Making this great ol’ favorite has almost become a lost art.  If you follow Connie’s tried and true guidelines from recipes given to her by her mother many years ago, this Black Bottom Pie will be a real crowd pleaser.

5/8 Cups Sugar	4 tsps cornstarch
2-½ Cups Scalded Milk	5 beaten egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla flavoring	8 ounce package of semisweet chocolate pieces
1 nine inch baked pastry shell	1 tbsp unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water	5 tbsps Prichard’s Fine Rum
4 egg whites	1/2 Cup Sugar

Combine 5/8 cups sugar and cornstarch.  Slowly add milk to egg yolks. Stir in sugar mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until custard thickens and coats spoon.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  To 1 ½ cups of the custard, add chocolate and stir until melted.  Add 2 tablespoons of rum.  Pour into baked pastry shell and chill. 

Meanwhile, soften gelatin in cold water and add to remaining hot custard.  Stir until dissolved.  Stir in 3 tablespoon rum.  Chill until slightly thickened.  Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Fold in custard-gelatin mixture. Chill if necessary until mixture mounds.  Pile over chocolate layer.  Chill until set and trim with nuts.

Prepare a 9” pastry crust using your favorite pie crust recipe.  Beat 3 eggs thoroughly with remaining ingredients, except pecans. Add 1 cup pecan halves to the unbaked pastry shell.  Pour the filling over the pecan halves.  Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for 50 minutes.  Test with a knife inserted halfway between center and the edge.  When it comes out clean, the pie is done.  While pie is still warm, sprinkle about a tablespoon or two of Prichard’s Fine Rum over the finished pie.

Crust Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter (½ stick)	1-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar	Grated rind of 1 lemon

Filling Ingredients:

1/2 cup raisins	1/4 cup Prichard’s Fine Rum
3 eight ounce packages cream cheese	1 cup sugar
4 eggs	1/2 cup heavy cream

With a mixer, cream the butter and sugar.  Add the flour and lemon rind and mix for two minutes or until thoroughly blended.  Roll dough into a ball, refrigerate for 1 hour.  Roll dough and place in the bottom of a springform pan.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Set aside to cool.

Soak the raisins in the rum for 15 minutes or more.  Whip the cream cheese and sugar until lightly fluffy.  Add the eggs gradually and mix until smooth.  Fold in the heavy cream and then gently stir in the raisins and the rum in which they had been soaked.  Pour into crust in springform pan and place in oven.  Bake at 325 degrees for 60 to 70 minutes or until done.  Remove to cool before unmolding.  Serve with rum flavored whipped cream.

1 cup butter (real butter)	3 tsp baking powder
2 cups sugar	1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs	1/2 cup milk
3-1/2 cups all purpose flour measured	1/2 cup Prichard’s Fine Rum (after sifting)

Beat butter and sugar thoroughly in a large bowl with electric mixer.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Sift flour, baking powder and salt together three times.  Add alternately with milk to first mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients and scraping the bowl constantly.  Beat in rum, turn into well greased and lightly floured tube or kugelhupf pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 -30 minutes. Test to see if the cake is done by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it does not stick then the cake is ready to be removed from the oven.

Rum Glaze