BUTTERMILK PIE WITH RUM-SOAKED RAISINS

1/2 cup dark raisins
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup rum or spiced rum
Single pie crust for a 9-inch pie
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon flour
4 eggs
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg

Yield: 1 pie, 6 to 8 servings

Combine the raisins and rum in a container and set them aside for 12 hours to soften, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a metal bowl, combine the sugar and flour; set aside.

In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs and add them to the sugar mixture, combining well. Blend the butter into the mixture using the back of a spoon. Add the buttermilk and blend with a whisk. If the butter has not become incorporated by this step, set the bowl over a pan of simmering water to help soften it. Add the lime juice, vanilla and nutmeg and blend well; set aside.

Drain the raisins and sprinkle them in a prepared pie crust. Slowly pour the custard filling over them.

Set the pie on a baking sheet and place it in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. A knife inserted in the center will come out moist but clean when the pie is done. Remove the pie and cool completely before cutting.

Adapted from source: A Cowboy in the Kitchen by Grady Spears, Robb Walsh, and James Evans