Enfield Shaker Sour Cream Pie Recipe

Mix dry ingredients and raisins. To sour cream, add egg yolks and butter and flavoring. Stir into dry mixture and mix lightly, but thoroughly. Pour into an unbaked pie shell. Bake 10 minutes at 425° F., then reduce heat to 375° F. Bake about 20 minutes or until custard is firm and knife comes out clean when inserted in middle. Top with meringue made of beaten egg whites. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour; refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving. SERVES 6.

To make the Dough: Whisk together the flour and salt. Add the butter, working it in roughly with your fingers, a pastry cutter, or a mixer until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size butter lumps. Add 2 tablespoons water and toss to combine.

Toss with enough additional water to make a chunky mixture. It should barely hold together when you squeeze a handful.

Shape the dough into a disk about 1″ thick and refrigerate it for 30 minutes or longer. This resting period allows the flour to absorb the water, making the dough easier to roll out.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let rest 10-15 minutes before rolling out to let the butter soften a bit.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a size needed for an 8″ pie pan (about 12″). Place it in the pie pan, trimming off extra dough, and flute the edges. Refrigerate until needed.

To make the Pie: Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit.

Mix together sugar, flour, spices, lemon zest, and raisins. To sour cream, add egg yolks, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients and mix lightly, but thoroughly.

Pour filling into refrigerated pie shell. Bake 10 minutes at 425° Fahrenheit, then reduce heat to 375° Fahrenheit. Bake 15 minutes or until custard is firm and the knife comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Top with meringue and bake another 8-10 minutes, until the meringue is as golden brown as you like it.

To make the Meringue: Use clean (and dry) bowl and utensils.

Whip egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff but not dry.

Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time (important!). Beat in vanilla.

This recipe first appeared in The Best of Shaker Cooking, edited by Amy Bess Miller and Persis Fuller (New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. 1970), based on Shaker manuscript recipes, 19th century Shaker almanacs, and The Manifesto, the Shakers’ own publication. The Best of Shaker Cooking is still in print and available from Amazon or the Enfield Shaker Museum gift shop.