Custard Pie (Hawaiʻi Local Bakery Egg Custard Pie)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •9-inch deep-dish pie pan
• •Pie weights or 3 cups dried beans reserved for blind-baking
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Rimmed sheet pan

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together. Cut in the cold butter and shortening until you have pea-size bits and flat flakes running through the flour, then sprinkle in 4 tablespoons ice water and fold with a fork. Add more water a teaspoon at a time only until the dough holds when squeezed. Don't knead it smooth. A bakery crust needs those little pockets.

2. 2

   Chill and roll

   Gather the dough into a disk, wrap it, and chill for 30 minutes. Roll it on a lightly floured counter into a 12-inch round, settle it into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan, and crimp the edge. Set the shell in the freezer for 15 minutes so the fat firms back up before the oven gets its turn.

3. 3

   Blind-bake shell

   Heat the oven to 375F. Line the crust with parchment and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 18 minutes, lift out the parchment and weights, then bake 8 to 10 minutes more, until the bottom looks dry and pale gold. Lower the oven to 325F.

   If the crust puffs after the weights come out, press it down gently with the back of a spoon while it is still warm.
4. 4

   Warm the milk

   In a small saucepan, warm the evaporated milk and whole milk until tiny bubbles show around the edge. Don't boil it. You just want the milk warm enough to meet the eggs kindly, not so hot it scrambles them.

5. 5

   Temper and strain

   Whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt in a bowl with a gentle hand. Slowly ladle in the warm milk while whisking, a little at first, then the rest. Stir in the vanilla and nutmeg, then strain the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher. That strainer is how you get the soft bakery smoothness, no egg threads hiding in the pie.

6. 6

   Fill and bake

   Set the baked shell on a rimmed sheet pan and pour in the custard. Dust the top lightly with more nutmeg. Bake at 325F for 35 to 45 minutes, until the outer two inches are set and the center still trembles when the pan is nudged. An instant-read thermometer should read 170F to 175F near the center. Pull it there. Carryover heat will finish the custard.

   If the crimped edge browns too fast, cover just the crust edge with foil. More heat won't fix a slow custard; it only makes the eggs grainy.
7. 7

   Cool and slice

   Cool the pie on a rack for 1 hour, then chill at least 2 hours for clean slices. Serve cold or let it sit 20 minutes at room temperature so the custard softens. Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator and eat within 3 days.

Chef Tips

• •Evaporated milk gives the filling that Local bakery body, a little deeper and rounder than fresh milk alone. All whole milk works if that's what you have, but the slice will set softer.
• •Whisk the custard gently. You're making a quiet set, not a cake batter, and too much foam leaves little bubbles on the surface.
• •A baked custard finishes after it leaves the oven. Take it out while the center still trembles and trust the carryover heat. No blame the eggs if you kept chasing a perfectly still center.
• •This is fridge food once it cools. Custard has eggs and milk, so don't leave it sitting out all afternoon after the potluck line passes.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the dough up to 2 days ahead and keep it wrapped in the refrigerator, or freeze it for up to 1 month.
• •Blind-bake the crust the morning of and keep it uncovered at room temperature until you fill it.
• •Bake the pie 1 day ahead for the cleanest slices. Cool it fully, refrigerate it loosely covered, then serve cold or let it sit 20 minutes before slicing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 150g)