Nutmeg Maple Cream Pie

Alright, pardon the delay – here’s the last of the recipes I tried in Quebec, when I had lactose-free cream. It was a nutmeg maple cream pie from Smitten Kitchen that looked absolutely fantastic. My version disappointed me a little because it turned out much darker than expected, more brown than blonde, though I must say it was, in fact, delicious. I made it in a pie shell, even Deb Perelman had used a tart shell, but I still ended up with a lot of extra filling! I think only a homemade (read: deep) pie shell could contain all the filling – otherwise, bake the extra in a few ramekins. (I also had to increase the baking time a bit, since my pie was deeper than her tart, and that probably contributed to the dark top!)

¾ cup maple syrup
2 ¼ cups lactose-free cream
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 9-inch pie crust or tart shell (gluten-free if necessary)

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line pie refrigerated pie shell with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until beginning to set. Remove foil with weights and bake 15 to 18 minutes longer or until golden. If shell puffs during baking, press it down with back of spoon. Cool on wire rack. Lower temperature to 300 °F.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce maple syrup by a quarter, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and egg. Whisking constantly, slowly add cream mixture to eggs. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a cup or bowl with pouring spout. Stir in salt, nutmeg and vanilla.

Pour filling into crust and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pie is firm to touch but jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour (I’d suggest covering it with tin foil during baking if you feel it is getting too dark). Let cool to room temperature before serving.