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I cut a piece of pie for my husband and took it out on the deck. He took a bite and said “Mmmmmm.” I asked if I could have a bite of his because I had not yet had a piece. He told me to get my own and continued to moan with each bite. He was kidding of course, and let me have a taste. I knew he would be the right person to critique this pie because he loves Crème Brulee and has ordered it many times after a fine dinner out. He said it tastes just like Crème Brulee except with a crust. Yeah!
This is a simple pie and was easy to make. You’ll need a pre-baked pie pastry, Dulce de Leche, corn starch, heavy cream, one can sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, butter, vanilla, and sugar.
Spread 1 cup (or half a 16 ounce jar) of Dulce de Leche in a pre-baked 9-inch cooled pie shell. Set aside.
Whisk corn starch and heavy cream together in a heavy saucepan until corn starch is completely dissolved.
Stir in the sweetened condensed milk.
Separate 3 eggs retaining the egg whites for another use.
Lightly beat the egg yolks.
Whisk the egg yolks into the cream mixture.
Cook and stir over medium heat until cream is thick and bubbly.
Remove from heat, add the butter and vanilla making sure the butter is completely melted and incorporated.
Pour the custard over the Dulce de Leche and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Just before you’re ready to serve, top with sugar and brown with a kitchen torch or under a broiler. Cover the crust with foil if using the oven to brown the sugar. Garnish with sweetened cream if desired and refrigerate left-overs.
I think my sugar topping was a little thick but my husband didn’t seen to mind.
Your guests will think you worked too hard!
Classic Creme Brûlée in pie form.
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch pre-baked pastry shell, cooled
- 1 cup Dulce de Leche
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 3 egg yolks, beaten
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ¼ cup sugar for topping, or less
- whipped cream for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Spread the Dulce de Leche in the bottom of the baked crust. Set aside.
- Mix cornstarch and the heavy cream in a heavy bottom saucepan. Blend until cornstarch is dissolved. Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks.
- Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and become bubbly. Remove from heat, add the butter and vanilla. Pour cream mixture into the prepared pie crust.
- Chill pie for at least 2 hours to set.
- Just before serving, top with granulated sugar and brown (brûlée) using a kitchen torch or under a broiler. If using the broiler, cover the crust with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
- Garnish with sweetened whipped cream if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.
Recipe Notes
- (adapted from an award winning recipe by Dionna Hurt)
Nutrition
Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 115mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 836IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
22 pies baked, 30 more to go.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day holiday!
Tricia
Kathleen says
Can you freeze cream Brûlée pie?
Tricia Buice says
Hi Kathleen. I haven’t tried freezing this pie so I’m not sure how it will do after thawing. If I was going to try I’d freeze leftover slices on a baking sheet. Once frozen, wrap each in plastic wrap then store in an airtight container. Due to the amount of dairy in this pie I would not keep any longer than 3 months. Good luck!
A SPICY PERSPECTIVE says
Oh honey, this is a new one for me–Creme brulee in pie… I like it! especially that crunchy top. 🙂