Sweet cornmeal pie, with a homemade crust.

With the days growing shorter, the leaves beginning to change, and the temperature beginning to drop, one of my favorite times of the year approaches: roasting and baking time. This marks the first of what I’m sure will be numerous recipes to follow that deal with various ways hominy and related products can be incorporated within these two culinary methods. This recipe for a simple sweet pie is made with cornmeal, not hominy, but I’ve substituted the 1/2 c. cornmeal for a 1/2 c. finely ground nixtamal and it worked just fine. I also enjoy adding both cinnamon and nutmeg, giving the pie a more seasonal flavor.

Sweet Cornmeal Pie (with nuts)

Total Time: about one hour (15 minutes for prep, 45 for baking)

Makes two pies, with 6-8 servings each. 

Ingredients:

• 1 c. butter, softened
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 c. light corn syrup
• 1/2 c. milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 c. cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 unbaked pastry shells (9″)
• chopped nuts (optional–pecans and sweet hickory nuts would work well)
• whipped cream (optional)

Preparation:

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add the corn syrup, milk, and vanilla, and mix well. Fold in the cornmeal, flour, and dry spices. Add the chopped nuts if you plan to use them, then pour into pastry shells.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the pie sets. You may need to cover the edges with tin foil during the last 15 minutes in order to prevent them from overbrowning. Cool in a wire rack, and serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

*This recipe is a modified version of two separate cornmeal pie recipes, as well as my own tinkering.