Barbara Frietchie Pie

Barbara Frietchie was a worthy and highly regarded lady of great age living in Frederick, Maryland who was an intensely loyal supporter of the Union and hater of the Slavery Rebellion, holding her Union flag in great esteem and keeping it with her Holy Bible; when the Confederates halted before her house, and entered her dooryard, she denounced them vigorously, shook her cane in their faces, and drove them out; and when General Burnside's Union troops followed close behind General Jackson's Confederates, she waved her flag and cheered them on. John Greenleaf Whittier later memorialized her in his famous poem, which includes the famous line: "Shoot, if you must, this old gray head, But spare your country's flag," she said. Chilling time not included in the preparation time. From the Southern section of The United States Regional Cookbook, Chicago Culinary Institute, 1947.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1  single crust  pastry dough (store bought or your own recipe)
• 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream or 1⁄2 cup evaporated milk
• 3⁄4 cup brown sugar
• 2  egg yolks, beaten
• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 2  egg whites, beaten
•  grated nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Line the pie pan with pastry.
3. cook sugars, cream, egg yolks and butter in a double boiler until thickened, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
4. Remove from heat, add vanilla, salt and beaten egg whites.
5. Pour into unbaked pastry shell, sprinkle with nutmeg and bake at 425F for 10 minutes, reduce to 300F and bake about 45 minutes longer or until a knife comes out clean when inserted in center.
6. Serve very cold.