Cream of Wheat Custard Pie
We have a very small library in Port Alice. It is the size of an elementary school classroom, and has about a dozen bookshelves. The inventory is a mix of long forgotten and out of date historical, classic children’s, fishing and map books, and one small shelf of cookery. As I browsed the titles of cookbooks my gaze fell onto a newer looking book called Sweety Pies. Since I have fondness for pie, and I seem to be on a bit of a pie kick I decided to take it home with me. What a fortuitous decision! It is the most remarkable collection of old fashioned and strange recipes. Written by a woman named Patty Pinner (also a U.S. Postal Service Employee), the book is a mixture of southern inspired favourites, and north western or prairie pies. Some of the more interesting recipes include, Deep Dish Mandarine Orange Pie, Zucchini Cobbler, Grated Carrot Pie, Granola Pie, Brown Sugar Cheese Pie, Navy Bean Custard Pie, and the recipe I tried, Cream of Wheat Custard Pie.
Each recipe is accompanied by a little story, usually about the woman from whom the recipe came. Mama, Big Mama, Miss Eudora, Miss Hatfeild, etc…They talk about men, and women, and a woman’s pride in her cooking. The ideas are a little a lot out of date, but the recipes from a bygone era are refreshingly new.
Miss Eudora’s Cream of Wheat Custard Pie
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Prepare one 9 inch single pie crust, with the edge trimmed and crimped. Partially, pre-bake the shell until it is light golden brown. To par bake the shell, allow the rolled out crust to rest in the fridge for 1/2 hour, then line the crust with parchment and fill with baking beans to prevent air bubbles from forming. Bake for about 20 min.
Lower oven temp to 350°F.
Cream of Wheat Custard
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup instant cream of wheat
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs (separated)
1/4 tsp salt
Combine the milk and sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce the heat to medium-low and sprinkle over the semolina. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, and allow to thicken to the consistency of a thin custard – it should coat the back of a spoon without sliding off (it will continue to thicken when off the heat). It is very important to stir stir stir, otherwise lumps will form. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a medium bowl, set aside and allow to cool to body temperature – warm, but not hot to the touch.
Separate the eggs. Using an electric stand mixer or hand held mixer, whip the egg whites and the salt to stiff peaks. By this time the cream of wheat should be cool. Whisk in one egg yolk at a time into the cream of wheat, fully combining before adding the next. Whisk the mixture for another couple minutes after the final yolk is incorporated. Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the cream of wheat and yolk mixture. Gently, but thoroughly fold in the rest of the whites.
Pour the filling into the pre-baked pie crust, place in the middle of the oven, and bake for 35- 40 min. The crust will turn a dark golden, and the filling will puff up a lot while baking, then deflate when it comes out of the oven. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm with whipping cream or vanilla ice cream and a light dusting of cinnamon. Enjoy!
Sly Pie 