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Prep time
1 hour 15 minutes
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Cook time
1 hour
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Makes
One 9-inch pie
Author Notes
Brûléed vanilla custard = wonderful. Rich vanilla custard inside a buttery pie crust = amazing. Brûléed vanilla custard pie = supercrazywonderfulamazing. —Erin Jeanne McDowell
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Ingredients
- For the crust:
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1 1/2 cups
all-purpose flour
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1/2 teaspoon
salt
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8 tablespoons
very cold, unsalted butter
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Ice water, as needed
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All-purpose flour, as needed
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Egg wash, as needed
- For the filling:
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1 1/3 cups
heavy cream
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1/2
vanilla bean, scraped
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2/3 cup
sugar, divided
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6
egg yolks
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Pinch salt
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Superfine sugar, for finishing
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 425° F. Have a 9-inch pie plate ready..
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In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, and salt to combine. Add the butter and pulse until it’s the size of peas. Remove the mixture and transfer to a medium bowl.
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Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
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On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4- to 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to the pie plate, and work carefully to make sure it’s nestled all the way down to the base. Chill thoroughly: 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer is best.
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Dock the frozen dough all over with a fork. Place a square of parchment over the pie and fill with pie weights. Bake until just beginning to brown at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pie weights, brush the base of the dough with egg wash, and return to the oven for 3 to 4 minutes more. Reduce oven temperature to 350° F. Cool the crust completely.
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While the crust cools, in a small saucepan, bring the cream, vanilla bean, and 1/3 cup of the sugar to a simmer over medium heat. Let cool to room temperature, and discard the vanilla bean.
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In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, the yolks, and the salt together to combine. Pour the cream into the yolks in a steady stream, whisking constantly to combine. Strain the custard into the cooled crust.
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Bake until the custard is set around the edges, but still noticeably jiggly in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
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When the pie is cool, sprinkle sugar in an even layer over the pie. Brûlée the sugar with a torch until evenly melted and caramelized. Let sit at least 5 minutes before serving.
I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!
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