Sour Cream Raisin Brown Sugar Meringue Pie

The recipe looks daunting with all the ingredients, but you break it into 3 parts.

For the raisin filling:
Measure raisins, water, sugar, flour, vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, zest (optional) and salt into a heavy saucepan; stir. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover it, turn the temperature down to a slow simmer. Stir occasionally until the raisins are plump and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 5-7 minutes. Remove it from the heat.

For the custard:
(I don’t have a double boiler; I sit a pan in a larger pan filled with water.) In a double boiler, whisk together the sour cream, milk, yolks, sugar, cornstarch, brown sugar, and salt. Heat the mixture over simmering water and stir constantly until it thickens on the back of a wooden spoon. Turn off the heat, add the butter and stir until incorporated.

To fill the pie, there are 2 options. You can stir the raisins (after draining any liquid off them) into the custard and pour into the pie, or you can drain the raisins and add them to the bottom of the pie and pour the custard over the top. Either way, immediately place the meringue on top and get it into the oven to brown the meringue. The heat from the pudding will help cook the meringue from below.

For the brown sugar meringue:
Preheat oven to 350F.

Place the room temperature egg whites into a completely clean and dry mixing bowl with the cream of tartar. Mix until foamy, beating with the whip attachment. Add brown sugar one tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat until whites are stiff and glossy. Beat in vanilla extract. Spread evenly over the hot pie filling, sealing the edges to the crust of the pie (no gaps).

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.