Description
Creamy, spice-scented custard baked in a flaky pie crust.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (9-inch) pie crust (homemade or store-bought)
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (or 1 cinnamon stick, steeped)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean, scraped)
- Pinch of salt
- Optional: 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- Optional: 1 tsp orange zest for holiday flair
Instructions
- Pre-bake the crust: Preheat oven to 375?F (190?C). Roll out the crust, place in a 9-inch pie dish, line with parchment, fill with baking weights, and bake 15 minutes; remove weights and parchment and bake 5 more minutes until lightly golden; cool slightly.
- Prepare custard base: In a saucepan, heat milk and cream with cinnamon and vanilla until steaming (do not boil). If using a cinnamon stick or vanilla bean, steep for 10 minutes and remove.
- Whisk eggs and sugar: In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, and a pinch of salt until smooth and pale.
- Temper and combine: Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the eggs while whisking constantly to temper; strain through a fine-mesh sieve for extra smoothness.
- Fill and bake: Lower oven to 325?F (160?C). Pour the custard into the pie crust and bake 35?40 minutes until the edges are set but the center still jiggles slightly.
- Cool and chill: Cool the pie to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins