Maple Cream Pie

Combine milk, syrup, egg yolks, and flour in a double boiler. Cook slowly over simmering water for about 30 minutes. Add salt. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into baked pie shell (use Kate’s Pie Crust or your own favorite) and chill until firm. Top chilled pie with whipped cream just before serving. Note: Any extra custard may be used as a pudding, but be sure to keep refrigerated.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Work in lard by hand, adding enough so that mixture is crumbly and coarse. At this point, mixture can be refrigerated. To complete the crust, take out as much as needed (approximately 2 cups of the mixture for a double-crust pie) and add just enough ice water to form the dough into a ball without making it sticky. Roll out crusts and fill pie as desired. Ample for three double-crust pies.