indiana sugar cream pie
Family get-togethers and holidays at my grandparents’ house meant pie! My grandma would buy an assortment from the local pie shop, ranging from fruit-filled to chocolate cream pie. Regardless of what flavors she bought, there was always my favorite, a Wick’s Sugar Cream Pie. Wick’s pies started in 1944 in Winchester and has become synonymous with this state pie. If you grew up in Indiana, it is almost certain you were raised eating their version.
Sugar Cream Pie is a custard pie comprised mainly of heavy cream and sugar. Though it is a dessert not really understood by many non-Hoosiers due to it only being found in Indiana and the simplicity of ingredients, it gained popularity during the Great Depression because of the latter. Its origins date back further than that to the 1800’s and was especially popular in Amish communities.
When we opened our ice cream shop Cone + Crumb last year, I knew that we had to transform this state delicacy into an ice cream flavor. Adding whole sugar cream pies and a little nutmeg to our signature base, it continues to be one of our top sellers.
Recipe
Pie Crust:
- 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 8 ounces unsalted butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup cold water
- Cut butter into small cubes (about 1/2″ pieces) and chill.
- Place flour, cold butter cubes and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the butter is mixed throughout in pea size pieces or smaller.
- While the food processor is running, add the egg and cold water. Pulse the dough until it is just coming together (will still be a little crumbly)
- Turn dough out onto plastic wrap and, using the plastic wrap, work the crumbs into the dough until smooth. Wrap completely and chill.
- Once chilled, cut dough in half and place on a flour surface. Roll dough out and place in pie dish (I use pan spray on my pie dish first to avoid sticking). Repeat with other half. Note: the key to rolling out pie dough is to make sure the surface and top of the pie crust are well-floured. Using your rolling pin, roll diagonally a few times up to the right and then a few times up to the left. Rotate crust a quarter turn and keep repeating (and flouring as necessary) until your pie dough is the right size. This ensures that your pie dough stays in a circular shape. The pie dough should not stick to your rolling surface. Use more flour if this happens.
- Leave a small edge on the pie crust and crimp the pie dough with your fingers or use a fork for decoration.
Pie Filling:
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ounces unsalted butter
- Ground nutmeg (to sprinkle)
- Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Whisk while cold to incorporate the cornstarch. Note: cornstarch must always be added to a cold liquid or else it will clump.
- Cook mixture, stirring constantly, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Take off heat and add the butter, stirring until dissolved. I like to use an immersion blender to make sure that everything is blended well, but a whisk works, too.
- Divide the mixture by pouring it into two pie shells and sprinkle the top lightly with ground nutmeg.
- Bake pies at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until set. Pies will still be slightly jiggly in the middle but starting to brown a little on top.
- Once the pies have cooled, place them in the refrigerator to chill. They will firm up as they chill. Sugar cream pies may be served cold or at room temperature. Enjoy!
A version we made with West Fork Whiskey Co.‘s All or Nothing Indiana Corn Whiskey