• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Anchored Baking
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Living
  • Shop
  • Give
  • Contact

Vintage Custard Pie

July 7, 2020 By Lindsay Forbes Leave a Comment

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This is the custard pie recipe from “What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking,” published in 1881. This cookbook is thought to be the first African-American cookbook.

Mrs. Fisher was born into slavery in South Carolina. She married a man from Alabama and they made their way to San Francisco after the Civil War. In San Francisco, she ran a pickles and preserves business and was widely recognized for her culinary skills. Since she could not read nor write, her cookbook was made by dictating her knowledge to a group of white women.

You can get a copy of this book at Target (click here)

The crust of this pie has both butter and lard. Lard is a fat product from pigs and it creates a very flavorful, flaky crust (not to mention it is much better for you than manufactured vegetable shortening). This recipe also calls for freshly grated nutmeg which is fragrant and smells heavenly. As with other vintage recipes, this recipe does not include an oven temperature nor how long to bake it, relying on the home baker to have a basic level of knowledge.

A very special person gave this book to me two years ago at a culinary history event. Not only did he foster a curiosity in me about food history but he shed a new light on American history. You can read more about his research on Abby Fisher in the Fall 2007 issue of Repast (click the image below).

Click here for another interesting article about Mrs. Fisher from Gastro Obscura.

Here is the text from the original which I have modernized with additional instructions below. Note that the original recipe makes 2 pies! Half this recipe if you want 1 standard 9″ pie.

Custard Pie

Mrs. Fisher’s Custard Pie

Lindsay Forbes
Try making this recipe for custard pie from What Mrs. Fisher knows About Old Southern Cooking, 1881, the first African-American cookbook!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hr
Chilling Time for Pie Dough 2 hrs
Total Time 3 hrs
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 1 9″ Pie

Ingredients
  

For the pie crust:

  • 8 oz flour, about 2 cups sifted plus more for rolling
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 4 tbsp lard
  • Ice water

For the custard filling:

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/2 fresh nutmeg (about 1 teaspoon), divided
  • 1 tsp vanilla (optional, this was not in the original recipe, see notes)

Instructions
 

To make the pie crust:

  • Using a pastry cutter, combine flour, butter, and lard until butter and lard are pea-sized and covered by flour.
  • Add enough ice water so the dough becomes clumpy and shaggy and begins to form a ball when pressed together. Be careful to not to add too much water! The dough should be sticky but not wet. For me it took about about 1/2 cup, use more/less water as needed.
  • Place dough on a floured working surface and fold the dough together until all the fats are incorporated.
  • Form dough into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

To prep the pie crust:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Roll out dough on a lightly floured working surface until about 12" in diameter.
  • Place the dough into your pie dish (no need to spray/butter it first). Crimp the edges.
  • Place parchment paper over the dough and fill with pie weights/beans/rice. Bake crust for 12 minutes. Let cool while making the filling.

To make the filling:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, and half of your grated nutmeg (about 1/2 teaspoon).
  • Pour egg mixture in pie dish prepared with pre-baked crust. Sprinkle the top with remaining nutmeg (about 1/2 teaspoon).
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Cool on wire rack, refrigerate. Serve chilled.

Notes

  1. Vanilla was not included in the original recipe. However, it is common in custard pies today. I think it adds a nice complement to the nutmeg, depth, and more sweetness. 
  2. Freshly grated nutmeg is much more pure and fragrant than store-bought ground nutmeg. If you do not have fresh nutmeg, you may want to double the amount used in this recipe.  
Keyword custard, pie, vintage

Filed Under: Pies & Tarts, Recipes

Previous Post: « Vanilla Bean Apricot Danish
Next Post: Baked Strawberry White Chocolate Donuts »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Meet Lindsay

Welcome to Anchored Baking! This is where you will find sweet treats, some savory foods, and fun facts about culinary history. Read More…

Let’s Connect!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Join the list

Subscribe to receive new posts via email.

