From about the middle of
spring up through the
harvest season,
pies are wonderful celebratory foods. However, there's a difference between a "
summer" pie and an "
autumn" pie; usually the autumn pies will incorporate heavy foods (like
potato,
pumpkin, or
sweet potatoes) while spring and early summer tend to be better matched with pies made of summer fruits like
strawberries and
blueberries. However, there is one type of pie often overlooked during this time of year: The
CREAM pie.
Milk and
dairy may have already had their highlight in late winter and early spring (with
Imbolc and
Ostara), but in the
old world this time of year still had milk available, and this is as good a time as any to enjoy it!
Beltane--May Day--is a perfect holiday to present a particular cream pie dusted with nutmeg. It's nice and milky and filling, and fits well with the Beltane lustiness and intentional gluttony even though it is comparatively bland in color beside all the festive red party foods that often adorn a Beltane table.
NOTE: The title of this recipe spells the holiday "Bealtaine" because that is the choice of the original author from whose recipe this node was inspired.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Melt butter in a wide pan on medium heat. Add the milk to the cornstarch in a separate bowl, letting the cornstarch soak up the milk before adding more; make sure it's an even mixture when all the milk is added. Add this milk and cream mixture to the butter in the pan along with the sugar, and stir it constantly until it thickens. (It will probably start to boil and then become thick--you'll know it when it's thick enough because it will attain a pudding-like consistency.) Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour it into the pie shell. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Once it's set, it can be eaten still warm from the pot or it can be chilled to set more firmly and served cold.
Yield: 1 9- or 10-inch pie
Source: Paraphrased from McCoy, The Sabbats
Use for: Beltane
Pagan recipes