It's the perfect pie for the Fall season: a sense of warmth from pure maple syrup and the comfort of cream. Consider it for an afternoon get-together with hot coffee.
Maple Cream Pie
Ingredients
Pastry for deep dish 9” pie
2 ¼ c. milk (whole milk)
2 c. maple syrup, the real thing, grade B
3 large egg yolks, lightly whisked
½ c. flour
3 T. cornstarch
1 t. vanilla
1 T. sugar
1 c. whipping cream, cold
¼ c. toasted piñon nuts (or toasted walnuts or pecans, chopped) (optional)
1 T. caramel sauce (optional)
Directions
- Bake and cool pie crust.
- In a small bowl, blend egg yolks, syrup and milk.
- In a large bowl, stir together flour and cornstarch. A little at a time, whisk 1 cup of the syrup mixture into the flour. After that’s blended, gradually whisk in the rest of the liquid.
- In a large saucepan, heat over medium heat and whisk constantly until the pudding thickens and boils (8-11 minutes). Set aside to cool in a bowl, covering the surface with plastic wrap, until it cools to room temperature.
- Spread filling in pie crust and refrigerate, covered, for at least 3 hours.
- Before serving, whip cream with sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread on top of pie. If desired, drizzle with a little caramel sauce and sprinkle with nuts.
Baker’s Notes and Tips and Tricks
The inspiration for making this pie came from an NPR story about pie I heard years ago, when the reporter mentioned having maple cream pie at a truck stop in Vermont. I chased down that truck stop online (R&H Truck Stop in Wells River, VT) and this recipe, which came from www.food.com.
This is a VERY rich pie, so smaller servings are suggested.
Changes: Omitted vanilla from the pudding, as it dulled the unique maple flavor. Pumped up the vanilla in the cream and dreamed up adding the drizzle of caramel and the nuts, which added texture and flavor and gave a more intriguing appearance. See “before” and “after” pictures!