anchoredbaking

Happy Easter! 🐰 I posted this new recipe for a Happy Easter! 🐰 I posted this new recipe for a Tropical Coconut Carrot Cake Loaf and I think you will love it!The cake batter is filled with shredded carrots and warm spices but it also has mashed bananas in it (a trick I learned from @ambitiouskitchen). The bananas add sweetness and moisture, giving the cake a perfect texture. I topped it with a coconut buttercream and toasted coconut flakes to complement the banana. Check out AnchoredBaking.com for the recipe! I hope you give it a try :).....#happyeaster #carrotcake #bananavread #coconutcake #carrotcakeloaf #quickbread #smallbatchbaking #coconutfrosting #tropicaltreats #eastercake #easterbaking #springbaking #cakeforbreakfast #anchoredbaking #thebakefeed #wsbakeclub
Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘️ I just posted this Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘️ I just posted this recipe for Irish Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Streusel and Vanilla Bean Custard Sauce. One of my favorite things about this cake is you can have it for dessert AND breakfast the next day! :) It is not too sweet and it is the perfect way to end a traditional boiled dinner if you are having that tonight. Visit AnchoredBaking.com for the recipe and more details! .....#stpatricksday #stpattysday #applecake #irishapplecake #custard #custardsauce #stpattys #thefeedfeed #thebakefeed #cakeforbreakfast #appledesserts #foodstyling #foodtographyschool #coffeecake #anchoredbaking #springbaking #caketime #cakelovers
Happy Mardi Gras! 💜💛💚 Today would be a gr Happy Mardi Gras! 💜💛💚 Today would be a great day to make these vanilla bean beignets with passion fruit curd. Hardly "traditional" but one of my favorite recipes I have ever published. The beignets have a fluffy, pillowy texture and the curd is a nice tangy complement to the sweet dough. I also wrote about the history of beignets on AnchoredBaking.com if you want to learn more :)Laissez les bons temps rouler! (Let the good times roll!) ....#anchoredbaking #mardigras #NOLA #dessertrecipe #breakfastrecipe #thebakefeed #food52grams @food52 @thebakefeed #food52community @foodtographyschool #passionfruit #lilikoi #mauibaker #beignet #foodhistory #passionfruitcurd #doughnut #redstaryeast #thefeedfeedbaking #bakingblog
New recipe: White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Ice Cr New recipe: White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Ice Cream with Fudge RibbonsThis recipe has white chocolate melted into the custard base of the ice cream. Then we add fudgey chocolate ribbons and sprinkles of crushed candy cane to recreate all the flavors of peppermint bark. You are going to love this!!This is a great recipe for anybody who celebrates Christmas in warmer climates but if you are anything like us, you can enjoy ice cream year round! 😉Recipe on AnchoredBaking.com!.....#homemadeicecream #icecream #christmas #christmasbaking #candycane #peppermintbark #foodstyling #peppermintbarkicecream #whitechocolate #bakingrecipes #feedfeed #feedfeedbaking #foodblog #anchoredbaking #makeittogether #thebakefeed #myanthropologie
New Recipe: Gingerbread Crème Brûlée! This reci New Recipe: Gingerbread Crème Brûlée! This recipe has a spicy, creamy custard base, a hardened caramelized sugar topping for the quintessential crunch, and the cutest gingerbread man stenciled on top to give a nod to the flavors inside.Check out AnchoredBaking.com for all the tips and tricks including a template to stencil the gingerbread men.I hope this makes an appearance on your Christmas dinner table!! Happy Holidays! .....#cremebrulee #crèmebrûlée #gingerbread #gingerbreadman #gingerbreadmen #holidaydessert #christmasbaking #dessertsofinstagram #kitchentorch #anchoredbaking #feedfeed #feedfeedbaking #foodtographyschool #foodphotographyandstyling #christmasbakes #dessertrecipe #bakingtips #bakingblogger #jochefculinary
