Updated 11/7/08: I made the pie using chopped prunes in place of raisins and a pre-baked phyllo crust.  DELICIOUS!

The raisin pie filling is similar to a custard and is placed into a pre-baked pie shell which has been cooled to room temperature.  This pie is commonly topped with a whipped meringue topping.

One Crust Raisin Pie
1 cup raisins
pinch of salt
2/3 cup sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 eggs separated
1 cup cream

Put sugar, raisins, and water in a pan to boil.  In a separate bowl, mix cream, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt together.  Stir the cream mixture into the raisin mixture.  Continue cooking until thick, like pudding.  Pour into a pre-baked and cooled pie crust.

When cooled, you can top with a meringue topping or whipped cream.

During the month of October, I challenged readers to try making an old recipe and sharing their results.  I'm happy to report that a few brave souls stepped up to the plate and made a delicious selection of recipes for this first 'Making History' event!

Below you will find a brief summary of each entry along with a photo of the recipe and the finished product.  You'll find more photos and information about each recipe on the corresponding blogs.

Thank you to everyone who participated!

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Blog: Accountant By Day
Entry: Mexican Fruit Cake
Location: Kansas City, KS

Melissa made Mexican Fruit Cake one of her grandmother's favorite cake recipes.  It's a pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting - what's not to love?  Melissa researched the recipe to track down the origin and found Michigan to have the most references.  I must confess that I was born and raised in Michigan and I've seen this cake before but I think we just called it by a much less sophisticated name, simply 'crushed pineapple cake'.

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Blog: No Special Effects
Entry: Macaroons
Location: Philippines

Mark entered a recipe for deliciously sweet Macaroons which he found in his cousin's journal of recipes from a youth cooking class.  Mark also shares his own roots in cooking and I was interested to learn we both were exposed to Caprial.

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Blog: Just Get Floury
Entry: Depression Cake (aka Fruitcake Bars)
Location: Chicago, IL / North Carolina

Ginny's mother is actually the one who shared her recipe for Depression Cake (aka Fruitcake Bars).  She explains that the cake received its name from the fact that it doesn't contain butter or eggs which were scarce during the 1930s depression.  Even without these vital ingredients, the recipe is so good that it continues to be made in the same manner.

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Blog: North Fork Foodie (Wannabe)
Entry: Strussell Cake
Location: North Fork Long Island

Lisa shares a beautiful looking Strussell Cake - yum!  When Lisa's mother first married in 1973 she wrote down all of *her* mother's recipes to take with her.

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Blog: Diet, Dessert and Dogs
Entry: Holiday Apple Bundt Cake
Location: Toronto, ON

Ricki shares her updated version of her favorite childhood cake, Holiday Apple Bundt Cake.  Unable to find her mother's tried and true recipe, Ricki set to work a few years ago and successfully 'recreated' history :-)  Ricki's version looks absolutely stellar and is super healthy to boot.  Finally, a no-guilt cake!

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Blog: The Papillon Pantry
Entry: Compound Salad
Location: Switzerland

Kriel shares her experience in cooking medieval and renaissance food by sharing a Compound Salad recipe dating from 1615.

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Blog: Eating Out Loud
Entry: Pinto Bean Soup
Location: San Jose, CA

I decided to make the Pinto Bean Soup recipe that I had posted to Recovered Recipes some time ago.  I was intrigued by both the decorative look of the recipe card as well as for the bean soup itself.  The recipe turned out to be pretty fantastic.

Cornmeal is one of those ingredients which just screams 'old-fashioned' to me.  It reminds me of my childhood and stories from my great-grandma on how they would make johnny cakes, hardtack, and griddle cakes. 

My mother made cornmeal griddle cakes once or twice that I can remember, and I loved them.  Griddle cakes are basically a corn-based pancake.  The cornmeal gives more texture and the edges become golden, crispy.  I enjoy the flavor of cornmeal and need to try these griddle cakes.  I'm sure they would be as good, if not better, than the ones my mother made.

Cornmeal Griddle Cakes
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup sour milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons melted butter

Pour boiling water over the cornmeal, stir until thickens then add sugar, milk, eggs.  Beat and allow to cool.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and add to the cornmeal mixture.  Mix well, then pour as you would for pancakes onto a slightly greased griddle.  Makes 12.

Serve with plenty of butter and maple syrup (my preference!).