How to Make an Egg Pie

Infusing a vanilla pod in the creamy mixture intensifies the pie's flavor.

An egg pie can be savory, such as egg and bacon or egg and cheese pie, but the sweet version of an egg pie recipe is hard to surpass. Cooked properly, using large fresh egg yolks and other fine ingredients, you get a wonderful, creamy texture inside a crumbly butter pastry. It is perfect as a dessert, or just when you fancy a sweet snack. Egg pie doesn't take long to make and it keeps in a fridge for several days, although if you make it at home, it will be so good that you won't have any leftovers.

Things You'll Need

• Pan
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup cream
• 1 vanilla pod
• 2 bowls
• 6 large eggs (as fresh as possible)
• 1 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg (or ready-grated)
• 1 cup soft golden sugar
• Prebaked pie case (about 8 inches in diameter)

Instructions

1. Pour 1 cup of whole milk and 1 cup of cream into a pan. You can substitute the whole milk and cream for low-fat milk, but don't expect the egg pie to have the same creamy texture.

2. Use a knife to slice a vanilla pod lengthways. Scrap the seeds from the pod into the pan and then toss in the pod. Put the pan onto the stove and turn on the heat to low. Gently stir the ingredients using a wooden spoon until the mixture is warm, then remove from the heat and leave to one side.

3. Crack open the eggs and separate the whites into a bowl and the yolks into another bowl. Cover the bowl containing the whites using film and put in the fridge.

4. Grate 1 tsp. of nutmeg into the egg yolks; fresh nutmeg is best, but use ready grated, if you prefer. Add 1 cup of soft golden sugar to the bowl. Use a hand whisk and blend the ingredients for a minute or so. Pour the milk and cream from the pan through a fine sieve into the egg mixture. This strains the vanilla pod and seeds.

5. Turn on the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour the mixture from the bowl back into the pan. Put the pan on the stove and heat the mixture slowly while stirring, don't allow the mixture to boil. As the mixture heats, it thickens. It's ready when the mixture coats the wooden spoon. Remove the pan from the heat.

6. Pour the mixture from the pan into a prebaked pastry casing. Grate about 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg evenly over the mixture. Bake the pie into the oven for 40 minutes.

7. Test if the egg pie is cooked by very carefully sliding a knife into the mixture. If the knife is practically clean when you remove it, the egg pie is ready and you should turn off the oven and remove the pie. If the knife has egg mixture over it, then leave the pie for another five minutes and then test it again to see if it's done.

8. Leave the egg pie to cool. You can eat it warm, or put it in the fridge and eat cold. The pie tastes better if you remove it from the fridge about 15 to 30 minutes before you want to eat it.

Tips & Warnings

• Serve a slice of warm egg pie with a spoonful of thick fresh cream on the top.

References

• Delicious Magazine: How to make Egg Custard