Remembering her in a pie

My grandmother's recipe for Japanese pie, written in her handwriting.
(All photos by Kathryn Powell)

One of my favorite things in the world is getting to cook with my grandfather. We cook all kinds of things, and every dish carries memories with it that have come from years of visits to his house for holidays. One of my first and fondest memories made in my grandfather's kitchen is one of learning how to make my grandmother's Japanese pie. The recipe itself is quite simple, but the taste is rich and very memorable.

The odd name of 'Japanese pie' actually has nothing to with Japan or Japanese culture, it is just what my grandmother named the pie and the name stuck so that is what we call it today. 

This pie is my grandmother's pie. It is her recipe, and every time I bake it I think of the grandmother I never met, the one who died before I was born. I wonder what she was like, and if I am similar to her in anyway.

When I make this pie I feel as if I am carrying on some tradition that was never officially begun, I feel as if I am remembering a grandmother I never knew. I feel happy inside whenever I am able to make this pie for my family, and when they say "It tastes just like mom used to make it!" It makes me happy to help bring back those good memories through this pie. I hope to create new memories for others with this pie. I want this to become my pie, and I want people to remember me for this pie just as they remembered my grandmother.

So I guess, in reality, this pie doesn't carry my memories of my grandmother, but others' memories of her. What I remember every time I eat this pie are the times in the kitchen with my grandfather, the times with family dinners with all of us together at the table in my grandfather's house, and the memories of my grandmother that have been shared with me over a spoonful of Japanese pie.

Grandma Powell's Japanese Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon vinegar 

1.  Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt the butter in the microwave, then let the melted butter cool. This step sounds kind of weird, why would you heat the butter only to cool it down? It's so that the hot butter doesn't cook the eggs when you mix them together. This is not a scrambled egg pie, so trust me, cool the butter.

2. Mix the butter together with all the other ingredients in a mixing bowl.

 

3. Place an unbaked pie crust in a pie pan, and crimp the edges if you wish. I used a pre-made pie crust, but if you would like you can make your own crust and it will work just fine. Here is one way to crimp the edges of the crust, place your thumb on the edge and then take two fingers and press the dough lightly around the thumb. Don't press too hard or the crust will get too thin and won't hold the shape of the crimp. If at first you don't succeed, flatten it out and try, try again.

4. Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie crust. Bake for 40 minutes. The pie should look golden on the top, and the crust should be golden on the edges. The pie is best served warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

One thing I like about this pie is that it is very rich, and is full of different flavors and textures. The coconut and the pecan add some crunch to it, and the raisins and sugar make the pie very sweet.