The raisin. Plump juicy or humiliated grape? I’m ready, lay it on me.
Calling those “for” raisins and “on the fence.” This tart’s cause for support.
Amish, German, Midwest, from where these ingredients pushed together, I thank you.
Have you experienced the wonder of this pie or turned a nose toward the dessert? I’ve done both, so relate. When first hearing sour cream + pie, I thought “uh, uh.” I was young and in basic food vocabulary, sour cream didn’t spell d-e-s-s-e-r-t. But raisins held adoration to a degree of slipping a wrinkled Glad bag over my head, threading arms, then circling with three friends as California Raisins to “Heard it Through the Grapevine.” That’s the 80’s in the 5th grade for you!
Back to raisins in sour cream. With a nudge, or was it a shove? One bite, and Sour Cream Raisin shared top podium with Razzleberry in Marie Callendar days. In older years, our sour cream raisin’s grown, mature by way of texture and taste.
Key Players
A Fine Crust – tarts and pies begin and end with crust. I started in pie from homemade, so rolled with it. For years, I either left as is, which is flakey with a little added cinnamon. In more recent years, I tailor crust to filling to whipped cream. With subtle additions to both, pie/tart serves as one dynamic entity.
My aunt’s one of the best baker’s I know, making one he (double hockey sticks) of a crust. She recently let me in on a secret, box pie dough. Reminiscent of her mom with every farmer’s market mixed berry pie or fresh peach galette, her desserts are unreal. So, whether frozen, refrigerated, box or homemade —begin and end with a trusty well-loved dough. And if wanted, add a sprinkle of spice.
Plump Juicy Raisins – I fell head over face for these mongo raisins but haven’t seen them since. I’ve also seen mongos at Trader Joe’s but were they multi-color? Normally, normal size is plumped full then used though.
Bourbon – we use bourbon to plump but boiling hot water works well too. Momma’s right, when plumping, use the lowest amount of time (no longer than 15 minutes) as beyond, raisins lose flavor. Momma = food saver.
Orange juice, zest, clove – Sour cream, raisins, orange, zest and clove — yep, a pattern too good to pass on this tart.
Vanilla Bean – Some prices down, some up, vanilla’s breaking the bank. There are recipes I prefer without (a few cookie, pancake…) but this isn’t the time for little. Pull the stops and bring the bean or best.
All Together Now
Sour Cream/Fat Raisins/Bourbon/Orange Juice/Orange Zest/Clove/Flecks of Vanilla Bean
In the beginning, there was tart dough
Melt coconut oil until just, then cool.
Mix dry ingredients.
Mix peanut butter and honey with slightly cooled coconut oil, then stir together.
Freeze, bake tart shell until golden and fragrant, then cool.
Spiced Sour Cream Raisin Center
Combine dry ingredients together.
Whisk in sour cream, orange juice, zest, vanilla, and egg yolks.
Stir until thick and bubbly.
Remove from heat.
Fold in raisins.
Pour filling into the cooled tart shell and smooth.
Admire the beauty created.
A Cloud of Whip
Five ingredients and a smidge of clove make six. Overkill for whipped cream? No way! This cloud comes together fast and deserving an encore… whipped cream ties filling to crust. One small piece and crave, trampled. Void, filled. Woe, banished. Glum, grins. Gatherings, gitty.
! This cream contains bourbon ! If you must, I understand. Feel free to opt out, I promise, the whip is bliss !
A Moon
layer a little ~ pipe a lot ~ add by the slice
Slice.
Savor.
Years ago, I filled in while the administrative secretary was on maternity leave at the high school I attended, then worked. The school, the people, a dream. Laurie recently decided to stay home with her two girls, so I’m back in school.
We’ve been making/baking and I’ve been taking a ton of pictures, but posts slowed. Avi Pie’s a sanctuary, so I’ll find my groove.
For those with kids, have you started school? Our county is starting with distance learning in September. My heart to those juggling work (or lack-thereof), parenting, teaching, questioning, answering, entertaining big and littles, surviving, navigating care, stepping in to care, being light.
Peace.
And pie.
Sour Cream Raisin Tart
Ingredients:
9-inch tart crust
- 1¼ cup oat flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
- 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 2 Tablespoons peanut butter, creamy
- 2 Tablespoons honey
Sour Cream Raisin Filling
- 1/3 cup cane sugar
- 5 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground clove
- 1½ cups sour cream
- 2 egg yolks, large
- 1 Tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1½ cups raisins
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 1 vanilla bean, cut lengthwise, seeds scraped/removed - or 1 tablespoon paste or pure extract
Bourbon Brown Sugar Whipped Cream
- 1¼ cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1½ Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon bourbon
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla paste or extract
- 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
Garnish
- honey roasted sliced almonds (courtesy of Trader Joe's)
Instructions
9-inch tart crust
- Preheat the oven to 300˚F. Oil a 8-9'' removable bottom tart pan with a light coat. Line the bottom with parchment and set aside.
- In a small bowl, heat coconut oil until just melted; set aside to cool. In a medium size bowl, whisk together oat flour, almond flour, salt and clove. Once coconut oil is cool, add peanut butter and honey, mix well. Create a well in the center of the oat/almond flour mixture, pour the coconut oil mixture in and stir until combined.
- Spread dough even across the bottom of the tart pan. With your hands, a tart tamper, or the back and side of a small measuring cup, press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- On the center oven rack, bake the crust for about 12-15 minutes until golden and fragrant. Let cool on a wire rack.
Sour Cream Raisin Filling
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring 1/4 cup bourbon (or water) and 1½ cups raisins to a boil, reduce heat to low and continue cooking until most of the liquid is absorbed, no longer than 10-15 minutes. Drain raisins and set aside.
- In a medium-size saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and clove together. Whisk in sour cream, egg yolks, orange juice, zest, and seeds from vanilla bean. Run a spatula along the corners and bottom of the saucepan, making sure the mixture is well combined.
- Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and cook. Whisk nonstop until the mixture thickens and boils. Continue stirring for 45-60 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in drained raisins, then spatula filling into the cooled tart shell and smooth.
- Let cool for ten minutes on a wire rack. A couple options for preventing a skin from forming:- press a piece of plastic over the surface (leaving little gaps or air pockets) of the pie. - glide a piece of butter lightly across the surface of the pie, then press a (preferably unbleached) a piece of parchment paper over (leaving little gaps or air pockets) the pie.Place the pie back on the wire rack and continue to let cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Bourbon Brown Sugar Whipped Cream
- About 15 minutes before ready to serve, chill a medium-size (preferably deep glass or metal) bowl and the beaters from your electric mixer in the freezer.
- Combine heavy whipped cream, brown sugar and bourbon (if using) in a measuring cup and stir until brown sugar is mostly dissolved. Place back in refrigerator for remaining 15 minutes.
- Remove the cream mixture from the refrigerator and stir once more. Using an electric stand or handheld mixer, starting on medium in the medium bowl, beat the cream mix, bourbon, orange juice, vanilla and clove untilit starts to thicken. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to stiff peaks form. Avoid over beating. Place the whipped cream in the refrigerator until ready.
- Spread or pipe whipped cream over the tart. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- I use creamy natural peanut butter (Kirkland organic)
- a standard tart dough works too!
- for the raisins, hot water can be used in place of bourbon.
- omitting the bourbon within the whipped cream will still make an amazing topping.
- store refrigerated and airtight for ultimate freshness.
Nutrition
