Aunt Jule's Pie
By Arley BellPublished on November 14, 2024
Time
2½ hours, plus 5½ hours chilling and cooling
Yield
Serves 8
Ingredients
Crust
¼ cup ice water 4 teaspoons sour cream 1¼ cups (6¼ ounces) all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons sugar ½ teaspoon table salt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces and frozen for 15 minutesFilling
8 tablespoons unsalted butter ½ cup golden raisins ½ cup pitted dates ½ cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped3⁄4 teaspoon table salt, divided1 cup packed (7 ounces) light brown sugar 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground allspice 5 large egg yolks 1 1⁄4 cups heavy cream 1 teaspoon cider vinegarBefore You Begin
Per a suggestion from Arley Bell’s husband, we love serving this pie with Bourbon Whipped Cream.
Instructions
- Whisk ice water and sour cream in bowl. Process flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter butter over top and pulse until butter pieces are no larger than peas, about 10 pulses. Add sour cream mixture and pulse until dough forms clumps and no dry flour remains, about 12 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. (Dough will be loose and have texture of wet sand.)
- Transfer dough to counter and knead briefly until dough comes together. Place dough on sheet of plastic wrap and form into 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. (Wrapped dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling.)
- Roll dough into 12-inch circle on floured counter. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9-inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into plate bottom with your other hand.
- Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of plate. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of plate. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to bottom position and heat oven to 325 degrees.
- Melt butter in 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook, swirling skillet constantly, until solids turn color of milk chocolate and have toasty aroma, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately remove skillet from heat and scrape browned butter into small heatproof bowl; set aside to cool.
- Combine raisins, dates, pecans, and ¼ teaspoon salt in food processor and process until finely ground, about 30 seconds.
- Combine brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, allspice, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt in large bowl. Add browned butter and whisk until fully combined. Whisk in egg yolks until fully combined. Whisk in cream and vinegar.
- Press nut and fruit mixture into bottom of chilled pie crust. Pour custard over top. Transfer to oven and bake until center of pie registers 185 to 190 degrees and is set (filling will jiggle slightly when pie is shaken), about 1 hour. Let pie cool on wire rack until set, at least 4 hours. Serve.
for the crust
for the filling
Time
2½ hours, plus 5½ hours chilling and coolingYield
Serves 8Ingredients
Crust
¼ cup ice water
4 teaspoons sour cream
1¼ cups (6¼ ounces) all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces and frozen for 15 minutes
Filling
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup pitted dates
½ cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
3⁄4 teaspoon table salt, divided
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
5 large egg yolks
1 1⁄4 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Ingredients
Crust
¼ cup ice water
4 teaspoons sour cream
1¼ cups (6¼ ounces) all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces and frozen for 15 minutes
Filling
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup pitted dates
½ cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
3⁄4 teaspoon table salt, divided
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
5 large egg yolks
1 1⁄4 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Ingredients
Crust
¼ cup ice water
4 teaspoons sour cream
1¼ cups (6¼ ounces) all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces and frozen for 15 minutes
Filling
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup pitted dates
½ cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
3⁄4 teaspoon table salt, divided
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
5 large egg yolks
1 1⁄4 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Why This Recipe Works
In the Cook’s Country archives, we used to have a recipe for Jefferson Davis Pie. We learned that this pie, named after the Confederate general, was most likely invented by, and should have been attributed to, an enslaved woman, Aunt Jule. So we asked baker and activist Arley Bell to redevelop our old pie recipe. And we’ve named it after the woman who deserves the credit.
Before You Begin
Per a suggestion from Arley Bell’s husband, we love serving this pie with Bourbon Whipped Cream.
Instructions
- Whisk ice water and sour cream in bowl. Process flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter butter over top and pulse until butter pieces are no larger than peas, about 10 pulses. Add sour cream mixture and pulse until dough forms clumps and no dry flour remains, about 12 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. (Dough will be loose and have texture of wet sand.)
- Transfer dough to counter and knead briefly until dough comes together. Place dough on sheet of plastic wrap and form into 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. (Wrapped dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling.)
- Roll dough into 12-inch circle on floured counter. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9-inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into plate bottom with your other hand.
- Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of plate. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of plate. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to bottom position and heat oven to 325 degrees.
- Melt butter in 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook, swirling skillet constantly, until solids turn color of milk chocolate and have toasty aroma, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately remove skillet from heat and scrape browned butter into small heatproof bowl; set aside to cool.
- Combine raisins, dates, pecans, and ¼ teaspoon salt in food processor and process until finely ground, about 30 seconds.
- Combine brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, allspice, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt in large bowl. Add browned butter and whisk until fully combined. Whisk in egg yolks until fully combined. Whisk in cream and vinegar.
- Press nut and fruit mixture into bottom of chilled pie crust. Pour custard over top. Transfer to oven and bake until center of pie registers 185 to 190 degrees and is set (filling will jiggle slightly when pie is shaken), about 1 hour. Let pie cool on wire rack until set, at least 4 hours. Serve.
for the crust
for the filling
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