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Custard Pie

Source of Recipe

From "A Southerly Course" by Martha Hall Foose


Recipe Introduction

"To me egg custard pie is an exemplary Southern dessert. Simple vanilla-flavored custard graced with a dusting of grated nutmeg atop a crisp crust is just what I would have served Miss Eudora Welty if I had ever had the chance to thank her for how much her stories have meant to me. I would have also thanked her for a gift that I have begun to appreciate, now that I am�for lack of a better term�grown up: the idea that you don't have to leave the place you love and know, that it is not a prerequisite to understand home you must exile yourself to gain perspective. No, she led by example and temperament. I hope she would have enjoyed this gratitude pie. I think she might have, with her keenness for custards and all."

List of Ingredients

Crust:
◦ 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
◦ � teaspoon salt
◦ ⅓ cup shortening or lard, chilled
◦ 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Custard Filling:
◦ 1 cup whole milk
◦ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
◦ 1 cup sugar
◦ 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
◦ 2 large eggs
◦ 4 teaspoons salt
◦ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
◦ Whole nutmeg, for grating


Recipe

Make the crust:
In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt with a fork to knock out any lumps. With fingertips or a couple of forks, cut the shortening into the flour mixture until the pieces are about the size of small peas. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons cold water over the mixture while tossing quickly with a fork until it begins to come together. Gather the dough and shape it into a smooth ball. Flatten into a disk and wrap in waxed paper. Chill the dough for 1 hour or up to 3 days.

Roll the dough into a 10-inch round. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the dough and pat out any air pockets. Fold the edges overlapping the pan under and crimp with your fingers or a fork. Brush the interior of the crust with the egg white. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

Heat the oven to 350� F.

Make the filling:
In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, heat the milk and butter until the butter melts. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, eggs, and salt until smooth. Pour the warm milk and butter over the sugar mixture and gently stir to combine. Add the vanilla and stir to incorporate.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Grate a little nutmeg over the surface of the custard. Bake on the center rack for 35 to 45 minutes, until the pie has completely puffed across the top. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Refrigerate for 1 hour or until ready to serve.

Makes one 9-inch pie






❧ Notes:

� To use this crust for a "blind bake," prick the entire interior of the crust thoroughly with the tines of a fork. Bake in a 450� F oven for 12 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.

� For the smoothest custard, stir, do not whisk, the warm milk into the egg mixture. If you whisk it, it gets a lot of bubbles on top. The bubbles brown too quickly in the oven and make the surface of the pie look like salamander skin. If you do get a lot of bubbles, let the filled crust sit for 10 minutes or so before baking to give the bubbles time to subside.

� So much of the flavor of this pie resides in the freshly grated nutmeg. This is a case where less is more. Using too much nutmeg or pre-ground nutmeg will make the pie taste medicinal and as if it belongs in a convalescent home.