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Old-Fashioned Caramel Pie

Source of Recipe

"The Southern Pantry Cookbook" by Jennifer Chandler


Recipe Introduction

"Rich and dense, this pie is definitely a caramel lover's dream. Made-from-scratch caramel pies are far superior to the shortcut ones made with condensed milk caramel. This recipe is from the kitchen of my friend Cindy Ettingoff's grandmother. I guarantee it is worth the effort!"

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1½ cups sugar, divided
â—¦ 2 cups milk
â—¦ 3 large egg yolks
â—¦ 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
â—¦ A pinch of kosher salt
â—¦ 1 (9-inch) baked piecrust, homemade or store-bought
â—¦ 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
â—¦ ¼ cup granulated or confectioners' sugar
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Recipe

Place ¾ cup sugar in a medium saucepan. Over medium-low heat, cook the sugar, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Keep warm over very low heat.

While the sugar is caramelizing, prepare the custard.
In a medium saucepan whisk together the milk and eggs. Add the flour and remaining ¾ cup sugar and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Over medium heat, cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes.

Add the caramelized sugar to the custard, whisking continuously. The caramel may harden, but continue whisking until it has melted and the mixture is smooth and thick, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the butter and salt.

Pour the custard into the baked piecrust. Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 1 hour.

To serve, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Spoon a generous dollop of whipped cream over each slice.


Serves 8



• Cooking Tip:
It is best to caramelize the sugar and make the custard at the same time so that neither cooks too long. I have to admit the first time I made this pie, I thought I had made a mistake since the caramelized sugar became a hard lump! But just as Cindy had told me, if you keep stirring over medium heat, the caramel melts into the custard.