Raspberry Custard Pie

This pie is a beast to make but is delicious and beautiful. It's worth every minute it takes to make it. I got this gem from my friend Summer's blog.





Raspberry Custard Pie

1 single baked pie crust

1 cup milk

1/4 cup flour

1, 1/4 cups sugar, divided

1/4 tsp salt

2 egg yolks, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup whipping cream (don't add sugar)

3 cups fresh raspberries (12 oz unsweetened frozen)*

1/2 cup water

3 tbsp cornstarch

*If using frozen raspberries, thaw berries before use and reduce water to 1/3 cup.

Prepare and bake a single pie crust shell. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar and the salt; stir to mix well. Add 2-3 tbsp milk to sugar/flour and stir to create a smooth paste; add remaining milk and stir to blend. Over medium heat, stirring constantly, cook pudding mixture until it begins to bubble; continue to cook 1 minute (mixture will be thick. Stirring egg yolks constantly, spoon a small amount of pudding into beaten egg yolks. Pour egg yolks back into saucepan and stir well to mix. Return pan to heat and continue to cook until mixture is VERY THICK. DO NOT allow to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool pudding.**

** You want the pudding mixture to be very thick. To create a firmer texture: Place 1 tbsp cold water in small microwave safe cup, sprinkle 1/2-1 tsp unflavored gelatin over water and allow gelatin to soften. Microwave gelatin in 3-4 second intervals stirring after each interval until gelatin is dissolved. Stir gelatin into cool (not cold) pudding just prior to folding in whipping cream.

Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into cool pudding mixture; spoon pudding mixture into baked pie shell, cover and chill pie for AT LEAST 1 hour to partially set.

In a medium saucepan, crush berries with a potato masher; add 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch and water, mix well. Over medium heat, stirring, bring berries to a boil. Remove from heat and cool. Spoon berry glaze over pudding in pie shell (when cool). Refrigerate overnight to completely set. Garnish with an additional dollop of whipped cream, additional fresh berries and a mint leaf if desired.

TIPS
My custard was too thick and I wasn't able to fold the whipped cream into the custard. I had to beat it in and I was very scared it was going to turn watery. Although my custard was a little lumpy it was very firm in the pie and tasted fantastic. I'm not sure what I did wrong exactly. The recipe says the custard needs to be very thick but maybe I made mine too thick or I let the custard cool too long before adding the whipped cream. I didn't need to do the gelatin step. I am determined to get this pie right so I am going to test it again and see if I can get the custard right this time. I also used frozen raspberries and it tasted delicious. I used fresh berries for the garnish. I used my deep pie dish and should have used a regular size because my crust didn't go up to the top of the dish so you can't see it pictured above. I also made my pie the night before I served it so it was in the fridge for almost 24 hours.