This recipe comes from the 1910 Hotel St. Francis Cookbook by Victor Hirtzler, the San Francisco hotel’s legendary chef. It may be nearly 100 years old, but it turns out fine for me.
SERVINGS
Makes one 9-inch pie
PREPARATION
Fill a deep china vegetable dish [pie plate] with gooseberries, add one quarter pound of sugar and two cloves to the dish, wet the edges, cover with pie dough, wash the top with eggs, and bake. When done, dust the top with powdered sugar, allow to cool, and serve cream separate.
Depending on the size and depth of the pie plate, this recipe will take 3 to 4 cups of gooseberries. I might add to pierce the pie dough in several places before baking to let steam escape, set the oven at 375°F, and bake the pie for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the gooseberry filling yields an easy clear liquid when a toothpick is inserted. I assume he means to serve the pie completely cooled (which allows it to set since gooseberries and currants have plenty of natural pectin), with heavy cream on the side.
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