How a Raisin Cream Pie Inspired Me to Become a Better Writer

I wrote about a pie, but I learned that the story was really about much more. (Bonus: recipe included!)

Since third grade I knew I wanted to write. I loved to read; it was an escape for me, and I was fascinated by what other people had to say. And I thought I had things to say, even at the age of eight. But I didn’t really do anything about it, you know…life and all…until I was a single mom with two daughters and a couple of jobs. Even with that, I decided the time was right to go back to school and major in English. Perfect for me; reading and writing, and I loved it. I did not know it at the time, but fate was with me when I decided to enroll at Simpson College and take courses at the Des Moines campus during evenings and weekends. My favorite course was non-fiction writing and I so admired my instructor, Wini Moranville. She was talented, patient, kind, and so supportive of me and my writing efforts.

I don’t remember what the exact assignment was, as this was many years ago. Many. But I decided to write about how I re-created a raisin cream pie recipe for my friend’s family Thanksgiving gathering. I wrote what I thought was a pretty good story, but Wini gave it back to me and asked me to edit it. Because I thought I’d written the story I’d wanted to, I asked her why. Turned out that I hadn’t told the story. The entire story. The story I’d meant to tell. It was about a pie, yes, but Wini pushed me to discover that while the pie was the topic, I was not delivering the story I’d actually wanted to write.

It took many edits and re-writes before I finally figured out what it was that I wanted my reader to come away with. What made that reader say, “Hmmm,” when they got done with the story?  "WHAT do you want the reader to KNOW? WHAT are you trying to TELL them?" These words from Wini have always stayed with me and drive everything I write. When I’ve written a piece and someone tells me that they could feel my joy or felt that they were there with me, it’s the best compliment I could receive. I know I’ve succeeded in helping the reader feel like they were a part of the experience. That they were included.

Wini and I continue to be friends (we still talk about that raisin cream pie story), and she so graciously continues to support my writing. She recently gave me a shout-out on her Substack column which I am so appreciative of, giving my column a nice boost. Find Wini’s Food Stories Substack column here:

for deliciously inspiring stories about food, drink, and dining venues around the Des Moines area and across the state. You will be glad you did, and your taste buds will be too!

So, without further ado, here is the infamous, in my world anyway, raisin cream pie story (including the recipe at the end). I’m dying to edit this story again - keep those fingers off the keys, Connie! - but refraining and leaving it as it was after my final edit during the non-fiction writing class:

RAISIN CREAM PIE

Thanksgiving at my best friend’s home is a holiday tradition eagerly anticipated each year. Nancy has been a part of my life for seventeen years. Now that I’m divorced and her husband has passed away, we’re closer than ever. Ten years ago, as I found myself alone, staring at a turkey, and wondering who I would share it with, her large, loving family kindly invited me to join them in this holiday of gratefulness. 

As a newly-adopted member of this family, I, of course, felt it was my duty to contribute to the holiday meal. In my circle of friends, I’m known as the Baking Lady.  Baking is my thing - I love to do it and I’m good at it. The first couple of years I made carrot cake, chocolate cream pie, and apple/cranberry pie served with cinnamon ice cream. We all enjoyed these desserts and making them became part of my new Thanksgiving tradition. 

One year after dinner, as we sat around the Thanksgiving table eating dessert, and loving every moment of our too-full misery, someone mentioned the Thanksgivings of long ago when Nancy’s family celebrated this holiday at Aunt Bert’s home in Kansas. Oh yes! they exclaimed, Aunt Bert’s raisin cream pie! I smiled as I watched the excitement generated by their talk of this much-loved, but long-lost, pie. I listened to them reminisce about how they would hide pieces of it from each other in order to make sure they got their slice. I laughed along with them as they re-lived their memories, never dreaming the story would have anything to do with me.

As the year passed and thoughts began to stir about the upcoming family Thanksgiving dinner, Nancy came to me with a tiny scrap of paper. It was torn from a piece of old, faded paper scrawled with the words “raisins, cream, butter, coconut, nuts, crust crumbs” scattered willy-nilly about on it. What in the world is this, I thought, as Nancy handed it to me declaring that it was Aunt Bert’s recipe for her raisin cream pie. What?? She had to be kidding! With great trepidation I wondered what this had to do with me, while at the same time I knew what it had to do with me. Nancy said she was just positive that if anyone could recreate the pie that her family loved so much, it was me. She was absolutely certain that I could do it. 

