A Hoosier pie
While in high school, I had a variety of jobs. One was working in a restaurant adjoining a gas station. It was not listed in any gourmet publication I ever read, but because of a wonderful cook who came in on a limited basis, turned out some notable meals.
There was the Sunday fried chicken with the specially cut out breast meat, always reserved for the older couple from Frankfort, Indiana, who came in and left me 2 quarters for a tip. I was delighted at the time. I only spilled one plate of food on them the whole time I worked there. They did not get legal representation and that saved me.
We had an ice cream freezer at the front with many flavors. It was set at a very cold setting so when ice cream was ordered, it took an Amazon to dip it from the freezer and place it on a plate or in a cone. One of my mother’s good friends showed me the trick of making sure the bacon for the bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches was completely drained on a paper towel before serving. Goodness knows the owner was not interested in such detail.
The French fries were in a bucket of water in the refrigerator. When an order was received a scoop of them was placed in the fryer. It was important to be sure as much water as possible had been shaken off – otherwise the frying grease would cool and sputter and splatter all over.
The job required many talents: taking orders, preparing the food, serving, clearing and mopping after closing. It was there I learned the hazard of rushing to pour the boiling water into the large coffee maker. I was off work a couple of weeks after that.
There were two specialties that stand out now in my mind. The first was the “Manhattan.” It was roast beef served on Wonder bread topped with mashed potatoes and gravy. It was popular. It was about as distant a relative to Beef Wellington you could ever find. You do not need a recipe for that.
And then there was the Sugar Cream Pie. I still crave that. It is said to have been created by the Amish to serve when fresh berries were out of season. This pie always sold out first.
Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 generous tablespoon butter
1 egg yolk
2 heaping tablespoons flour
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cups of cream (maybe a bit less, just enough to fill a pie shell.)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 410 degrees.
Mix brown and white sugar with flour. Sprinkle flour/ sugar mixture over pie crust.
Beat egg yolk with cream.
Fill pie shell.
Take a spoon and swirl it through the milk mixture a couple of times. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake at 410 degrees for 10 minutes. Then bake at 350 for 45 minutes. The filling should be bubbling. The center should still jiggle. Be careful not to overcook or the filling will not set.
Allow to cool and top with whipped cream.
Judge Kirkendall is a retired Probate Judge. He presently serves on the Elder Law Advisory Board of the Stetson University College of Law. He has taught cooking classes for more than 25 years at various cooking schools in the Ann Arbor area and has himself attended classes at Cordon Bleu and La Varenne in Paris, as well as schools in New York, New Orleans and San Francisco. I am (thankfully) past president of the National College of Probate Judges. He can be reached at Judgejnk@yahoo.com
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