As you might recall, our last exploration of rhubarb custard pies focused on a number of identical recipes taken from various editions of the “Betty Crocker Cookbook.”
So today, picking up where we left off, we’ll first have an abbreviated, but nonetheless complete, repeat of that particular recipe, followed by Forum cooks’ comments and their own personal adaptations, if any.
Here goes:
1950S-1960S COOKBOOK RHUBARB CUSTARD PIE
Prepare pastry for a 9-inch, double-crust pie and fit bottom crust in pan. Beat 3 eggs slightly and add 3 tablespoons milk. Mix together and stir in 2 cups sugar, 4 tablespoons flour and ¾ teaspoon nutmeg; mix in 4 cups cut-up pink rhubarb and turn mixture into pie pan. Dot with 1 tablespoon butter, cover with lattice top and bake at 400 degrees until nicely browned, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve slightly warm. Makes one 9-inch pie.
Dianne Carter of Marysville always cuts her rhubarb for this pie in 1-inch pieces and says, “This one is absolutely delicious. It was given to me by Opal Parks, a former Everett resident. It has become a family favorite and is very easy to make.”
When Del Graham of Everett makes this pie, she sometimes uses only a bottom crust, reduces the oven temperature to 375 degrees, and bakes it for 50 to 60 minutes. “My mom used to make this pie when we lived in Oklahoma and had lots or rhubarb,” she remembers. “It is very good and easy to make.”
Kathy Banks of Everett tells us, “I have been baking this pie for nearly 50 years. It is one of my favorite pies.” She bakes her pie at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.
Lynnwood helper-outer Billie Guentz cautions, “If you use more than 4 cups of rhubarb, extend the baking time until a toothpick comes out clean. This is a tried-and-true great recipe. Even those who claim not to like rhubarb will like this one.”
Terry Welborn says she hopes Caroline Oberg of Camano Island will like this recipe, which she alters by decreasing the sugar to 1½ cups, and the nutmeg to ¼ teaspoon. She adds a pinch of salt, omits the milk and increases the butter to 2 tablespoons.
Marysville pie person Retha Baird marked the recipe she sent along with four stars (“I always mark my recipes that I use over and over with stars,” she says) and mentions, “I just baked two of these pies the night before I saw the request. This is my mother’s recipe that I have used for years. My son and grandson love these pies, so I bake them three or four times during the rhubarb season.” Retha adds ¼ teaspoon allspice and ¼ teaspoon salt to the rhubarb filling.
And last but not least, Ella Young of Everett supplies us with a somewhat dolled-up spinoff on the above cookbook recipe. She says her version is taken from a Taste of Home magazine, and it substitutes 3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca for the flour, decreases the butter to 2 teaspoons, and omits the nutmeg. If desired, the top crust can be brushed with light cream before baking 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then baked at 350 degrees another 35 to 40 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. When the pie comes out of the oven, it can be sprinkled with a cinnamon-sugar mixture, if desired.
Now, winding up today, we have just the right amount of space to squeak in this totally different take on rhubarb cream pie shared by Lake Stevens cook Barbara Stoddard, who tells us, “I got this in 1967 from a lady named Graber from Snohomish. It’s a favorite.”
You’ll notice the “cream” in this pie comes from sour cream — not milk, not half-and-half, not whipping cream. How about that for a departure from the norm?
DUTCH RHUBARB PIE
Pastry for 9-inch, single-crust pie
Enough rhubarb cut in small squares to measure 3 cups
2/3 cup sour cream
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
Fit pastry in pie pan. Spread rhubarb squares in pan. In mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, eggs and sugar; mix well and pour over rhubarb. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Makes one 9-inch pie.
The next Forum will appear in Wednesday’s Good Life section.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
