Rum Raisin Pie (Newfoundland)

canadian-newfoundland-rumraisinpie An old-fashioned recipe with a flavourful twist. You can also make it as a plain raisin pie without the alcohol if you prefer.

Filling:
3 cups raisins (435 g)
½ cup rum (120 mL)
1 cup water, If not using the rum, use a 1½ cups of water (175 mL)
½ cup brown sugar (110 g)
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
¾ cup evaporated milk, undiluted (175 mL)
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
¼ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Butter Pastry:
1 cup butter, very cold, cut in small cubes (250 g)
2½ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached (315 g)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
½ tsp. sea salt
⅓ cup water, ice cold (80 mL)
1 tsp. vinegar

Prepare the Filling:
Soak the raisins in the rum for a couple of hours or overnight. Cover with plastic wrap and toss the raisins in the rum several times while soaking.

Add the soaked raisins to a pot with the 1 cup water. (If not using the rum use 1½ cups water, there is no need to pre-soak the raisins in water but you can if they are particularly dry. See note below)

Slowly simmer for 5 minutes over low heat.

In a separate saucepan combine the brown sugar, flour, milk, butter, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Cook this mixture over medium low heat until it thickens, stirring constantly. (see video)

When thickened, add the raisin mixture and vanilla. You can add a couple of extra Tbsp. of rum at this point if you like.

Cook for another minute or two over low heat, then set aside to cool completely.

Prepare the Butter Pastry:
Using a food processor or a pastry blender cut cold butter into flour, brown sugar and salt until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Small pieces of butter should still be visible.

Pour the vinegar into ice cold water then pour over the mixture and work in by tossing with a fork until dough begins to form. Use your hands as little as possible and work the dough as little as possible.

Divide dough into 2 balls, flatten into 2 rounds, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes. You can make your dough the previous day but make sure you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes to warm slightly before rolling out.

Roll the dough into a 12” round and place in the bottom of a 9” pie plate. Push the dough into the corners and ensure that it is not stretched at all or it will shrink from the edge. Trim dough to edge of plate. Pour filling into the bottom crust.

Roll the remaining dough round into 12” square-ish shape and cut that into 8 equal strips for the lattice crust top.

Add the lattice top and tuck the ends of the dough under the edge of the bottom crust. Crimp edges. Lightly brush with an egg wash if you like. I did.

Chill the pie in the fridge for about 20 minutes to a half hour before placing it in a preheated 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5) oven.

Bake for 45 minutes at that temperature. (Cover the edges of the pie with strips of aluminum foil to prevent them from burning if they are getting too brown. You can decrease the oven earlier if they brown quickly too.) If your lattice crust begins to get too brown after you have covered the edges with aluminum foil but before the filling is bubbling, you can place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top during the last of the baking time if needed.

Reduce heat to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4) and bake for an additional 15 minutes or so or until the top crust is a nice golden brown.

Allow to cool on a wire rack at room temperature for at least a couple of hours before serving.

Makes 10 servings.

Cook’s Notes: If you are not using rum in this recipe you can just pre-soak the raisins in the 1½ cups of water to plump them up, either for a couple of hours or overnight if you plan on making it the next day. It is perfectly fine to not pre-soak the raisins too. Just add the water and raisins to the pot and boil for 5 minutes. If your raisins are particularly dry, like some bulk food stores seem to have.