The Healthy My Ass Cookbook

Custard Pie

Follow this one to the letter and your custard will not curdle.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Move one oven rack to its lowest possible position and the other to the middle position.  Preheat oven to 450°F.

Prepare the Perfect Pie Crust - No Top and set aside.

Mix the Sugar, Flour, and Salt in a one cup measuring cup and set aside.  Separate the whites of the Eggs into a one quart or larger bowl and save the egg yolks in a small container.

Bake the pie crust for 10 minutes at 450° on the lowest rack in the oven.

Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until frothy but not quite meringue consistency.  Beat in the egg yolks.  Blend in the sugar mixture.  Add the Vanilla and Half and Half.

Remove the baked pie crust from the oven and cover the fluted edges with aluminum foil as soon as it is cool enough to avoid burning yourself.  Stir the custard filling and gently pour 3/4 of it into the pie crust.

Pull the middle rack out from the oven as far as it will slide and set the pie pan on the middle of the rack.  Add as much of the remaining custard as will fit, being sure not to let any seep down the edges of the pie crust or up onto the sides as you gently push the oven rack back into the oven.

After the oven returns to 450°F, lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for 15 minutes.  Then lower the oven temperature again to 325°F and continue baking for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reaches at least 160°F but no more than 170°F in the center.  It will continue to rise to the target 175°F after being removed from the oven.  The pie is also done when a clean knife inserted half way between the center and edge of the pie comes out clean.  Even if the center itself may still look runny, it will set as the pie cools.

Allow to cool and serve slightly warm or completely cooled.  Refrigerate left overs.

Notes:

Pie need not be refrigerated if eaten within the first 3 hours after it comes out of the oven.

See Also:

Coconut Custard Pie - My variation of the Custard Pie recipe