4 cup milk
* 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
* 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
* Grated fresh nutmeg

Method:

1. Fold sugar, flour and milk into whipped cream.
2. Pour into pie shell.
3. Dot bits of butter all around the top, sprinkle with nutmeg.
4. Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees F. (If using a glass pie plate, reduce heat by 25 degrees F.)
5. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F, and bake for 30 more minutes. (325 if using glass.)
6. Remove from oven, cool, and refrigerate until chilled.

Or eat it warm, fresh from the oven, like we do. Just watch the smiles appear on their faces…