Aunt Ruth's Graham Cracker Pie
My great aunt Ruth made the most wonderful pie she called Graham Cracker Pie. She used to sell this and other pies to local restaurants in West Virginia and guarded her recipes pretty closely. Thankfully, she taught my grandmother (her sister) how to make the pie, then my grandmother secretly taught my sister, who then secretly taught me (since I was the pie fiend).
I typically make some Graham Cracker pies around the holidays. So in addition to making the pies, I thought I should document the recipe so anyone can try a Graham Cracker pie. Since Aunt Ruth passed away last year, I figured its finally safe to admit I know how to make this pie.
Crust
- 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 tsp. cornstarch
- 3 tsp. sugar
- 1 cup melted butter
Combine the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the butter and mix so everything is coated. Reserve about 1 Tbsp of mixture for the toping and press the rest into two 9” pie plates to form the crusts.
Filling
- 1 qt. whole milk
- 1.5 cups sugar
- 6 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Place the milk in the top of a double boiler and set the heat to medium high and let the milk set until it starts forming a skin on top as it heats. While the milk is heating mix the sugar and cornstarch and separate the egg yolks and whites. Set aside the egg whites for the meringue. Beat the egg yolks. Once the milk has started to form a skin, start mixing in the sugar/cornstarch mixture very slowly and continue mixing until mixture starts to thicken like a pudding. Dip out about a 1/2 cup of the mixture and add it slowly to the egg yolks and mix to heat up the yolks. Add another 1/2 cup mixture to the egg yolks and mix, then pour the egg yolk mixture slowly back into the double boiler while continuing to stir. Keep cooking until the mixture is very thick. Add the vanilla extract at this time, stir in and divide between the pie crusts.
Meringue
- 4 egg whites
- 4 Tbsp. sugar
Start beating the eggs whites and slowly add the sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Spread the meringue over the pies and sprinkle on the reserved pie crust material to decorate.
Brown the meringue slightly in a 375 degree oven for around 6 to 7 minutes.
Cool and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.
Monday December 11, 2006 · Permalink