Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie

Indiana is not the only place this pie can be found but it is most often associated with Amish communities so you will find something similar in Pennsylvania Dutch County and a few other places in the US with significant Amish populations. Hoosiers, however, seem to have really staked their claim on this simple, rich dessert and it is most often associated with Indiana.

It would be a great choice to represent Indiana's sweet tooth on the Super Bowl buffet table. The following recipe is an adaptation of one called Mae Dawson's Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie which was featured by Paula Deen on her TV Food Network program. Mrs. Dawson's version calls for a ready-made, store-bought crust. I made my own and would encourage you to as well. I also made small pies in 4" aluminum pans. I plan to cut these in fourths for a buffet table. A forth of one of these small pies is perfect as a two-bite piece of Hoosier goodness. Here is the recipe.

Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie

Flaky Pie Dough

• 1-1/4 cups bleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
• 4-6 tablespoons of cold water

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder by hand and stir well to mix. Cut the butter into small cubes and drop in one cube at a time. Toss the cubes in the flour a few times to coat them with flour so they won't stick to one another. With either your hands or a pastry knife work the butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like course-ground cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible.

Next add the water about two tablespoons at a time, working in with your hands, until the dough starts to stick together. In less humid weather you will need more water and in in more humidity, you'll use less. When the dough begins to stick together, form it into a ball and transfer to a work surface that has been dusted with flour. With a knife, cut the dough in fourths. Working with one forth at a time, dust a rolling pin and roll out into a circle that is about eight inches in diameter. Each of these will go into a mini pan. Cut away the excess that hangs off the pan and set the scraps aside. Make the other three crusts and then combine the scrapes to make the forth crust, rolling out like the others. Flute the edges of each crust and place all five pans on a large baking sheet.

Pie Filling

• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• Whole nutmeg
• 1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine all ingredients, except for nutmeg and butter, in a mixing bowl and use a whisk to combine. Pour into each pie crust. Grate a little nutmeg onto each pie and drop a few pieces of butter onto each pie. With a pastry brush, brush each crust edge with the beaten egg. Place in the 450 degree oven for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and cook an additional thirty minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to come to room temperature. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Comments

[Bryan Price]

I take it then that the egg doesn't go into the filling either.

[scott]

Bryan, the egg us used only for brushing on the crust.