FOR CRUST:
- 13 oz AP flour (to weight) 8 oz cold butter, cubed
- 1⁄2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1⁄4 c cold water
- 1 Tbs white vinegar
FOR FILLING:
- 1 1⁄4 c heavy cream 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract 1⁄4 cup sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 1⁄3 cup sugar Pinch salt
- 1 Tbs bourbon
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 3-4 Tbs sugar for the brulée part (for a thicker sugar crust, use a little more sugar, but too much and it won’t fully caramelize)
Serving Size: 6-8
INSTRUCTIONS
FOR CRUST:
1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the cold butter and work it into the dry ingredients with your hands, pinching the butter to large pea-sized pieces.
2. Add the egg, water and vinegar, and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together in a shaggy mass.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and roll to 1⁄4” thickness. Cut a circle about 2” larger than your pie pan.
4. Spray the pie pan with pan spray and lay the pie dough circle into it, fitting the dough into the corners. Cut the excess dough from the edge of the pan and crimp with your fingers or a fork.
5. Dock the sides and bottom of the pie shell with a fork, and place the pan in the freezer for 5 minutes. Preheat your oven to 400F
6. Take the pie shell from the freezer and lay a large piece of parchment paper into it, then fill the papered pie shell with dry beans.
7. Bake the weighted pie shell for 15-25 minutes, until the edges are light brown and the bottom is just cooked.
8. While the shell is baking, make your creme brulée filling.
FOR FILLING:
1. Bring the cream, vanilla, orange zest, salt and 1⁄4 cup sugar to a simmer, turn the heat off.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the yolks and 1⁄3 cup sugar. Immediately pour 1⁄2 cup of the warm/hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture and quickly whisk to combine before the yolks start to scramble. Once that small amount of cream is mixed in, go ahead and pour the rest of the warm/hot cream mixture in a steady stream into the yolk mixture, whisking steadily. (Don’t over whisk, you don’t want it to get too foamy)
3. Pour the custard mix through a sieve and then add the bourbon. Stir to combine, then pour the mixture into your par-baked pie shell.
4. Reduce the oven temp to 325F and immediately put the filled pie back into the oven to bake for 1 hour. The pie is done when the custard is almost completely set; there should still be
a 2” circle of jiggle in the center (It will continue cooking out of the oven).
5. Chill the pie for at least 4 hours (unless you just can’t wait, then just let it come to room temp for an hour or so). Sprinkle the sugar over the entire surface of the pie and either use a kitchen torch to melt and caramelize the sugar or put it under the broiler until bubbly and golden brown. Let the sugar set for 3-5 minutes before cutting and serving.