Not wanting to disappoint her, and showing more confidence than I actually felt, I took the little scrap of paper and began deciphering the words. Having never made, nor tasted, a raisin cream pie, I wasn’t quite sure what I was trying to create. I researched raisin cream pies everywhere: cookbooks, magazines, web sites; and finally felt I was ready to venture out into that mysterious world of raisin cream pies. Thanksgiving was quickly approaching, so I didn’t have much testing time. Amazingly, after Experiment #2, I thought I had it. When I arrived at Nancy’s home with the desserts that year, I brought along the raisin cream pie. Her family was astounded to see the pie sitting on the buffet table with our usual holiday treats. They loved it, although there was one delicate suggestion that perhaps there were a few too many raisins. I made a note on my recipe card (which had Aunt Bert’s scrap of paper taped to the back) to reduce the raisins in next year’s pie. And then it was perfect. I had done it - I was able to give this family something that had been such an important part of their Thanksgiving traditions and memories, just as they had given me my new holiday tradition of being welcomed into their family celebration.

However, that wasn’t the end of the raisin cream pie adventure. I work at Meredith Publishing Corporation. While at work one day, I received an e-mail message generated by Hometown Cooking, one of the magazines we published. As I read it, I saw a plea for family holiday dessert recipes with an interesting story attached to them. I immediately thought of the raisin cream pie and submitted the recipe along with the story of Aunt Bert. The recipe, photo of the pie, and story were published in the December issue that year. We were thrilled, and I sent copies of the magazine to every member of the family. An extra issue was requested for mailing to Aunt Bert’s son and daughter-in-law, still living in Kansas.

I had pretty much forgotten about the magazine story when one day my phone rang at work. When I answered, a woman asked me if this was the Connie who had made the raisin cream pie.  Yeeessss, I replied, wondering what this call was about and from whom. She informed me right away that she was Aunt Bert’s daughter-in-law and wanted to thank me for re-inventing her family’s famous raisin cream pie. It was made even more special to her and her husband since Aunt Bert had died earlier in the year. Now they had the ability to make their favorite lost-recipe pie and a printed, tangible tribute to Aunt Bert. Sadly, Aunt Bert did not get to see her beautiful pie recipe published, but I have faith that she still enjoys the antics of her family as they once again squabble over the last piece of her pie.

I think of this pie as my Boomerang Pie because it continues to go out into the world and return to me. Not long ago, I took some out-of-town co-workers on a tour of the Meredith corporate buildings. As part of their tour, I guided them through our Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen, where recipes are evaluated and tweaked before being published. As we walked through the individual kitchen units, I glanced at a countertop...and there sat Aunt Bert’s raisin cream pie! Upon asking the nutritionist working in the kitchen why that particular pie had been prepared, she replied that it is one of our most requested recipes and a non-dairy version is being developed for people with allergies. I momentarily stopped the tour and cut a few slices for my corporate guests. As they enjoyed their pie and listened to the story of Aunt Bert, I was reminded how the simple pleasure of sharing food with others can bring people closer and make the world seem a smaller, friendlier place. 

I don’t know how many people have discovered this raisin cream pie recipe in the magazine and now use it in their own homes as part of their celebrations. I like to believe it has become a tradition for some of those families to treasure and will be passed down to future generations by other Aunt Berts.

As I count my blessings each Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for Nancy and the wonderful people who have ‘adopted’ me into their family to share in their love, memories, and traditions; I’m thankful that I was able give them one of their lost life-treasures; and I am grateful that even as I was experiencing my own loss, I was able to use my simple gift of baking a pie to bring joy to so many. 

AUNT BERT’S RAISIN CREAM PIE

Crust for unfilled 9” pie shell + extra dough scraps

1-3/4 cups raisins

½ cup sugar

1-1/2 cups whipping cream, unwhipped

2 eggs, lightly beaten

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

2 TBSP butter

½ cup flaked coconut

½ cup chopped pecans

Prepare and bake a 9” unfilled pie shell. Also roll out and bake extra dough scraps on an ungreased cookie sheet – when done, crumble scraps into raisin-sized pieces and set aside.

Heat oven to 425°.

For filling: In a medium heavy saucepan, combine raisins and enough water to cover them. Bring to boiling. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes to plump raisins. Drain well, remove raisins from pan, and set aside. In same saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in whipping cream and eggs. Cook over medium heat and stir constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Stir in vanilla, butter, and raisins.

Pour filling into baked pie shell. In a small bowl, combine coconut, pecans, and crumbled baked pie crust pieces. Sprinkle over the top of the pie. Bake at 425° for 5-8 minutes or until coconut is lightly browned.

Cool on a wire rack. When cooled, cover pie and chill for at least 3 hours before serving. Store the remaining pie in refrigerator. Makes 10 servings. Maybe. It may serve only a few! 😊

Aunt Bert’s Raisin Cream Pie