Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Classic Cream Pie

To me, this luscious cream pie might be renamed, "Treaty NAFTA Pie." Evoking both Sunday dinners in Canada at Grandma Bobbie's house and Mexican-style flan, this dessert's flavor unites periods of my life as a child growing up in London, Ontario, Canada, and the years I lived in San Diego only 20 minutes north of the Mexican border on a NAFTA visa before I got married. I'm also can't help but notice the word meringue virtually connects the northern and southern borders: "Meringue" as in beaten egg whites and sugar, and "merengue" as in Latin dancing (OK, merengue is actually Haitian in origin, and meringue is a French word. Please excuse the writer who loves to play with words.)
I wonder if Grandma was exercising her Presbyterian faith when she served this dish to my mother's
high school boyfriend when she invited him home to dinner? (See Food Fact below.) I know my Californian husband fell in love with it when she made it for him, and my children are certain to carry the torch.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Graham Pie Crust
Mix together:

1 1/4 cups graham crumbs (I use crushed organic baby crackers)
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
Set aside 1/4 cup of mixture for sprinkling on top of pie. Line a 9-inch greased pie plate with mixture and chill.

Filling:
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

Meringue:
3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Mix all Filling ingredients. Cook in saucepan until mixture begins to thicken, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Pour over crust. Beat egg whites until very stiff, adding gradually the sugar and the cream of tartar. Spread over top of pie and, finally, sprinkle with the 1/4 cup of graham mixture. Bake until light brown, approximately 30 minutes. Makes 6-8 servings.

Food Fact! Graham crackers were named for Presbyterian minister Reverend Sylvester Graham, who believed an unhealthy diet led to sexual excess. He touted the merits of a high-fiber, vegetarian diet and promoted the use of homemade, unsifted wheat flour instead of refined white flour. Some sources assert Reverend Graham created the original Graham Cracker in 1829. Several bakers tried to market the crackers but it wasn't until 1898 that the Nabisco Biscuit Company had any real success. Today, Nabisco makes them with bleached white flour, a fact that would have the good minister turning in his grave.Joffreys Coffee & Tea Company

No comments: