While researching old tea room recipes online, I began to see a few references to the Rum Cream Pie at the Innes Department Store's tea room in Wichita, Kansas. Fortunately I found a helpful web site, Recipe Curio, which featured a newspaper clipping I believe to be this very recipe! Like lots of old recipes, this one wasn't quite as precise as I would have liked (what size pie shell to use? which type of cream?), so it took two tries and a couple of tweakings before I achieved pie success. The result? A truly delicious pie with an incredibly creamy, almost butterscotch-like taste and a gooey, drippy caramel bottom layer that is just divine.
Any readers out there remember the Innes Department Store in Wichita and its tea room? If so, please chime in or contact me via the e-mail button at right, for I'd love to hear your stories! Here's what the building looked like at the time this postcard was mailed in 1918. I've been unable to purchase a postcard of the interior, alas, but I did find a link to such an image at wichitaphotos.org, and you can see it here. It's nice to be able to imagine what the surroundings looked like as guests enjoyed their delicious Rum Cream Pie!Innes Tea Room's Rum Cream Pie
(as interpreted by me!)
12 Werther's chewy caramel candies
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided use
1-1/2 teaspoons rum flavoring, divided use
1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell, baked (I used Marie Callender's)
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
5 tablespoons sifted flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten well
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped with 1 tablespoon sugar
Extra whipped cream for garnish
In double boiler over high heat melt candies and the three tablespoons of cream, stirring constantly until combined and the consistency of caramel ice cream topping. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the rum flavoring. Spread caramel mixture over bottom of baked and cooled pie shell.
In double boiler over medium heat, heat the milk and 1/2 cup of cream. Mix sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt and add to hot milk mixture in double boiler. Stir until thickened, about 15 minutes. Whisk about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the beaten eggs, then stir egg mixture into the milk and cream and cook 2 or 3 minutes more, stirring constantly. Let cool completely. Add remaining 1 teaspoon of rum flavoring, fold in the whipped cream and blend well before pouring into pie shell. Chill in refrigerator until set. Garnish with more whipped cream if desired. Yields 8-10 servings.
That looks REALLY good!!!
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ReplyDeletePajen ser farligt god ut! Önskar dig en riktigt fin Dag! Zinnia
ReplyDelete4 maj 2011 11:26
Oh thank you for your hard work fine tuning this recipe Angela!
ReplyDeletelooks yummy!
ReplyDeleteoooh, this looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteThe dining room looks to be a pretty large room - wouldn't that have been a great place to have lunch? Thanks for the recipe,
Joanie
That pie looks delicious. Thanks for all the interesting tea room history and links.
ReplyDeleteThat recipe sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI came across your blog while searching for a menu from the Innes tea room. I remember it well. I often went there as a child in the 50s and 60s with my mother and grandmother...my father worked at Innes. It was one of those places that you dressed up to go to - even down to the white gloves and a little hat. So elegant! I was still eating the little finger sandwiches off of the children's menu, but I'll ask my mother if she remembers your delicious looking pie.
ReplyDeleteI remember the tea room as well. My mother worked in the drapery department for several years. She respected Mr Innes, owner of the store a great deal.
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