Marlborough Pie

Joined
Nov 26, 2016
Location
central NC

Marlborough Pie was enormously popular until the late 19th century. Writing in 1893 in his book "A New England Boyhood," author Edward Everett Hale says, "... there was always a great deal of talk about the Marlborough pies or the Marlborough pudding. To this hour, in any old and well-regulated family in New England, you will find there is a traditional method of making the Marlborough pie, which is sort of lemon pie, and each good housekeeper thinks that her grandmother left a better receipt for Marlborough pie than anybody else did."

The reasons for the pie's disappearance from holiday tables can only be guessed at. It's likely women in the early 19th century tended to have large ovens that permitted them to do all of their baking in a single day. Pies and breads, cakes and biscuits were prepared for a week at a time. When ovens became smaller later in the 19th century, women had to rethink their menus. Pies, including the Marlborough, were no longer daily offerings, but became special treats on holidays.

The following recipe is adapted from the one featured in the "Old Sturbridge Village Cookbook."

Marlborough Pudding Pie

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter
Juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup stewed, pureed apples, preferably tart Heirloom varieties like Baldwin, Russet or Northern Spy (You can use a food processor.)
3/4 cup cooking sherry (the sweeter the better) or white port
1/2 cup heavy cream (this is a key ingredient)
3/4 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 single pie crust
1/3 teaspoon grated nutmeg, or to taste (may use up to 2 teaspoons)

Directions:
If you are using a pie crust with sugar in it, preheat oven to 350 degrees. If there is no sugar in the crust, preheat to 400 degrees.

Melt butter and set aside to cool.

Squeeze lemon and remove seeds. Add lemon to stewed apples, sherry, cream and sugar, and mix well. Add melted butter to mixture, blending well. Beat eggs and add to mixture.

Line a deep 8-inch pie plate with pie crust.

Season apple mixture with grated nutmeg, stirring to combine, and spoon into prepared pie plate.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. (If you preheated to 400 degrees, bake at that temperature for 15 minutes, then lower heat to 350 degrees, and bake for another 45 minutes or so until done.)


This is a wonderful treat to serve on New Year's Eve. Happy New Year friends!!!
 
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"Spies for pies"!!!

Besides, how do you know they weren't Confederate spies in the North! :bounce:
There were! Many with family/friends up North would get permission to travel up North only to get supplies and smuggle them down South...but they were always considered "Rebels" like Louisa Buckner's sensational arrest. She was the niece of Federal Postmaster General Montgomery Blair! She borrowed money from him to buy "groceries" to take home to Virginia but needless to say...her hundred ounces of quinine and other goods were not for her own use. :running:

Civil War spy cartoon Buckner.jpg
 
Originally, marlborough pie "used apples harvested inthe fall and about to go bad. ... Just before the holidays, the ones closest to rot and full of worms could be strained through a horsehair sieve and pureed."

It also "uses a fair amount of booze."

Read the complete story:
1607871647231.png
 
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