Earl Gray Pie
Let me just start off by saying I LOVE PIE, this is by far my favorite pie. I remember when i discovered Pie Hole in Downtown Los Angeles during one of my photo walks, thinking a whole place specializing in pies, just pies, i mean talk about a dream come true. They had all the traditional pies, Apple, Blueberry but for some reason i decided to get a slice of the Earl Gray, i am not really sure what drove me to that pie but i will say it was a slice of heaven. I would order an Earl Gray pie for holidays and special gatherings.
I wanted to make this pie for Pi Day but i was missing some ingredients and going to the grocery store during the Corona Virus quarantine is not exactly a smart idea. I mean i love pie but its not exactly essential. I ended up ordering the items from Amazon and have been putting off this bake. Let’s just face it, its a real commitment and if i was going to attempt this, i wasn’t going to use any shortcuts such a store made pie crust, it was going to be all from scratch. Sometimes we all just need a little push, a little nudge to conquer our fears, and i am thankful to be surrounded by people who constantly support me, so this weekend i finally decided its time to tackle my favorite pie and i am so glad i decided to make this because it’s simply amazing. I know there are a lot of random thoughts and run on sentences in there but i am baker, not a writer.
I got this recipe from Chopsticks and Flour
Earl Gray Pie
Prep Time: 1 Hour
Bake Time: 1:10 Hours
Total Time: 7 Hours
Ingredients
Crust
1½ cup all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
½ tbsp granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter cold and chopped into 1 inch pieces
2-5 tbsp ice water
Earl Grey Cream
2 cups Whole Milk
5 bags Earl Grey Tea Bags
¼ tsp salt
4 tbsp cornstarch
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
4 tbsp unsalted butter
Whipped Cream for the Earl Grey
½ cup cold heavy cream
2 tbsp sugar
Whipped Cream
¼ cup cold heavy cream
2 Tbsp sugar
Optional Toppings (would highly recommend)
3-4 Tbsp roasted pistachios
Chocolate shavings
Instructions
Crust
In a food processor, place in the flour, salt and sugar. Pulse a few times until combined. Add the butter and pulse a few times until the butter pieces are like peas. Slowly add in about 2 tbsp of cold water and pulse. Add in about 2-3 more tbsp depending on the dough. *The dough should clump together when pinched but not be solid within the food processor.
Dump the dough onto your table. Make the dough into a ball and flatten slightly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Once the dough has chilled, lightly flour a surface and roll out the dough. Roll slightly, and turn to the right. Roll again, and turn. This will make sure the dough doesn’t stick too much to the bottom surface and maintain a circular shape as you roll out the dough. Roll it out until it fits your 8 or 9 inch pie pan. *(The dough should be about 2 inches longer than your pan).
Place the dough into the pie pan. Brush off any extra flour. Lightly press the dough into the pan, particularly the corner edges. Chill the pie plate again for at least 30 minutes. Poke light holes into the bottom of the pie pan with a fork.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line the top of the pie with parchment paper and weigh it down with baking weights. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven, and lift out the paper and weights. Return the crust to the oven and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Earl Grey Cream
In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, tea bags and salt over medium-low heat. The tea will continue to infuse into the milk. Gently stir the milk occasionally so a film won’t form. I heated it for about 15 minutes until the milk got very dark but this will depend on your tea and meat strength. *Tip, I added a bit more than required for the milk since it may evaporate and measure out 2 cups when the heating was done.
While the milk is infusing, in a separate medium bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs and cornstarch until smooth. *Tip: You don’t want to do this too early as the yolks can become pastier if sitting around too long but a few minutes is fine!
Once the milk is completely infused, bring it to one last high boil. Remove the pot from the heat and strain the milk slowly into the egg mixture. Pour some milk in and whisk the egg mixture so the eggs don’t scramble. Continue to add in slowly while whisking.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan on medium heat. Continue to whisk until the mixture begins to thicken. The mixture must be heated for the cornstarch to be activated to thicken. Continue to whisk. The mixture will pop with a few bubbles and that’s when the cornstarch is ready. Continue to whisk for one more minute on heat. The cream should not be very thick Remove from heat and add in the butter. Whisk until the butter is completely incorporated.Tip *If you get lumps occasionally, whisk fast and it will smoothen out the mixture. (I had a few panic moments here).
Pour the cream through a strainer into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap. The strainer helps to get rid of any last clumps and the plastic wrap will prevent a crust from forming on the surface. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate. The cream should be cooled completely before using.
Whipped Cream for the Earl Grey Cream
When the pastry cream is ready, make the whipped cream. In a bowl, whisk the cold cream and sugar on high speed until medium peaks form. The tip of the cream will begin to point up but slightly slouch downwards. *Tip, for quicker results, place the mixing bowl and beats in the freezer to chill for about 15 minutes before using.
Scoop the earl grey pastry cream into the whipping cream. Mix until completely smooth and incorporated. At first, it will look like cottage cheese but as you continue to whisk, the cream will come together smoothly and be very light!
Whipped Cream
Similar to the whipped cream that was mixed into the earl grey cream. In a bowl, whisk the cold cream and sugar on high speed. This time, whisk until stiff peaks form. The tip of the cream will point up.
Assemble:
Fill the pie crust with the earl grey cream. Smooth out the top. Top the earl grey cream with the sweet whipped cream. Sprinkle a few pistachios and chopped chocolate bits. Cut a slice, and enjoy!
