50 States of MoFo: Indiana: Sugar Cream Pie

Sugar Cream Pie is a famous Indiana dessert, which might make an interesting addition to your holiday table.  If you look around the internet, you can find as many recipes as there are cooks in Indiana, with different methods -- cook the filling and pie crust separately and then pour the filling into the crust, or bake the filling in the crust, or various combination methods.  Some recipes thicken with flour, some with cornstarch. Flavorings generally include vanilla and nutmeg, but sometimes a little something extra.  Clearly one could spend a long time exploring Sugar Cream Pie!  I decided to start from this recipe, with a few modifications:

Prepare an unbaked pie crust, place into a pie plate, and set aside.  Preheat oven to 325F.   In a large saucepan, combine:

1 c. sugar
1/8 t. salt
5 T. cornstarch
2 1/2 c. nondairy creamer (I used So Delicious French Vanilla Coconut Milk Creamer)

Heat on a medium burner, whisking frequently, until it just comes to a boil.  Pull off the heat and add:

6 T. nondairy butter (e.g., Earth Balance)
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. vegan butter flavor (see here for more on this)
a bit of yellow coloring, if you wish  (I used a tiny amount of Wilton yellow color paste)

Put the pan back on the heat, and whisk just until everything comes together.  Pour into the unbaked pie crust, and sprinkle with grated nutmeg to taste.   Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until it looks done.  If you cut it immediately after baking it will run.  If you let it cool for an hour or so, it will slice neatly.  It's very good, with a flavor resembling rich vanilla ice cream.   I think it is best cold, but suit yourself!  Cold or warm, it won't last long.

Other Indiana contenders which deserve veganization are persimmon pudding and deep-fried yeast biscuits served with apple butter.