Taste of the Past

Maxine Troxell

With summer approaching, it’s berry-picking time. I remember picking black raspberries at Catoctin Mountain Orchard. Berry picking wasn’t one of my favorite things to do, especially black raspberries, because of all the thorns on the bushes. When I was growing up, I remember my mother would make black raspberry custard pies.  Anytime someone would come to visit, they would always ask her if she had made any of her raspberry pies. Below is her recipe. I hope you enjoy it.

Black Raspberry Custard Pie

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

2 eggs (slightly beaten)

2 cups black raspberries

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup half and half

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust

Directions

To make custard: mix sugar, flour, and salt.  Add half and half, slightly beaten eggs, and the melted butter. 

In another small bowl, sprinkle berries with a small amount of sugar (2 tablespoons) and a sprinkle of cinnamon or freshly grated nutmeg. Place fruit in bottom of pie shell. Pour custard mixture over berries. 

Bake pie in a 400 degrees oven for 10 minutes, then reduce oven to 325 degrees and bake until custard is set. Baking time is usually around 1 hour.