Old-fashioned Cheese Pie for Virginia's 101st birthday

This recipe from Nina May Gemmill was one of the recipes in Virginia Hoffman’s recipe box, a recipe she’s mentioned many times and that I made in celebration of her 101^st birthday. By the way, Virginia says that Nina May made this for many occasions, including funeral dinners. Mrs. Gemmill guarded her recipe and did not readily share it with others. 

Addition to the original post — Since Virginia had been talking about this recipe, I pulled out the recipe from her recipe box and followed it as instructed. She has mentioned the blueberry topping so I artfully arranged blueberries and fresh mint on the top of the pie. Later she called to thank me and to add more recipe details. “I was a little confused when the blueberries started to roll around,” she confessed. “We always covered it with a can of blueberry filling!” 

Speaking of recipes, Virginia gifted me with her recipe box – A TRUE TREASURE!  I interviewed Virginia in 2008 (cooking column in Abilene Reflector-Chronicle). In that article, I referred to her recipe box,  saying, “It’s  an old safety deposit box from the Dickinson County Bank in Enterprise (the bank owned by the Hoffman family).  After being painted and antiqued, it now houses an extensive recipe card collection with categories, ranging from the standards to one labeled 'Whatever',  all neatly sorted into small sealable bags."

Virginia turned a safe deposit box into her recipe box. The faded and
split recipe on top is her copy of Nina May's Cheese Pie. 

Nina May’s (Old-fashioned) Cheese Pie    Makes one 9” pie

2 eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

12 –ounces (1 1/2 blocks of 8 oz. pkg.) cream cheese @ room temperature or softened (remove wrapper, place on microwave safe dish and blast in 30-second intervals until desired softnessis reached.)

1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust (purchased & ready to fill or make your own usingrecipe that follows)

With hand mixer or egg beater, thoroughly mix eggs, sugar and cheese. 

Pour mixture into prepared crust and bake in preheated oven (350°) for 15 minutes or until the center of the pie is only slightly jiggles; the pie filling will also be slightly puffed. (The recipe calls for 15 minutes baking; I baked mine for 30 minutes plus—it was still quite “soupy” at the 15 min. mark.)

 

Remove pie from oven and gently spoon the following mixture over the surface of the pie.

1 cup dairy sour cream

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Return to oven for 5 minutes at 350°.

 

Cool pie and chill well before serving.  

May be eaten unadorned or served with sugared fresh fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, etc. But, according to Virginia, “IT SHOULD BE COVERED WITH BLUEBERRY PIE FILLING!”   

Note: This pie freezes well in case you’d like to keep one in reserve.  

 

To make your own Graham Cracker Crust, mix . . .

1 1/4 cups*graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup granulated sugar         

1/4 cup softened butter or margarine

 

Pour crumb mixture into 9-inch pie pan and press crumb mixture firmly against bottom and sides of pan. (The easy way is to press crumbs into place using an 8-inch pie pan.)

Bake in preheated oven (375°) for 8 minutes. Cool.

*Graham cracker crumbs can be purchased or you can make your own by placing crackers in a plastic bag.  Seal bag and roll with rolling pin, tall glass or similar cylindrical object.  

Note: A one-pound box of graham crackers yields about 4 cups of crumbs.