| Sugar cream pie | |
| Alternate Name: | Sugar pie, Hoosier pie |
| Country: | United States |
| Region: | Indiana |
| Type: | Pie |
| Main Ingredient: | Sugar, cream, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg |
Sugar cream pie (also known as sugar pie or Hoosier pie) is a custard pie made with a simple filling of cream, sugar and cornstarch. The consensus is that "a true sugar cream pie doesn't include eggs".[1] Sugar cream pie has been made in Indiana since the 19th-century when fresh fruit was precious and eggs were not a common ingredient.[2] It is sometimes called a desperation pie because it is one of the easiest pies to make with ingredients that most people already have in their pantries.[3]
Sugar cream pie is the unofficial state pie of Indiana,[4] where it is believed to have originated with Quaker settlers who came from North Carolina in the early 19th century, and thereafter settled in East Central Indiana, particularly around the cities of New Castle, Portland, Richmond, and Winchester. As the Shakers had to abandon their community of West Union (Busro) (near modern-day Vincennes, Indiana) in 1827, their only presence in Indiana ever (1810–1827), it is unlikely that they made the dessert popular in the state.[5]
The largest commercial producer of these pies is Wick's Pies, whose plant is in Winchester, Indiana, and makes 750,000 sugar cream pies a year. They are recognizable for their nutmeg dusting and shallow depth in a disposable aluminum pan. The recipe Wick's uses came directly from a family recipe originating from the nineteenth century. The pies sell in 25 states.[6] [7] [8]
The only agreed upon aspect of this recipe is that it contains sugar. The filling is made with milk or cream, sugar and usually flour or cornstarch. Butter is optional. Thickening the filling on the stovetop is the most reliable technique. Even for experienced chefs recipes where the filling and pie shell are baked together can be "erratic".[2] Eggs may be used instead of starch, but it is a contentious substitution.[9] Most connoisseurs agree that "a true sugar cream pie doesn't include eggs".[10] [11]