Over the years I have tried so many techniques for baking a custard pie
that I've probably forgotten most of them. Notable among them is the
"slipped custard" method where the crust and filling are baked separately,
the filling being "slipped" into the shell after both are cool. While this
does produce a flaky pastry and a properly set custard, I personally don't
like it and won't make it that way again. I've also tried most of the
temperature variations but all that I tried produced unacceptable results.
My pastry recipe and technique produces such a flaky pastry that it bubbles
up into the custard, often reaching the surface, in various places
throughout the pie. This is obviously unacceptable. Apparently the weight
of the thin custard isn't heavy enough to keep the crust down. If I
partially pre-bake the crust, the filling tends to dissolve the flaky
pastry on the bottom and leak between crust and pan.
A recipe and technique I tried this afternoon, however, finally resulted in
a pie that worked and is very good.
I made my usual pastry, fitted into a metal pie pan. The edge of the
pastry was shielded with foil.
The proportion of ingredients in the filling was not remarkable, however,
the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt were gently beaten together.
Next, the cream and milk were combined and scalded, then quickly combined
with the egg mixture and poured into the raw pastry.
High temperature baking is the departure from all the traditional recipes.
The oven was preheated to 475°F. The pie was baked for 5 minutes, then the
temperature was reduced to 425°F. The pie was baked for an additional 20
minutes until the filling was firm, but just barely shaky. The result was
a perfectly baked crust and a properly firm filling wihtout over baking.
It would seem that the very high initial temperature quickly sets the
crust and prevents it from bubbling up into the filling, then the slightly
reduced temperature continues baking the crust to doneness without it
becoming soggy. The pre-warmed filling sets more quickly, and the overall
baking time is significantly less than more traditional methods.
The high temperatures fly in the face of virtually every custard pie recipe
I've ever seen, but it seems to the job, and properly.
--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
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A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!