I was looking back on my pie repertoire the other day and came across the Salty Honey Custard Pie – sweet, salty and a little bit weird, it’s everything I love in dessert.
But now it’s winter and I think we’re looking for something a bit… toastier. Enter sweet, sweet maple syrup – essentially a 1 for 1 replacement for honey in this pie (also replacing white sugar for brown sugar). The toasty sweetness of maple comes through perfectly and when combined with the flaky salt and chewy top of the pie, it becomes the perfect accompaniment to all those holiday dinners.
I also discovered tonight while eating leftovers that this pie is DELICIOUS cold, and I may even prefer it that way as the texture gets a bit hardier and chewier. Try it and see what you think, but regardless of temperature, you can’t go wrong with this pie!
Crust Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup butter (straight from the fridge, cut into 1 inch pieces)
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 2 tbsp vinegar (I use cider vinegar, mix it in the water)
Filling Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp flour
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup (ensure it’s room temperature so the butter doesn’t solidify)
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- Egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 tsp water)
- 2 tsp sea salt, for sprinkling
Steps
To make the crust, mix together flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry blender, “cut” in the butter. This means you’re almost mashing the butter into the flour with the blender, ensuring all butter is covered in flour until the butter pieces are about the size of peas or a bit bigger.
Then, splash in a bit of your water mixture (2-3 tablespoons) and mix it around with your hand. Continue to add a little at a time and mix and squish with your hand until a large dough ball forms. If you need to get a bit more binding, add a bit of water to your fingers to help it along. Don’t feel compelled to use all the water, mix it in until just combined and the dough is holding together. Flatten dough into a disk and wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour (if you made 1.5x dough, split into two discs with one half the size).
Once your dough has rested, roll it out on a floured surface until it is just over a foot in diameter. If it’s a bit of a wonky shape, cut a bit off one side to add to the side that needs it (use a fork to blend the sides together).
Fold the circle in half and place in a buttered pie pan, ensuring there aren’t any spaces between the dough and the corner of the pan. There should be about 1-2 inches of dough overhanging, roll/fold this dough UNDERNEATH itself, on top of the pan rim so there’s a little dough ledge. To get a lovely crimped crust, pinch and push as shown below:
Lightly cover crimped crust in plastic wrap and place in freezer for 30-60 minutes, until solid.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Mix together butter, sugar, flour, salt and vanilla. Stir in maple syrup, then add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add cream and vinegar and mix well.
Place the frozen pie shell on a baking sheet and strain the filling into the shell. Carefully brush the crimped edges with egg wash.
Bake for 50 minutes, rotating the pan after 30 minutes, until the edges are puffed, the centre is set and the top is golden brown.
Sprinkle with sea salt and allow to cool before serving, 2-3 hours.
Pie Girl Bakes 