Fromage Blanc, Honeycomb, and Fig Viennoiserie fro Fromage Blanc, Honeycomb, and Fig Viennoiserie from The Pastry School by @julie_jonesuk Fig season is short but it is sweet! This pastry has a flaky, buttery crunch, fig jam, fromage blanc, and honeycomb. Each bite is filled with delicious flavors. Julie's instructions for the laminated dough were super clear and easy to follow. Check out my stories to see how these were prepped for baking -- I do wish I had something heavier than beans!I ran all over town looking for fromage blanc (thank you @thecheeseshop!) but I think goat cheese would be just as yummy. I also thought about adding some toasted walnuts to the filling. Luckily, I know I will be making these again so I will try next time :)Julie's book is full of creative and beautiful recipes - nothing short of artwork! This cookbook would make a great gift for the bakers in your life that like "projects" ;) Thank you, @chubbeekitchen, for showcasing this book and influencing my purchase! You can check out her page to see a bunch of other recipes she made from this cookbook. .....#laminateddough #viennoiserie #frenchpastry #homebaker #pastryschool #figseason #fromageblanc #cheeselover #anchoredbaking #foodartblog #foodtographyschool #thebakefeed #bakeandshare #redstaryeast #yeasteddough #breakfastpastry #honeycomb #savethebees #beecause #beechworthhoney
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving :) Wha I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving :) What was your favorite thing that you made?We started the day with a slice of the pumpkin tea cake from @lizprueitt_tartine. It was the perfect recipe to break in my new @nordicwareusa pan- I love the wheat detail and the scalloped edges 😍We cooked our turkey in a Hawaiian imu- I will do a dedicated post on the process and what we learned next week! Wishing you all a restful long weekend with your loved ones :) .....#thanksgiving #pumpkinspice #pumpkinseason #pumpkinbread #pumpkinteacake  #thanksgivingbaking #thefeedfeed #thebakefeed #foodstyling #bakingblogger #tartine #anchoredbaking #feedfeedbaking #foodphotos #foodphotographyandstyling #foodstylist #cookbooklover #cookbookcollector #tartinecookbook #tartinerevisited #targetfinds
Mango Coconut Cheesecake Aloha from Maui where it Mango Coconut CheesecakeAloha from Maui where it is definitely NOT fall 😉This cheesecake has a coconut graham cracker crust which is a subtle but pleasant surprise. The cheesecake batter is made with cream cheese and coconut milk making it extra creamy and delicious! I am most excited about the mango gelée layer which is made with mango puree and gelatine. It offers a nice fruity flavor, a complementing texture, and a beautiful smooth display. I dreamed of this cheesecake for a long time and I am so happy with the way it came out. I hope you love this recipe :)Check out AnchoredBaking.com where I am also talking about all the different kinds of mangos you can find on Hawai'i. These mangos are from Yee's Orchard stand and they are so sweet and juicy. Best mangos I have ever found! Do you have any favorite mango recipes?It is still in the high 80s here in Maui with plenty of sunshine and warm waters! I am not ready for all this pumpkin spice. Are you ready for fall baking?.....#homemadecheesecake #cheesecake #bakedcheesecake #coconutcheesecake #mangococonutcheesecake #itmustbethephilly #mauibaker #mauiblogger #mango #mangoseason #anchoredbaking #feedfeed #foodblogfeed #foodtographyschool #f52grams #f52community #thebakefeed #thekitchn #bakefromscratch #feedfeedbaking #ediblehi #hawaiianfoodmagazine #eatlocalgrown
Today is Julia Child's birthday! She would have be Today is Julia Child's birthday! She would have been 109 years old. In celebration, I made one of her favorite desserts- Crêpes Suzette!You start by making a stack of crêpes. Then you coat each crêpe in a caramelized orange butter sauce, fold them in quarters, sprinkle them with sugar and flablé with orange liqueur and brandy. This is traditionally done tableside because it is quite a show with the flames!I recently finished reading "My Life in France" co-authored by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme (her husband's brother's grandson). This book gave me a whole new appreciation for her perspective on life. You could just feel her joy and sense of humor. I highly recommend reading it :) This book also details the writing process for Mastering the Art of French Cooking (which includes this recipe for Crêpes Suzette). It is fascinating and might just be my new favorite book.Check out my post today on AnchoredBaking.com to learn more about Julia Child and my experience making this dessert. Bon Appétit! .....#juliachild #juliachildfoundation #juliaskitchen #masteringtheartoffrenchcooking #culinaryhistory #foodhistory #foodicon #cookbookcollector #getcookingcookbookclub #clubdecuisinefrançaise #homemadecrepes #anchoredbaking #castironcooking #homebaking #foodblogger #travelinspired #mylifeinfrance #f52community #feedfeedbaking
Load More Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2020 Anchored Baking