Vintage Eats Recipe for National Pie Day: 1967 Lemon Sour Cream Pie

Today is National Pie Day!

What a great food to celebrate!

To be honest, I’ve not made many pies in my life. When my kids were growing up, I made cakes that offered more slices per recipe for my hungry crowd. With a pie each person would only get a single slice and it would be gone.

But now that most of those hungry eaters are out of the house, I’m dipping my toe back into the Pie Pond with vintage recipes.

This recipe for Lemon Sour Cream Pie is a great example. It is so scrumptious!

It is just sweet enough to make my taste buds crave more but with a tanginess that almost makes my eyes water. Okay, maybe not that tangy, but it is certainly delectable.

I’ve not used lemons much to bake with and I don’t know why not since I LOVE lemons. I also love to smell it around my house.

Those furniture polish people knew what they were doing when they put lemon fragrance in their product. It made the odious task of dusting the 8,931 objects in Mom’s house endurable as I was growing up.

This recipe for Lemon Sour Cream Pie came from Better Homes and Gardens ‘So Good with Fruit’ (1967). Other tried-and-true recipes from that cookbook shared on this blog:

Italian Plum Cobbler

Cranberry Meat Loaf

Enjoy this recipe for Lemon Sour Cream Pie.

And since we’re all friends, I’ll share a secret. Lemon slices around the crust – they hide edges that crumbled. No harm, no foul, right? I thought the lemons added a unique look.

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Another take on National Pie Day —

Audry Dudley, a member of my town’s Visitor Center, featured me in a blog post for National Pie Day!

As a teen in the 1970s, I worked in a local restaurant that was wildly popular, not only for people in my community, but from miles around – even out of state. The Dutch Mill was well known for many dishes, including broasted chicken, Dutch Boy Sandwiches, and many other dishes, including a myriad of pies. Everything was handmade.

Their Sugar Cream Pie was out of this world.

Unfortunately, in the 1990s, the restaurant burned and was permanently closed. We were all devastated.

A couple of years ago, the daughter of the owner, Laura Moser Bertsch, another friend named Brenda Barkdull, and I presented a program for Wells County Public Library cooking group called ‘Cook, Talk, Taste.’ We featured recipes and memorabilia of the Dutch Mill. We had a blast and I think the people who attended did as well, as most remembered the 12-room dining establishment.

I blogged about the event which was so much fun. Here is the link to the blog post.

Thanks, Audry, for your support!

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So, now you have no excuse for not making pie, as you have two delicious recipes to make. Which will you try first?

Take care, and stay warm.

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#sugarcreampie #vintagerecipes #hoosiercooking #dutchmillplaza #HistoricRestaurants #indianahistory #NationalPieDay

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Lemon Sour Cream Pie

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup milk

3 egg yolks, slightly beaten

¼ cup margarine

1 teaspoon lemon peel, shredded

¼ cup lemon juice

1 cup sour cream (I used plain yogurt)

1 baked 9-inch pastry shell

(The recipe called for Meringue so the recipe is below, but I kept it simple and substituted dollops of whipped cream)

1. In a medium-sized saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, and dash salt.
2. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly.
3. Cook and stir until mix thickens and boils.
4. In a small bowl blend a small amount of hot mix into beaten egg yolks; return to hot mix.
5. Cook and stir two minutes.
6. Add margarine, lemon peel, and juice.
7. Cover and remove from the burner to cool.
8. Fold in sour cream and spoon into pastry shell.

Meringue:

1. Beat 3 egg whites with ½ teaspoon vanilla and ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar to soft peaks.
2. Gradually add 6 tablespoons sugar, beating to stiff peaks.
3. Spread meringue over filling, sealing to edge of pastry.
4. Bake 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings

#sugarcreampie #vintagerecipes #hoosiercooking #dutchmillplaza #HistoricRestaurants #indianahistory #NationalPieDay